I’m not going to lie….I have done this glute workout twice now and it made me super sore both times. I love training my legs and glutes. It makes me feel really strong and I dig it!
I have been working on my squat strength recently. I have pretty strong legs, but it takes practice to get the hang of lifting really heavy. I am still getting the hang of using heavier weights for fewer reps. I tend to keep my reps anywhere in the 10-15 rep range, but I have been experimenting lately with lifting even heavier for more like 5-6 reps. I have to play with it quite a bit to figure out what I can do, but guess what?
I squat over my bodyweight the other day. Yeah, I had that thing loaded down with 165lbs total — which is a lot of me! I was pretty impressed with myself because I have never done that before. Now if only I could bench that…. hahahaha just kidding. I am no where near that on the bench press.
Seriously though, it took a little practice for me to be able to work up to that because I am so familiar with what I can squat when aiming for 12 reps. It is very different when you only need to get 6 out. Game changer.
I don’t necessarily like lifting in the 5-6 range much, but it is fun to change things up every once in a while with certain muscle groups.
This workout incorporates several different rep ranges, depending on the exercise. The first exercise, the smith machine squats, should be done in three sets. The first set aim for 10 reps, then add weight and do 8 reps, then add more weight and hit 6 reps. Again, if you’ve never lifted this way, then play around it with it figure out what you can manage. You want it to be difficult to get the last few reps out, but you should not go so heavy you can’t get all 6 reps on the last set.
Some of the exercises at the end are at a higher rep range, meaning use a lighter weight to get all the reps in and try to pump them out. Don’t go so fast you risk injury, but perform the kickbacks, back extension, and abductor so that you get a little heat built up in your legs. Trust me, after everything else those three exercises get your legs burnin’ a bit!
If you are unsure of what each exercise is then click on the link below and it will direct you to a description and/or video of the move.
Give it a try and let me know how you feel afterwards. Both times I’ve done this I have had horrible DOMS… two days after I complete it I start finding it hard to sit down and stand back up. I don’t know about you, but I find joy in being sore every once in a while!
Do you enjoy lifting lower body? Or do you prefer upper body training?
