I swear that I crave strength training sometimes. It makes me feel good, and there's something very satisfying about a good lifting session. My life is very busy though, and I don't usually have time for long drawn out workout sessions of any kind - most of the time, I need my workouts to be efficient, potent, and under 40 minutes. 

On days where I'm also craving a bit of high intensity interval training (HIIT), I like to combine the two, sometimes focusing mostly on HIIT, other times using only a quick few minutes of HIIT to jumpstart my lifting. In my opinion, it's great to be able to switch focus and it makes for a very dynamic approach that pushes your fitness in different ways; variety is an advantage and it also helps fight off boredom. This quick 10 minute butt and thigh workout offers a well rounded strength workout that makes for a great standalone workout or one that you can easily add onto a HIIT routine to add a little length and muscle development, as well. If you need some help putting together a smart workout plan, check out Fitness Blender workout programs.

The thing I love about intense strength training with minimal rest is that it ends up being a cardiovascular challenge as well, and when I lift like this, I typically end up sweating as much as I might have with a HIIT workout. If you're new to strength training, make sure that you're comfortable with all of the exercises and their proper form before you add weight. Once you've added weight, concentrate on clean form, contracting all of your muscles and really focusing on feeling it in the muscles you're targeting. Lift to challenge yourself; by the end of the active intervals, you should be struggling. If you're not, first check your form; if everything looks good there, add more weight as you need to to push yourself.

This workout is short but intense! Don't be surprised if you need to stop and catch your breath or shake out your legs in some of these intervals. Also, don't feel bad if you need to; there's nothing wrong with taking a couple of seconds to gather yourself; it helps you push yourself harder, smarter, and without sacrificing your form.

Workout Structure
This is a 10 minute lower body strength training workout; the only equipment you need is an optional set of dumbbells - even if you have no equipment at all, this workout is still going to target the glutes, thighs and calves in dynamic angles and ways. There is no warm up or cool down in this workout video; make sure that you do both on your own. There are 10 different active intervals that use a structure of 45 seconds active, 15 seconds rest.

Printable Butt & Thigh Workout
Squat + Pulse
Side Lunge + Front Kick
Switch Sides
Long Lunges
Switch Sides
Curtsy + Side Leg Raise
Switch Sides
Deadlifts
Squat Hold
Jump Squats

These types of short strength workouts are my go-to on days when I want a quick sweat but don't have a lot of time, and I also love adding them onto a quick HIIT workout to get a bit of huffing and puffing from both high intensity interval training & strength. What did you guys think of this workout? Hope you enjoyed it; workout complete!