LEG WORKOUT BY STEFANIE MOIR

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU? LET’S NOT MESS ABOUT THEN. HELPING YOU GET DOWN TO BUSINESS AND BUILD LEGS OF POWER FOR 2020 IS INFLUENCER STEFANIE MOIR.

Let’s face it, none of us look forward to leg workout day. Fact. But what’s also important is that we don’t neglect the most powerful part of our body. Stefanie Moir is also known as Naturally Stefanie and is a vegan lifestyle blogger, avid gym goer and fitness website owner, and she’s here to help us build ‘pistons of truth’.

Stefanie has been sharing tips and tricks on how to become stronger, healthier and happier since 2015 and she’s developed quite the following. Now, in a book entitled Naturally Stefanie: Recipes, workouts and daily rituals for a stronger, happier you, she’s looking to help you incorporate more plant-based meals into your life, as well as help you look and feel better with workouts and routines aimed at people of all fitness levels.

The focus of Stef’s legs workout is weight training and growing lean muscle while simultaneously burning fat. As we know, weight training only works when it’s done properly, so effort will be required for this workout! The rep range here is in the hypertrophyspecific range – which is what causes muscle growth. This range is anything from 8 to 20 reps. Optimal range is 8 to 15. Here, Steph recommends between 10 to 15 reps for most exercises, performing between 3 to 5 sets per exercise.

LEG WORKOUT – QUADS, GLUTES & HAMSTRINGS

WARM-UP EXERCISES

3 SETS OF 10-15 REPS FOR EACH EXERCISE

Body weight squats

Body weight walking lunges

Body weight donkey kicks

Very light barbell or dumbbell squats

WORKOUT EXERCISES

3 SETS OF EACH EXERCISE

Deadlifts: 8 – 12 reps

Walking lunges: 10 – 12 reps per leg

Goblet squats: 10 – 12 reps

Dumbbell RDL: 12 – 15 reps

Machine leg extensions: 15 – 20 reps

Bicycle crunches: 10 – 15 reps per side

OPTIMISING YOUR WORKOUT

NOW THAT YOU’RE ALL MOTIVATED TO START YOUR NEW WORKOUT ROUTINE, HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND…

1. BODY WEIGHT IS GREAT

If you are a beginner, start with the body weight exercise variations of the exercises outlined in the workouts. From there, start with the lightest weights in the dumbbell section and on the machines to gauge your strength and your starting point.

2. WORK THOSE WEIGHTS

To find your ‘working weight’ (the weight you are going to use effectively for the exercise, one that is neither too heavy nor too light), find the weight that you can perform between 8 to 12 repetitions with while maintaining proper form.

3. REST MATTERS

Listen to your body and take rest between exercises.

4. VARIATIONS ON A THEME

If your gym does not have some of the equipment that the workouts suggest, simply ask an instructor for a variation or look up online; the aim is to work the target muscle, and this can be done in multiple ways!

5. IF IN DOUBT, ASK!

If you are unsure of how to do any of the exercises or want to have your form checked out, ask an instructor in the gym; it’s what they’re there for! The last thing you want to do is injure yourself on day one and have a fear of going back to the gym again

6. START WHERE YOU ARE

There is no point jumping in the deep end if you can’t swim. If you are a complete beginner, take these workouts and add them to your weekly schedule when it suits YOUR lifestyle.

7. PROGRESS IS SLOW

Don’t be that guy/gal that eats one healthy meal and does one workout and expects to wake up the next day looking like a Baywatch lifeguard.

8. ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY!

Don’t work out to counteract what you’ve eaten; use what you’ve eaten to fuel your workout. Learn to push your body to see what it can achieve; every small achievement is an achievement.

9. FOCUS ON THE PROCESS

Enjoy the process – don’t worry too much about the outcome.