In my last article, I wrote about how effectively targeting your goals and using various training methods will help you maintain your muscle gains at home and keep you motivated. These tips are especially useful if you are a regular gym-goer and don’t have the right equipment at home.
That said, I can already hear many of you saying: “I understand your method, but concretely, what do I do?” In this article, we will put in practice what we have learned.
The muscle weight training program below is both diverse and intense enough to help you maintain your gains until you return to the gym.
At-home lower body workout : Legs and abdominal muscles
General Warm-up – 5 minutes
Alternate between jogging on the spot and lower body dynamic exercises.
Complete the following general warm-up circuit twice without taking a break:
- Jogging 15 sec – Slow Jumping Jacks 15 sec
- Jogging 15 sec – Butt Kicks 15 sec
- Jogging 15 sec – High Knees 15 sec
- Jogging 15 sec – Mountain Climbers 15 sec
- Jogging 15 sec – Alternating Kicks 15 sec
Specific Warm-up – 3 minutes
By performing exercises that are found in the main part of your workout, you will prime your muscles and joints to work at a higher intensity. You must avoid reaching muscle fatigue at this stage, so the duration of effort and / or the level of intensity must be reduced.
Complete the following specific warm-up circuit three times:
- Squats 15 sec
- Plank 15 sec
- Alternate Lunges 15 sec
- Break 15 sec
Lower body workout- 30 minutes
This is where we will apply the muscle fatigue method presented in my previous article. Complete the following three-exercise circuits, where the same muscle group (or almost!) is solicited in three different ways, thus making this routine efficient and versatile. The circuits are VERY high in density, so don’t worry if you can’t complete the 30-sec reps; it’s a good sign that local muscle fatigue is kicking in!
Segment 1 – 3 sets:
- Jump Squats 30 sec
- Wall Chair 30 sec
- Regular Squats 30 sec
- Break 30 sec
Segment 2 – 2 sets per leg (one leg at a time for a total of 4 sets):
- Non-alternating Jump Lunges 30 sec
- 90-degree Static Lunges 30 sec
- Stationary Lunges 30 sec
- Break 30 sec
Segment 3 – 3 sets (this is an easier segment, so no break):
- Heels Elevated Glute Bridge 30 sec
- Static Glute Bridge 30 sec
- Alternating Superman 30 sec
Segment 4 – one set (here, the goal is to achieve complete muscle fatigue; slow down your pace or take extra breaks, if necessary, to complete this segment):
- Jump Squats 30 sec
- Wall Chair 30 sec
- Regular Squats 30 sec
- Non-alternating Jump Lunges 30 sec
- 90-degree Static Lunges 30 sec
- Stationary Lunges 30 sec
- Heels Elevated Glute Bridge 30 sec
- Static Glute Bridge 30 sec
- Alternating Superman 30 sec
Segment 5 – 3 sets:
- Explosive Full Sit-ups 30 sec
- Plank 30 sec
- Crunches 30 sec
- Break 30 sec
Finish with a 5-10 minute cool down by walking in place and stretching your legs.
With this 45-50 minute session, different types of muscle contractions will occur (explosive, isometric and static) and significant muscle fatigue will be achieved. Repeat this routine 2-3 times a week and you will notice that your return to the gym will be much smoother!
Have a good workout!
At-home lower body workout - 2 of 2 is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
Copyright © Nautilus Plus 2020