Get ready to rock your lower body with this fun workout you can do with just some dumbbells or weighted objects!
This workout combines resistance training with explosive cardio to boost your endurance, build muscle, burn fat, and maximize your workout time.
Challenging yourself in this way will go a long way to keeping you strong, active and healthy as you go through time, with the caveat that it’s not just about your workouts.
The surrounding actions you take in tandem with your training are what make the biggest difference in shifting your body composition. Actions like getting enough sleep, managing your stress levels and focusing on nutrition to fuel your workouts all impact your hormones and create an optimal state in your body for muscle to strengthen and fat loss to occur.
I encourage you to include protein in all your meals to support your training, long term health, hormone balance, memory and brain function – and so much more.
I know at first it might seem daunting to eat more protein if it hasn’t been a focus before. But I have found that when the women in my programs start eating what their body needs for their activity level and life stage, they suddenly find themselves no longer struggling to see a shift in body composition. Check out this article for more info on women-specific protein recommendations.
Now, join me for this strong lower body burn!
If you’re looking for more workouts like this all planned out for you, the Rockstar Strong Challenge in Rock Your Life is perfect for you! Follow it up with Rockstar Strong 2 to really build on the momentum and strength you’ve gained!
Start this challenge today!
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Strong Lower Body
Click to expand and see all workout move descriptions
Equipment: weighted objects, elevated surface, options for hamstring curls: exercise ball, sliders, band
Format: Perform tabata as directed, 0:20 work, 0:10 rest. Perform circuit as directed for suggested reps and 4 rounds, and wrap with finisher for suggested time.
Tabata:
Squat thrusts
- Begin standing at the top of your mat with your core braced and chest upright.
- Bend your knees, plant your hands on the mat, and jump your feet back into a tall plank position with shoulders stacked over wrists, braced core, back flat and neutral gaze (not looking up or down).
- Jump your feet up to your hands and drive through the heels to come back to standing, using your momentum to immediately power you up into a jump.
- Repeat this sequence for the allotted time.
- MOD: Perform this movement with your hands on an inclined surface, like a chair, couch or ottoman. You can make this low-impact by coming up from a body squat rather than taking a jump.
Crescent kick
- Begin by standing tall in the middle of your mat with core braced and hands in a fighting stance at your chest.
- Take a small hop to send your right foot a little behind your left foot at hip-width distance and kick your right leg up and across your body, imagining that you’re drawing a crescent with your foot (as high as you’re comfortable with).
- Be mindful that you are not sacrificing a strong core and tall chest for a higher kick.
- Briefly plant your right foot and take a little hop to switch your left foot to behind and repeat the crescent kick with your left foot.
- Continue alternating sides for allotted time.
- MOD: Remove the hop for low-impact and keep your legs bent as you draw crescents in the air with your knees instead of extended legs.
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Strength circuit (4 rounds):
Sumo squats (8-12)
- Holding a weighted object in both hands at your shoulders, begin standing with your feet wider than hip distance, allowing your feet to turn out naturally.
- Engaging between your shoulder blades to keep the weights from rounding your shoulders, brace your core and send your hips back, keeping your chest up tall (don’t bend forward), weight back in your heels and knees actively tracking in line with your toes.
- Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes as you power back to standing.
- Repeat for your max reps.
- MOD: Remove the weighted objects and perform this exercise with bodyweight only.
Hamstring curls (12-20)
- Lie on your back with your feet on a ball or in TRX straps
- Brace your core and raise your hips off the ground to form a straight line with your shoulders, back, glutes, knees, and ankles. Avoid straining your neck by using your arms on the mat to support you.
- Hold for a brief pause. Bend your knees and contract your hamstrings to pull the ball/straps as close to you as possible, while keeping shoulders, back, glutes, and knees in a straight line.
- With control, straighten your legs to starting raised hips position.
- Repeat for your max reps.
Single leg Hip thrusts (8-12 each side)
- Sit yourself on the mat in front of your elevated surface and place a weighted object on your hip creases.
- Press yourself up with your elbows and feet to position your back against the elevated surface; the edge of the surface should be at the base of your shoulder blades. Your knees should be aligned over your ankles, with your feet planted on the mat.
- Brace your core and drive through your heels to lift your hips and weighted objects towards the ceiling, knees tracking in line with the toes, squeezing your glutes and pausing at the top.
- In this position, transfer the weighted object over to your right hip crease and extend your left leg out and off of the mat.
- Drop your hips back down toward the mat with control and repeat the sequence for your max reps while keeping your left leg lifted and hips level with one another.
- Switch sides and repeat sequence.
- MOD: Keep both feet planted for the duration of this exercise and/or perform this sequence without weighted objects.
FINISHER: (0:45-1:00)
Sumo squat calf raise series
- Holding a weighted object in both hands at your shoulders, begin standing with your feet wider than hip distance, allowing your feet to turn out naturally.
- Engaging between your shoulder blades to keep the weights from rounding your shoulders, brace your core and send your hips back, keeping your chest up tall (don’t bend forward), weight back in your heels and knees tracking in line with your toes.
- Once in a sumo squat position, complete 5 pulses with your heels on the mat.
- Pause and briefly hold the sumo squat position strong and steady.
- Lift your right heel off of the mat, pulsing three times, then drop your heel, switching to a lift of your left heel and pulse three times.
- Continue alternating heel lifts and pulses for allotted time.
- MOD: Remove the weighted objects and perform this exercise with bodyweight only.
Squat thrusts
- Holding a weighted object in both hands at your shoulders, begin standing with your feet wider than hip distance, allowing your feet to turn out naturally.
- Engaging between your shoulder blades to keep the weights from rounding your shoulders, brace your core and send your hips back, keeping your chest up tall (don’t bend forward), weight back in your heels and knees actively tracking in line with your toes.
- Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes as you power back to standing.
- Repeat for allotted time.
- MOD: Remove the weighted objects and perform this exercise with bodyweight only.
Crescent kick
- Begin by standing tall in the middle of your mat with core braced and hands in a fighting stance at your chest.
- Take a small hop to send your right foot a little behind your left foot at hip-width distance and kick your right leg up and across your body, imagining that you’re drawing a crescent with your foot (as high as you’re comfortable with).
- Be mindful that you are not sacrificing a strong core and tall chest for a higher kick.
- Briefly plant your right foot and take a little hop to switch your left foot to behind and repeat the crescent kick with your left foot.
- Continue alternating sides for allotted time.
- MOD: Remove the hop for low-impact and keep your legs bent as you draw crescents in the air with your knees instead of extended legs.
Great job Rockstar! Don’t let anything stop you from taking care of your body in whatever way is right for you today. Check in with me and let me know how you liked this workout!
Looking for support and a consistent plan to follow? Check out what Rock Your Life, (my home workout studio and women’s fitness community) has to offer! I’m so proud of Cylee for what she’s accomplished as she’s been rocking her fitness journey for the past 2 years!
“I’ve been hanging out on the down low being inspired by you all! These results are a two year journey, but I wanted to share them because I think too often we give up on ourselves because we are not seeing results immediately. At least that’s how I’ve been. Lol Anything WORTH doing takes time! It takes consistency. It takes determination.
Betty Rocker is my favorite so far. I highly recommend her programs and products.
The feature where they Email you your workout every morning is freaking genius! It literally gives me something to look forward to. I love her and all the coaches!” – Cylee B, Rock Your Life member.
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