Workout Wednesday: A 30-Minute Lower Body Workout
We’ve all been there. You have finished work, got stuck in traffic, and now you’ve only got a maximum of 30 minutes to get a gym session done before you need to rush back home to get dinner sorted. To top it off, today is ‘leg day’, and you’re struggling to find the motivation to get it done; just going to the gym was a mental battle.
If this sounds familiar, then keep reading. In today’s newsletter, I’m going to outline a simple, quick, and efficient workout which targets the lower body in a session which should take no longer than half an hour without compromising on quality and results. Keep scrolling!
Housekeeping
Here are a few quick reminders before we begin:
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The 30-minute express workout structure
A sensible warm-up (10 minutes)
As always, before getting into the session itself, ensure that you are sufficiently warm. If you’ve read my previous newsletters, you’ll know that I like a minimum of two components:
A heart-rate raiser (5-7 mins of ‘cardio’ - walking, cycling, elliptical, etc).
Some activation (bodyweight lunges/squats, band crab walks, incline push-ups).
It doesn’t have to be crazy complicated, but skip the warm-up at your peril!
The main session (20 minutes)
The following session will require a range of equipment. If you don’t have access to a certain piece of kit, then you can use your imagination. For example: no leg press? Try a kettlebell goblet squat. No space for lunges? Try a machine leg extension. The exercises themselves aren’t absolutely key, however, the important thing is finding the correct stimulus to allow you to work hard enough within this limited time-frame.
Intensity
Each exercise below will have a target rep range. It may take a trial run first of all, but you will need to be working pretty close to failure for each exercise. For example, if the prescribed exercise was the leg press for 8-10 reps, then you should find it a real struggle to complete number 10. You should be aiming to finish within that range and struggling to do so. If you feel that you could go on for another 5 reps, then you’re working too light. If you’re gassed by number 4, then take it down a notch.
Workout structure
The session will follow an ‘AMRAP’ structure. In this case, the acronym stands for ‘as many rounds as possible’. Simply put, your goal is to complete the circuit as many times as you can within the 20 minutes. HOWEVER, this is not to say that you should compromise exercise technique or form to prioritise rushing from station to station. Perform each exercise safely, with correct form, then move swiftly on to the next one in the sequence with minimal rest.
The circuit
Find below the exercise circuit. You can reduce the weights/intensity as time goes on if needed. You’ll also notice a designated rest block at the end of the circuit - make the most of it! Each station has a category (e.g. station 1 is knee dominant), so if you do not have access to equipment/are unable to perform that exercise, you’ll be able to substitute in a like-for-like swap.
I’ll give two options for each station to give you an idea. Here they are below:
Station 1 - Knee-dominant (10-12 reps)
Station 2 - Single leg (6-8 reps per leg)
Station 3 - Calf-dominant (10-12 reps total/5-6 per leg)
Station 4 - Hip-dominant (8-10 reps)
Station 5 - Rest for 90s.
After 90 seconds, start back at station 1. Repeat as many times as you can in 20 minutes!
Give it a go!
I promise that this is harder than it looks and will provide a decent challenge. If you’re working out against the clock, you’ll leave the gym feeling as though you squeezed a lot of work in!
As always, if you have any questions, just ping me a message. If you enjoyed this newsletter, you can share or subscribe below. Thanks for reading!
"You should be aiming to finish within that range and struggling to do so. If you feel that you could go on for another 5 reps, then you’re working too light."
A tip I've found helpful is to pay attention to the speed of the concentric/positive portion of the lift (when you're pushing against gravity). If you're slowing down, you're probably close to failure. If every rep is the same speed, you're leaving reps in the tank.