Phase 2: Build•Week 4 • Monday

Day 22: First heavy day

Lower Body Heavy

50 minutes

Today's workout

Heavy squat and deadlift focus. 4-6 rep range.

Warm up (5-7 min)

•5 minutes easy bike or walk
•Hip flexor stretch x 30 sec per side
•Bodyweight squats x 10
•Glute bridges x 15
•Two warm-up sets of light squats

Showing gym version. Switch to home above if needed.

1. Back Squat or Goblet Squat (heavy)

4 x 4-6

Rest: 2-3 min • Equipment: barbell

Form cues:

→Brace core hard before each rep
→Sit back and down
→Drive up through full foot

Common mistakes to avoid

✗Knees caving inward under load - drive them out
✗Chest collapsing forward - brace hard, think proud chest
✗Cutting depth short - at least parallel, deeper if mobility allows

Easier

Goblet squat
Box squat to a bench

Harder

Heavier back squat
Front squat

Home alternative: Heaviest goblet squat available

Back squat demo

2. Romanian Deadlift (heavy)

4 x 5-6

Rest: 2 min • Equipment: barbell

Form cues:

→Bar or dumbbells close to body
→Push hips back, soft knees
→Drive hips forward to stand

Common mistakes to avoid

✗Rounding the lower back - keep your spine neutral, chest proud
✗Over-bending the knees - this becomes a squat, not a hinge
✗Going too low - stop when your hamstrings tell you to, not when the floor arrives

Easier

Hip hinge with band or dowel on back for form check

Harder

Single-leg RDL
Barbell RDL

Dumbbell RDL form demo

3. Walking Lunge

3 x 10 per side

Rest: 90 sec • Equipment: dumbbells

Form cues:

→Upright torso
→Front shin vertical
→Drive through front heel

Common mistakes to avoid

✗Stepping too short - you should feel a stretch in the rear hip
✗Front knee caving in - track knee over middle toe
✗Leaning forward excessively - keep torso vertical

Easier

Bodyweight reverse lunge with chair assist

Harder

Heavier dumbbells
Deficit reverse lunge

Reverse lunge demo

4. Hip Thrust

3 x 8-10

Rest: 90 sec • Equipment: dumbbells

Form cues:

→Shoulders on bench, feet flat
→Drive hips up, squeeze glutes
→Ribs stay down, no arch

Common mistakes to avoid

✗Overextending - ribs stay down, no lower back arch at the top
✗Using the quads instead of glutes - push through your heels
✗Bench too high or low - aim for under the shoulder blades

Easier

Glute bridge on the floor

Harder

Barbell hip thrust
Single-leg hip thrust

Hip thrust demo

5. Calf Raises

3 x 12-15

Rest: 45 sec • Equipment: dumbbells

Form cues:

→Full range of motion
→Pause at the top
→Control the descent

Common mistakes to avoid

✗Bouncing through reps - pause at the top for a full squeeze
✗Partial range - get a full stretch at the bottom
✗Feet rolling outward - push up through the big toe

Easier

Seated calf raise

Harder

Single-leg calf raise
Deficit calf raise

Calf raise demo

Cool down (5 min)

•5 minutes easy walk
•Couch stretch x 30 sec per side
•Hamstring stretch x 30 sec per side
•Deep breathing x 2 minutes

Today's nutrition focus

Pre-workout carbs matter more now

For heavy lifting at 4-6 reps, have 20-30g of carbs 30-60 minutes before. A banana, half a cup of oats, or a piece of sourdough. Under-fueled heavy sets feel twice as hard and cost you performance.

Mindset brief

Heavy does not mean ego

Four to six reps is challenging but not maximal. Choose a weight where rep 5 is hard but rep 6 is possible. If you can't finish 4 reps with good form, it's too heavy. If you could do 8, it's too light. Find the middle today.

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