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Kelsey Wells New Year's Challenge: Lower Body Workout with Dumbbells

Welcome to Yahoo Lifestyle's exclusive two-week New Year workout series with Sweat trainer Kelsey Wells. These workouts will take you less than 15-minutes! Quick and simple to follow so it won’t take time out of your busy holiday season.

kelsey wells
Welcome to Day 3 of Week two of Yahoo Lifestyle's workout series with Kelsey Wells. Photo: Supplied

This 15-minute workout is inspired by Kelsey's PWR and PWR at Home Programs in the Sweat app and has been designed to challenge you by adding resistance with dumbbells and incorporating more advanced exercises.

The workout includes two supersets to help build strength in the glutes, hamstrings and quads, and a burnout to add additional load at the very end of your workout.

"Today’s workout is designed to challenge your lower body with targeted load and resistance," Kelsey tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

"Strong lower body muscles can not only help to improve your posture and prevent injury, but also helps with making daily tasks like walking, running, lunging and jumping a lot easier.

"I know that it can be hard to stay motivated sometimes, so whenever you feel unmotivated, remind yourself of how strength training makes you feel and the amazing mental, physical and emotional benefits it can offer."

Week Two, Day 3: Lower Body Workout with Dumbbells

Superset 1 - Complete 3 laps

Goblet Sumo Squat - 12 reps

Step 1: Holding a dumbbell with both hands directly in front of your chest, plant both feet on the floor further than shoulder-width apart. Point both feet slightly outward. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Looking straight ahead, bend at both the hips and knees, ensuring that your knees point toward your toes. Continue bending your knees until your upper legs are parallel with the floor, ensuring that your back remains between a 45- to 90-degree angle to your hips.

Step 3: Exhale. Push through your heels and extend your knees to return to the starting position.

Goblet Sumo Squat
Goblet Sumo Squat. Photo: Yahoo

RDL - 10 reps

Step 1: Holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip (palms facing towards your body) in front of your legs, plant both feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. Draw your shoulder blades down and back to push your chest out slightly. Gently draw your pubic bone to your belly button (engage pelvic floor). This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Bend your knees slightly and set this as a fixed angle. Without changing the angle of your knees, hinge forwards from your hips and allow the dumbbells to run along the length of your thighs and halfway down your shins. Ensure that you maintain a proud chest and that your head is an extension of your spine. You should feel tension in your hamstrings (back of your legs).

Step 3: As you reach halfway down your shins, exhale. Push through your heels and, using your glutes and hamstrings, extend your knees and hips to return to the starting position. Ensure that the dumbbells remain in contact with your legs.

Superset 2 - Complete 3 laps

Glute Bridge - 12 reps

Step 1: Start by lying flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat, ensuring that they are hip-width apart and your spine is in a neutral position. Lay a dumbbell across your hip bones, supporting it with an overhand grip (palms facing towards your body). This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Exhale, gently draw your ribs to your hips to engage your core. Press your heels into the mat, activate your glutes and raise your pelvis off the floor until your body forms one straight line from chin to knee, resting on your shoulders.

Step 3: Inhale. Lower your pelvis to return to the starting position. Repeat for the specified number of repetitions.

Goblet Reverse Lunge - 15 reps

Step 1: Holding a dumbbell with both hands directly in front of your chest, plant both feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. Gently draw your pubic bone to your belly button (engage pelvic floor). This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Carefully take a big step backwards with your right foot. As you plant your right foot on the floor, bend both knees to approximately 90-degrees, ensuring that your weight is evenly distributed between both legs. When done correctly, your front knee will be aligned with your ankle and your back knee will be hovering just off the floor.

Step 3: Exhale. Extend both knees and transfer your weight completely onto your left foot. Step your right foot forward to return to the starting position.

Step 4: Inhale. Carefully take a big step backwards with your left foot. As you plant your left foot on the floor, bend both knees to approximately 90-degrees, ensuring that your weight is evenly distributed between both legs. When done correctly, your front knee will be aligned with your ankle and your back knee will be hovering just off the floor.

Step 5: Exhale. Extend both knees and transfer your weight completely onto your right foot. Step your left foot forward to return to the starting position.

Goblet Reverse Lunge
Goblet Reverse Lunge. Photo: Yahoo

Burnout

Goblet Squat Pulse - 60 seconds

Step 1: Plant both feet on the floor further than hip-width apart. Point both feet slightly outward. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Looking straight ahead, bend at both the hips and knees, ensuring that your knees remain in line with your toes. Continue bending your knees until your upper legs are parallel with the floor. Ensure that your back remains within a 45- to 90-degree angle to your hips. This is called full squat position.

Step 3: Exhale. Push through your heels and extend your legs slightly.

Step 4: Bend your knees again to return to full squat position. Continue this pulse action for 60 seconds.

Stay tuned for Week two Day 4 of Kelsey's two-week workout plan tomorrow. You can also find all of Kelsey's workouts on our Youtube channel.

If you missed yesterday's workout try it here:

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