The human body is a great and complex thing.  For those of you who train, this is both good and bad.  On the one hand, if every body were the same, there wouldn’t be a need for hundreds of different workout programs, philosophies, etc.  There would be a science to how things are done. There’d be one specific way to build muscle, lose fat, and generally look like a Maxim fitness model.  Life would be pretty easy wouldn’t it?  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  Every body has a different physiological response to a given stimulus.  Simply put, what works for some, may not work for others.

That said, there are some relative constants in the fitness world that are generally accepted to be especially beneficial to everyone.  For instance, running sprints in a HIIT fashion will boost your EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oyxgen Consumption) and cause your metabolism to spike.  This is something science has figured out will work for just about every human being.  Another interesting and game-changing tid bit is the fact that lower body plyometric training COMBINED WITH lower body weight training will result in greater gains throughout the lower body.  Greater than what, you may be wondering.  The plyo/weights combo greatly outperformed the results of individuals who trained with ONLY plyo, or ONLY weights.  Participants utilizing the plyo/weight combo realized an increase in strength, definition, vertical jump, and speed.  Simply put, they became (and looked) more athletic.  Countless studies have replicated these results over time, leading us to believe that this is one of those relative constants I mentioned earlier.  One such peer-reviewed study, and what was used as reference for this article, can be found here.

I’ve had this knowledge and have been using plyo/weight combo workouts with clients for years.  The effects this method of training has is absolutely phenomenal.  Whether you’re an athlete training for a sport, or simply someone who wants to have that lean, mean, athletic look (and a great butt and thighs to go along with it) this is THE workout for you.  Expect a rounding and tightening of the backside and firm, lean thighs, hamstrings, and calves.  If you’re already doing another workout plan, don’t worry.  Go ahead and substitute these combo workouts in for lower body days.  Fitness is all about trial and error.  See what works best for you and then stick with it for a little bit, before changing it up to something more challenging.

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Perform this workout 3 days a week.  If you are experiencing soreness, push your workout back until you can comfortably perform all exercises without pain.

Day 1 - Keep weights lower during this session.  If you see (4 x 10 exercise a/20 exercise b/rest), you should perform exercise b immediately following exercise a, and only rest at the end of exercise b.  Complete this combo for the total number of sets listed before exercise a.

• 4 x 12 Smith Machine Squats/30 box jumps/rest 60 seconds
• 3 x 20 Long Jumps
• 4 x 12 Bulgarian Squat Jump
• 4 x 20 Four Point Hops
• 3 x 20 Reverse Dumbbell Lunges/20 forward lunges/rest 30 seconds (alternate legs)
• 3 x 2 minutes Plated Speed Skaters
• 3 x 1 minute Line Jumps
• 4 x 100 Speed Squats/10 X Jumps

Day 2 – This session is going to focus on fast explosive movements to really torch your hamstrings and glute muscles, before moving to the weights to finish things off.  Feel free to do the running parts on a treadmill or outside.

• 20 x 10 second all out sprints/rest 15 second between each sprint
• 5 x 2 minutes running in reverse (if using a treadmill start slow and gradually increase your speed)
• 5 x 30 Jumping Lunges
• 5 x 15 Tuck Jumps
• 5 x 15 Plated Box Jumps
• 3 x 10 Quad Extensions
• 3 x 10 Hamstring Curls
• 3 x 10 Leg Press Machine (first set feet wide, second set feet close, third set feet shoulder-width)
• 3 x 40 Calve Raises on Smith Machine
• 3 x 20 Side Barbell Squats (10 per each side)

Day 3 – We’re going to repeat the session from Day 1 with a few minor modifications to increase intensity. Also, be sure to increase weights as you’ll be performing fewer reps per set.

• 4 x 8 Smith Machine Squats
• 4 x 8 Barbell Deadlift (please make sure you are using proper form for this exercise!)
• 3 x 20 Long Jumps
• 4 x 12 Bulgarian Squat/1 minute jump rope/45 seconds rest
• 4 x 20 Four Point Hops
• 3 x 20 Reverse Dumbbell Lunges/20 forward lunges/rest 30 seconds (alternate legs)
• 3 x 2 minutes Plated Speed Skaters/1 minute jump rope/45 seconds rest
• 4 x 1 minute Line Jumps
• 4 x 100 Speed Squats/10 X Jumps/45 seconds rest
• 5 minutes jump roping (use as few rest breaks as possible)

Give this workout a try.  I will almost guarantee you’re not going to be able to walk straight after your first few times through.  Let the soreness fade, then get right back into it.  Run through this 3-day cycle for about 4 weeks, then increase weights, incorporate some new exercises, and continually keep pushing yourself.  Remember, the plyo/weight combo is THE way to develop a great butt and legs.  Keep at it and you’ll be ready to fill out that bikini bottom in no time!

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Matt

Co-Founder at Share It Fitness

Matt has been involved in the fitness industry for over 10 years and has worked with, and helped countless individuals improve their lives. After college, Matt started his fitness career working in the trenches as a personal trainer for a big corporate gym. It was here he saw how impersonal Big Fitness really was. Clients weren't people, they were just sales waiting to be made. After branching out and starting his own personal training business in San Diego, Matt soon developed the idea of Share It Fitness and started our (now highly successful) blog. A fitness junkie himself, Matt knows the importance of incorporating exercise into your life. When he isn't working at Share It Fitness, you can find Matt running, biking, taking yoga, or pumping iron around San Diego.

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