Ah! It’s almost summer! I was just talking to someone the other day who is convinced that she is not beach-body ready, but are we EVER completely happy with our bodies? That’s another topic we can hit on at another time. Right now, we have to get working!
There are so many leg workouts you can do, and I’ll end up posting a lot of different ideas in the future. Here’s just one of them!
Side note: These were my legs in Afghanistan… dirty. Most days, I would run outside and then go in the tent and do plyometrics. I took this picture on one of those days. Can you tell that there were no paved roads where I ran? 🙂 It’s nice to get dirty every once in a while!
OK, let’s talk about the workout:
Find a long song or a series of songs that are about 80BPMs (beats per minute). You can either use a metronome online to determine the tempo or just find some songs that you like. It’s not that serious. I got all of these 80-ishBPM songs off of Spotify (if you use it at home, it’s free to listen to any song at any time!):
“Don’t Wake Me Up” by Chris Brown (The FatRat Remix),
“Country Grammar” by Nelly, “Rehab” by Rihanna,
“Sweet Nothing” by Calvin Harris & Florence Welch,
“All About Us” by t.A.T.u, and
“Wide Awake” by Katy Perry
LET’S WORK IT!
1) SQUAT (down for 2 counts, up for 2 counts) (4x)
2) SQUAT (down for 1 count, up for 1 count) (8x)
3) SQUAT TAP (down, tap to the right with your right foot, bring it back to your squat stance, stand up) (4x)
-Note: this is a 4-count exercise. Try to keep your upper-body in the same upright position during the tap as it is during the squat. If you do it correctly, you should really feel it in your quad on the leg that isn’t tapping.
4) SQUAT TAP (down, tap to the left with your left foot, bring it back to your squat stance, stand up) (4x)
5) REAR LUNGE, alternating legs (4 each side)
6) FORWARD LUNGE, alternating legs (4 each side)
7) SQUAT HOLD, hold for 36 counts (beats of the song). This should be approximately 15 seconds.
REPEAT 4x without resting in between
LEVELS:
Basic workout: Rest for 30 seconds-to-1 min between sets, no weights
Intermediate option: Rest for 30 seconds between sets, use light weights — OR — no rest between sets
Advanced option: No rest between sets, use weights of any size
Here it is in simplified form:
SAFETY:
-Squats: Your heels are shoulder width apart. You are sitting in an imaginary chair. The reason the man in the picture has his arms out is to maintain his balance while he sits back. Your knees should not pass your toes. You should be able to see your toes at the lowest point in your squat. Look down until you can maintain this consistently.
This is a great video explaining proper technique. He uses a barbell, which is an advanced option, but you are just fine using only your body weight.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z3bVYEzB_M?feature=player_detailpage&w=640&h=360]
–Squat with a tap: Focus on the same safety information as the squat, and maintain that good form while you tap to the side. Remember to keep your upper body in the same upright position while you tap. If you do it correctly, you will really feel it in your quad on the leg that isn’t tapping.
–Rear Lunges: Pretend like you want to drive your rear knee straight into the ground, but don’t touch the ground with your knee. Keep your front foot flat on the ground, and your rear foot’s toe on the ground. Focus on creating “right” or 90-degree angles from your foot to your shin, your shin to your thigh, your front thigh to your rear thigh, your rear thigh to your rear shin, and your rear shin to your rear foot. Remember to keep your front knee behind your toe – you should be able to see your toe if you look down. Watching this video will help you retain all of that information: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ip81otol4?feature=player_detailpage&w=640&h=360]
–Front Lunges: The front lunge has the same safety information as the rear lunge.
–Squat hold: Think about maintaining good squat form while you are down and in pain!
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