10 Best Bodyweight Leg Exercises for Zero Kit Muscle
We can't deny we're firm fans of moving a set of heavy dumbbells around and getting under the barbell. However, building lower body muscle at home with no kit is entirely possible when you're including the right moves with enough intensity. By including our best bodyweight leg exercises with clever programming, you'll be building a set of quads to give the squat rack regulars a run for their money.
Can You Build Legs with Bodyweight?
Yes, you can build leg muscle without weights. In fact, research has shown that a training program using only bodyweight was substantially effective in improving lower body muscle force and power. So, while additional weights add resistance and increase the potential for more muscle mass than bodyweight, you can definitely increase muscle size with bodyweight alone. The key is to increase the demand on the muscles, pushing them closer to failure, by using the right bodyweight moves and challenging yourself with enough reps.
10 Best Bodyweight Leg Exercises
In order to get the most out of your home (hotel, or park) workouts, here are the most effective moves to gain lower body mass.
1/ Bulgarian split squats
How:
Stand a few feet in front of a bench, facing away. Have one leg resting on the bench behind you, laces down, with your feet in line with your hips. Sink your body down until the knee of your back leg almost touches the floor. The front knee should be at a right angle. Push up through your front foot to return to the start position.
Why:
Love them or hate them, Bulgarian split squats are one of the most efficient bodyweight leg exercises to build your quads, hamstring and glutes. You can adjust your foot position either further away from the bench to target your glutes or a closer to target your quads. For a massive lower body burn without weights, keep the reps high and speedy without compromising range of movement.
2/ Pistol squats
How:
Stand with your feet under your hips and lift one leg off the floor with a flexed foot. Squat down with your weight in the supporting leg, shifting your torso to counterbalance. Try to keep your heel firmly planted into the floor as you lower as far as possible. Drive through the supporting leg and push back up to the start positionl, then switch legs and repeat.
Why:
An advanced but hard hitting exercise, the pistol squat was a near miss from taking the number one position in our best bodyweight leg exercises list. It will hit your quads, glutes and hamstrings while testing your hip and ankle mobility. Working your lower body unilaterally (single limb) you'll be transferring as much weight as possible onto the supporting leg, making the need for weights non existent in your pursuit for lower body muscle.
3/ Single leg hip thrusts
How:
Start with your upper back supported on a bench and both feet planted on the floor. For the correct set up, when raising your hips, your knees, hips and shoulders should be in line and your heels should be under your knees. Your chin should also be tucked. Begin the rep with one leg lifted, push through the supporting leg so that your hips extend before slowly reversing the movement so your hips sink close to the floor, ready to repeat.
Why:
If you're looking for a challenging bodyweight leg exercise to work your glutes, look no further. The single leg hip thrust is not to be underestimated with little need for free weights. It will support your running efforts, enhance athletic performance and develop a strong set of glutes to be proud of.
4/ Bodyweight leg extension
How:
Begin kneeling with your core engaged and your arms across you chest. Keeping your body in a straight line from your knees to the top of your head, slowly lean back until you can feel your quads working hard to keep you upright. Don't break at the hips. Squeeze the quads to return to the upright position ready to repeat.
Why:
No machines, no problem — the bodyweight leg extension or 'poor man's leg extension' will max out your quads and build serious lower body muscle. Depending on your quad and knee strength, you may find this exercise fairly advanced. To adjust the difficulty, only lower yourself as far as your range of motion allows.
5/ Heels raised squat
How:
Raise your heels up on a weight plate or block, keeping your feet within six inches of each other, heels close together. Squat down until your thighs pass parallel to the ground, stand up explosively, stopping just short of locking your legs out to keep the tension on the quads. Repeat.
Why:
By placing a block or plate under your heels, you'll be forcing your quads to work harder than in traditional squats. Narrow your stance and you'll work them harder for a quad pump to reckoned with.
6/ Paused squats
How:
Sink your hips back and descend into a squat. Your elbows should come in between your knees at the bottom, pause here for 3 seconds. Drive back up explosively, tensing your glutes at the top. Repeat.
Why:
Up the intensity of your air squats by hanging out at the bottom for an isometric hold of 3 seconds. A simple way of adjusting the tempo of your squats to increase difficulty, improve mobility and strength.
7/ Walking lunges
How:
Stand tall, holding them with straight arms by your sides. Keeping your chest lifted, take a long step forward with one leg, bending your front knee until the back knee almost touches the ground. Push through the front heel so that you travel forward, the back leg can continue stepping forward straight into the next rep.
Why:
Walking lunges will work your balance and co-ordination while pushing your cardio. Completed with high reps, you'll be fatiguing every muscle in your lower body to add mass to your pins.
8/ Jump lunges
How:
Step one foot backward and sink into a deep lunge, with your rear knee lightly touching the floor. Explode upward, switching legs mid-air to land in a lunge position with the opposite leg forward. Repeat the movement, alternating legs each rep.
Why:
We get it, you're sick of jumping round your living room to HIIT workouts on YouTube, but bear with us. Jump lunges are a plyometric exercise that works your fast twitch muscle fibres — which happen to be larger than slow twitch muscles. Get as much air time as possible on these and you'll be on the fast track to big wheels in no time.
9/ Box jump
How:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart in front of your box. Explosively jump on top, landing with both feet as softly as possible, bending your knees slightly to absorb the impact. Once at the top, stand up fully by extending your knees and hips. Step backward off the box, one foot at a time and repeat.
Why:
A popular CrossFit move, the box jump is another plyometric move worth taking up space in your toolbox. Avoid falling into the common trap of programming them with high reps, instead keep the reps low and make the move as explosive and high as possible. Ample recovery is key to maximise on lower body power.
10/ Step-ups
How:
Stand in front of a box, with your feet hip-width apart. Step one foot up on top and drive your foot into the box. Lean forward slightly to keep your balance, but keep your torso upright. Once at the top, stand up fully by extending your knees and hips. Slowly step backward off the box and repeat with the opposite leg.
Why:
Another unilateral bodyweight leg exercise, you'll be building single leg strength and growing your quads, glutes and hamstrings. Focus on slow execution, resist gravity under control on the descent to maximise the exercise's full potential.
Bodyweight Leg Workout
Bulgarian split squats
12-15 reps each side and 4 sets
Stand a few feet in front of a bench, facing away. Have one leg resting on the bench behind you, laces down, with your feet in line with your hips. Sink your body down until the knee of your back leg almost touches the floor. Push up through your front foot to return to the start position.
Heel raised squats
Pyramid sets: 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 reps
Raise your heels up on a weight plate or block, keeping your feet within six inches of each other, heels close together. Squat down until your thighs pass parallel to the ground, stand up explosively, stopping just short of locking your legs out to keep the tension on the quads. Repeat.
Single leg hip thrusts
12-15 reps each side and 4 sets
Start with your upper back supported on a bench and both feet planted on the floor. For the correct set up, when raising your hips, your knees, hips and shoulders should be in line and your heels should be under your knees. Your chin should also be tucked. Begin the rep with one leg lifted, push through the supporting leg so that your hips extend before slowly reversing the movement so your hips sink close to the floor, ready to repeat.
Jump lunges
20 reps EMOM for 5 minutes
Step one foot backward and sink into a deep lunge with your rear knee lightly touching the floor. Explode upward, switching legs mid-air to land in a lunge position with the opposite leg forward. Repeat the movement, alternating legs each rep.
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