A quick upper and lower body workout to tone and tighten.
This 10-minute workout will target the major muscles in your arms and legs. By incorporating strength focused moves with heart pumping exercises, you’ll firm up those stubborn areas in no time! ⏱️
All you need is a pair of dumbbells to get some serious work done and build long lean muscles!
Hey gang! I’m coming at ya today with a workout I know you all will appreciate. I mean come on, who doesn’t want toned thighs and tris?!
There’s nothing better than a great leg workout, ask my class, they’ll tell ya I love to work dem legs! 🍗 I try to incorporate as much thigh/glute/hamstring work into my routines as possible because those muscles burn more calories and help strengthen the entire body.
I’ve found there’s two really good ways to “tone” muscles.
1. Lift heavy weights.
2. Perform “burnout” exercises.
Woman tend to think that being cardio bunnies will make them long and lean, but the reality is, your body gets used to those workouts and it’s not breaking down muscle fibers. Lifting heavy weights and/or performing exercises for longer periods of time pushes your muscles past the comfort zone which is what gets you the results you’re looking for.
How do I know this? Because, I, like many of you, felt comfortable on the treadmill or elliptical. I was putting in my hour a day and felt good, but I wasn’t seeing any real transformations. I weighed and looked the same for years.
But that all changed when I started doing a more plyometric work and lifting weights. In fact, I noticed changes immediately. It was good to finally feel my body changing. Then I started to push myself to lift a little more and incorporated HIIT style workouts into my weekly routine. It has completely changed my physique.
So now what?! Well, start with adding weight training into your workouts once or a twice a week. Don’t be afraid to walk in the gym like a bad a** that you are and own it. If you don’t know what you’re doing, ask someone to help you. Remember everyone has to start somewhere!
Then once you got that down, try a HIIT (high intensity interval training) class. Start low and work your way up! The point is to push your body past it’s comfort zone. Do things you’ve never done and have fun along the way! 😉
You can even add this quick little Thigh and Tri Workout in there somewhere too!
You’ll need a pair of dumbbells. Heavy or light, depending where you are at in your fitness journey. And if you have them, ankle bands. If not, no big deal!
You’ll perform each move for 30 seconds, repeating the routine twice. You’ll go through moves 1 – 10 first and then repeat for the second time after that.
Grab a mat, a timer and let’s get to work!
10-Minute Thigh and Tri Workout
Perform each move for 30 seconds, with no rest inbetween moves. Repeat the sequence twice.
- Lying Side Leg Raise – Right (with bands ): lay on your side, hip squared to wall, foot flexed. Lift and lower your leg for 30 seconds. If you have ankle bands, use them. If not, you can place a dumbbell on your hip and hold it there while you lift and lower your leg.
- Lying Side Leg Raise – Left (with bands): same thing but on your left leg
- Sumo Squat Hops: with toes pointed out, lower body into squat, with core tight, hips tucked and chest lifted. Perform little hops, staying low in the squat position the whole time.
- Reverse Lunge Hold + Tricep Ext: step right foot back and lunge down, bringing right knee down so it’s hovering over the floor and left thigh parallel to ground. Lift dumbbell overhead and perform tricep extensions continuously for 30 seconds. Repeat with the left leg the second time through.
- Soccer Juggle: think high knees, but you’re going to add 2 ankle touches. Knee, Knee, Ankle, Ankle.
- Glute Bridge Dbell Press + Skull Crusher: Bring body into hip bridge position – hips pressed toward ceiling, glutes squeezed and core tight. Bring dumbbells down toward bottom of ribs, press up and then keeping elbows still perform a skull crusher – bringing hands to forhead and back up. (you’re holding the hip bridge the entire time, while you repeat the press + skull crusher)
- Burpee + Tricep Pushup: Perform one burpee and at the bottom perform a tricep pushup on your knees or toes, keeping elbows in close to your body (elbows go straight back, not out like a regular pushup)
- Tricep Kickbacks + Alternating Runner Legs: hinge at hips and perform a tricep kickback with both arms, while stepping your right leg back and back in. And then do another tricep kicback, stepping your left foot back with the kick and then bring your foot back in when you release the arms. (Tricep Kickback: bring elbows high and keep them close to the body. Think pinky’s about pushing pinky’s toward ceiling, squeezing the back of the arm to lift)
- Side Lunge + High Skip: perform a side lunge, pressing out of the foot and bringing the body back to upright position perform a high skip. Repeat with the right leg the first time through and then perform on the left the second time through.
- Side Tricep Push-up: lying on side, place hand down by chest with fingers pointed toward face, press upper body off ground and then slowly lower body back to ground
Want a printable version? Click here!
Looking for other strength training workouts? Give these ones a go!