WORK OUT: SHUT UP & SQUAT

THE WARM UP

  • 5-10 minutes: Stationary Bike 
  • STRETCHES (2 SETS OF 30 SECONDS EACH POSE)
    • PIGEON POSE
    • CALF STRETCH
    • PRETZEL STRETCH
    • SCORPION

*I always prefer to warm up and stretch your legs & hips to go deeper in your movements & to avoid injuries.

KETTLE BELL SWINGS (3 sets of 8-10 reps)

  1. Stand with your feet placed outside your shoulders, either pointing straight ahead or turned slightly out, whichever is more comfortable to you.
  2. Clench your hands into loose fists. Hold your arms out in front of you, parallel to the ground, with elbows locked and hands touching.
  3. Pull your shoulders down into your waist, away from your ears. You should feel some tightness under your armpits. Those are your lats. You may never have felt them like that before, but this sensation is crucial to the swing, so remember it.
  4. Tighten your abs like you're bracing for a punch. Don't bend forward, though. Just try to lock your ribcage to your pelvis.
  5. Finally, squeeze your glutes as tightly as you can, like you're pinching a coin between your cheeks. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders through your hips and knees down to your feet.

DEEP KETTLE BELL SQUATS (3 sets of 8-10 reps)

  1. Start with two benches with enough room to drop a kettle bell in between. 
  2. Pull your shoulders down into your waist, away from your ears. 
  3. Tighten your abs and hold the the kettle bell.
  4. Squat while focusing on the weight in your heels. Go deep enough where the kettle bell goes past the bench

CABLE KICK BACKS (3 sets of 8-10 reps)

  1. Use an ankle cuff to a low cable pulley and then attach the cuff to your ankle.
  2. Face the weight stack from a distance of about two feet, grasping the steel frame for support.
  3. While keeping your knees and hips bent slightly and your abs tight, contract your glutes to slowly "kick" the working leg back in a semicircular arc as high as it will comfortably go as you breathe out. Tip: At full extension, squeeze your glutes for a second in order to achieve a peak contraction.
  4. Now slowly bring your working leg forward, resisting the pull of the cable until you reach the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
  6. Switch legs and repeat the movement for the other siDE

HIP THRUSTS (3 sets of 8-10 reps)

  1. Begin seated on the ground with a bench directly behind you. Add additional weight by using a bar or a dumb bell.
  2. Roll the bar or dumb bell so that it is directly above your hips, and lean back against the bench so that your shoulder blades are near the top of it.
  3. Begin the movement by driving through your feet, extending your hips vertically through the bar. Your weight should be supported by your shoulder blades and your feet. Extend as far as possible, then reverse the motion to return to the starting position. (source)

I can't wait to do more videos! I'll definitely be more detail oriented and adding pictures for each individual exercise to get a better understanding. Have a good leg day! 

 

FITNESSMichelle CarigmaLeg Workouts, Squats, Squat VariationsComment