Strengthen Your Lower Body With Kelsey Wells's 20-Minute Low-Impact Workout
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Training at home can be stressful, especially if you're limited on space or equipment and aren't sure how to create a workout. To help you train without irritating your roommate or neighbors, Kelsey Wells, NASM-certified Sweat app trainer and founder of the PWR and PWR at Home program, created this quick, low-impact lower-body workout.
"This PWR session utilizes minimal equipment to target the glutes and hamstrings — no plyometrics or cardio needed," Wells told POPSUGAR." All you need is a set of dumbbells and a fitball to complete this workout, and if you don't have any equipment, you can use your bodyweight or a dumbbell alternative like water bottles or canned food. "I hope women feel empowered smashing this leg session, and remember: low-impact in no way means easy!"
Kelsey Wells's 20-Minute Lower-Body Workout
Equipment needed: A set of dumbbells (here's a guide on how to choose your weight) and a fitball. If you don't have a fitball, use your bodyweight.
Before getting started, Wells said to warm up your muscles for three to five minutes by doing a form of cardio like jogging in place or skipping. This will help to increase your heart rate while simultaneously warming your muscles up. Follow your cardio with dynamic stretches such as leg swings, arm circles, and torso twists. This will help you increase your range of motion and help you reduce injury, Wells said.
This workout should be performed as a circuit, meaning you should perform each exercise for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of rest before advancing to the following exercise. Repeat for a total of four rounds, and be sure to take 30 seconds of rest in between each exercise.
Once you complete the workout, don't forget to cool down. Wells recommends walking for three to five minutes to return your heart rate to a normal level. She also recommends performing a few static stretches in order to lengthen your muscles and help improve your flexibility. This will also prevent any potential cramping or injuries and can also reduce soreness.
- Double-pulse squat: repeat for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest
- Dumbbell goblet squat: repeat for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest
- Glute bridge: repeat for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest
- Dumbbell deadlift: repeat for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest
- Hamstring curl with a fitball (modification: hamstring walkout): repeat for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest
Double-Pulse Squat
"Concentrate on your technique with this exercise, focusing on maintaining a strong contraction in your core and glutes," Wells told POPSUGAR. Make sure not to lean forward during this exercise and to maintain a neutral spine, she said.
- Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- On an inhale, bend your knees until your upper legs (quadriceps) are parallel with the floor. Make sure you are looking straight ahead. Ensure that your back remains between a 45- to 90-degree angle to your hips.
- Push through your heels and extend your legs slightly. Bend your knees to return to the full squat position.
- Exhale as you push through your heels and extend your legs, returning to the starting position.
- This counts as one rep.
- Continue performing double-pulse squats for 30 seconds, then take 30 seconds of rest.
Dumbbell Goblet Squat
Focus on your technique as you perform the dumbbell goblet squat, making sure that you maintain a strong contraction in your core and glutes. Be sure not to lean forward as you perform this exercise and maintain a neutral spine throughout the entire movement, Wells said.
- Start by standing with your feet slightly further than shoulder-width apart. Hold one dumbbell with both hands directly in front of your chest.
- On an inhale, bend your knees until your upper legs (quadriceps) are parallel with the floor. Make sure you are looking straight ahead. Ensure that your back remains between a 45- to 90-degree angle to your hips.
- Exhale and push through your heels, extending your legs to return to the starting position.
- This counts as one rep.
- Continue performing goblet squats for 30 seconds, then take 30 seconds of rest.
Glute Bridge
"As we spend a lot of time sitting, this can affect our posture by changing the position of our hips, making them tip forward (anterior pelvic tilt)," Wells said. This can lead to a strain on your lumbar spine (your low back), she added. According to Wells, this exercise will help you activate your glutes and help shift your pelvis into a posterior and stable position.
- Start by lying flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat, ensuring that they are hip-width apart and your spine is in a neutral position. Allow your arms to rest by your sides on the mat.
- On an exhale, press your heels into the mat, activate your glutes, and raise your pelvis off the floor until your body forms one straight line from your chin to your knees. You should be resting on your shoulders.
- On an inhale, lower your hips to return to the starting position.
- This counts as one rep.
- Continue performing glute bridges for 30 seconds, then take 30 seconds of rest.
Dumbbell Deadlift
"To build functional strength in your posterior chain, the deadlift is an exercise that should be in your program," Wells said. "It can strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and core stabilizing muscles."
- Stand with your feet hip-width distance apart, holding one dumbbell in your hands with an overhand grip (palms facing your body) and the dumbbell facing your body.
- On an inhale, bend from your hips, allowing the dumbbell to run along the length of your thighs. You should feel tension in your hamstrings (the back of your legs).
- Once the dumbbell reaches your knees, bend your knees and allow the dumbbells to run halfway down the length of your shins. Ensure that you maintain a proud chest and that your head is an extension of your spine.
- Exhale as you reach halfway down your shins. Push through your heels and, using your glutes and hamstrings, extend your knees and hips to return to the starting position. Make sure that the dumbbell remain in contact with your legs.
- This counts as one rep.
- Continue performing dumbbell deadlifts for 30 seconds, then take 30 seconds of rest.
Hamstring Curl With Fitball
"This hamstring curl variation is great for strengthening your glutes, hamstrings, and core stabilizing muscles," Wells said.
- Begin by lying flat on your back on a yoga mat with your feet elevated on a fitball. Allow your arms to rest by your sides on the mat. Engage your abdominal muscles by drawing your belly button in towards your spine.
- Using your glutes and hamstrings, gently raise your hips off the floor so that you are resting on your upper back and your body forms one straight line from head to toe.
- On an exhale, bend your knees to bring your feet in towards your glutes, rolling the fitball closer to your body. Be sure to keep your feet together and your hips elevated.
- On an inhale, extend your knees to return to the starting position. Make sure that your hips are elevated throughout this movement.
- This counts as one rep.
- Continue performing hamstring curls for 30 seconds, then take 30 seconds of rest.
Hamstring Walk Out (Equipment-Free Modification)
If you don't have a fitball, you can still work your hamstrings with this modification, Wells said.
- Start by lying flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat, ensuring that they are hip-width apart and your spine is in a neutral position. Allow your arms to rest by your sides on the mat.
- On an exhale, press your heels into the mat, activate your glutes, and raise your pelvis off the floor until your body forms one straight line from your chin to your knees. You should be resting on your shoulders.
- Maintaining this position, step your right foot forward. Then bring your left foot forward. Be sure not to drop your hips.
- While your hips are still elevated, walk your right foot back in to the starting position. Then walk your left foot back in to the starting position.
- This counts as one rep.
- Continue performing hamstring walkouts for 30 seconds, then take 30 seconds of rest.