Lower-body workouts are intense for good reason. Those powerful muscles can generate a lot of force, so you need exercises that get them fully engaged and exhausted. But a heavy lifting day doesn’t necessarily translate to a balanced lower body. Classic squats, deadlifts, and lunges can sometimes disproportionately work the quads and hamstrings and leave the glutes undertrained, explains fitness coach Tim Gardner, who counts IFBB bikini pro-Janet Layug among his clients. The solution? While he’ll often separate out quads and hamstrings in training, this combined workout does it all. “The routine is structured to pre-exhaust the leg muscles,” says Gardner. “We start out targeting the quads, then transfer to the hamstrings, and back to the quads, adding in some glute isolation. We build up to higher-rep finishing sets, which is ideal for complete toning.” Result: Your glutes get their fair share of exercise so you can build muscle where you need it most. Check out these key lower-body moves demonstrated by Layug.
1 LEG PRESS
WORKS: QUADS Sit on leg-press machine with feet wider than hip-distance apart on the platform, toes pointed out slightly and knees at 90 degrees, directly above ankles. Keep your back fully against the seat pad (A).
Straighten legs, pushing through heels as you press out. Don’t lock out knees at the top of the movement (B). Slowly lower to start and repeat.
Sets: 4 Reps: 10, 10, 15, 25
2 PLATFORM STRAIGHT-LEG DEADLIFT
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