I asked friends on my personal Facebook what kind of fitness content they would like to see on DnD and some suggested my favorite work out or circuits I like to do. I don't really do "circuit training" at the gym (even though I do enjoy those types of work outs) because I go with my husband. We focus on a body part each day. My personal favorite being legs/glutes.
Most people HATE working legs, which I totally understand because if you get a great work out in your legs are most likely going to be jello for the next couple of days. I feel sorry for you if you have stairs involved in any of your daily walking after leg day at the gym.
So, as requested below is my routine for legs! You could do this at home or in a gym. You will need resistance bands (I have found some at Walmart and online on Amazon) and weights. If you are doing these at home you could improvise weights with your little ones, I do that often. I have a 17 pound baby, 25 pound toddler and 40 pound toddler, so the weight increase works out well! haha.
In the gym work out:
-I start off with squats, either in the squat rack or smith machine- which ever you prefer. I start out in the squat rack so I can push myself to heavier weight with my husband. Keep it simple, mind your form and I do four sets of ten or until muscle failure.
After those I will move over to the smith machine and do Sumo squats with resistance bands and work my weight up. Sumo squats are basically wide legged squats- so spread your legs out as far as you comfortably can. While doing this exercise I also do close leg squats- literally what it sounds like. Close your legs together and squat down like your going to sit in a chair. So your set will look like this- 5 sumo/5 close leg= 1 set. I do four sets with weight increments.
-Leg press. This is pretty straight forward exercise. Be sure you are not locking your legs out when you extend. You will be surprised how strong your legs really are even if you are just starting to workout, but be mindful how much weight you add because after squats your legs will be a bit fatigued. I take it easy on these usually only one forty-five plate because the sled itself is pretty heavy. I do four sets of ten.
-Straight leg dead lift. I have recently just learned how to do these and I LOVE them! They feel so good in my opinion, the stretch in the hamstring is kinda just what I need after a good leg workout. You can do them standing flat on the ground or elevated on a step box for a deeper stretch. You will need a bar, dumbbell or kettlebell with your preferred weight and basically all you do is bend at the waist with your legs straight until you feel the stretch in your hamstrings. Bring it back up to your hips to start another rep.
-Resistance band kick backs/ side kicks. I do these in between sets while waiting for my husband to finish his. I start with low and work my way up to heavy. Place the resistance band around your ankles and just like the name of the exercise, kick your leg back. I don't have a certain amount of sets or reps I do on these, the lighter the weight the more I do and the heavier I do the less. My bands are a thicker width /small looped ones so thats why I place them around my ankles, but if you have the long/skinny ones you can loop it around a pole and place your foot inside the band to do kick backs that way. Side kicks is the same form, instead of kicking backward you will swing your leg out to the right/left side.
For cardio I do anywhere from 15-30 minutes on the treadmill, high incline with resistance bands around my thighs.
There are SO many exercises I am learning and wanting to add to my leg day routine but this one is tested and true. You will be sore- but I promise there will be results. This is my husbands routine minus the kick backs and his legs are awesome.
If you are working out at home try some of these variations. Like I said resistance bands are cheap and you can get them at Walmart! They really will add some challenge to your work out when you cant use weights.
- Resistance bands squats. You can do them regular, sumo and close legged with out weights. Start light and work up to heavy. If you want to add some weight, hold your baby or give your toddler a piggy back as you squat.
-Glute raises. Lay on your back and thrust your hips into the air. My girls LOVE when I have them sit on my belly and do these. Squeeze your butt, ladies!
-Deadlift/Squat combo. You'd need a little bit of weight for this but you basically do a SLD and when you come back up you will squat. I will post a video on here to demonstrate and if you follow me on social media it is on there as well!
-lunges with resistance bands.
-Kick backs, side kicks and leg raises with resistance bands.
Please, please, PLEASE keep in mind that I am in no way, shape or form a personal trainer or fitness guru. I am just a mom who enjoys working out. With that being said, these exercises are what work for me and what I personally like doing in the gym/at home. These are the things that work for ME. Feel free to try them out and modify what you need to, to accommodate your body and fitness goals.
As with any work out you need some great music to get you pumped up, and on leg day I recommend the "twerk" station on pandora or "crime mob" station. But I mean, what else would you expect from a girl who grew up in North Carolina. ;)
If you try this work out and enjoy it, leave me a comment letting me know your favorite part and how you feel the day after!
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