Phase 2: Build•Week 6 • Monday

Day 36: Week 6 starts

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

Carbs on heavy days, lower on easy days

Carb cycling is not complicated. Heavy lift day: +50g carbs. Easy day: drop 30-50g carbs. Protein stays constant. This is how you can eat plenty while your body composition keeps changing.

Mindset brief

The Week 6 effect

Somewhere in Week 6, most women hit a different gear. The workouts that felt impossible in Week 4 feel doable. Your energy stabilizes. Sleep is better. Mood is better. This is adaptation showing up across your whole life, not just your training.

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