In 2 Moves, This Dumbbell Workout Smokes Your Entire Lower-Body
To paraphrase an old saying, "you can’t shoot a cannon out of a canoe". This is true in life, and in fitness: there’s only so many chest, back and shoulders sessions you can hit before your lower-body strength starts holding you back.
To that end, the whole-body effects of a killer leg session can’t be understated and this high-rep, two-pronged assault on your legs is the perfect place to start.
Hitting your legs from front to back with two huge compound movements and a ‘ladder’ strategy, this workout packs the lung-busting sets that are guaranteed to stoke your muscle-building fires.
After a thorough warm-up, grab two moderately heavy dumbbells. You’re going to perform two exercises back to back, starting with 20 reps of each, then 19 of each, then 18, so on, so forth until you reach one. Rest as needed to maintain form and tension, but move quickly enough that you keep a high intensity. Don’t dawdle.
Front Squat x 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15.. etc
Clean your dumbbells onto the front of your shoulders (A). From here, drop into a front squat, until your thighs pass parallel to the ground (B), before driving back up. By this point, your grip and upper back may be tiring but don’t relax. Keeping your core tight throughout is crucial.
Dumbbell deadlift x 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15.. etc
Lower both dumbbells to the floor just outside your feet, hinge down gripping them with a flat back and neutral spine (A). Engage your lats and stand upright, ‘pushing the ground away’ with your feet, squeezing your glutes at the top (B). Your arms should be hanging straight throughout this movement, think of them as hooks.
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