The Miracle Leg Workout That Only Takes 4 Minutes
Erin Oprea, a certified personal trainer who keeps celebrities like Carrie Underwood in shape, shares a quick, effective routine that tones your lower body.
Illustration: David Wyffels
Tabatas, high-intensity-interval workouts that last 4 minutes, are Oprea's training method of choice. They can be done with any move or any form of cardio. You'll give it all-out effort for 20 seconds, rest for 10, and continue that pattern until you've done 8 rounds, totaling 4 minutes (you can download a Tabata timer app to keep track of the seconds for you). "My clients love it," says Oprea, author of the new book The 4x4 Diet: 4 Key Foods, 4 Minute Workouts, Four Weeks to the Body You Want. "The time flies by, and even though 20 seconds doesn't sound like a long time, the workout is much harder than it seems."
Here are the 4 moves for this intermediate-level, leg-centric workout:
Round 1: Reverse Lunge (Right Leg)
Works your quads, hamstrings and glutes
Stand with your weight on your right leg. Take a large step back with your left leg and drop your left knee straight down toward the ground until your right leg is parallel to the floor, never letting your knee hit the floor. Driving through your right heel, return to the starting position with your left knee slightly lifted.
Round 2: Reverse Lunge (Left Leg)
Works your quads, hamstrings and glutes
Stand with your weight on your left leg. Take a large step back with your right leg and drop your right knee straight down toward the ground until your left leg is parallel to the floor, never letting your knee hit the floor. Driving through your left heel, return to the starting position with your right knee slightly lifted.
Round 3: Squats
Works your quads, hamstrings and glutes
With your legs shoulder-width apart, tilt your hips back as if you were about to sit in a chair. Lower your body until your upper legs are parallel to the floor before driving through your heels to return to the standing position.
Round 4: Skater Hops Works your quads, hamstrings, glutes and hip flexors
Squat down on your right leg and bend your left knee behind you at a 90-degree angle. Hop into a left-leg squat and bend your left leg behind you at a 90-degree angle.
And here's the breakdown of the workout:
20 seconds—reverse lunges (right leg)
10 seconds—rest
20 seconds—reverse lunges on (left leg)
10 seconds—rest
20 seconds—squats
10 seconds—rest
20 seconds—skater hops
10 seconds—rest
Do the entire circuit 2 times, focusing on maintaining the correct form. If you feel yourself getting sloppy, slow down during the 20-second sections until you're at a pace where you can do each move properly.
Move descriptions and instructions Reprinted from THE 4x4 DIET Copyright © 2016 by Erin Oprea. Published by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Book jacket: Courtesy of Harmony Books. Illustrations: David Wyffels
Here are the 4 moves for this intermediate-level, leg-centric workout:
Round 1: Reverse Lunge (Right Leg)
Works your quads, hamstrings and glutes
Stand with your weight on your right leg. Take a large step back with your left leg and drop your left knee straight down toward the ground until your right leg is parallel to the floor, never letting your knee hit the floor. Driving through your right heel, return to the starting position with your left knee slightly lifted.
Round 2: Reverse Lunge (Left Leg)
Works your quads, hamstrings and glutes
Stand with your weight on your left leg. Take a large step back with your right leg and drop your right knee straight down toward the ground until your left leg is parallel to the floor, never letting your knee hit the floor. Driving through your left heel, return to the starting position with your right knee slightly lifted.
Round 3: Squats
Works your quads, hamstrings and glutes
With your legs shoulder-width apart, tilt your hips back as if you were about to sit in a chair. Lower your body until your upper legs are parallel to the floor before driving through your heels to return to the standing position.
Round 4: Skater Hops Works your quads, hamstrings, glutes and hip flexors
Squat down on your right leg and bend your left knee behind you at a 90-degree angle. Hop into a left-leg squat and bend your left leg behind you at a 90-degree angle.
And here's the breakdown of the workout:
20 seconds—reverse lunges (right leg)
10 seconds—rest
20 seconds—reverse lunges on (left leg)
10 seconds—rest
20 seconds—squats
10 seconds—rest
20 seconds—skater hops
10 seconds—rest
Do the entire circuit 2 times, focusing on maintaining the correct form. If you feel yourself getting sloppy, slow down during the 20-second sections until you're at a pace where you can do each move properly.
Move descriptions and instructions Reprinted from THE 4x4 DIET Copyright © 2016 by Erin Oprea. Published by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Book jacket: Courtesy of Harmony Books. Illustrations: David Wyffels