SUMMER MAY BE OVER NOW
(*sob*) but it’s still warm enough to flash
those pins wherever you can before winter
hibernation kicks in. And, because strong
is the new sexy, it’s time to put a little more
TLC into what’s (literally) holding you up
every day. But if you think leg workouts are
just for looking great in a mini skirt, think
again. As WF’s resident PT and wellness
coach, Blake Worrall-Thompson, tells
us, “Your legs are the foundation to
everything. They’re your biggest muscle,
so from a fat-loss point of view, they are
the most effective way to train.”
However, not only does building
lean muscle increase your metabolism,
but training your legs also helps to nix
injuries. “If you don’t train your legs
properly, you leave yourself susceptible
to injuries, through not just your lower
extremities, but also your back, hips and
core,” says Worrall-Thompson, adding that
because so many of us are sitting down all
day, it’s important to do both strength and
mobility work to balance the body out.
Oh, and if you’re reluctant to train
your legs because you don’t want them
to grow to the size of the She-Hulk, don’t
stress. “This won’t happen unless you have
extremely high levels of testosterone
(which may lead to easy muscle gain) or
are taking performance enhancing drugs,”
says Worrall-Thompson. In other words,
all you’ll be gaining is strength and
definition – so basically, the good stuff.
To work on developing and
strengthening your pins, Worrall-
Thompson has put together this four-
week leg workout (see box on right) that
he considers “the overall package”.
“I’ve designed it so you will have great
conditioning and strength in a number
of different movements and skills,” he
explains. “This ‘cross-training’ program
is the best way to build strength, tone
up the legs and create a fitness level you
may not have reached before!”
Follow Worrall-Thompson’s challenge,
along with your regular workouts, and
consider ‘leg day’ seriously ramped up...challenge
Get a leg up
Make May the month you...
Show us how you’re
working your legs
by tagging
#WFChallenge
on Instagram!WEEK 1
Day 1: 20-minute EMOM (Every
Minute On The Minute) x 5 rounds: 20
squats, 20 lunges, 20 step-ups, 200m run
Day 3: 4km run
Day 5: Tabata (20 seconds on, 10
seconds off) x 8 rounds per exercise:
squats, lunges, skipping, sprintsWEEK 3
Day 1: Tabata (25 seconds on, 5
seconds off) x 8 rounds per exercise:
squat jumps, plank, walking lunges,
skipping, kettlebell swings
Day 3: 6km run
Day 5: 10 x hill sprints (ideally 40-60m
long) with 1-minute recovery back downWEEK 2
Day 1: 3 x 8-minute rounds of
continuous stair runs with a 2-minute
break between rounds
Day 3: 25-minute EMOM x 5 rounds:
20 squats, 20 lunges, 20 step-ups,
200m run, 20 box jumps
Day 5: 5km runWEEK 4
Day 1: 30-minute EMOM x 5 rounds:
20 squats, 20 lunges, 20 step-ups, 200m
run, 20 box jumps, 20 kettlebell swings
Day 3: 4 x 8-minute rounds of
continuous stair runs with a 2-minute
break between rounds
Day 5: 7km run24 womensfitness.com.au womensfitnessaustralia @womensfitnessmag @womensfitnessauLiveFIT
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