A Lower-Body and Butt Workout That Sneakily Works Your Abs

By Bernard Turk On Apr 30, 2022

The workout below is for Day 24 of the SELF 2022 Spring Challenge. Check out the full four-week workout program right here. Or go to the workout calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails for this challenge, you can do that here.

For your final leg day of this challenge, get ready for a routine that’s going to bring together everything you’ve been working on—plus add a brand-new exercise to the mix.

The moves in this lower-body and butt workout bring in a sneaky bonus: some extra abs work. And that’s especially evident in the superset, which pairs the single-leg deadlift with the goblet squat.

Throughout this challenge, you’ve cycled through a few deadlift variations, mainly the Romanian deadlift and the kickstand deadlift. The single-leg deadlift is the most advanced variation of the bunch, since there’s an additional balance component involved—and that’s why this move really works your abs. When you lift one leg off the ground, your abs have to fire to keep your torso stable and prevent it from bending to the side. (If you’re really struggling with your balance, though, perform the move holding a dumbbell in one hand, and keep your other hand close to a wall so you can tap it lightly for support as needed.) Then, with the goblet squat, your abs have to engage to provide support when you hold the weight at your chest.

You’ll round out your final leg day with a circuit that’s glutes-focused, thanks to the hip thrust and the donkey kick. And if you still want more after that to close out your lower-body and butt workout, join us for our final leg-focused EMOM finisher: We’re putting away the weights for this one and targeting our lower body with bodyweight moves!

WORKOUT DIRECTIONS

Aim for 8 to 15 reps of each exercise in superset. Rest for up to 30 seconds between exercises and 1 to 2 minutes after each round. Complete 2 to 5 rounds total.

Repeat for circuit.

EXERCISES

Superset

Single-Leg Deadlift
Goblet Squat

Circuit

Hip Thrust
Split Squat
Donkey Kick

BONUS EMOM

After your last circuit, try the bonus EMOM: Do both moves for the recommended number of reps aiming to finish in under 60 seconds. If you have time left over, rest. At the top of the next minute, start again. Repeat 4 times total (a total of 4 minutes).

Sumo Squat (8 to 10 reps)
Glute Bridge (8 to 10 reps)

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