Lower Body Strength Workout // Day 43 HR12WEEK 2.0

Lower Body Strength Workout is Day 43 in Heather Robertson‘s 12 Week Program. This was a very tough workout for me this morning but I chalk that up entirely to recovering from illness/bronchitis. It is a metabolic lower body strength workout. Heather includes plyometric/cardio exercises to elevate the heart rate. Due to my coughing I used her low impact modifications for some of the cardio/plyo exercises, but this workout still kicked my butt. There is an editing problem in one of the exercise previews. The second time through circuit 4, the preview for exercise 1 shows sumo squats (exercise 3) but you are not doing sumo squats, you are doing the first exercise (In & out squats). Luckily, you have already been through the circuit once so hopefully (like me) you recognize it is a mistake and set yourself up for the correct exercise. And as usual, I love her long stretches at the end. I especially needed it today, as this was my first lower body (and metabolic) workout in 2 weeks and I was done.

This workout is made up of 4 circuits. Each circuit contains 4 exercise and is done two times before moving on to the next circuit. The exercises are all done interval style: 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds of recovery. There is a timer in the lower right hand corner of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries Heather previews your next exercise. For some (not all) of the moves that have impact, Heather shows a low impact variation.

Lower Body Strength Workout is 42:33 minutes; 4 minute warm up and 5 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and a fitness mat. Heather is using 10, 15 and 25 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

Circuit 1:

1. Carry lunges (walking lunges–lunge walk 2 steps (the length of your mat) then turn around and repeat, you are holding one DB in both hands extended overhead throughout) (one 15# DB)
2. Stationary lunges (hold one DB at same side shoulder of front leg) (one 25# DB)
3. Repeat #2 on other side of body
4. Scissor hop squats (4 scissor runs + one jump squat)
5. Repeat #1-4

Circuit 2:

1. Stand up & drive (start in high double kneeling on mat holding one DB in both hands and arms/DB extended straight overhead, step one foot forward into kneeling lunge and when you raise back leg to come to standing, pull knee forward and bring DB down to knee, raise DB back overhead and reverse motion, returning to high double kneeling) (one 15# DB)
2. Repeat #1 on other side of body
3. Stand ups (start in high kneeling on mat holding one DB on each shoulder, step forward into kneeling lunge with one foot, step the other foot forward so you are in squat, straighten/stand, then lower back into squat and step one foot back into kneeling lunge then step other foot back so you are back in starting position of high kneeling, alternate lead leg) (15# DBs)
4. Jump squat
5. Repeat #1-4

30 second rest

Circuit 3:

1. Single leg deadlift (holding one DB in each hand, lower into single leg deadift raising non-working leg straight behind you, alternate legs) (one 30# DB)
2. Single leg deadlift–all on one leg (one 30# DB)
3. Repeat #2 on other side of body
4. Deadlift & lunge (one deadlift + one reverse lunge, alternate legs when lunging) (16.5# DBs)
5. Repeat #1-4

Circuit 4:

1. In & out squat (holding one DB goblet style, do one narrow squat + one step out squat, alternate sides when doing step out squat) (one 30# DB)
2. In & out hops (squat jacks–remain in squat the entire time)
3. Sumo squat (one 50# DB)
4. Squat & hop (hold one DB by bell, squat and place DB on mat, jump and land in squat, grab bell of DB and stand) (one 40# DB)
5. Repeat #1-4

For more info on Heather Robertson’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.