At 44, mum-of-five Frida Redknapp is the ultimate champion of functional weight training. She regularly shares short, effective sessions, proving that staying strong and energised doesn’t require hours of your time. Nor do they require much equipment – she rarely uses more than a set of free weights, as in the session below.
It’s designed to sculpt and strengthen your glutes, quads and hamstrings, and consists of just six targeted movements – all without overly complicated gym machines, relying entirely on the functional versatility of one medium weight kettlebell, a pair of lighter kettlebells and a standard flat bench.
‘I do use weights. I think it’s important to use weights,’ she explains. ‘But if you’re just getting started, just use your body weight or really light weights.’
As for how often to lift, Frida says she does two weight sessions per week (‘have to keep the bones strong’). She also does ‘two Lagree classes a week (obsessed), two cardio sessions (usually boxing), and a proper rest day’. ‘Finding what works for you is everything. How we move is so personal. Whether it’s a full gym session or a short workout at home, it all counts when you keep showing up to yourself,’ she adds.
So, whether you’re looking to level up your lower-body strength or simply want a streamlined, high-intensity routine that maximises every minute of leg day, these six moves are guaranteed to offer results. Here’s how to do them properly.
Frida Redknapp’s 6-move lower-body workout1.Lateral squats
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Step wide to one side, holding a kettlebell in a goblet position. Sit your hips back into a squat, then push through your heel to return to centre. Continue for all reps on the same side, then switch sides.
2. Lunge + curtsy lunge
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Holding a kettlebell in each hand by your sides, step back into a reverse lunge, then sweep the same leg diagonally behind you into a curtsy lunge. Return to reverse lunge and move straight into curtsy lunge, without standing up until all reps are complete.
3. Single-leg hip thrust
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Rest your upper back on a bench, lift one foot off the floor and drive through the planted heel to raise your hips. Lower with control and continue for all reps, then switch sides.
4. Squat
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Holding a kettlebell in a goblet position, stand with feet hip- to shoulder-width apart, lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then drive back up through your heels.
5. Single-leg deadlift + knee lift
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Holding one kettlebell in one hand by your side, hinge at the hips while extending the leg opposite to the hand holding the weight behind you, then return to standing and drive that knee up towards your chest.
6. Bench bunny hops
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Place both hands on a bench and hop your feet side to side over an imaginary line, keeping your core braced and landing softly.
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As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!
Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.
She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.