15: 20 Minute No Equipment Legs & Core Strength | Bodyweight Leg Workout | BodyFit By Amy

Hey everybody, I'm Amy from BodyFit by Amy, and this is your no equipment legs and core strength workout. This is all body weight, getting it done in 20 minutes, and it is no repeat. So we are keeping it simple, one exercise then the next, then putting them together. We will get it done in 2 quick circuits, no equipment needed, and of course I'll give you options to work to your fitness level. Are you ready? Let's do it. Let's start just by moving our bodies right here. You can do this just with a little march, pump the arms. We're going to keep this warm-up really short because we are going to keep this workout short. You can go ahead and roll those shoulders just to loosen them up. I know we're working the lower body today, but let's go ahead and get some shoulders stretching out, getting loose as well. Let's take it right here. We're going to take the arms up with an I and then hinge our hips to the back. So we stretch through the back of the legs, right through here, and drive them to the back. So you're folding forward, but really just push the hips to the back. Really functional movement pattern that we do all day long here. And then let's take the hands behind the head. Now we're going to squat, reach up to a Y squat. You can take your toes slightly out if that feels good for you. Or have them here. But again, just warming up through the legs. We're gonna have some squats and some lunges in this, but you're gonna decide how far you want to go down, your range of motion, your speed. And then let's cross our arms and step out into a little side lunge right through there. There we go. And out, out right here. Big stretch. And let's go ahead and just shift your weight right through here, and you can turn those toes out, roll through right here. So here's what we've got: 2 quick circuits. Everything today is 30-second intervals, so we're going to build. We're going to start with one exercise, say a squat, then we will have 30 seconds of that followed by 30 seconds of a second exercise, and then we put them together. So in that regard, it's essentially no repeat. Tap it back. You don't have to get super low with this, just open up the hips, take those arms up. So no repeat because we put them together, a brand new exercise, right? And that way we get more of the what we call progressive overload. Let's hold this here. You can either hold the stretch here, or if you can, take it all the way down, big reach through. So progressive overload, we get sometimes through more weight or more reps or more volume, but sometimes we get it by Lessening our rest periods and getting more what we call muscle endurance. Same thing, other side. Step it back. So we can still build the strength with the endurance, like these 30-second stacked intervals. Take it down if you want. So that is what we're going for today. Since we're not using weight, we're going to find other ways to challenge our legs. And of course, I will remind you, go ahead and meet me down on the mat if you can, either on your toes or on your knees. Just feeling that core warming up. And then if you want, you can take it child's pose up to all fours. Start with that, and then if that feels good for you, down dog to plank. So we get the stretch through the back, through the legs before we jump right in. So as always, I will remind you to be where you are today. You do you. Go ahead. Walk those hands back and then slowly roll it up. Take your time. All right, so work in a way that is good for you and is challenging for you, but in a way that's sustainable. All right, so we are kicking it off with your basic squat. 30 seconds, 30 seconds, 30 seconds, and then we get a 30-second rest. That's where you're— you will learn your next move. So starting with our basic squat, core engaged. Chest open and proud. We're gonna sit low and up. If it feels better for you to have those toes out a little bit, that's okay. If you need to modify, just don't go down as far. Here we go in 3, 2, 1. Sit low, bring it up. Sometimes it's helpful to put a chair behind you. If you need to do that, go for that. Take it down and drive it up. I'm gonna turn to you. When we get to that 30-second mark, we're gonna take our feet a little wider and we're going to step out into a side lunge. So we're going to step out and in with it. 10 seconds here. Watch me here, you keep going, finish those squats. We're going to side lunge, step it in. Join me right here. Here we go, side lunge and step. You don't have to go super fast with it. The goal is to step out, little hinge, little squat, straight leg here. So you get a stretch here. And you get a lot of work into that hip, outer thigh, and glute. Just a little different and moving laterally. We're gonna put them together in just about 5 seconds. Squat in the middle, step out one side. Squat in the middle, step out other side. Here we go. Squat to side lunge. Take it in low and low. So up to you, if you want to come all the way up in between, you can. Or if you want to stay low with it, you're going to increase that burn. Remember that you got a 30-second breather coming after this. And if when we put these together it feels like too much, just pick one. Pick the one that you're more comfortable with or that feels better in your body. And relax. So there we go, guys. Nothing too crazy. It's not— we're not aiming to burn out. Catch your breath on this. To burn out your muscles, to really make everything so fatigued that you can't keep going, because this entire workout is lower body. So we're gonna get overload by the volume of exercises, and we're gonna get it done next with a half kneeling lunge. So one foot forward, if you can all the way down, bring it up. If you can't, it's a regular lunge. Here we go. So if you can, half kneeling And bring it up. If that is not right for you, you just do a regular lunge. You can keep it a little higher or just a tap back. What we like about the lunge, the kneeling, is you have to shift the weight, you have to get a little lower, right? You may even want to put a little balance. We're going to switch in 5 seconds and we're just switching legs, so other leg is front. Ready? Here we go. Half kneeling lunge, other side. Drop the knee down, push up out of it. So yes, that's challenging if you've never done a lunge like this before, I get it. But this is what we do all day long— tying our shoes, picking things up. If you need just a regular lunge, that works too, or a tap back. In 10 seconds, we're going to alternate the lunges or we're going to alternate the kneeling. Which we're going to call a surrender, right? Right here. Here we go. So you can either just go down, down, up, up, and switch your lead leg, or just alternate your lunge. Up to you. All right, take it down. It's only 30 seconds. Down, up, up. Mobility as well, right? That's what we're always going for— keeping the heart rate up for cardio but also working that mobility. Again, stay low if you can. 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. Stretch those out. You can meet me down on the mat. Our next 2 exercises are down on the mat. All right, so we got a good burn for our quads, our hamstrings, our glutes. Speaking of glutes, let's take it down on our back. Now we're going to a bridge. If you have something to put your feet on and that feels better for you, that's fine. Otherwise, we're just staying down on the mat. We're gonna go 30 seconds right side bridge. So my right knee is coming up, it's very isolated here. Ready? Here we go. Lift, squeeze, slowly down. So notice what we're doing— your knee is coming in to contract the core, and you're lifting up on the opposite leg. Now you don't have to get super high. I know it's a small range of motion. Sometimes some of us start to feel a cramp there. If that's the case, Just take it with 2 legs. That's what we're coming back to. We're gonna go right side, left side, then we're gonna put them together and add some pulses. Oh, burn! Other side, right? Oh, so bringing the knee into the chest to contract the core so we really get that working as well. I know it's hard for me too to really lift, but I want you to think about Squeezing in the glutes, everything in right through here. Burn! Yes you can, I know. 3, 2. All right, flat feet right here. Lift and lower, and down. Lift and lower. Feels good to do both, right? Don't worry, after this we're getting a core that is going to stretch out those hamstrings. I like to pair those together. All right, last 15 seconds. Pulse up and out, up and out with the knees so we get a little outer thigh, inner thigh along with the glutes, right? Squeeze, squeeze. 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. Oh, hug the knees in, stretch it up top. All right team, so keeping it here, here's what we've got. You stretch for a second, watch We're gonna get some scissors for inner thighs, outer thighs, but also for the stretch. So you can either grab on the calf or the thigh, and if you need to keep it a little smaller, you can keep one foot down. If you can, have that leg out. So in for 2 for the stretch and for the core. All right, then we're gonna take it out for outer thighs, then we'll put them together. Here we go, in for 2. 1, 2. In for 2. I want you to think about tucking the pelvis, zipping up the core, gentle lift of the pelvic floor, button up the rib cage. If this feels like too much, drop the shoulders. And another option again is just to keep one foot down. You'll still get the stretch, you'll still get the core working. After this, we're gonna crunch while we flex our feet and push them out for outer thighs. Are we ready? Right here, start just pushing the feet out, squeeze them in. Outer thighs, inner thighs. Let's add a crunch right here. I know if that's too much for you, just keep them down, feet down. You can still get the core, or just do the legs without the full crunch. So many options, right? But keeping the legs flexed, one, is going to increase that stretch But also it's gonna keep the legs working. Here we go, guys. We're gonna go out and in scissors for 2. So you're just putting them together. Crunch out and in. Right here. Out, in. I know, core burn. Had to get that core in, right? Squeeze while we get inner outer. Right here, last 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Halfway there! Hug those knees in, up onto your feet, team. Let's grab a quick sip of water, why not? Cheers, y'all! All right, bringing it back. Keeping it short and sweet, guys. Listen, I know especially if you're used to a certain type of heavy weighted workout, maybe this is feeling a little easy. Listen, this is great for deload. This is great to challenge your muscles in a different way, right? So don't underestimate the power of a no equipment workout. All right team, here's what we've got. We're gonna go back to a lunge. We're gonna take it down, regular lunge. Doesn't have to be the kneeling. And then second 30 seconds, we're gonna do a hinge. Now your hinge can be a kickstand, right? Work the back of the legs. Or here, when we put them together, you can either be all the way here to here, or lunge, tap it in, kickstand. All right, so we got 30 seconds. We'll get a little standing core in between, so we're not going right into that Second leg. But if you can get low, you don't have to kneel on this. We already did that one, but we're gonna get it done. Stepping back and in. So wrap that core, shoulders back. In 3, 2, 1, lunge it here. Here we go, down and up right here. 30 seconds. Here we go, tapping it back. If you're feeling a little spicy on this first one, you could add a little curtsy every other one, but totally optional, right? Here, 5 seconds with that lunge. I know I'm getting low, but again, not the half kneeling. We're not transferring the weight. All right team, get set. Hinge. Nice flat back. Here's your kickstand if you're feeling good about it. Single leg, right? You're gonna feel the back of the leg. Really good for joint health. I had to do these a lot. I'm still doing these a lot for physical therapy for my knee. So really good for working stability— knees, ankles, hips. Keeping that in mind. All right team, let's put them together. So you can lunge, step it in, keep the foot down, kickstand, totally fine. Or lunge and single leg. You can also tap it in and single leg. You don't have to make it a fluid movement, but that's your upper level. Boom! Yes, right? Burn! And here. Ah! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Shake it out. More hamstrings than we thought today, right? Normally when we think body weight, we think all of those quads and glutes, right? Getting that too. All right, remember what leg that was. Your body will remind you. Mine was my right foot forward. Before we get that other side, we're going to do some standing Side knees for side abs and hips. So I'm going here or here. If you need to balance, balance. 30 seconds on the right, 30 seconds on the left, 30 seconds alternating. Here we go. So sometimes making a big circle helps me really crunch into it. If it feels better for you to have it here, crunch, crunch. Crunch, crunch. Or again, if you need balance, just grab onto the wall. That can help. What I don't want is just a side knee. I really want you to use your core so we also get the hip, right? 5, 4, 3, 2, other side. So you're feeling both, right? Those side abs, not the same as those crunches on the ground, but side abs, but also all around. Those hip muscles always working together. 10 seconds and we put them together. A little cardio burst here, right? We're in the tail end of this workout, so get ready. Can we alternate? Here you go. Side knee, side knee. If you want to make it more fluid, You can be here, you can even get low with it, get a little extra legs. Totally up to you. I know this whole workout is lower body. 10 seconds. Woo! Who's feeling the cardio of this? I know I am. Squeeze hip and abs. 3, 2, 2, 1. Shake it out if you need to. A few little hip flexor rolls. I know we feel that when we bring those knees up. All right, other side. Almost there, team. So here's what we've got: regular lunge. If you want to curtsy every other one, you can. Regular kickstand deadlift or hinge, single leg hinge, and then put them together. All right, let's finish it strong. 3, 2, 1. 3, 2, lunge it. Here we go. And up. Optional curtsy just to give us a little bit extra in the hip and glute and in that transverse plane, right? And here, here. Yes, team! I know. Push out of that front hip. Get ready for those deadlifts right here. Kickstand deadlift or hinge or single leg. So hinge is the movement pattern, deadlift is the exercise. So you hear me say both, right? Squat is the movement pattern, squat is the exercise. Deadlift usually refers to lifting actual weight, right? Which is why I often will just say hinge, but interchangeable, you guys know. And a balance exercise for your core as well. Put them together, here we go. Lunge, step it in, kickstand. Just make them different. Either way, you're dropping in the knees, dropping at the waist. With a bent knee. And here, I know, balance. I can't look at the clock, but you got 10 seconds. 3, 2, and 1. Ah, shake it out. All right team, we are close. Bring it down. One last core exercise. Here is what we've got. We're gonna take it inner thigh, outer thigh for our abs. We're gonna take it out for the outer. We're gonna bring it up. We're gonna cross for the inner. All right, on the inner, if you want to rotate, you can do that as well, but you don't have to. 2 sets of 30 to finish out this workout. All right, here we go. Oh, on your elbows, squeeze it out. Squeeze it out. So stay lifted in the center, tighten the legs, tighten the glutes, but we're getting the core working while we get outer and inner thighs, right? And here. Now we're gonna come up on our hands in between. If you need a little stretch break, get it, but only 2 sets of 30 on this. We're not going the full 30, 30, 30. Go ahead, bring it up onto your hands. Here we go. 30 seconds. Cross it through. You can just do a little knee cross, inner thighs. You can do the whole leg, or you can do the whole leg rotate a little extra. So core, legs, legs and core, name of the workout. This is it, team. No bonus, I promise. 10 seconds and we're done. 5, 4, 3, 2, stretch it back wherever you are. Stretch, team! Press those shoulders down. Yes, breathe. Go ahead, come up onto all fours, roll through that back. We're going to keep this cool down and stretch pretty short cuz I promised you 20 minutes, right? Roll through. Right here. Go ahead and come right here. Thank you so much for joining me today. If you can, please get some more stretching of your back, of your legs, of your glutes. You can even cross over and get that little hip stretch here. Please make sure that you are not relying just on the stretching at the end of a workout, cuz again, short workouts like this, we're going to keep the cool down short. You want to be getting mobility and stretching throughout the rest of your week, throughout the rest of your month. I have tons of videos to help you with that. So leave me a comment, leave me a like, let me know how you are feeling. Thank you so much for joining me today. One big deep breath in and out. You did it! That was your no equipment legs and core workout. Great job, everybody!