Although not everyone loves ‘leg day’ here at T3, we do. Not only is it important to ensure you have a well-balanced body, but it's also home to your body's largest muscle groups. The misconception, however, is that you need to be doing heavy barbell squats and deadlifts, but you don’t. This 17 minute workout will help develop your strength and, in time, build muscle and doesn’t require any equipment. You’ll just need an exercise mat and your best workout shoes.
Building strength and muscle using just your bodyweight is 100% possible. Your body is encountering resistance (in the form of your bodyweight), which then breaks down muscle fibres, causing them to repair, bigger and stronger. It’s what’s known as strength training and, according to British Weightlifting, other benefits include better bone density, a higher metabolism and a stronger, healthier heart.
For this workout you've got four different exercises and you'll do each one for 45 seconds, with a 15 second rest in between. One of the benefits about having a set time, as opposed to set reps, is you can take your time to perform the exercise will good form and really think about those muscles engaged (known as mind-muscle connection). Once you've completed the workout, repeat it three more times and you're done! Here's your workout:
- Jumping squats
- Good mornings into opposite elbow to knee crunch
- Glute bridge walkouts
- Alternating reverse lunges
We hope you enjoyed that and that it's left your glutes and legs on fire! If, however, if it was too easy, it means it's time to add more resistance, with either some resistance bands, dumbbells or a kettlebell. This four-move workout requires a pair of dumbbells and will only take you 20 minutes tops, or you can try this banded lower body workout instead. For those who found it just the right intensity, give this lower body HIIT workout a try next. Again, it uses just your bodyweight.
