Over 60? This 4-move lower body workout sculpts your legs faster than walking workouts

Features
By last updated

Strengthen your glutes, quads, and hamstrings with one dumbbell and these four moves

a senior woman doing a glute bridge
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

There’s no denying that squats are one of the best moves you can do for lower body strength, but let’s face it: after a while, they can get boring.

When my leg days start feeling a bit dull, I break out one of my dumbbells and do the following four-move workout. It targets all the major muscles in the lower body, like the glutes, hamstrings, quads, hip adductors, and hip abductors, and keeps my routine feeling fresh and interesting.

Not only do I love this workout for myself, but it’s a challenge I give to my personal training clients, too. Swap it with your squats and try it during your next lower-body workout day.

How to do the four-move lower body workout

Always check in with your medical team before starting any new activity. This workout is appropriate for most fitness levels, but beginners should consider meeting with a certified personal trainer first. They can correct any form issues and provide modifications or alternative exercises, if necessary.

You’ll need both a moderately-heavy dumbbell and a yoga mat.

This workout is an AMRAP, or “As Many Rounds As Possible.” Set a timer for 20 minutes and complete 12 reps of each exercise. Once you’ve finished them all, start over again. Make note of how many rounds you complete in the 20-minute timeframe, then challenge yourself to complete one or two more rounds when you try the workout again.

If you’ve just started exercising regularly, consider reducing your time to 10 minutes. If you’re more advanced and looking to up the difficulty, bump your time to 30 minutes.

The exercises are:

1. Weighted glute bridge

a photo of a man doing a glute bridge

(Image credit: Shutterstock)
  • Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
  • Place a dumbbell across your hips.
  • Engage your core and keep your spine neutral.
  • Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips into the air.
  • Lower your hips back down to the mat.
  • Continue for 12 reps.

2. Single-leg Romanian deadlift

How to do a single-leg deadlift

(Image credit: Shutterstock)
  • Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
  • Hold a dumbbell in your left hand.
  • Engage your core.
  • Bend your right knee slightly.
  • Lift your left leg into the air behind you, dropping the dumbbell towards the ground.
  • Keep your hips square to the floor.
  • Squeeze your right glute and lower your left leg back down.
  • Continue for 12 reps, then repeat on the other side.

3. Curtsey lunges

an illo of a woman doing a curtsey lunge

(Image credit: Getty/lioputra)
  • Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
  • Hold a dumbbell in your right hand.
  • Engage your core.
  • Step your left foot behind you at a 45-degree angle, lining up your left toes with your right heel.
  • Bend both knees, lowering the dumbbell towards the floor.
  • Squeeze your right glute and stand tall.
  • Step your left foot back to the starting position.
  • Continue for 12 reps, then repeat on the other side.

4. Lateral lunge

a photo of a woman doing lateral lunges

(Image credit: Shutterstock)
  • Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
  • Hold a dumbbell in your right hand.
  • Engage your core.
  • Step your left foot to the side.
  • Bend your left knee and lower the dumbbell towards the floor, keeping your right leg long.
  • Stand tall.
  • Step your left foot back to the starting position.
  • Continue for 12 reps, then repeat on the other side.

Benefits of this four-move lower body workout

The exercises in this routine are all multi-joint movements that activate several lower-body muscle groups at once. Effort is required from the glutes, hamstrings, quads, hip adductors and abductors, and calves. Additionally, your core muscles will work to stabilize and support your body as you move.

The AMRAP workout format allows individuals to work at their own pace, making it accessible for everyone from beginners to advanced athletes. They’re adaptable depending on your goals – do them with a slower tempo and heavier weight to focus on building strength, or with a quicker tempo and lighter weight to focus on improving endurance. AMRAPs also serve as great markers to measure your progress.

Google News

Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.

More from Tom's Guide

Jennifer Rizzuto
Jennifer Rizzuto

Jennifer Rizzuto is a freelance writer and certified personal trainer based in Long Island, NY. She covers various fitness-related topics and reviews for Tom's Guide. She also writes sketch comedy and short films, and performs frequently as an actor, singer, and improviser. When she's not writing, working out, or performing, you'll find her trying to convince her husband to get a dog.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.