We’ve teamed up with Sarah Gorman, a multi-discipline fitness instructor and founder of the BlendFit app to bring you a great workout for legs of steel!
Words: Sarah Gorman | Images: Shutterstock & Marcel Grabowski & Action Group
While a full-body workout is best for building full-body fitness, it’s also important to understand how to target certain muscle groups. And your legs have some of your body’s largest muscles, so training them can lead to whole body benefits, too. In fact, leg workouts can help improve overall athletic performance and support healthy functional movement patterns in your daily life.
When it comes to leg day, not only should you be targeting the larger external muscles in the lower body, such as your glutes, quads and hamstrings, but also those smaller, less obvious muscles, such as the inner thigh muscles and those found even deeper within the body.
This workout covers both isometric (stationary) and unilateral (single-side) movements. Doing unilateral leg exercises offers huge benefits, such as strengthening core muscles and developing better balance. Plus, working each leg individually helps align your body and correct muscular imbalances. After all, you can’t compensate for a weak side with the stronger side when you’re doing one side at a time.
Reverse lunge to high knee balance
- Step backwards into a reverse lunge, making sure you step far enough away to create right angles at the hip, knee and ankle joints. Aim to have the front knee directly above the ankle and not beyond the toes (A).
- Using your glutes, drive the back leg up into a high elevated right angle (B) and hold for a second, using the stability in the supporting leg, before stepping the leg back into the reverse lunge position with control.
- Repeat 12 times on each leg.
Curtsey squat to oblique crunch
- To start, step your right leg behind your left in a curtsey squat, maintaining a good distance between the feet. Keep your legs in a diamond shape with knees directed away from each other. Reach up with your upper body and arms to create an arc shape (A).
- Using power from the lower body, drive the right knee up towards the right elbow. At the same time, draw the elbow down towards the elevated knee, meeting at the midpoint (B). This will form a crunch in the obliques (waist area).
- Replace the foot back to the curtsey position with control.
- Repeat 12 times on each leg.
Bear walks
- Start in a four-point kneeling position with your toes tucked under. Make sure your wrists are directly under shoulders and hips are directly over the knees.
- Engage the pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles to stabilise, then lift the knees away from the floor a few inches and hold (A).
- Move the right foot and left hand forward like you are crawling (B). Then, switch so the left foot and right hand are moving forwards (C).
- Continue in this way, moving forwards four times, before reversing the exercise and moving backwards four times. This is one set. Repeat four times.
Banded squat steps to dynamic jump
- Begin in a parallel squat position with a resistance band around your thighs. The weight should be in your heels, with the sit bones reaching behind you as though you are trying to sit on a low stool. The chest stays open with shoulders wide, hands to prayer position.
- From here, take three side steps in one direction, always keeping resistance on the band.
- Dynamically jump up from the squat, sustaining the resistance on the band, landing softly as though you are absorbing the floor beneath you.
- Try not to make a sound as you land.
- Repeat in the opposite direction to complete one round, then repeat eight sets.
Banded squat to lateral lift
- Begin in a parallel squat position with a resistance band around your thighs. The weight should be in your heels, with the sit bones reaching behind you as though you are trying to sit on a low stool. The chest stays open with shoulders wide (A).
- Transfer your weight to one leg and raise the other leg to the side, resisting the band as you do so (B).
- Bring the leg back down to the initial squat position with control. Try to work against the band and not let it do the work for you.
- Repeat 12 times on one leg before switching to the other side.
Single-leg bridge
- Start by lying on your back in a semi-supine position, with feet on the floor and knees up towards the ceiling.
- Peel your spine away from the mat and lift the hips until you are in a ski slope position. Here, think about the activation of the core muscles and try to create space between the shoulders and the ears.
- Once you feel stable and strong in this position, peel one heel away from the floor and float the leg up to a straight position, toe pointing to the ceiling. Again, check you have engaged through the core muscles.
- Keeping the leg elevated and straight, lower the pelvis to the floor, just kissing the mat with your back, then lift it back up to ski slope position.
- Repeat this 8-12 times.
- Replace the leg to the floor and roll the spine back down before switching and repeating 8-12 times on the other side.
Try this 20-minute calorie burner: The ultimate bodyweight workout to torch fat and boost stamina
Magic circle in side lying
- Lying on your side with your knees slightly bent and forearm on the floor, place the magic circle between the thighs, just above the knee joint.
- Lift the hips up and away from the floor, using your obliques to aid the lift (A). As you reach the top of the move, squeeze the magic circle between your thighs (B) and pulse three times. Release and gently lower the hips to kiss the mat before lifting and squeezing again.
- Repeat x 8 sets on one side then repeat on the second side.
- Modification: This move can also be done without lifting the hips away from the floor and by simply squeezing the magic circle between the thighs. Follow the same principle of three pulses and release.
Weighted squat with heel raise
- Stand upright in a parallel position while holding a weight or kettlebell at chest height.
- Lower into a squat position with both heels still on the floor.
- Remaining in your squat, peel one heel away from the floor and pulse for 8-12 reps.
- Lower the heel and push back up to a standing position.
- Squat again and peel the second heel away. With the heel raised, pulse again for 8-12 reps.
- Lower the heel and push back up to a standing position.
- Squat a third time and peel alternate heels away with a small pulse each time you do so.
- Repeat the entire set four times.
Sarah Gorman is a multi-discipline fitness instructor and founder of the BlendFit App (blendfitapp.com), powered by Sudor. She has a background in dance and Pilates and has worked in the fitness industry for the past 20 years as a personal trainer, class instructor, fitness educator and presenter. Her BlendFit Method provides an eclectic approach to training, blending disciplines to create energetic and fun classes to get you strong, fit and healthy. You can do all classes with her live or from the pre-recorded bank. Find her at instagram.com/sarahgormanblendfit
