Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland is fast becoming one of our biggest celebrity fitness crushes. Not only does she nail tough workouts on the regular, but she also shares her progress, motivation, and top moves on her "Strong & Skinny" Instagram story. Of course, we check in on the regular to see what new exercises she has in store, and this week, we were all about her lower body moves for legs and glutes. These moves are simple but effective. Sarah uses dumbbells and resistance bands to build strength and up the intensity of each move, but if you're a beginner, you can definitely go for bodyweight variations to start. Check out Sarah's top lower-body moves ahead, and get our step-by-step guides to nail each one like she does. And if you like what you see here, make sure to check out Sarah's top core exercises and upper body moves, too!
Start with your feet directly under your hips. Step your right foot wide to the side and come into a lunge with your left fingers touching your right foot. Your right knee shouldn't go beyond your right toes. Keep your chest lifted and your weight in your heels.
Push into your right foot to return to standing, then lunge sideways to the left to complete one rep.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly turned out, in a deep squat. Put your arms in a "goal post" position with elbows bent and close to your thighs.
Jump up explosively, bringing your feet together and clapping your hands above your head. Keep your core engaged.
Jump your feet apart, landing with control, and lower your body back into the sumo squat position with hands up to complete one rep.
To modify the move, take out the clap and hold your hands together at your chest.
Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width with toes pointed slightly out. Hold your dumbbell at chest level with both hands. Keeping your back flat, push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor and your elbows touch your knees.
With your weight focussed in your heels, push yourself up to the starting position.
Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing out, and a kettlebell between your feet.
With a flat back and your core engaged, bend your knees and push your butt back as you drop into a squat. Grab the kettlebell with both hands, keeping your arms straight.
With control, lift into a standing position, keeping your core engaged and your chest lifted. Squeeze your glutes when you get to the top.
Slowly lower back down to a squat, tapping the kettlebell to the ground.
Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, holding a dumbbell at each shoulder.
Slowly bend your knees as if you were going to sit in a chair, keeping all the weight in your heels. Don't let your knees move beyond your toes, and don't let the knees roll out or in. Squat down as low as you can, keeping your head and chest lifted, your spine long, and your shoulders relaxed.
Press through your heels, and slowly straighten your legs to stand up. Make sure to keep your spine neutral. Do not round your back.
Grab a medium to heavy dumbbell; 20 pounds is a great starting point. You can also do this exercise using just your bodyweight.
On your mat, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Be sure and keep your feet underneath your knees, not in front. Place the dumbbell on top of your lower abdominals (below your belly button and above your hip bones). Hold the dumbbell in place with both hands to prevent it from moving.
Raise your hips up to the ceiling, tensing your abs and squeezing your butt as you do. You should be making a long diagonal line with your body, from shoulders to knees.
Hold for three seconds making sure your spine doesn't round and your hips don't sag. Keep your abs and butt muscles engaged.
Sitting on the floor with your legs extended, rest your back against a stable bench.
Place a towel or shoulder cushion on the bar for comfort (optional). Roll the barbell over your thighs until the bar is directly above your hip joints.
Brace your core. As you drive your heels into the ground, squeeze your glutes, lifting your hips up to full extension, meaning your hips are even with your knees.
Select your desired weight on the weight stack and insert the pin. A good weight to start with for beginners is five pounds. If you're more advanced, try 10 to 17.5 pounds.
Start in a seated position on the machine with your back flat against the backrest and your legs underneath the pad. Make any necessary adjustments to the pad so that it's right above your ankle.
With your right leg still bent at a 90-degree angle, grip the side handles while maintaining a relaxed upper-body position.
Using your left quadriceps, begin to extend your left leg until it is fully extended. Hold for one second.
Slowly lower back down to your start position.
This counts as one rep.
To modify, do this move with both legs and increase the weight to 20-30 pounds.
