42MIN Unilateral Lower Body Strength // Day 51: HR12WEEK 5.0

42 Min Unilateral Lower Body Strength is Day 51 in Heather Robertson‘s HR12Week 5.0 program.

This is an intense metabolic lower body strength workout. Heather elevates your heart rate and works all of your lower body muscle groups while doing it. As the title indicates, there is a lot of unilateral work. You will work each leg individually then you will do a similar exercise that works both legs at the same time. She does this with 3 types of exercises: deadlifts, lunges and side lunges, creating a circuit of 9 exercises that you will repeat 3 times. Then she finishes you off with some bridges that are done in a similar manner (unilateral and both legs) but you only run through the finisher circuit once.

The exercises are done interval style. For the main circuit the intervals are done for 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds of recovery. For the finisher, the exercises are done for 45 second of work followed by 15 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 the next exercise. At the bottom of the screen during the preview, there is a small graphic with a weight recommendation–light, medium or heavy.

40 Min Unilateral Lower Body Strength is 42:43 minutes; 40 second intro, 4:40 minute warm up and 4 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, yoga block and a fitness mat. Heather recommends medium to heavy weights (25 to 55+ pounds). The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Kickstand deadlift (single leg deadlift, hold one heavy DB in both hands, back/non-working leg is in kickstand) (one 40# DB)
2. Repeat #1 on other leg
3. Romanian deadlift (hex deadlift bar @ 100#)
4. Tick tock lunge (front lunge into a reverse step back lunge with same leg, hold one DB at same side shoulder as stationary leg) (one 25# DB)
5. Repeat #4 on other leg
6. Alternating front lunge (20# DBs)
7. Side lunge (stationary side lunge, hold one DB goblet style) (one 35# DB)
8. Repeat #7 on other leg
9. Alternating side lunge (step out into a side lunge, alternate sides holding one DB goblet style) (one 30# DB)
10. 30 second rest
11. Repeat #1-10 two more times

Finisher: (intervals are 45 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest) (one 50# DB for all exercises below)

1. Glute bridge (lay on back, knees bent with feet on mat close to glutes, one heavy DB or barbell rests on hips, raise and lower hips)
2. Elevated bridge (single leg bridge–lay on back, one foot is raised, other foot is on yoga block, hold one DB at thigh/hip of yoga block leg, raise and lower hips)
3. Repeat #1
4. Repeat #2 on other leg
5. Butterfly bridge pulse (lay on back, knees are bent and open w/ soles of feet together, place one heavy DB on hips, raise hips to top of bridge and hold isometrically while pulsing hips upward)

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