Warm up with a short jog mixed with some leg dynamic stretches (butt kickers, leg swings, high knee, etc.) for 25-50 meters with a squat pyramid: increasing each set by one rep until you get to 10 squats on the 10th set.
Squat pyramid 1-10: run 25 meters between each set
So, the warmup set will look like this:
Run 25-50 meters, one squat, run 25-50 meters, two squats, run 25-50 meters, three squats … keep going up to 10 and stop at 10. No need to return in reverse order. Consider this a half-pyramid warmup.
Some of these runs can be all-dynamic warmups instead of fast or slow jogging. Remember that this is a warmup, not a sprint.
Continue the warmup with a flight of stairs, hill or step-up box for another 1-10 half-pyramid.
Stair pyramid 1-10: run up/down
You can run up and down a flight of stairs or a short hill (or 5-6 step-ups per leg on a box), do one squat, run up/down, two squats, run up/down, three squats. … Keep going up until you reach 10 squats.
This warm-up is a total of 110 squats. Alter if this is too much for you at this point by simply skipping one option or only going up to 5-6 in the pyramid to reduce the total reps to fewer than 50 reps with both events.
After the warmup, the legs and lungs should be truly "warmed up." Now let's make this a workout.
This focuses more on cardio than leg activity, but by the end, you will feel like you did a leg workout, depending upon your choices of leg activities. As you are starting to transition to warmer weather and getting outside to do more endurance events, consider this idea for leg day.
Repeat 5 times
- 5-minute run, bike, elliptical or other cardio activity
- 1-minute leg exercise of your choice
- 1-minute core exercise of your choice
Here is how the cardio/leg core day workout works:
Start off with a five-minute cardio challenge, mixing in some fast minute-slow minute intervals of your choice. Tabata intervals (20-second sprint/10 seconds easy) are a good choice as well.
One minute fast/one minute slow is also an option. Pushing hard to see how many calories you can burn in five minutes is a fun challenge, especially when you increase resistance and speed to increase calorie burn per minute to a level that is challenging. Can you get 50-100 calories burned in five minutes? That is a good range.
After the five-minute cardio section, take two minutes off from the cardio but go straight into a one-minute set of leg exercises, such as squats, lunges, deadlift, leg press, wall sits, box jumps, etc.
The goal here is to do a set in that one-minute period. If you go heavy with squats or deadlifts, great. Do not worry about doing a full one-minute set. But if you choose light weights or calisthenics, then last the entire minute. After the leg set, select a core/abdominal exercise that will take the full one-minute period: sit-ups, plank pose, crunches, flutter kicks, lower-back exercises and more.
In the end, you should feel like you did something that has helped you with leg strength and muscle stamina as well as opened your lungs and got your heart pumping for nearly a full 45 minutes. Enjoy.
Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you’re looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.
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