Friiiiiiii-yay!
How are you doing today? This has been a pretty intense week mentally for me, not in a stressful way but just in a mind-always-on sort of way. With that in mind, I’m really looking forward to a rejuvenating weekend. I’m designating tomorrow as a Self Care Sunday and plan to fill it with hot yoga, some DIY spa action (long shower, mani, pedi, facial), a turmeric latte and maybe even a long walk with one of my friends to the beach if the sun decides to come out. I’m starting to feel relaxed just thinking about this!
Moving on to our usual Friday banter…
Work It Out
Have I ever got a good one for you this week (she says, with a sly grin across her face. ?) I tested this workout on Tuesday after doing a few sets of heavy-ish back squats and split squats, so my legs had already had a bit of action prior to starting. Feel free to do the same if you want to kick up the intensity, but know you can use this workout on its own as well. It’s got both strength and cardio components, so if you don’t have time to do much before or after, you’ll still be able to get a solid sweat on. Watch out for the finisher at the end – it’s a stinger!
The Legs on Fire Workout
Complete the circuit below 4 times through, stopping only if you need to. Your heart rate should come up for the box jumps, dumbell burpees and skipping, whereas the focus for the sumo squats and walking lunges is more on muscle contraction. When you’ve finished, complete the squat jump/air squat finisher, then cool down and foam roll.
Click here to print/download the PDF.
Notes:
- Kettlebell sumo squats: Hold a single heavy kettlebell by the horns with both hands and take a wider than normal squat stance, pointing toes slightly out. Squat slowly, focusing on muscle engagement the whole time.
- Dumbell burpees: Perform regular burpees while keeping the dumbells in your hands. When jumping up, hold the dumbells at your sides.
- Uneven dumbell walking lunges: Hold a dumbell in each hand, pointing one straight up to the ceiling and letting the other hang down by your side. Do 10 reps with this setup, then switch arm positions and do the other 10.
[Tweet “Fire it up with this strength/cardio combo: The Legs on Fire Workout”]
Turn It Up
Today’s song isn’t necessarily just for workouts, but one that puts me in an awesome mood no matter when I listen to it. It’s a mash-up of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Adele, Gwen Stefani, the Spice Girls (YES!) and several more. Enjoy!
Can’t see the video? Click here.
Have A Read
- 8 moves for a total body workout you can do anywhere – via Mind Body Green
- There are 2 kinds of happiness. Getting outside boosts both – via Outside Online. An interesting article that looks at the science behind how working hard to achieve a goal can boost our overall sense of satisfaction.
- 5 reasons your back isn’t changing no matter how much you work out – via Women’s Health
Now let’s hear from you! What are your favourite ways to get a killer lower body workout? As much as I love a good hill sprint session and some heavy barbell squats, I’ve also been into barre classes. Those get me shaking like nothing else!
Hi, this is an unrelated question to your post but I was wondering if you could tell me how you made your e-books. Is there a certain program online or something you used? They are beautifully done!
Hi Jen, thank you!! Is there a specific e-book that you’re looking at? I’m pretty sure all the ones available now were ones I made in Canva, but there may be a few older versions that you’ve found your way to. Let me know and I’ll confirm. 🙂
I love box jumps for two reasons; 1. I can actually do them and 2. They work a lot of muscle groups.
Do you place the box high? (does that make sense lol?) I mean there are a few ways you can situate the box in order to jump varying heights.
I’m only just finding out about uneven dumbell lunges. This exercise looks awesome!!!
I try to mix it up and I thought I knew most variations, but it’s always good to learn new exercises.
Thanks
Hi Sarah,
So glad to hear you’re a box jump fan too! It’s taken me a really long time to get to the point where I’m comfortable jumping up on top of higher boxes, and for some reason I still feel the need to position myself in front of a mirror, even though I’m not actually looking at myself while I do them. It’s a weird security thing I guess!? 😛 To answer your question, the gym I work out at most often has one box that’s too short and another that’s currently too tall for what I’m comfortable using, so I often just use the same steps that you’d see in a step class, and adjust them by using risers. It’s a nice way to make gradual progressions, and to prevent them from slipping I position the risers on a yoga mat. Have fun with those walking lunges – would love to hear how you get on! 🙂