There’s nothing worse than going into a leg workout half-heartedly. After all, leg day is hard, often consisting of heavy compound exercises, like squats and deadlifts, that need a certain degree of gearing up for. If you’re struggling to get in that mindset though, Chris Hemsworths’ personal trainer, Luke Zocchi, has shared a workout that'll not just keep your lower body gains intact, but will help you make new ones too, with two simple moves.
Luke Zocchi often features compound exercises in his workouts, not just because they’re great at targeting a variety of muscles in the body, but because they’re excellent for your cardiovascular health too. According to Centr, the fitness app founded by Chris Hemsworth: “This is because when the body needs to oxygenate multiple muscles at the same time, the heart rate rises so that blood flow can increase”. This also causes you to burn more calories too, as higher your heart rate, the more calories your body burns.
This workout may only consist of two exercises, but you’ll certainly feel it in your legs afterwards (if you haven’t trained legs for a while, expect some DOMS). The structure is simple: do exercise one for six reps, followed by exercise two for 15 reps; rest two minutes, repeat five times and you’re done! If you’re at the gym you’ll need a squat rack and two dumbbells; if you’re at home you’ll need either a pair of dumbbells or a single kettlebell. No equipment? Fill a rucksack with books for exercise one and use your bodyweight for exercise two. Here’s your workout:
- Front squat (at home: use a kettlebell, dumbbell or home item and do a goblet squat)
- Walking lunges
Simple, but effective and a workout that won't take up too much of your time either. We have plenty of other short, speedy workout too: like this 15 minute full-body workout, for those weeks you just aren't able to fit in enough upper and lower body sessions, as it combines everything into one. If you do have the time though, give this 15 minute upper body workout a go; it builds muscle in your shoulders, arms and chest as uses nothing but your bodyweight.
