With only a handful of exercises, this leg day workout is a great way to build strength at home. Place your focus on the quadriceps, hamstrings, and especially the glutes!
Ending with a glute burnout finisher to set your peach on fire, this lower body workout requires only a mini resistance band to get the job done. So, grab the workout PDF under the listed exercises and add it to your training program!
Spend LESS time in the gym by using workouts you can do anywhere!
This leg day workout takes only 15 minutes but it comes with the perfect way to end off a sweat session:
With a glute burnout!
Finish your workouts by setting your peach on fire with just one exercise- this is one of my favorite techniques to use with my SMASH home workout program... and the moms love it.
As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, I love using glute burnouts because:
- the glute muscles play a role in the pelvic floor, posture, back pain, injury, and performance (check out the best gluteus maximus exercises)
- adding a workout finisher to the end of your session improves results because you have to give it everything you've got.
- most clients love feeling a "burn" as it lets them know they've accomplished something. There is no better burn than with a glute burnout.
Learn more about glute activation and the best glute exercises to do at home.
The Leg Day Workout
The leg day part of this workout requires no equipment and is a blend of leg exercises and core exercises.
Though the leg exercises target the whole musculature, there is a focus on the posterior chain (specifically hip dominant exercise) and hip extension in addition to the workout finisher.
Step back lunge with knee drive | 30 seconds/leg |
In & Out Squats | 30 seconds |
Plank Walkout | 30 seconds |
Single Leg Bridge | 30 seconds/leg |
Side Plank With Dip | 30 seconds |
Rest | 45-60 seconds |
Glute Bridge With Abductions | 50 repetitions |
To perform the workout: perform the first five exercises for the duration listed. Complete as many repetitions as you can in that time frame. At the end of the side planks with dips, rest for 30-45 seconds. Then, repeat the sequence for a total of three times.
Once you've done the three sets, move on to the glute burnout. Place a mini loop around your legs above the knees. For every raise of your hips, drive the knees out against the band three times before lowering your hips. That is one repetition. Perform one, all-out set, with 50 repetitions.
Make it harder: when you first start, use a green mini loop for your glute activation. After that, up to a stronger mini band!
Need help getting started? Check out the Busy Mom's ULTIMATE GUIDE To Working Out At Home.
Workout PDF
Below is a PDF of the leg day workout (click the image). Use it to record how it feels, any weights you use (if you choose to), and how it feels. Then, progress it and challenge yourself.
Want over 20 printable home workouts without any ads? Check out these Printable Power Workouts. All kinds of workouts to help you kick off your fitness journey right in one spot.
Tips To Perform It
Don't forget to make sure your form is spot on and that you're activating the muscles you should be!
When it comes to at-home workouts, you can't just go through the motions if you want to see results (especially with something like this quad workout with dumbbells).
The glute burnout really focuses on hip abductors but it's easy to just go through the motions- don't do that!
Instead, slow it down and work on engagement. And from there, learn how to make exercises more intense without adding weights!
Lunge With Knee Drive
- Stand upright, chest lifted, on the step.
- Step the left foot back and begin bringing the knee down towards the floor as you hinge the upper body forward slightly.
- Pause at the bottom and then reverse the movement and pull up your body with the right leg)
In & Out Squats
- Stand with your feet hip width apart and push the hips back as you begin to lower down into a squat.
- Pause briefly at the bottom as you drive the knees out and push towards the starting position.
- Right before the starting position, shift your weight to your right foot and balance on one leg as you take the left leg out to the side and into a wide stance.
- Perform a squat here making sure to drive the knees out. As you push up, move the left foot back to the initial squat position.
- Repeat the movement only this time raise the right leg.
Plank Walkout
- Come into plank position keeping your torso in a straight line and your feet wider than your hips.
- Maintain the plank position as you walk the hands out in front of you as far as you can control form.
- Before you feel your low back start to extend, walk the hands back under your shoulders.
Single-Leg Glute Bridge
- Lying on your back with the knees bent and bring your heels close to your bum. Feet shoulder-width apart roughly.
- Raise the right leg into the air and push through the heel of the left leg to lift your hips by squeezing the glutes. Do not excessively arch the lower back.
- Pause at the top for three seconds with a maximum glute squeeze before releasing the tension and bringing the hips back to the starting position.
- Perform all repetitions on one side before moving on to the next.
Note: the picture below is of a traditional bridge but the principals for the single leg version remain the same.
Side Plank With Dip
- Place the right elbow under the shoulder and stack the left foot on top of the right foot.
- Raise the hips off the ground using your obliques and try to keep a straight line through your torso.
- Dip the hips toward the floor slightly by bending at the waist. Then, use the core muscles to lift the hip back up. Repeat.
Glute Bridge With Abductions
- Lying on your back with your knees bent and bring your heels close to your bum. Feet shoulder-width apart roughly.
- Place a mini loop around the legs above the knees.
- Squeeze the glutes and lift the hips into the air.
- At the top of the position, drive the knees out and open up the legs three times (in and out three times).
- Bring the knees back to a neutral position and return the hips toward the floor.
Less Back Pain and a Perky Peach
Sick and tired of niggling back pain when you carry your kids? In just 25 pages you'll have the exact formula & home workouts to reduce back pain and carry your kids easier.
Strengthening my glutes changed the entire game when I was pregnant with my first and now I have all my clients go through these basic workouts.
You’ll feel stronger, be able to carry easier, and that annoying back pain will start to recede.
The workouts build off one another, challenge you, and help you sculpt and lift the one area you've been neglecting.
Frequently Asked Questions About Glute Burnouts
This at-home leg day workout can be done twice per week on non-consecutive days. Make sure that you have enough rest time between workout days for your legs and glute muscles to recover.
Burnouts or workout finishers are just another way of taking your exercises to failure or close to it. Normally, finishers are 1-3 exercises combined for either higher reps, in a countdown, or timed and require you to move quickly and work until you're completely fatigued.
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Sharon
I love that this is a body weight workout--it's so much easier to just START a workout when I don't need to get a whole bunch of stuff together. and dang is this one effective. I can definitely feel that yesterday was leg day!
fitasamamabear
Ahh it's so true! And starting is the hardest part so that almost removes this obstacle.