After writing an article about building strong legs and butt using a solid bodyweight strength training workout routine, I was asked if I knew of any other good beginner workout routines for the lower body.
I will take that to mean it was appreciated and those interested are just looking for a little more variety. Well I got you covered.
As I mentioned before, there are lots of great exercises for building the lower body and I happen to have three more that you can put together that will not only build you a powerful lower body…
Not only will it also strengthen and tone your legs…
But this one will also improve your cardiovascular fitness and the best part is, much like the first workout I presented in this beginner series, this one can be done without requiring a major time commitment.
It’s great because it doesn’t have much complexity to it, you can do it almost anywhere and is perfect for beginners.
As an added bonus, with a few minor tweaks, it’s great for including in more advanced workouts down the road.
I still use these movements today and I believe if you stick with them, they will play a major role in shaping your body and greatly improving your overall physical fitness.
So even if you’re not that crazy about working out your lower body, push your hesitation aside and give this beginner workout routine a go. I think you’ll be glad you gave it a shot.
By the way, you won’t need any equipment for any of these movements. They can all be easily completed with just your bodyweight.
And as I mentioned, this shouldn’t take long at all.
So let’s go for it!
Slalom Jumps (A great start to a beginner workout routine)
This movement is a lot of fun and straightforward to complete.
Try and find yourself something like a skipping rope or shoe lace that you can stretch out to make a straight line on the ground.
Basically, you just want to create two sides. If you’re like me and your shoes don’t have laces, a shoe by itself will do the trick.
Set down on the ground whatever you’re using to create the two sides.
From there, simply stand on one side with your feet slightly apart. Just as if you were about to start walking.
Your feet should be parallel with the line you created. This means your toes are pointing the same direction as your dividing object.
Now bend your knees slightly and jump with both feet sideways over the rope or whatever you’re using.
Make sure to keep your knees bent when you land. From that position, simply jump back to the original side, again with both feet.
Congrats, you just completed a basic slalom jump. Not bad right? It’s kind of like hopscotch without the boxes and you always use both feet.
Consider each time you jump back and forth, the completion of one repetition. Try and complete 10 reps.
Here’s a good demonstration of the slalom jump from the folks over at Warrior 4 life.
The exercise is great for strengthening your quadriceps, those are the big muscles in front of your thighs as well as your calves. You know where your calves are.
These muscles are crucial for standing, walking and ankle support, basically everything to do with your movement from your lower body.
This movement is great for improving your balance, stamina and coordination.
Not to mention, it will get you started on toning and strengthening your legs. Who can’t use more of that?
Related Article: Best At Home Workout For Beginners To Start Today
Mountain Climbers
This is another great exercise that I strongly believe should be a part of every at home beginner workout routine.
And I’m happy to say, it’s easy to execute.
Start off on the floor in a full push up position. This is often also referred to as a straight arm plank.
You place your hands about shoulder width apart on the floor with your arms straight up and down. Your legs should be straight out behind you so that you are holding yourself up on your hands and your toes.
You should be forming a straight line down your back, with your legs. as if you’re about to drop down and start doing push ups.
Instead, you bend your left leg bringing your knee up towards your chest. Don’t move your hands. Keep your abs tight.
Then, as your return your right leg to the starting position, at the same time drive your left knee forward towards your chest.
Repeat the movement back and forth from one leg to the other. It’s as if you’re running in place while holding yourself in a horizontal position. Stay light on your feet and maintain a steady pace.
Here’s a great demonstration of the mountain climber by trainer Rachel Buschert Vaziralli for Howcast.com.
Got it? Fantastic! That’s the mountain climber. This is an amazing exercise for beginners. Each time you drive one leg forward followed by the other, consider that one repetition. Try and do 15.
It’s great for the muscles in your legs, especially your hamstrings, the big muscles on the backs of your thighs, and your calves.
The added bonus with mountain climbers is that it is also strengthening your core. That kind of strength will help you down the road when you are starting exercises to build your upper body and burn off fat from your midsection.
This movement is amazing for improving stamina, strength, endurance… to be honest, this one has it all. It may be my favorite part of this routine.
Related Article : Best Bodyweight Exercises To Build A Lean Strong Physique
Knee Tuck Jumps (A Must For The Beginner Workout Routine)
I saved this movement to round out the completion of this at home workout routine because this is one of the grand daddies of lower body exercises.
Again, good news! It’s really easy to execute.
Start by standing straight up, feet approximately shoulder width apart and your arms relaxed at your side.
Slowly bend your knees and allow your lower body to go down into a squat position.
Once you’re in the squat, drive upwards with your legs and jump as high as you can straight up. You can use your arms to assist with the jump.
As you jump up in the air, bring your knees up and together towards your chest. Try and do that at the top of your jump.
Then allow your legs to come back down, keeping them slightly bent as you return to the ground and finish in a standing position.
Here’s a great demo of the knee tuck jump from the folks at LesMills.com.
And that’s how you complete a knee tuck jump. Don’t worry about the jogging on the spot in between. Just get that form right.
Sounds pretty simple right?
Trust me, this one is a doooozy. It’s a phenomenal exercise all by itself. Try and do 10 in a row.
This movement works every muscle in your legs from hamstrings to quadriceps to calves. Additionally, it also works your glutes, in case you’re interested in toning your butt.
And once again, this is a good core strengthening and stabilizing exercise.
This one will help you build strength, agility, power and balance. If you’re looking to get more active, this is a move you want to incorporate regularly into your workout. This routine will do the trick.
Personally, I believe this movement will help you shape your legs and midsection as good as anything you’ll ever try.
Related Article: 5 Of The Best Exercises For a Beginner’s At Home Workout
Put It All Together
So, let’s put it all together and see how it looks.
- 10 Slalom Jumps
- 15 Mountain Climbers
- 10 Knee Tuck Jumps
Now that’s a pretty solid at home workout routine for the lower body. You can do it anywhere and should be more than enough for anybody just getting started.
I’d suggest giving yourself about a minute or two rest moving from one exercise to the next. Try and do the whole routine 3-4 times through.
I’m guessing you’ll really be feeling this one.
But…..
Let’s say you look at this workout routine and you think, well it just doesn’t look like much to me.
Or maybe you try it out and you don’t really feel challenged and are looking for a little something extra.
Well, in that case you can take this routine and…
Make It Metabolic!
Wait! What?
This routine can be turned into a great metabolic workout for beginners.
If you haven’t heard of a metabolic workout before and want to know what it is, here’s a general breakdown for you.
A metabolic workout tends to involve compound exercises. Compound exercises utilize multiple joints and multiple muscle groups at the same time.
So for example the mountain climbers in this routine is a great compound exercise incorporating your quadriceps, glutes, deltoid muscles and core. As you can imagine, it works multiple joints for these muscle groups to work together.
A good metabolic workout will have you boost your metabolism with a good calorie burn. Your metabolism is generally measured by how many calories you burn while at rest.
The faster your metabolism the more calories you burn. The more calories you burn the better your chances of burning fat and losing some weight.
Metabolic training tends to incorporate large muscle groups in the body. Though it can be done with smaller muscle groups as well. It utilizes high intensity and you’ll definitely feel the burn in the muscles you are working.
The high intensity also means you’re able to complete this beginner workout routine in a shorter period of time to achieve the same results.
The benefits of a solid metabolic workout routine for beginners include improved cardiovascular performance and strength training. There also tends to be a boost in fat loss as a result of increased calorie burns.
Related Article: Bodyweight Strength Training At Home Routine For Beginners
Some studies indicated that following a good metabolic workout routine a percentage of the increased levels of calorie burns continue while at rest. This has been referred to as the “afterburn effect”.
Also known as the excess post exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC. It’s really just a fancy way of describing the increased number of calories burned after exercise.
So How Do We Make This Workout Routine Metabolic?
No problem.
If you’re looking to turn this into a metabolic workout routine for beginners the best place to start is with your rest period in between exercises.
This is one way to boost the intensity. So instead of resting for a couple of minutes between each movement, cut your rest down to 30 seconds.
If that still doesn’t do it for you, take the rest out completely from in between exercises and go straight through from one movement to the next.
Save the rest for after completing all three exercises.
And don’t be taking your sweet time while going through this routine.
If you’re looking to take this up to the next level you want to keep up the pace. Feel the burn in your muscles and get your heart rate up because you want to get the most out of it.
By boosting the intensity in this fashion you’ll reap the benefits of this bodyweight strength training routine in less time and effectively turned it into a great metabolic workout.
Related Article : The Plank Workout Challenge For Beginners
The Wrap Up
So there you have it!
A great bodyweight strength training beginner workout routine to build a strong lower body.
If you’re able to jump right to the metabolic workout, I’d imagine you’re not quite a beginner. You may be ready to add additional sets and possibly incorporating free weights for added resistance.
If you are a beginner, this routine should get you on track to building your strength and toning your body. Try and do it at least a couple times a week until it gets considerably easier.
At that point you won’t be such a beginner anymore. You’ll be on your way to the next level of your fitness journey. Way to go!
