As a keen runner, the main focus of my strength training is my lower body and core. And because I am a typical runner, I’m not always the best at actually doing strength training.
So when this 20-minute legs, glutes and core workout routine popped up on my YouTube feed, it immediately caught my eye.
All you need for it is a set of dumbbells (which I had to hand), and it promised to work all the key areas of the body I use for running in just 20 minutes, so it didn’t feel too onerous to me.
The workout has been put together by fitness trainer Vivienne Addo — one half of Mr and Mrs Muscle — and it’s a time-effective session worth doing for anyone keen to power up their lower body.
I used a set of 27.5lb dumbbells for it, and they worked well. But I’d have liked to have some lighter dumbbells available at times.
If you have one of the best adjustable dumbbells at home, that would work well because you can change the weight you’re lifting to suit each move.
Watch Mr And Mrs Muscle’s 20-minute lower-body workout
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You do two rounds of 10 exercises in the session, working for 45 seconds on each move and then resting for 15 seconds. You also get a 40-second break between the two rounds.
Along with a short warm-up, the whole session adds up to more than 20 minutes, but it took me under 23 minutes, even with a couple of extra pauses, so it’s certainly a time-effective way to train the lower body.
The workout is suitable for all fitness levels, though you might need to use a lighter weight or take longer breaks if you’re a beginner.
Here are my main takeaways after trying the session out.
You start with the hardest move in the workout
The first move in the session is a front squat where you pause at the bottom of the squat every other rep for three beats before pushing back up.
You use both dumbbells for this, and I found it the hardest move in the whole workout — the squat hold is always a challenge when you’re holding two dumbbells.
From there, however, things are more manageable. If you’re worried that the whole session will be too tough after struggling with the squats, be assured the moves to come aren’t as challenging.
There are no voice instructions
Addo does the workout with you but doesn’t give instructions or tips during the video, so make sure you can see your screen at least in the first round of exercises to copy her form for each move.
Some beeps indicate when a set is starting and finishing, and there is also a beep in the middle of a set, so you know how long you have left to go.
You can push harder in the second round
Any time I do a workout with two rounds of the same moves, I like to do the first round in quite a controlled way, making sure that I get my form right as a priority, then push harder in the second round.
I aimed to move faster in round two to get more reps done while maintaining the good form established in the first half of the session.
It’s also easier to push in the second round when you know what moves are coming and that you’re over halfway through the workout and heading for the finish line.
There are modifications you can do
For most exercises, an easier modification is also shown on screen during the working sets, so you can switch to this halfway or do it from the start of the set if required.
I knew I couldn’t do the kneeling squats in the workout, mainly because of my lack of mobility, so I opted for the standing goblet squat modification for that move straight away.
You can also increase the challenge of some moves if you’re able to. For the Russian twist, Addo does the exercise without a dumbbell, but I grabbed mine to make it harder, as it’s a move I’m comfortable with.
Once you move to the floor, you stay there
After a few standing exercises, you hit the floor for the glute bridge, and the rest of the exercises in the round are then done on the floor, with the core becoming the focus.
It’s worth knowing this so you can move your laptop and still see it while doing moves like bird-dogs and planks.
