https://youtu.be/xe4ELnGYC5k
There’s nothing like a knee-quaking series of lunges and squats to make you feel like you’ve crushed a workout. These five leg exercises from Daily Burn 365 trainer Dara Theodore will work you from your thighs all the way down to your ankles. Test your balance with a Modified Pistol Squat, challenge your quads with the Lunge Tap and work those inner thighs with a Lateral Lunge Slide — all before hitting the floor for your final few exercises. “The more muscles you work, the higher that heart rate gets,” Theodore says. You’ll repeat each move for 50 seconds, with 10 seconds of rest in between. Go all out and prepare to finish feeling strong!
RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week
Mini Burn Leg Workout: How-Tos
1. Lunge Tap
How to: Come into a partial squat and shift your weight to your left leg. Lift your right foot a few inches off the ground then extend your leg to tap your foot to the side of your body, as far as you can comfortably reach. Tap your foot back to the center then extend your leg to tap your foot behind your body, as far as you can comfortably reach. Maintain a partial squat in your standing leg as you continue to tap your leg to the side and back, and pump your arms as you go to get your heart rate up. Repeat for 25 seconds before switching sides.
2. Lateral Lunge Slide
How to: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Lunge as far as you can to your right, pushing your butt back and keeping your back flat. At the bottom of your lunge, slide your left leg in towards your right leg, keeping your left leg straight. Pull your left knee up towards your chest to balance as you come to a standing position. From your balanced position, lunge to your left and repeat sequence. “You’re working your leg muscles and core to keep your balance and to keep your back from arching,” Theodore says.
RELATED: Want More Workouts? Sign Up Free for 30 Days
3. Modified Pistol Squat
How to: Start standing, and then shift your weight onto your left leg, lifting your right leg straight in front of you to about a 45-degree angle. Balancing on your left leg with your weight in your heel, squat down as deeply as you can. At the bottom of your squat, plant your raised leg, so you come into a standard squat. Lower deeper into your squat. Then, stand and repeat on the same side, switching after 25 seconds.
4. Leg Press Plank
How to: Start in a standard plank position, then bend your legs at the knee to crouch back, bringing your butt to your heels. Using the power of your legs, explode forward back into a plank position. Repeat. “If you have tight hips, you may feel this in your hip flexors and that’s OK because it’s like a dynamic stretch as well as a strengthening move,” Theodore says. Option: Add a twist as your crouch, bringing your knees to one side before exploding forward.
5. Starfish
How to: Come into a modified forearm side plank on your left arm, knees resting on the ground and bent to a 90-degree angle. Lift your hips, keeping your left knee on the ground and fully extending your right leg, foot flexed. “Lift as high as you can, really working the entire hip complex and obliques,” Theodore says. Lower your hips as you bend your right leg to a 90-degree angle and bring it down to tap your left knee. Repeat for 25 seconds then switch sides.
Want more no-equipment exercises like these? Head to DailyBurn.com/life365 to try your free 30-day trial today!