Yes, squats are an awesome exercise. But they don’t need a slot in every lower-body routine. In fact, having a leg workout without squats is helpful for those times you’re really not jazzed about the exercise, whether due to it feeling not-so-great in your body, the desire for more variety in your routine, or the fact that you simply aren’t in the mood.
“It’s okay to not always have squats in your rotation,” Lauren Leavell, CPT, group fitness instructor at Lauren Leavell Fitness, tells SELF. There are a bunch of exercises out there that fill a similar role, challenging the same muscles as the squat—namely, your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
And we tapped Leavell to create a lower-body workout that’s chock-full of ‘em. First up is a reverse lunge, a stellar single-leg exercise that’ll especially ignite your quads, while also firing up your glutes and hammies. Then, you’ll go right into a superset, or a stack of two exercises that you complete right after the other, without resting in between. Your superset will be made up of the Romanian deadlift—a classic hip hinge move that’s great for targeting your backside muscles, including your glutes, hamstrings, and back—and the lateral step-down to heel tap, another single-leg move that hits your quads and glutes. Finally, you’ll finish with a weighted glute bridge, which zeros in on your butt.
All in all, “this is going to really burn out your lower body,” says Leavell. Bonus: It’ll also hit your abs. “Core work is coming through in every exercise,” Leavell says, particularly the single-leg moves, since your midsection is what helps your body stay stabilized and balanced while you hold heavy weights and move your legs.
Lastly, because this routine engages some of the biggest muscles in your body, it’ll likely tax your heart and lungs, giving you a cardio boost, too. “If you’re working consistently through this, not taking long breaks, you are going to get your heart rate up,” Leavell says. She suggests doing it once a week, alongside an upper-body specific routine and a total-body workout.
Before jumping into this workout, take a few minutes to warm up, doing moves like head circles, shoulder rolls, spinal twists, butt kickers, and knee raises, Leavell says. Not only can a good warm-up boost blood flow and prime your muscles for exercise, it can also help you mentally connect with your body and get a solid grasp on just how hard to push yourself on a given day. End with a cooldown, too, which can help your body gradually return to a relaxed state—and once again provide you a moment to mentally check in with your body, according to the American Council on Exercise. Leavell suggests moves like windshield wipers, 90-90 stretch, butterfly stretch, and child’s pose to reap the benefits.
One quick note: While, like we mentioned, it’s perfectly fine to skip squats on any of your lower-body workout days if you just aren’t feeling jazzed about them. But if you’re avoiding the move because they’re painful or uncomfortable, it’s worth checking in with a physical therapist to understand what might be causing that and how you can work through it, Leavell says.
