FAST AMINOS WELLNESS
← All home workouts
Home workout

Legs

Squats, lunges and step-ups that hit every part of your legs.

Exercises
5
Total sets
16
Time
30–35 min
Equipment
A stair or chair

The workout

Warm up first: 3–5 minutes of marching in place, arm circles and a few easy bodyweight squats.

  1. Bodyweight Squat

    4 sets15–20 repsRest 90 sec

    Sit back and down for a 3-second count, then stand up fast. Knees track over your toes.

    Level up: Hold a dumbbell at your chest (goblet squat).

    Bodyweight Squat, start position
    Start
    Bodyweight Squat, finish position
    Finish

  2. Reverse Lunge

    3 sets10 per legRest 90 sec

    Step back and drop your back knee toward the floor. Push through your front heel to stand.

    Level up: Hold dumbbells at your sides.

    Reverse Lunge, start position
    Start
    Reverse Lunge, finish position
    Finish

  3. Step-Up

    3 sets10 per legRest 90 sec

    Use a stair or sturdy chair. Drive through the heel on the step; don't push off the back foot.

    Level up: Hold dumbbells, or use a higher step.

    Step-Up, start position
    Start
    Step-Up, finish position
    Finish

  4. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

    3 sets8–10 per legRest 60 sec

    Stand on one leg, hinge forward with a flat back and reach toward the floor. Hold a wall for balance at first.

    Level up: Hold a dumbbell in the opposite hand.

    Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift, start position
    Start
    Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift, finish position
    Finish

  5. Single-Leg Calf Raise

    3 sets12–15 per legRest 45 sec

    Stand on a stair edge holding the rail. Lower your heel below the step, then rise all the way up.

    Level up: Hold a dumbbell in your free hand.

    Photo coming soon
The 45/30 rule

Lift for 45. Then 30 minutes of Zone 2.

45min

Resistance training

Builds and preserves lean muscle, so more of the weight you lose comes from fat, not muscle.

30min

Zone 2 cardio (LISS)

Low-intensity steady state at about 60–70% of your max heart rate: a brisk walk or incline treadmill. This is the intensity range where your body's fat burning peaks.

Why the order matters: resistance training draws down muscle glycogen and releases stored fat into your bloodstream. Research shows steady cardio started within about 20 minutes of lifting burns more fat than the same cardio done on its own. And because Zone 2 is low-stress, it burns extra fat and calories without the recovery cost of high-intensity cardio, so your muscles keep the energy they need to recover and grow.

Find your Zone 2: about 60–70% of your max heart rate. At age 40 that's roughly 108–126 bpm for men and 102–120 bpm for women. No watch? Use the talk test: you can speak in full sentences, but you couldn't sing. Calculate your Zone 2 →

Fat loss still comes down to your daily calories and protein, so get your numbers. Research: Goto et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2007.

Pick the right version

Choose a version you can do for the listed reps with 1–2 good reps left. Too easy? Use the Level up.

Progress each week

Add reps, slow down the lowering, or move to the Level up version when the top of the range feels easy.

Protect your muscle

Especially while dieting or on a GLP-1: train 2–4 days a week and hit your daily protein target.

Know your protein number?

Training builds the signal; protein supplies the material. Get your daily calories and protein target in about 2 minutes.

Find my numbers →
← ArmsGlutes →