Looking for a new challenge for your next leg day? Trainer Paul Sklar, C.S.C.S has you covered. In the three-movement workout that he recently posted on Instagram, Sklar combines 20 reps of a reverse-to-forward barbell lunge, 15 reps of kettlebell goblet squats, and 10 slam ball squat slams to target your quads, glutes, and core. It’s a “leg thrasher [that] combines strength, balance, control, and power,” he writes in the caption. Ready, set, grow legs, grow.
The first movement, reverse-to-forward barbell lunge, as the name suggests, marries the forward lunge and reverse lunge in every rep. By doing so, you’ll strengthen your entire lower body, including your glutes, quads, and hamstrings.
Unrack the barbell as you would a barbell back squat. Re-position your feet so that they’re hip-width apart, toes facing forward. Brace your core, and step backward with your right leg, lowering your hips, creating a ninety-degree angle with the front leg.
Push off your back foot to return to standing. From here, immediately move into a front lunge. As you descend into the lunge, keep your core tight as you do this. Return to standing. That’s one rep. Repeat for 10 more times on that leg, before switching lead feet.
While Sklar’s got his bar loaded up in the clip, you’ll likely need to go lighter than you’d expect. Master the movement first before pushing weight.
Next up, Sklar performs 15 kettlebell goblet squats. As you descend into the reps, the weight is going to try to pull you forward—resist this by keeping your core braced. Perform the reps as Sklar does in the video, with 10 slow, controlled reps immediately into 5 reps at pace.
Finish up with 10 slam ball squat slams. To do them as Sklar does, start with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent. Brace your core, lift the ball ball overhead, then throw the ball into the ground while bending your legs and sitting into a squat.
Pick the slam ball back up, then straighten your legs and bring your arms overhead, then repeat for 9 more reps. This movement is meant to be explosive, so we recommend taking an extra few seconds to set up between reps that you can hit each rep with oomph, or doing fewer reps.
