Bowflex Ultimate 2 + dumbbells + kettlebells · 30–35 min sessions · 2x/week · Companion to the Upper Body program — Aug 6, 2026
Slots into the two days that were previously off, so nothing about your existing Push/Pull schedule changes.
This brings you to 6 lifting days/week with Sunday fully off. That's a real load on top of daily sauna, intermittent fasting, and the 2x/week VO2max intervals already running — watch resting HR/HRV the first 2 weeks. If mornings start feeling flat or recovery lags, drop to 1x/week legs (Wed only) before cutting anything else; legs are the most systemically taxing session of the week, so they're the first lever to pull back, not the upper days.
| Warm-up move | Dose |
|---|---|
| Bodyweight squats (slow, full depth you can control) | 10 reps |
| Leg swings (front-to-back, then side-to-side), holding a wall for balance | 10 each direction, each leg |
| Glute bridges (lie on back, feet flat, push hips up) | 12 reps |
| Bodyweight Romanian deadlift hinge (no weight, just the hip-hinge pattern) | 10 reps, slow |
Cold hips and hamstrings are the most common way beginners tweak something on squat/hinge days. Don't skip this even if you're short on time — shave time from rest periods instead.
~33 min total (incl. core finisher) · rest 60–90 sec between sets (a bit longer than upper body — these lifts ask more of you)
| Exercise | Equipment | Sets × Reps | How-to video |
|---|---|---|---|
Bowflex Squat Set up the squat attachment, bar across your upper back, feet shoulder-width, sit your hips back and down until thighs are roughly parallel to the floor, drive back up through your heels. Your main leg exercise. |
Bowflex | 3 × 10–12 | Bowflex How-To → |
Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift (RDL) Hold the kettlebell with both hands in front of your thighs, soft knees, push your hips straight back while lowering the weight down your legs (it should graze your shins), stop around mid-shin, drive your hips forward to stand. Your main hamstring/glute exercise. |
Kettlebell | 3 × 10–12 | Watch → |
Bowflex Leg Extension Sit at the leg attachment, shins behind the pad, extend your legs straight out until knees are almost locked, lower slowly. Isolates the quads. |
Bowflex | 3 × 12–15 | Watch → |
Bowflex Leg Curl Same attachment, flipped position — lying or seated depending on your setup, curl your heels toward your glutes against the pad, control it back out. Isolates the hamstrings. |
Bowflex | 3 × 12–15 | Watch → |
Dumbbell Walking Lunges One dumbbell in each hand, step forward into a lunge until your back knee nearly touches the floor, push through your front heel to bring your back foot forward into the next step. Builds single-leg strength and balance. |
Dumbbells | 2 × 10 each leg | Watch → |
Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise Dumbbell in each hand, stand on flat ground or the edge of a step, rise up onto your toes as high as you can, lower slowly until you feel a stretch in your calves. |
Dumbbells | 2–3 × 15–20 | Watch → |
| Core finisher · ~5 min | |||
Bird Dog On hands and knees, extend one arm straight forward and the opposite leg straight back at the same time, keeping your hips and shoulders level (don't let your back arch or twist), hold briefly, return, switch sides. |
Bodyweight | 2 × 8 each side | NASM Tutorial → |
Kettlebell Farmer's Carry One kettlebell in each hand, stand tall, shoulders back and down, walk slowly for the steps below with your core braced — don't let your shoulders hunch or your torso lean side to side. |
Kettlebells | 2 × 20–30 steps | Watch → |
Legs are stronger than arms/shoulders, so you'll likely move more weight than upper body intuition suggests — but start conservative on the squat and RDL for the first 1–2 sessions while you learn the movement pattern. It's much easier to add weight next week than to walk back bad form.
Hit the top of the rep range on all sets, with good form, two sessions in a row → add a Power Rod or move up a dumbbell/kettlebell size. Missing reps → stay at that weight.
On the squat and lunges, go as deep as you can control without your lower back rounding or your heels lifting. A controlled half-depth rep beats a sloppy full-depth one while you're learning.