13: Legs & Abs Pyramid Stack | 28 Minutes | Lower Body Workout with Weights

Hey, everybody. I'm Amy from Bodyfit by Amy. And this is your legs and core pyramid stack workout. In this workout, we are going to work your entire lower body and work in some core. And we'll be doing it in a pyramid stack format. So we'll be stacking 30 second intervals going up, going back down the pyramid. And with all of it, I will give you options to work to your fitness level. I'll be working with weights today, both with dumbbells and kettlebells. You can use whatever you have available to keep it all body weight. Are you ready? Let's do it. Let's start just by getting our bodies moving. We're gonna march right here. We can pump those arms. We're just going to get the blood flowing, get the body warm, get that energy up. We'll do a couple movement prep mobility exercises to get our bodies ready to move and to add some weights. And then we will jump right in. Let's get some rolls of the shoulders. Even though we're not working that upper body, we do want it to be warm and feel. And certainly since we're getting the core, we'll be warming up that back as well. Let's take it right through here. Let's get some rolls of the hips. So if you can take it up to here, if that's not right for you, keep it a little lower or a little grounded and just get that opening. And then let's add a little squat to that right here. You don't have to get super low. So as you can see behind me, I have both dumbbells and kettlebells. You do not have to use both if you don't have them. If you do have them, you want to try it. The thing about this pyramid stack format is that we're stacking those exercises one on top of the other. So there's not a lot of time to switch. So I want you to find what allows you the best way to switch in between those exercises. Let's take it side to side. Just shift into that side, lunge, reach down and up. So most of the things will try to stick between weights or body weight. And the transition should be pretty quick. But if you find that that's too much, that certainly this whole workout could be done with just body weight or just one or two of these weights. Let's take it flat back down and then round it up. So opening up the knees and the hips, getting that stretch through the inner thighs, and then of course, rolling through the back to warm up through the core. So here's how this pyramid works. And if you've done it with me before, maybe you love it, maybe you don't. A lot of you tend to love it. Let's hold it here. Roll those shoulders, stretch out the back. Because it moves very quickly. Sometimes in the moment, it feels like it's going on forever. But then all of a sudden, you look up and your whole workout is done. Let's take those hands behind the head. Let's get a nice good hinge. Drive the hips to the back. Stand up straight right here. So within that, we start with a 30 second interval of what we'll call exercise A. Right? Then we have a 30 second breather. Let's take it right here, if you can. We're gonna walk out to that inchworm. If that's not right for you, you can just keep doing the hit. So after we do that, then we come to exercise B, our second exercise that we'll do for 30 seconds, followed immediately by exercise A, again for 30 seconds. Then we get a 30 second breather. Then we'll go to exercise C, 30 seconds, followed directly by B and A, 30 seconds each, and we go all the way up to D. So we really only get four exercises. If you can, let's hold this one out. Or you can meet me on the mat, either on your knees or your toes. Just little forward and back to warm up through the core. You can do a little drop, whatever you need to do, right through here. And then if you want, if you can, take a nice big step, world's greatest stretch. If that's not right for you, you just find a stretch that's good for you. But if you want to switch between those legs, you can also just get a little child's pose and bring it up right here, right here. So we're stacking those exercises. And then once we get to those four exercises, then we start taking them away. So then once we get to D, C, B, A, then we take A away. One more right here. And then very slowly make your way back up, whatever that is for you. Slowly roll it up, tap it out and reach. All right, so we got A, B, C, D. And then we keep going back down. It's gonna make sense as we go for it. That maybe wasn't my best description of it, but if you've done it before, you probably had fun with it. If you haven't, trust me, you will have fun with it. It'll feel a little long in the moment, but once we get going, you're Gonna see how quickly these intervals go. All right, so starting with a heavy set of dumbbells, and again, you can keep them all close by weight if you want. We're going to do a deadlift, a hinge, and then we're going to cross it over into a curtsy lunge. Then we're going to go back to that deadlift, curtsy lunge. The other side. So nice and slow. 30 seconds. Only grab those heavy weights. 3, 2, 1. Here we go. Deadlift. Stand up straight. So this is your first exercise. Exercise A, we're going to come back to this one. It's going to feel like a lot. Then once we get to those four, exercise six, stacked, then we start taking away. So the idea we're going up the pyramid and then down. Here we go. And it's only 30 seconds. So especially when we have these compound moves, you're not going to get very many, and that's okay. Let's finish with our deadlift here and relax in that 30 seconds in between, Set those weights down if you can. We're gonna pick them back up. Next one. One medium weight. I'm gonna go with my 15. We're gonna go side lunge. Sit deep. I want twist towards the hip. Keep the knees forward, but this way we get a little bit of core twist and then bring it up. You can start with that. And then if you want to add the halo, get a little more core. You can, but essentially just side lunge, side lunge, little twist if you can. 3, 2, 1. Side lunge, little twist and center. Step out, sit deep and center so you don't have to twist too much. But just by moving the weight, you're gonna feel that. That gets the core. So a lot of these lower body, we're going to add the core. And if you want, halo goes around the head here. And remember, you get a lot of repetition with these. So if you're like, oh, I want to add the halo next time, you can grab your other weight or set those down and go right into that deadlift and curtsy. So with these, there will be a little bit of switching, and that's okay. Don't worry. If you spend your first five seconds of your 30 seconds grabbing those weights, that's okay. We still want good form getting in and out, but you're going to see pretty quickly why we love this one. Again, it goes fast, but also it gets your heart rate up. And relax. All right, set them down. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to Keep that there. Side lunge, twist, deadlift, curtsy. What we're going to add to that is a plank. So, yes, you're going to come down to the mat. If you don't want to go down to the mat, you can do a little inner thigh tap. If you're able to join me here, we're gonna cross through for inner thighs. Join me in the plank in three, two, one. Here to here. So you can just bring the knee across. This might be better. Just knee across. If you can extend that leg out, you're gonna feel you can get those inner thighs. Now, if you wanted one more option, you could, when you cross that leg over, open it up. But again, that's optional. We want lots of plank, we want lots of abs and obliques. Breathe and relax. Grab that weight. Side lunge and twist. Here we go. Anytime you're grabbing those weights off the floor, make sure that you bend your knees to do it right. Just adding in a little extra squat. So side lunge, twist into that hip. Keeping the knees forward, but turning the torso to get the core halo goes around the head. A little extra abs up to you. One more. Last 30 seconds here we've got our deadlift and our curtsy. Here we go. Deadlift. And don't rush it. You want to finish the deadlift weight, stay close to the front of the leg. Stand up straight into the curtsy. Yes, you can. Here and here. Breathe down and up. Last one. And relax. Catch your breath. So again, bending your knees, either coming down in that lunge or coming down in the squat. Making sure that anytime we pick that weight up. Last move. You can keep it body weight if you want. That's what I'm gonna do. So we have one body weight, lower body, followed by a body weight core, two weighted. We're gonna do a squat into a side raise. So outer thighs get low. Flex the foot. Little lift in three, two, one. Here we go. So all four, squat and lift. Super simple, nothing crazy. Get as low as is good for you. Remind you to be where you are today. It's your workout. 30 seconds here. Then we take it down to that inner thigh cross in the plank. So we get outer thighs and hips and here down and here. 3, 2, 1. In the plank or standing with the cross. Here we go. You can cross it full foot, full leg, or just your knee taking it across. So this way we really engage the core. It's more core focused, but you feel that inner thigh, right? Take it here, take it here. Five seconds, then we're up into that side lunge. Bring it up. Take your time. Coming up. Let's take it right here. Side lunge. Twist. And so again, knees forward, eyes forward. But watch my shoulder, my torso. Little turn for core. That bothers your back. Just keep it regular if you want to add the halo. So this is a strength based workout, but it's also obviously, as you can tell, high endurance, both for your heart rate. Last one. But also muscle endurance. Last time with that deadlift curtsy. Let's make it good. 3, 2, 1. And cross it over. Yes, you can. Right here. So we are at the top of the pyramid. Take your time because this is the last time with your deadlift curtsy. You can tap back if you need to, shoulders back. So as you can tell, I tried to have a mix of some more heavy weighted moves like these first two, and some body weight where we add more core. Yes. And breathe. All right, team, set those to the side. Now we are back at the top. Now we start taking them away so that no more deadlift and curtsy. Catch your breath. We're gonna start taking it down. What we start with is that squat, that side lift in three, two, one. Squat and lift. And if you need more time to catch your breath, obviously you can hit pause. You can take more of a breather if you need it, but I would also just encourage you to slow it down or again, take the weight out. You may want to have the weight out here, but when we get to the very end and it's just one or two exercises, add that weight back in. That's what I'm gonna do. And here. Yes. Team plank, inner thigh cross coming up. Here we go. Join me here. Take it across and here. Either with just the knee or the full foot. And if you want to rotate, rotate right here. Cross lift. Stay lifted in the center. So as we get tired or as we're breathing hard, really stay lifted up through that core. One more. Get ready for that side lunge. Here we go. Last time, with or without the halo, right here. You can come all the way around. Sit deep into the hip. So we love about the side lunge lateral movement. Then push out of it here and push here. One more each side. Yes, team, that is it for our side lunge. All right, so last two, We've got our squat and our raise. Then we've got our inner thigh. Here's what I'm gonna mix up for my squat and my raise. I'm gonna have two weights. You don't have to do this. You can keep it Body weight. But if you want a little challenge, squat it down, lift against the weight. Flex that foot up to you. 3, 2, 1. Sit low, stand up, lift. Now, I'm really making sure that I stand up straight with that lift. Abduction, moving away from the body with the hips, with the outer thighs, but not leaning into it, right. Keeping my core in alignment right here. Suitcase squat, we call that. Yes. Get ready for that last time with those inner thighs on that plank. Get in position. Here we go. Set them down right here. Here we go, team. Reach across. Open it up. You don't have to open it. You can, of course, just do the cross for those inner thighs and for that deep core. So really lift up in the center. We're almost done with this stack, team. I told you. It feels long in the moment, but once you're done. Like right here. Sorry. One more, then we're done. All right, team, 30 seconds to breathe. This is our last one. We're down to that fourth exercise. Exercise D, if you will. Up to you. If you just want to do a squat and a raise if you want to add those weights, you can. Good form. 30 seconds only, because then we get a longer breather. Bend your knees, grab those weights. Shoulders back. Core engaged. Catch your breath. Here we go. Sit low, stand up, Lift. Making sure that it's a lift, not a kick. Right. I really want to be using not just the muscles in my hips and outer thighs, but also the muscles in these obliques. Right. The side abs. So that's how we're sneaking a lot of core. Even though it might seem like we only have one core exercise with that plank, we're sneaking it in with these twists with these lifts. And more to come in stack two. Last one. Yes. Team, set those weights to the side. How are we feeling? Let's grab some water. All right, a little bit longer to breathe, so use this time to let that heart rate come down. Don't feel like you have to keep moving, right. We want that recovery so we can hit this next stack with good energy and be ready to go. Cheers, y'. All. You can keep breathing. You got one minute while I talk you through our next ones. All right, so the very first one we're going to do is going to be a lunge handoff. Now, the handoff is optional if you want the kettlebell. It's going to make it more challenging. But here's what we got. You're going to do a reverse lunge. If you are able, you're going to hand off that kettlebell or Dumbbell to the side. Step it up. Then other side, reverse. Here you're going to notice what this does. It makes that core be a little unsteady. So you really got to push into that front heel, and then you're going to feel it here. If that's not right for you, one or two dumbbells or body weight, just do a reverse lunge. All right, after that, we're going all body weight. Plie, squat, side, knee. So again, we get those obliques, we get those hips, but we're doing plie inner thighs. All right? So reverse lunge, handoff or no handoff? Plie side, knee. Then we'll keep going down. All right, let's go ahead and grab that weight. One weight, reverse lunge. Here we go. Lunge. If you want to hand it off underneath the leg, you can. And just like last time, guys, remember, if this feels too unsteady for you or something doesn't feel right. Remember, we have four more times we're going to do this exercise. So maybe you figure out after this one, the handoff just doesn't feel good to me. I'm just gonna reverse and hand it off at the top. You're still gonna get that switch of the core, right? It just might feel a little less clunky. Last one, and relax. I'm gonna set my weight there. So feel, figure out what's best for you. You do. You be where you are today. Whatever gives you the best form, the best workout, that's where I want you to be. All right? So again, I'm keeping this body weight. We're going to take it. Plie inner thighs. Squeeze up side, knee. So a little bit of power. Lots of abs. And then again, those hips and outer thighs. Catch your breath. We'll do that for 30. Then we go right into that reverse lunge. Three, two, two, one, paa. Side knee. And again. You are more than welcome to hold a weight right here if you want, but maybe it feels better for you to get a little break for your hands. That's the other thing that can be a little tricky about this format. I really love this format with cardio or things with no weights or only one piece of equipment. But it's fun to mix it up, too. That's half of the workout, right? One more. All right, grab that weight. Get ready for that lunge, with or without the handoff. 3, 2, 1, lunge. Step it here. Lunge, panda, hand it off. You could also do this with a forward lunge, but I'll tell you, I tried It When I was rehearsing for this workout and it was too much for me with the heavy kettlebell, I decided I wanted to go heavier and go reverse. But you could also take it forward. Whoo. Relax. Set that down carefully. Use these. 30 seconds in between. I know, I know. I feel it too. All right, team, here's what we got. Now we're going to take it to a plank. It's going to be a little tap out or plank jack, whichever you want for you. I'm gonna go tap out. So again, outer thighs, but lots of core. All right, so I'm going on my elbows. If you want to take it standing, if that's a better transition for you, keep it standing. Three, two, one. Here we go. Out. So again, I want you to be focused mostly in the core here. It's a little tuck of the pelvis, and then the little movement for lower body is, of course, to get again. Hips, Outer thighs, inner thighs, Outer squeeze, inner. Outer squeeze, inner. But I really want you to stay focused on that core. In 10 seconds, we're getting up. We're going to that plie. Side knee. Three, two, one. Come up slowly. Take your time. Don't worry about that clock. Here we go. And listen, I built in the transitions here. I knew that maybe going from the plank up back top was gonna be a little trickier in terms of timing. And guess what? That's okay. The way I programmed it, if you get 20 seconds, you get 30 seconds. Doesn't matter. You're still getting the work done right here. Three, two. Ready for that lunge? Let's do it. Here we go. Hand it off. Or just reverse lunge. Try to get low, feel the core. Take your time. Of course, you can do this with just body weight, but I want you to give yourself a second at the bottom of the lunge just to feel your core stabilizing, because that's what we're going for. Lower body. All right, team, here we go. Up. And relax. All right, guys, so here's the thing. Our last move of this stack is a swing. I want it to be a 22nd swing, because I want you to prep, get into it, then swing for 20, and then give yourself five seconds to get out of it. If the swing is not right for you, I just want you to have that kettlebell or dumbbells, just a regular deadlift. All right? Transitions are important, so take your time with this. Get set. Your clock starts now. Prep it. Your swinging starts now. Let it drop again. If you've never done the swing or the swing is not right for you. Just go back to that regular deadlift. And again, we're going to stop it a little bit early to get into that plank. Maybe five more seconds, because we got four swings, so we're gonna keep them short. Last one. Swing and relax. Catch your breath. Into the plank. Here we go. Take it out. In. You can also keep the leg off the ground if you want a little more stability. Or again, if you're really feeling the cardio out in. But I know for me, after that swing, my heart rate is up. I want something a little more strength where I can focus on the strength and less about the quickness of the movement. Five seconds. This is our full stack. Bring it up. Here we go. Plie. Side knee. Ready? Bring it up. Down. Bring it up. So if you're a little slower like me, because you're really feeling that heart rate, that's okay. I actually want you to go slower so you get lower and you're not just going through the motions. Get down there. Squeeze up. Side knee for core. Last one, last time with that lunge. Let's make it good. Here we go. Reverse lunge. With or without the hand. Hand off. Really with or without the weight. Taking it here. And breathe. And up. Ho. Yes, you can. Remembering, this is our last lunge. Hand off. Three, two, one. Ho. All right, team. Now, the reason I put this swing at the end so we would have time to set it up. All right, so get set up for the swing again. If the swing is not right, just stand up into that deadlift. Five seconds to prep. 20 seconds to swing. Five seconds to get into that plank. Then no more lunge. Just finish with that plie. Home stretch, team. Let's do it. Three, two, Prep it. Here we go. Power. Let it drop. Let it drop. Yes, you can. I know you're tired, and I know it was tricky putting the swing at the end of the second stack, but I know you're with me, so hang tight right here when I drop. Five seconds. Three, two, two, one. Swing and relax. Get ready for that plank. Here we go. You're tapping it out. Remember, you can do a standing tap, too. You can also do a knee tap from here. I just want you again to focus on that core staying lifted. If you're really feeling it, just hold a plank. That works, too. Squeeze, squeeze. So notice we have a lot of our traditional lifts, our squats, our hinges, our lunges, but I'm really making sure we get a lot of inner and outer as well as that core. Bring it up. Here we go. Last time with that paa Side, knee. Here we go. Bring it up. Side. Take it down. My legs are burning. That's the other reason it is a okay to have some. Some body weight and some weighted because again, both of these stacks, this entire workout is lower body and core. It's a little different when we're mixing in that upper body. More movement patterns. Burn. Yes. Relax. All right, team. Home stretch. I know I'm looking at that clock too, but listen, here's what we got. We got a swing and a plank and a swing. Let's finish it strong. Let's get ready. Breathe. Shoulders back. Core. Engage. Finish it out with me right here. In three. Into. Here we go. Power it up. Let it drop with the swing. Remember, we're hinging, and then the power comes from the back of the legs. Arms are along for the ride. It's all lower body, but also core connecting with that back, pelvic floor, hamstrings, glutes. 3, 2, 1. Swing and relax into your plank. Here we go, team. Ha. Right here. Take it out. Out and in. Out and in. Whatever you got. Finish with me for 20 seconds. Quick breather and swing. For bonus. We can call that last part of the pyramid stack a bonus right here. Yes, team. Maybe you want to add in a little jack here or there. Three, two, one, stretch. All right, 30 seconds to breathe, to come up onto your feet, and then this is it, team. All right, last swing. Last time. I know, I know. A little bit longer than that 25 minutes that I promised, but that's okay. Quick, cool down, and then we're done. Last swing. This is it. Give it everything you've got. Core, engage swing or deadlift for 30 seconds. Three, two, one. Power up. If you're feeling fancy and you know how to do the handoff swing, you can dumbbell or kettlebell. Let it drop. Let it drop. Standing up straight night hyper extending. Not arching that back. Coming to that standing position. Let it drop. Power up. Lock it out. Out. And repeat. We can go the full 30 seconds. So 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Now. Let it swing. Oh, man, you guys. I was tired toward the end. Pedal those feet. How do you feel? Stretch that back. I know. Feel it too. Breathe slowly. Bring it up. Now, I promised you a short workout, so we're going to keep this cool down short. But of course, please get some more stretching on your own, especially that back and core, quads, inner outer thighs, hips, whatever you need to do. Remember, I have a whole hip mobility. 10 minute that you might find helpful, but pressing out on the inner thighs, let's get a little hamstring stretch here. Leave me a comment. Let me know how you felt after this workout. Again, I know some of you love the pyramid stack. Some of you are like me and you feel like it feels really long in the moment, but afterwards you're like, oh, man, that went by fast. Let me know how you feel. I love hearing from you. It's good feedback for me, but it also lets me know what you're responding to, how you're feeling. Did it feel too fast and furious? Was the switching too much? Again? If you come back to this workout, I encourage you to make it your own. If you need to keep it all body weight or adjust where you have those weights you do, you all right? Get some more stretching on your own. Not just at the end of a workout, but throughout your day, throughout your week. Make sure you check me out in all the places at Body Fit by Amy and join us in the Body Fit Athletic Club. Everything is in the description below. Let's get one big deep breath in and out. You did it. That was your legs and abs. Pyramid stack workout. Great job, everybody.