The next workout in our building muscle through bodyweight series is focused on the lower body. As we covered in part one, building muscle in the upper body places an emphasis on your chest, back, arms, shoulders and abdominal muscles. In this post, we’ll share techniques to build lower body muscle, which will help you to burn more fat whilst not exercising.
The most impactful way to build lower body muscle involves many variations of single leg exercises and powerful movements for a short period of time.
1. Pistol Squats: Three sets of six repetitions on each leg.
Simply put, the pistol squat is a one-legged squat. The aim is to get as close to the floor as you can (see picture above), holding the other leg out in front of the body.
If you are new to this exercise you may need to hold on to something, such as a suspension trainer or a wall, in order to maintain balance and alleviate body weight from the pushing leg. It is important to control the downward motion as much as possible to keep tension in all leg muscles for the whole movement.
2. One-Legged Suspension Trainer Lunges: Three sets of eight repetitions on each leg.
The goal of this exercise is to do a split squat with a suspension trainer. Add a partner to hold down your shoulders and make this exercise more challenging, or you can do a normal squat which will make it a bit easier.
3. 40-meter Sprints: Eight sets with 1 min. rest.
Sprinting with good form and powerful strides will build great quality, well-balanced muscle. When running, pull your knees to waist height to build valuable core muscle in lower abs and obliques. To ensure a powerful stride, push the floor behind you as hard as you can.
Now that you have two quick sessions to work both your upper and lower body, take advantage of the London summer weather and impress onlookers at your local park.
To build muscle, maximum effort is needed throughout the whole session, from every set to every single rep. If you struggle to do this on your own, download the TruBe app to book a personal trainer on demand in London.