DailyOM: Are we shaping up and toning our entire leg, top to bottom and inside and out?
Sarah Rector: All the exercises provide full leg toning and strengthening, from inner thighs to hamstrings, and from hips to glutes. Within each exercise are a couple of moves that will increase your fitness level as well as work each part of your legs. The movements give you longer, leaner muscles, and when we go to the mat, your flexibility and hip mobility will start to increase too. As a dancer, I am used to pointing my toes, and this movement creates that extension in the leg and a deeper activation of your leg muscles. You'll keep your core engaged while doing the legwork, and this mindful approach helps produce muscles that are sculpted and elongated. You'll soon start to use the sidewalk as a catwalk!
DailyOM: What types of exercises can students expect in this course?
SR: The first half of the course consists of standing exercises, starting with basic squats. I'll show you the correct form for squats — loading your weight into your heels and driving your glutes to help strengthen and tone. The standing series works with a lot of balance and stability moves, but don't panic — it's absolutely fine to hold on to something like a chair or the wall if you feel a little wobbly. This course is all about progression. I like to incorporate ballet-style leg moves such as leg lifts, moving to the side and behind, to really activate your whole leg. They also incorporate your core and get you concentrating more on the actual movement. Brain connectivity while moving from position to position is very important. This type of concentration increases your fitness success since you increase your focus on alignment and muscle activation, giving you better results.
The second part of the course takes place on the mat, which I love for further exploration of leg movements. If you wish to increase your toning capabilities on the mat, I recommend using ankle weights but only if you have a higher fitness level. Never fear — all of the exercises can be done without additional weight. Performing the moves slowly will activate your legs even more, and you will definitely feel some shaking from waking up muscles you've not used in a long time! The moves offer a full range of motion — from parallel hips to hip openers — to provide more mobility and freeness. We get a little tighter as we get older, so I wanted to add hip-mobility work to decrease tightness in your hips and help to prevent lower back injuries.
DailyOM: Do we need ankle weights to take this course?
SR: Depending on your fitness level, the use of equipment is entirely up to you. If you are new to this type of workout, I suggest doing the whole 14 days without any equipment, so that you connect with the movements through your own resistance. I always think it's better to be able to complete all the exercises without struggling and missing reps. If your fitness level is pretty good, I recommend adding light ankle weights, maybe two, three, or four pounds. Once you've purchased the course, it's yours to access over and over — you can add the workouts into your everyday lifestyle! Perhaps try half the course with weights, then try the second half with a heavier weight or even work with resistance bands to increase the intensity. I always say listen to how your body feels — some days we can do the four-pound ankle weights; some days we can't. As long as you're working the moves, with or without equipment, you are doing great! Remember that the speed of the movement also increases the intensity. Once you've reached the level where you want to use equipment, moving a little slower will increase the challenge too.
DailyOM: What does the journey look like for students taking this course?
SR: We start out learning correct form, with basic moves and alignment. We progress to balancing exercises to challenge the different leg muscles, using a slower speed for a deeper workout. As we proceed through the course, the option to use equipment for deeper intensity is available. We also use a wider range of motion for more hip mobility and a longer, leaner result. We explore the inner thigh area using smaller movements and advance into a full-body flow for even more intensity. Doing these exercises five minutes a day for 14 days provides results and is extremely fun!
DailyOM: Can people really tone and strengthen their legs in only 14 days — and only five-minute daily increments? How is that possible?
SR: Yes, yes, yes, absolutely! The feeling of a five-minute workout not only pushes you harder mentally — since you know you'll only work out for five minutes — but you get that buzz of energy and accomplishment, which is a brain and muscle booster. As mentioned before, the slower moves activate smaller muscles, which is the equivalent of doing around 20 minutes of a faster workout. That's why it's important to not rush the exercises. You get more benefits when you move slowly, engaging more areas and increasing intensity. I get creative by adding leg moves you might not have experienced before. This is especially true with the hip-openers and inner-thigh exercises. So yes to the five-minute workout!
DailyOM: What do you say to people who have a hard time getting started with an exercise course, and how can they stay motivated?
SR: I like to make sure the course has a progressive structure, as opposed to creating a program that starts with high intensity. That would be extremely off-putting. I want students to know that I'm guiding them at a calm pace, breaking each exercise down, working with the breath at the same time. Motivation is key — we all have five minutes in our day, right? So that's your first motivation. The second motivation is that this course is all yours, and you can modify the intensity by adding equipment to the exercises, creating a fun and varied workout program. The third motivation is the outcome — it will always be positive. If you want more leg mobility, toned and leaner legs, and more flexibility, this course is for you!
DailyOM: What is your favorite part of this course and, for fun, which exercise is your favorite?
SR: This is a great question! My favorites are the balance and stability exercises. I love to balance. It gives me a sense of achievement, I get some serious activation in my muscles, I focus more, and I don't take the exercise for granted, as I really have to concentrate — otherwise, I could be in a heap on the floor!
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