If You Want to Work Out Three Days a Week: Lower-Body Routine 1
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The workout below is for 6 Weeks to Stronger, SELF’s new six-week workout plan geared toward building serious strength. Check out the full program right here for the rest of your workouts and more important info!
Welcome, our three-a-weekers! We’re thrilled to have you with us for 6 Weeks to Stronger, and we know you’re going to love what we’ve got on the docket.
You’ll have three specific workouts in your program that you’ll complete week after week: A lower-body, an upper-body, and a full-body session. This ensures you’re hitting every muscle group at least twice a week—the recommended frequency for getting stronger—and provides a little extra specialized attention to each part (thanks to a specific lower-body and upper-body day). You can schedule your workouts in a way that works for you, but we recommend you stick with the order we’ve given, which helps maximize recovery time. You should also make sure to wait 48 hours before working the same muscle groups. (For more detailed info about the program, make sure you take a look at our primer here.)
Today’s lower-body workout will really challenge your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves—and you only need five exercises to get it done. You’ll start with your main lift, the deadlift, and we really encourage you to challenge yourself with a weight that feels hard for you. Remember, your rep range is going to be pretty low for this, and you’ll have lots of rest after each set, so don’t be afraid to go heavy!
You’ll follow this up with a superset that alternates exercises that work the front side of your lower body (the reverse lunge) and the backside of your lower body (the hip thrust). Since these exercises target different muscles, you won’t feel too gassed completing these back to back. Still, your rep range will be a little higher and your rest a little lower for these moves, so you won’t be going as heavy as with your deadlift. Finally, you’ll end with another superset of exercises that hit the smaller, stabilizing muscles in your butt: the step-down and side-lying leg lift. Since this program allows you one lower-body-only day, you have enough “room” to give these small yet mighty muscles some extra love.
Ready to get started? Take a look at the equipment you need below and get ready to smoke your lower body.
The Workout
What you need: Dumbbells (or a barbell if you prefer), a sturdy step or box, and a weight bench. You may also want an exercise mat for comfort.
Exercises
Straight Set:
- Deadlift
Superset 1:
- Reverse Lunge
- Hip Thrust
Superset 2:
- Step-Down
- Side-Lying Leg Lift
Directions
- For Straight Set, complete 5 to 8 reps. Rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Complete 4 sets total.
- For Superset 1, complete 8 to 12 reps of the first exercise; rest for 60 to 90 seconds before going on to the second exercise. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds before repeating from the top. Complete this superset 3 times total.
- For Superset 2 complete 12 to 15 reps of the first exercise. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds before going on to the second exercise. Rest 30 to 60 seconds, and then repeat from the top. Complete this superset 3 times total.
Katie ThompsonDeadlift
- Stand behind a barbell with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
- Sit your hips back, bend your knees slightly, and lean your torso forward, maintaining a tight core and flat back. Grab the bar with an overhand grip, placing your hands about shoulder-width apart.
- Push your feet into the floor and stand up tall, pulling the weight with you and keeping your arms straight. The weight should track closely to your shins. Bring your hips forward and squeeze your glutes at the top.
- Slowly reverse the movement, bending your knees and pushing your butt back to lower the weight back to the floor. Keep the bar close to your body the entire time and maintain a flat back. This is 1 rep.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing a conventional deadlift where you pull the weight from the floor, you can do a Romanian instead: Hold the weight at your sides, hinge at your hips, and lower the weight down to your mid-shins. You can do this back-of-the-body burner with dumbbells or a barbell.
Katie ThompsonReverse Lunge
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and engage your core. Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides, racked on your shoulders, or place a barbell on your upper back.
- Step backward with one foot, landing on the ball of your foot and keeping your heel off the floor.
- Bend both knees to 90 degrees as you sink into a lunge. Focus on keeping your core engaged and your hips tucked (don’t stick your butt out).
- Push through the heel of your planted foot to return to the starting position. This is 1 rep. Complete all your reps on one side, then switch sides.
The reverse lunge builds single-sided strength and targets your quads and glutes. Do this with dumbbells or a barbell.
Katie ThompsonHip Thrust
- Sit on the floor with your back to a supported bench. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground, hip-distance apart. Rest your upper back on the edge of the bench and place your dumbbells on your lap. (You can use one or two, depending on size and comfort of the weights.) Alternatively, you can do this with a barbell; grab the barbell with an overhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart, and place over your lap.
- Drive through your heels to lift your hips up toward the ceiling, keeping your upper back in place against the bench.
- Pause and squeeze your glutes at the top.
- In a slow and controlled motion, lower your butt back toward the ground. This is 1 rep.
If you don’t have a weight bench or sturdy step, you can do a glute bridge from the floor instead. You can use a dumbbell or a barbell for this move, which really targets your glutes.
Katie ThompsonStep-Down
- Stand with one foot firmly planted on a sturdy step or box. This is starting position.
- Bend the knee of your planted foot to slowly lower your other foot toward the floor. Make sure to keep your hips steady and level.
- Lightly tap the heel of your foot on the floor. (If your step or box is higher, you may not be able to tap the floor—that’s okay!)
- Push up through the heel of the planted foot to return to starting position. This is 1 rep.
- Complete all your reps on one side, then switch sides.
The step-down works your quads and glutes and is a great move to help strengthen and stabilize your knee. It fires up your small side-butt muscles too.
Katie ThompsonSide-Lying Leg Lift
- Lie on one side with legs out straight and stacked on top of each other. Prop your head up with your hand or rest your torso flat on the mat.
- Lift your top leg toward the ceiling in a slow and controlled movement. Make sure to lift from the hip and butt, not your lower back.
- Then lower the leg slowly. That’s 1 rep.
- Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides and repeat.
This move hammers your hip abductors, the small muscles in our side-butt which help keep you stable when you’re on one leg—say, when you’re running or doing a lunge.
Demoing the moves above are Lauren Leavell (GIFs 1 and 3), a NASM-certified personal trainer and founder of Leavell Up Fitness; Winnie Yu (GIF 2), a doctor of physical therapy, certified strength and conditioning specialist, and running specialist; and Francine Delgado-Lugo (GIFs 4 and 5), a strength coach and co-founder of Form Fitness Brooklyn.
Lauren Leavell wears: Top and leggings by Beyond Yoga; shoes by Reebok; and socks by Alo. Winnie Yu wears: Bra by Aritzia; leggings and socks by Alo; and shoes by Vivobarefoot. Francine Delgado-Lugs wears: Top by Aritzia; pants by Yitty; and shoes by Alo.
BowFlex 5.1S Adjustable Weight Bench by Bowflex.
SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.
