A legs and core workout that doesn’t call for any crunches or sit-ups of any kind? It almost sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t. In fact, that’s the beauty of today’s workout.
You may be thinking, We just worked our legs and abs two days ago—and you would be correct. But there’s a big difference between this routine and the cardio and core workout you crushed a couple of days ago as part of this New Year’s Challenge. And that’s the presence of load.
Today’s lower-body strength workout is just that—it’s a strength workout, meaning you’ll be challenging yourself with external resistance for most of these legs exercises, in the form of dumbbells, and giving yourself ample rest time in order to complete your sets with that added weight. That’s different from day 19, where you performed bodyweight lower-body exercises with a HIIT-based, high-work, little-rest programming. Plus, all the abs work you’ll do here comes from lower-body moves that really require you to fire your core during their execution.
This strength workout really lends itself to progressive overload, where you continue to add challenge to your muscles so they have to constantly adapt to get stronger and stronger. You can achieve this by adding a little more weight, cranking out an extra rep or two, or performing more advanced variations of the same exercise.
Speaking of variations, you’ll notice a two of them in this legs and core workout: the reverse lunge to rotation and the single-leg glute bridge. The lunge variation, in addition to targeting your glutes, quads, and hamstrings, also works on external and internal rotation, which are motions we perform in everyday life (think crossing your leg to tie your shoe or twisting to look behind you), and will really fire up your core as you twist.
The single-leg glute bridge is a hip extension exercise that really isolates your glutes and hamstrings just like the two-legged version. But the catch here is that lifting that one leg makes the move way more intense—and your core really needs to step up in order to help keep you stable while doing it. While this is a hamstring exercise as well, if you’re feeling it only in the back of your upper leg and not in your butt, bringing your foot closer into your butt can help you feel some of that work in your glutes too. And be sure to really squeeze those glutes at the top of the movement for full muscle engagement.
The two supersets here alternate between quad-dominant and hip-dominant exercises, so even though your rest is minimal, your muscles should still feel fresh enough to power through each set. Want a little extra work after the main set is done? Try the optional bonus EMOM finisher, where you’ll give your glutes some extra attention, hitting the gluteus maximus (the biggest glute muscle) in the donkey kick, and the smaller hip abductor muscles (those that make up your side butt) with the fire hydrant.
Keep scrolling for the details on how to really smoke your legs with this lower-body superset workout—while sneakily hitting your abs, too.
The workout below is for day 21 of the SELF New Year’s Challenge. Check out the full four-week workout program right here. Or go to the workout calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails for this challenge, you can do that here. (edited)
WORKOUT DIRECTIONS
Aim for 8–12 reps per exercise. Rest up to 30 seconds between exercises. At the end of the round, rest 60–90 seconds. Complete 2–4 rounds total. Repeat for Superset 2.
EXERCISES
Superset 1
- Reverse Lunge With Rotation
- Romanian Deadlift
Superset 2
- Goblet Squat
- Single-Leg Glute Bridge
BONUS EMOM
Do both moves for the recommended number of reps. Rest the remainder of the minute; repeat 4 times total.
- Donkey Kick (alternate sides per round; 12–15 reps)
- Fire Hydrant (alternate sides per round; 12–15 reps)
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Katie Thompson1 Reverse Lunge With Rotation
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell at your chest with both hands, gripping it on each end. This is the starting position.
- Step back (about 2 feet) with your right foot, landing on the ball of your right foot and keeping your heel off the floor. Bend both knees to create two 90-degree angles with your legs. Your chest should be upright and your torso should be leaning slightly forward so that your back is flat and not arched or rounded forward. Your right quad should be parallel to the floor, and your butt and core should be engaged.
- Slowly rotate your torso to the right. You should feel a nice stretch in your mid back.
- Twist back to center, and then push through the heel of your left foot to return to the starting position. This is 1 rep.
- Complete all your reps on one side. Then switch sides and repeat.
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Katie Thompson2 Romanian Deadlift
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your thighs.
- Hinge at your hips, bending slightly at your knees. Push your butt way back and keep your back flat. Your torso should be almost parallel to the floor, and the weights should reach your shins.
- Keeping your core tight, push through your heels to stand up straight. Keep the weights close to your shins as you pull.
- Pause at the top and squeeze your butt. This is 1 rep.
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Katie Thompson3 Goblet Squat
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, toes slightly turned out, holding a dumbbell with both hands in front of you so it hangs vertically.
- Engage your core and keep your chest lifted and back flat as you shift your weight into your heels, push your hips back, and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
- Drive through your heels to stand and squeeze your glutes at the top for 1 rep.
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Katie Thompson4 Single-Leg Glute Bridge
- Lie on the floor faceup with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hands at your sides. Engage your core to press your low back against the floor.
- From this position, lift your right foot off the floor and extend your leg.
- Push off your left foot, engage your core, and squeeze your glutes as you lift your hips and do a glute bridge.
- Slowly lower your hips back to the floor. That’s 1 rep.
- Do all of the reps on one side, then repeat on the other.
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Katie Thompson5 Donkey Kick
- Start in an all-fours position, with your wrists under your shoulders, knees under your hips, and core engaged.
- Kick your right foot up and toward the ceiling, engaging your glutes and using your hamstrings to pull your foot upward.
- Keep your core engaged so you stay stable and don’t tip to the side; stop before you arch your low back. Remember: This is a strength move, not a flexibility exercise.
- Return your leg to the starting position. This is 1 rep.
- Complete all your reps on one side. Switch sides each round.
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Katie Thompson6 Fire Hydrant
- Start in an all-fours position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Lift your right leg to the side, keeping your knee bent, until your knee reaches hip height. Keep your core engaged so your body does not rotate open with your knee lifted.
- Lower to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
- Complete all your reps on one side. Switch sides each round.
Styling, Rika Watanabe. Hair, Avery Golson at See Management. Makeup, Ayaka Nihei. On Heather Boddy (GIFs 1, 2, and 5): Sports Bra and Leggings; Bandier. Sneakers; APL. On Francine Delgado-Lugo (GIFs 3 and 6): Sports Bra and Leggings; Beach Riot. Sneakers; Norbull. On Gail Barranda Rivas (GIF 4): Sports Bra; Fabletics. Leggings; Bandier. Sneakers; Puma.
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