It’s no secret that I love weights.
I’ve been doing a lot of great workouts, but have been slacking on sharing them with you all. I promise to do better!
To start, I want to share a Leg/Glute/Core routine I wrote last weekend.
Before you get started with any workout, do at least do 5-10 mins of light cardio to warm up. This is especially important if you workout first thing in the morning before your muscles have a chance to loosen up. It will go a long way in injury prevention! It can be anything from a jog to jumping jacks.
Since I did this first thing, I completed 20 mins of intervals on the elliptical. It was enough to get my heart rate up, loosen my muscles, and get me in the right mindset to tackle this workout.
Throughout this workout, concentrate on keeping your core tight, as if you are bracing to be punched in the stomach. This way you are protecting your back and getting some extra core work!
The Workout: Legs, Glutes, and Core
1. Goblet Squat
Source: fitbit.msn.com
Hold a dumbbell (or kettleball) to your chest, with your elbows pointed to the floor as pictured. Do a squat, lowering your butt as close to the ground as possible. Take care to ensure your knees stay over the center of your feet and your weight stays on your heels.
Pause, then return to the start position. Repeat 8-10 times for 4 sets, taking a short rest (30-60 secs) in between sets.
2. Elevated Back Foot Weighted Split Squat
Source: www.citygeisha.com
Holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length.* Stand in a staggered stance, with your back foot on a bench (the higher your foot is, the harder the exercise). Slowly lower your body as far as you can into a lunge squat. Pause for a second, then return to start position. Repeat 10-12 time for each leg, 2 sets each.
*If you are just starting out, try this move without weight first!
3. Single Leg Standing Calf Raise w/ Dumbbell
Source: menshealth.com
Stand on a step, or weight plate. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and cross your left foot behind your right ankle. Your right heel will be hanging off a step or on the floor. Lift that heel as high as you can. Pause for 2 seconds, then lower and repeat. Do as many reps as you can with your right leg.
Transfer the dumbbell to your left hand, switch feet, and do the same number with your left.
4. Single Leg Bent Knee Calf Raise
Complete this exercise like the one above; however, do so with your knee bent as pictured above. Hold it that way throughout the exercise.
Do as many reps as you can with your right leg, then repeat with the left.
5. Single Leg Donkey Calf Raise
Source: healthxwellness.com
Place both hands on a wall or bar for support. Bend over at your hips so that your upper body is parallel with the floor. Be sure not to round your back!
Do as many reps as you can with your right leg, then repeat with the left.
6. Single Leg Hip Raise w/ Swiss Ball
Source: menshealth.com
Laying on your back, place your left heel on a Swiss ball and hold your right leg in the air.* Engage your glutes and push your hips upward until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees (like in the middle pic above). Keep your core TIGHT!
Roll the ball toward your arse, bending your left knee and pulling the ball with your heel. Return to the starting position, and repeat 12-15 times. Switch and repeat with left leg in the air. Complete 2 sets with each leg.
*If you’re just beginning, do this exercise with both feet on the Swiss-ball, or try it using a bench.
7. Plank
Source: www.mybodymyway.com
Planking is the single most effective this you can do for your abs – better than crunches!!!
With your elbows bent and weight resting on forearms, tighten your core and lift your butt so that your body forms a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Be sure not to let your hips sag, and that your elbows are directly under your shoulders.
Hold for 60 seconds, rest for 30, and repeat.*
*Too hard? Hold it for 30 seconds. Too easy? Try it with your feet elevated on a bench.
8. Swiss Ball Jack Knife
Begin in a push-up position with your toes on a Swiss ball and your arms in push-up position. Keeping your legs straight, raise your butt toward the ceiling while pulling the ball toward your chest with your feet. Take care not to round your back. Pause for 1-2 seconds, and lower your hips to roll back to the start position.
Do 2 sets of 15 reps.
9. Single Leg Side Plank w/ Knee Tuck
Source: oprah.com
Lie on your left side and position your body in a side plank, with your legs straight and your weight resting on your left forearm. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your ankles. Be sure to keep your elbow under your shoulder!
Place your right hand on your hip. Lift your bottom leg so that your foot is next to the inside of your right knee.* Be sure to keep your core tight without rounding your lower back.
Hold for 30-60 seconds, then repeat on the other side. Complete 2 sets on each side.
*Too hard? Keep both feet on the floor.
This whole routine (minus the warm up) took me about 30 minutes.
Printable version you can take to the gym:
Don’t forget your 20g of post-workout protein to aid in recovery and muscle building!*
*No, it won’t result in you looking like She-Man.
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Also, check out my free Macro Calculator, which helps time your meals to get the most out of your workouts!
***
I am not a trainer. I am not a certified anything. Don’t sue me if you hurt yourself, don’t like the workout, or fail to magically have a Kardashian ass after doing this. I don’t have any money anyway.
What is your favorite body part to work?
Where do you get motivation to work on your fitness? Fergie?
Quite possibly the best exercise disclaimer EVER. My favorite part to work is legs. 🙂
Awesome workout! I think my favorite body part to workout is probably my triceps or maybe legs. I hate chest and shoulders!
Goblet squats are murder!! And those hip raises…I can feel my hamstrings burn just by looking at them! This whole workout looks awesome!
I know! I just stared doing them and I love/hate ’em.
My calves would be on fire after all those calf raises! I love planks too, they really do seem to be the most effective and help flatten as well as tone. My workout motivation is to make sure my body is the same as it was prepregnancy, no excuses that I’ve had 2 babies! when theres a will, theres a way!
I have so much respect for you guys with kids still out there getting it done! Love your attitude. 🙂
Will do this tomorrow 🙂
Let me know what you think!
great workout! love all those moves…plus there are a few i’ve never tried!
I used to be a total cardio queen but I discovered my LOVE for weights when I stopped seeing results from the elliptical. You just can’t get that definition without the weights! I’m currently pregnant so my goal is to keep up the strength training, even though I can’t do as much as I used to be able to. I want to be able to bounce back pretty quickly post-pregnancy if possible! LOve this workout! My problem area is def. my bum!
Weights are for sure the key to definition. Good luck with the pregnancy! Sounds like you have a great approach to staying fit and bouncing back. I wonder if that makes the baby more likely to enjoy fitness?
ok this is mega hard but I am so looking forward to trying out your routine. thanks!
You can do it! If you need help with any modifications, feel free to send me an email!
Haha love the last part of this post! 😀 Looks like a great workout! Bookmarking it to try after I have completed this 60 day Insanity thang, it finally arrived today! Whoop! 🙂
Love it! Especially the asterisk assuring me I won’t turn into a she-man if I follow it 😉
I love yoga – it just makes me feel stretched and elongated and good!
I’ve been slacking a little (a lot) in the strength training department since just before my 50K, so I don’t really have a favorite body part to work right now. 🙂 Usually, I would say core or legs though!
I don’t think “slacking” is part of your vocabulary. 🙂
I seriously don’t think I’ve done any strength training for 3 weeks. 🙂
Well you make me sick with your buffness and I can see why you are that way given your workouts (I wish I possessed better motivation).
I do enjoy working out at the Y and my favorite part to work out is legs. I think that is just because they are my strongest muscles.
Anyway thanks for an awesome work out suggestion and I promise not to sue you for any of the reasons mentioned above 🙂
I wish legs were my favorite!
Thanks for not suing me. 🙂
I <3 Split Squats!!!
Thanks for the workout. I like working my back the best.
I <3 that heart picture at the top of this. And- you've introduced me to some new moves! I can't wait to try this. It looks KILLER!
Thanks! It was my V-Day Instagram from the gym. 🙂
Wow, that looks like a fun workout. I always love hearing what others do at the gym because I tend to fall into a rut doing the basic (read: boring) moves and exercises. It is better to switch it up anyway, so I look forward to trying this out on my leg day tomorrow. Legs and arms are my favorite body parts to work. Abs are definitely my least.
I’m the same way – I get so much inspiration from other bloggers. Let me know what you think if you do try it!
This is a really great workout! I’ve been wanting to learn some new calf exercises too.
Laura! This workout looks fantastic! I LOVE the fact that you have a passion for lifting, too 😉 Makes me love you even more than I already did 😉 Hehe!
Don’t you just love goblet squats!?
Awwww… thanks! You are a big motivator for me!
Goblet squats are a new discovery for me and I am LOVING them.
great workouts!!! arms weight lifting comes naturally to me – legs/glutes are much harder for me to target so these are great!
Arms are my favorite too. Writing leg workouts tends to be a good motivator for me, but I have a hard time getting to legs day 2x a week.
Wow some of these moves look hard to do. 😛 I’m gaining a lot of weight these days after starting my blog, I should do some of these exercises. Thanks for the info! 🙂
There are lots of modifications if you need them! Yes, blog-writing tends to lead to any increased need to workout. So much food to test! 🙂
Those are some awesome exercises, thanks for sharing! I first did the swiss ball jack knife in pt a few years ago when I had some knee pain and was trying to strengthen my core, they were tough! Don’t know if I’ve done them since, but my core is much stronger so I’ll have to try them again. Love planks, too!
They are becoming my new favorite! Let me know what you think of them now. I want to be able to do a one-legged modification sooo bad.
These are fantastic Laura, my favourites are squats and dead lifts, can’t live without them! Don’t have a goblet (!), I do them with my 30kg barbell. Do you know I was still doing them right up to the end of all my 4 pregnancies? Probably what kept me sane! I love this post!
30kg?! Whoa – I am totally impressed. Please tell me you weren’t doing that weight pregnant too – that’s a lot to squat! 😉
Ok, I compromised, I reduced it to 20 kg while pregnant! I did skip the deadliest in the last month is I remember, more from being too tired than anything else! You know I discovered Tony Horton and his P90X sometime last year and I absolutely love him! I love your blog by the way! xx
You are hard core! 🙂
I love P90X – have you seen the new P90X2? I want it so bad! Thank you for the kind comments.
Been meaning to check out P90X2 but I’m thinking it may be too much! The first one was bad enough!
This workout looks great! I’ll have to try those definitely!!
thanks! let me know what you think. it definitely left me sore! 🙂
This workout looks awesome! 😀 Tomorrow I was planning on doing some leg work – finding this has solidified that plan! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hmm, I think my favorite body part to work would be my shoulders. I find myself working shoulders on days where I didn’t plan a workout well 😛
Thank Alissa! Let me know how you like it. I’m with you on shoulders. I have them today and I’m looking forward to it!