Strength training: lower body (11 min)

Welcome to Strength Training for Legs. My name is Eve Overland, celebrity personal trainer, and I'm excited to share this workout with you.

Let's get started. [MUSIC PLAYING]

For this workout, a light to medium set of dumbbells is optional. So to start off, we're going to do a little bit of a warm-up.

We're going to start with jumping jacks, a very popular warm-up, in 3, 2, and 1. Here we go. 20 seconds of jumping jacks.

Now, I want you to start to get your legs moving and your blood flowing and your heart pumping.

Yes. Keep going. Nice, big, strong arms, and we're going to add a little bit of a flare

into Star Jacks in 4, 3, 2, 1. 20-second Star Jack adding a little bit more

of a dynamic squat. 10 seconds here. And another option if you want to take it

out even more, Full Star Jack. It is up to you. Star Jump. Star Jack. Keep going. 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Awesome work. Do a little split stance. I'm going to bring my toe close to my heel. Shoulders down and back.

Squat down and up. Now, this is a progression for a One-legged Squat.

You have that little toe up as a kickstand. Yeah. 7 seconds. Going to add a little pulse.

We got 6, 5, 4. Beautiful. Sit way back in your heels. 2 and 1.

Stay low. Now side to side hops for 20 staying low. So now you should feel a burn.

Yeah. 8 seconds, we have the other side. 7. Yep. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and one other side.

Squat down and up. I call it a Split Squat, but it's essentially, like I said, a progression for a Single Leg Squat.

You're just giving yourself a kickstand. Beautiful. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Time. Our next exercise will warm up through the back of your legs, your hamstrings.

A bodyweight good morning. Wide shoulders, karate chop at the hips. Come down to 90 degrees.

Heels. Drag your heels and stand all the way down, all the way up. So I want you to recruit the motion through your heels,

up your calves, your hamstrings, and finally your glutes. Beautiful. 10 more seconds.

Nice. Nice. Nice. Good warm-up. We have front to back. Nice. We have 5, 4.

Beautiful. 3, 2, and 1. Awesome. Remember that hip hinge for later. We're going to use it.

Now is the time to grab dumbbells, one or two. I'm going to grab one. Light to medium because we're going to work our legs in two

different exercises. The combo is a Side Lunge to a Narrow Squat. We have 30 seconds.

I'm going to the right. Let's set it up. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Big Side Lunge drive and then a narrow squat.

Same side, same side with 30 seconds. So you're going as low as you can go through form.

So remember that Split Squat, sitting back in one foot, putting most of the weight on one leg.

That is what we're thinking about even though we're keeping the other leg extending. Yeah. A little bit of a progression.

That's why warming up is really important before we get into the solid work. Five more seconds. 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Put the dumbbell down. Touch down. Choose your cardio interval. Touch down here and here.

Jump and switch. 30 seconds. Or your option is tap and tap.

You are working your program. Touch down. Beautiful. 10 more seconds. Yes.

Drive. 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Awesome work. Grab your dumbbell. We have the other side. So again, set it up nice and strong. Big step to the side.

Drive your heel. Narrow squat. 30 seconds. Other side. Yes.

Keep breathing all the way through. We stand good posture. Good range of motion.

10 seconds. Almost there. 8, 7, yes, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

One more squat and 1. Excellent work. Next exercise, remember that hip hinge?

We're going to do I call them Cherry Pickers. So I'll show you what it looks like. Shoulders down and back. We're going to do that hip hinge down like a deadlift.

We're going to tap, and then tap back. It's not a huge range of motion, but cherry pick, cherry pick.

It just feels a little bit more deeply in the hamstrings, but hinge at the waist.

Super flat back, tap, tap, and drive through your heels, nice. You can have a soft knee bend, but I really

want you to think about sinking your hips back. Tap, tap, 10 seconds. Getting this hamstring work, the back of your legs, your glutes.

Five seconds, cherry pickers. Again, one or two dumbbells, but one does the job beautiful

if you put your mind exactly in each rep. One more, let's do one more-- cherry picker, cherry picker.

Abs in, and stand. Awesome work-- hamstring work, glute work. So now we're going to work a little bit more quads,

so I want you to put your weight down. And I will show you the combo-- lunge, to a tighter lunge, to a kick.

It's kind of fun. We have 30 seconds. Here's what it looks like. You're going to step back in a wide lunge, narrow lunge,

and then kick up. Make sense? All right. Wide, narrow, and a kick--

3, 2, 1, big step back with one leg wide. Narrow, bring your foot in, and right to a kick.

1, 2, kick. Your other hand can go wherever it needs to go,

but I want you to feel nice and controlled with each rep. And that leg kick doesn't have to be high.

It can be your range of motion, beautiful. Let's do 10 more seconds.

Wide, narrow, kick-- you got it. Yeah, 6, 5, beautiful, 4, 3, 2, 1, hold it down.

30 seconds of a pivot lunge-- we lunge. We center. We lunge. We center. 30 seconds, dig low.

Here's your burnout. You're already burnt, right? Center, left, center, 15 seconds!

We have one more side to do, but we got it. We are strong. 10, 9, pivot, lunge, 8, sumo, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1,

shake it out. We have one more leg. Let's stay strong all the way through. Step back with the other leg, and center, and kick.

Wide, narrow, kick, yes. Wide lunge, narrow lunge, kick it up to your range of motion,

beautiful. Big step back, narrow step, abs engage. Nice foundation, nice balance, we have it all.

5 more seconds, beautiful, 4, work those legs, 3, work those legs, 2.

Last one, last one-- wide, narrow, and kick. Awesome job. We have one more section of our leg series.

We're going to take it down to the floor, and we're going to do a Reverse Tabletop. So it looks like this. You're going to put your butt up in the air.

Chamber your knee in. We have 20 seconds of push-kicks. Ready? Fingernails towards your backside, nice solid foundation, here we go.

Push, and kick in. So you're pushing your foot out like you're closing a drawer. It's not a soccer kick or a cancan.

It's a push, and chamber back to your knee. 8 seconds, stay with me, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, you should feel it,

2, 1. Hold it at the top. Now just put your butt down and up, Single Leg Hip Bridge from the Tabletop position.

You should feel it in that hamstring, your quads working too. 10 seconds, all the way up, all the way down, beautiful.

7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, almost there. Keep your butt up as high as you can.

All I want you to do is leg raise. 20 seconds, this is it. Nice and strong, beautiful. Legs, quads, glutes-- everything is working.

I love this burnout. 8 seconds, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1, shake it out.

One more side, all right, shake out your wrists. Let's set it up. Inhale, exhale, chamber your knee in.

Let's push that drawer away. 3, 2, 1, here we go. Push, and chamber back in, out and in.

Close the drawer strong. Drive through the base foot, yes. 10 seconds, almost there, and push.

Strong glutes, strong hamstrings-- 3, 2, 1, hold at the top. Here we go, single leg, down and up.

Yes, you can. Up and down, beautiful work. Try to get your bum up as high as you can go.

Get back to Tabletop, got a little core engagement as well. 8 seconds, 7, 6, yes, 5, almost done, 4, 3, 2, stay strong, 1.

Leg up and down, this is it, team. This is it, 20 seconds. Get that leg up and down-- strong, strong.

Try to drive through your base foot. Keep your hips up as high as possible. 10 seconds, yes, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and time.

Whoo. Leg strength workout complete, awesome job. See you on the next one. [MUSIC PLAYING]