When it comes to capping off leg day, you may not necessarily know much more than squat, as the saying goes—but after you try this speedy routine that uses multiple varieties of the lower body exercise staple, you’ll appreciate how versatile squats can be as an effective finishing move.
No matter your 1RM, or whether you’re training for power or performance, you’re probably used to incorporating heavy loaded squats early in your workout. But this punishing finisher, drawn up by Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., and Mathew Forzaglia, N.F.P.T., C.P.T., founder of Forzag Fitness, puts the movement at the very end of your session. All you’ll need for this is a set of kettlebells and your body.
As always, this Fast Finisher workout checks of the three Es: You’ll have to make physical adjustments throughout each movement, providing some welcome Excitement to your session. Each set is just 30 seconds, making the format Efficient, and because you’re forced to push out reps nonstop for those 30-second intervals, you’ll quickly feel how Effective it is to work hard.
“The conditioning aspect brings a whole other challenge in itself,” Samuel says.
The Squat Sizzler Fast Finisher Workout
Kettlebell Front Rack Squat
Samuel advises to own the rack position by not just holding the kettlebells lazily—squeeze through your back and abs, while making sure your forearms are perpendicular with the ground to create a whole lot of tension. You won’t just feel it in your legs either. As you continue moving for the entire 30 seconds, you’ll get your heart racing and blood flowing throughout your quads.
“Make sure to maintain that upright position that kettlebells keep [you] accountable,” Samuel says. “That’s why we use the front rack position as opposed to just holding kettlebells at our size.”
Single-Arm KB Rack Squat
When the timer hits 30 following your first set, drop one kettlebell and go another 30 seconds. This time however, working with only half the original load, an additional challenge is created when the attention is also on not just your legs, but keeping your hips and shoulders square, making this an anti-rotational abdominal movement as well. (You can also switch arms and perform for another 30 seconds.)
Air Squat
By now your entire body is gassed, so for the final stage, it’s just you and your bodyweight. Take a deep breath before hitting a final half minute of air squats. And again, the goal is to continue to move for the entirety of the round, no stops or pauses, just continuous movement. Good news is you’ll get 60 seconds of rest before taking on a whole new second round (and third if you can make it).
“The cool thing about it is understanding that core load, first with your double rack, and feeling bilateral load, then releasing one load, and that unilateral shift becomes very apparent,” Forzaglia says. “ The control of keeping the shoulders and hips in line with anti rotation now becomes a new focus and almost takes away from the leg burn a little bit.”
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