This Olympian's 2 Favorite Leg Exercises Will Work Your Booty and Core, Too

Updated on 3/28/2019 at 1:25 PM

Like all athletes on the pro level, Rio Olympian Colleen Quigley trains a lot. Before the indoor season ended, the Bowerman Track Club runner and 2020 hopeful became USATF Indoor Mile Champion; it was her first national title. Now, she's in Portland, OR, with her teammates doing weekly two-a-day track workouts, longer runs, and weightlifting sessions, she told POPSUGAR. Strength training in particular is important to help prevent injury and improve a runner's speed, form, and overall efficiency. We already reviewed one of Colleen's quick core workouts (spoiler alert: it was no joke); here's what she had to say about exercises to keep your legs (and glutes!) powerful.

Colleen shared with us her top two leg exercises: clock lunges and deadlifts. Clock lunges are four-way lunges: front, side, back, and curtsy. "It's great because all of those different angles work the muscles in slightly different ways," she said. Colleen uses a medicine ball and includes knee drives in between each lunge for added intensity. As for deadlifts, she uses a barbell. Ahead, check these moves out for yourself and add them to your next circuit on leg day, everything day, or whatever day you choose.

How to Do Clock Lunges

As mentioned, Colleen uses a medicine ball for these and also does a knee drive, what she calls a "runner's knee," in between each lunge. They're hard on their own without the added intensity (trust me, I just used my body weight, and it brought the heat). These will target your glutes, inner thighs, quads, and — yes! — your core. Below, check out how to do a basic clock lunge.

Stand with your feet together.
Put weight onto the left foot, lift your right knee up, and step into a forward lunge, keeping your core engaged. The front knee should be at a 90-degree angle with the left knee just barely hovering above the ground. Come back to the start.
Take a large step with your right foot to the right side, and lunge toward the floor. Make sure your right knee does not extend past your toes, and keep your left leg relatively straight. Push off through your right foot to return to the start.
Step the right foot behind you into a reverse lunge with the left knee at a 90-degree angle. Return to the start.
Step your right leg behind you and to the left so your thighs cross, bending both knees into a curtsy. Make sure your front knee is aligned with your front ankle. Come back to your standing position.
Front, side, back, and curtsy is one rep. Repeat with the other leg. Colleen does three sets of three reps on each leg in her full-body circuit available online If you think about it, that's three sets of 12 lunges (since it's four ways) on each leg.

How to Do Deadlifts

Colleen uses barbells for this exercise. "We usually do like three-quarters of our body weight to start, and then add on a little bit each set," she told us. Below, see how to do a basic deadlift, and find more deadlift variations here.

Holding the barbell (or two dumbbells at your side), keep your arms straight and knees slightly bent.
Slowly bend at the hips (not your waist) and lower the weights as far as possible without rounding your back, which should remain straight.
Squeeze your glutes and engage your core to slowly pull yourself up (don't use your back).
Do three sets of 12 reps. If you're lifting heavier weights like Colleen, do three sets of five or six reps.