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If you’re looking for a blog post that barely scratches the surface when it comes to a calisthenics leg workout… Then you’re in the wrong place.
See when most people talk about this kind of thing. They’ll usually just say something simple like “Do More Squats and you’ll be fine.”
Not here, my friend.
Today I’m going to be taking you step-by-step through some of my very own extreme leg-burning workouts.
And by the time you’re done, you’ll be well on your way to having both the strength and endurance of a finely tuned athlete.
Anyway…
One of the reasons I first got into calisthenics was simply down to the fact that I don’t like barbell squats.
I don’t know why, but resting a heavy load on my shoulders and squatting for reps just doesn’t feel right to me.
And to be honest, my leg strength also sucks. Seriously, the most I’ve ever squatted in my life is around 200-pounds for 8 reps. And that was after six weeks of consistently squatting 2-3 times a week.
So with the combination of not liking squats and also being terrible at them. I was kinda forced to find a different approach to training my legs.
Now, I’ve always been a big fan of calisthenics. In fact, for months, my workouts solely consisted of pullups, dips, and a quick leg circuit that took less than 5 minutes.
I’d start my workout off with around 5-6 sets of pullups and dips (superset style). And end it with a quick calisthenics leg workout to get my heart rate up.
I sometimes threw pushups into the mix. But, to be honest, it was usually an afterthought to burn off any excess energy I had.
Now don’t get me wrong, that quick leg circuit made me feel like my legs were on fire. So I continued to do the same circuit nearly every day for a really long time.
But eventually, I realized that If I wanted to make progress and increase my strength. I’d have to start trying new things.
So here’s what I did…
I jumped onto Google search and began to teach myself various calisthenics progressions.
Most of the stuff I read was rehashed garbage. But eventually, I come across a calisthenics program that caught my eye.
Being a little desperate for information at the time. I reluctantly whipped out my wallet and brought the program.
And it was the best decision I ever made.
I won’t bore you with the details or give you some lame sales pitch about why it was so great.
But what I will say is this…
Investing in a reputable calisthenics program will save you weeks of time and frustration when it comes to getting the results you want.
Seriously, for under 50-bucks. You can get your hands on all the information you’ll ever need to progress with calisthenics for years.
Anyway… here’s then here’s a Link To The Program I Recommend so you can take a look for yourself.
WATCH VIDEO: How To QUICKLY Master The Planche, Muscle-Up, Human Flag, And Other Advanced Calisthenic Moves That Defy The Law Of Gravity
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Table of Contents
What Makes A Great Calisthenics Leg Workout?
When It comes to creating an awesome calisthenics leg workout, you need a different plan.
This is because you don’t have the advantage of machines or free weights. But to be honest, if you train your legs like I’m going to show you a little further in this post, you won’t even need to.
Now, I won’t lie. You’re not going to build the quads of Mr. Olympia using just calisthenics.
That would be like trying to lose weight on a diet of pizza and beer.
But if you want to build useful strength that will benefit you far more than heavy squatting. Then there are three specific things you need to focus on for optimal results.
These are…
- Variety
- Mobility
- And form
If you master all three of these vital elements in your calisthenics leg workout, then you can’t go far wrong.
Variety
What I talk about variety, all I’m really saying is that you need to train your legs in a way that targets the muscles from different angles.
In a traditional weight lifting routine, you can go beyond back squats and dumbbell lunges by taking advantage of machines.
Things like the leg press, thigh abductor, or hamstring curl machine, all target your leg muscles from every possible angle.
But with calisthenics, you don’t have this advantage, so you need to think outside the box.
Mobility
Because of the nature of more advanced exercises, you now need a great deal of mobility to execute specific moves.
See progressing to harder exercises like the pistol squat (which I’ll be showing your further down the page). Requires both ankle mobility, and hip flexor mobility.
I don’t want to discourage you. But your hip flexors play a massive part in progressing with your calisthenics leg workout.
So if you don’t have this in check, I’d recommend taking a look at How To Unlock Your Hip Flexors by Mike Westerdal.
It’ll get rid of any tightness or pain you have in this area. Making things like the pistol squat (among other exercises) easier on your joints..
Here’s the link if you’re interested…
How To Unlock Your Hip Flexors
Exercise Form
I once heard a quote saying, “Form isn’t everything, It’s the only thing.”
It’s something I can’t stress enough here. You need to have your form on point if you want to progress.
And when I say form, I’m talking specifically about things like…
- Controlling the tempo of the exercises
- Engaging the right muscles throughout the movement.
- And making sure things like your body alignment and posture are where they should be.
This should always be your main focus when doing any type of exercise.
Calisthenics Leg Workout Progressions
So below, I’ve included quite a lot of calisthenics leg progression to keep you busy.
It’s not an extensive list by any means. But it’ll show you enough of the basic and advanced progressions I personally use in my workouts.
There are also a few unknown exercises I’ve added to the mix that you can try at your leisure.
Bodyweight Squat
So first, you have the basic bodyweight squat.
Nothing too complicated about this one. To do it correctly, all you need to do is…
- Position your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes pointing slightly outward.
- Keeping your back straight, squat down until your thighs are just below parallel to the floor.
- Hold for a brief second, then squeeze your glutes while pushing yourself back to the starting position.
That’s one rep.
Jump Squat
This is similar to the squat. Only now, you want to explode upwards from the bottom of the squat position by jumping 6-8 inches from the ground.
As you land, make sure you keep your knees slightly bent to absorb the impact from the floor.
It also helps if you do this exercise on a soft surface like an exercise mat to lessen the impact on your joints
Lunge
Another reasonably basic exercise is the lunge.
To get it right, all you need to do is step forward between 2-3 feet with one leg (depending on your height) until your knee is directly over your toe. And your thigh is just below parallel to the floor.
Then it’s just a case of returning to the starting position and switching legs until you’re done.
Again nothing too technical about this one, but there are a few little things you should note to you want to do it right.
As you step forward, you need to distribute around 75% of your weight onto your front foot. While at the same time, maintaining a forward-leaning position.
This ensures that your hips are fully engaged throughout the entire movement. Placing less stress on the knees and other joints.
Alternating/Jumping Lunge
This is a step up from the lunge because now, you’ll be adding a jump while alternating your legs with every rep.
To perform an alternating lunge, step forward as you would for a regular lunge…
…Hold for a brief second
…And then explode up from your front foot while alternating your legs. So your back foot is now at the front and vice versa.
Land with your knees slightly bent to absorb the impact. And then continue into the next repetition until your front knee is directly over your toe. Your thigh should also be a little lower than parallel.
Rinse and repeat until you’ve completed your set amount of reps.
A few quick tips…
If you want more hamstring activation, try and go a little deeper into the lunge.
And if you find you’re always losing your balance. Practice balancing on one foot for a few minutes before and after your workout.
If that fails, then just hold onto something sturdy while you’re doing the exercises to make sure you don’t fall on your ass.
Narrow Squats
Basically, this is just a variation of the standard squat. Only now your feet are closer together.
I’ve added it to this list because it distributes your weight differently. Making it a great exercise for targeting the front of your quads.
Split Squats
This exercise is like the lunge. Only now, your rear foot is elevated on a higher surface. This provides more activation in your quads and glutes.
The reason this works so well is that it’s a unilateral exercise. Meaning you’re targeting each leg individually. This will help you build more strength and prevent muscle imbalances.
It also requires a little more stability, so it’s a great stepping stone to being able to progress to a pistol squat.
Assisted Pistol Squat
If you can do at least thirty regular squats, and ten splits squat with good form. Then you’re probably ready to attempt a pistol squat progression.
The assisted pistol squat is basically a regular pistol squat with added assistance.
Some people like to hold on to a pole or something similar for help. But personally, I prefer to put a chair behind me so I can practice the exercises correctly. Knowing that if I fail, I won’t end up falling on my ass.
As I’ve previously mentioned, the main problem with progressing with the pistol squat is hip mobility…
…And ankle mobility.
If your hips are tight, you won’t be capable of bending forward at the hips as you squat.
This is essential because if you don’t bend at the hips. You won’t be able to counterbalance your weight. This makes it impossible to keep your balance and hold your position at the bottom of the exercise.
Check out how to unlock your hip flexors to improve your hip mobility if this is an issue.
Now, if ankle mobility is a problem, then it’s very likely you’ll lift your heel as you squat.
This is specifically related to something called dorsiflexion, which is the ability to point your feet upwards.
The easy way to get around this is to put a weight plate or something an inch or two high underneath your heel to stop you falling off balance.
As your ankle mobility improves, place something thinner under your heel until you can do a pistol squat with your foot firmly on the floor.
Quick tip…
If you use a chair for assisted pistols. Try to get in the habit of lowering yourself slowly.
If you go to quick, you’ll be relying too much on the chair for help. Also, you won’t learn to control the movement with good form.
Pistol Squat
So last up in the list of progressions, we have the full pistol squat.
If you’ve practiced the assisted pistol enough, then you’re pretty much there.
The only problem now is that you don’t have the safety net of a chair to stop you from falling back.
So here what you need to do to execute a full pistol squat with perfect form.
Firstly, when you set up, your toes should either be facing forward, or pointing slightly outward. I prefer pointing my toes slightly out, but this is down to personal preference, so just do what feels right for you.
With your non-working foot slightly raised, begin to squat. As you do, bend forward at the hips to counterbalance your weight.
I find that holding my hands out in front of me or even keeping a 5-pound weight at arm’s length helps me maintain my balance as I descend deeper into the squat.
As you near the bottom, your body will naturally attempt to twist. So at this point, you need to fully engage your core to keep your body aligned.
Now to avoid injury, don’t be tempted to bounce as you hit the bottom of the squat. Many people do this because it gives them a little help when they start to push back up.
To be honest it does help. But it also puts extra stress on your knees, which can eventually cause pain if you keep doing it.
So instead, hold the bottom position for a brief second. Then attempt to push your foot into the floor while using the strength in your leg to push yourself back up.
Rinse and repeat.
Calisthenics Leg Workouts To Keep Your Busy
So now you’ve got a grasp of the progressions. I’m going to show you how to put them into practice to create a killer calisthenics leg workout.
The Finisher
Remember that quick leg finisher I talked about earlier.
Well, this is it.
All you’re going to do is perform 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds. (4 minutes total)
It’s a take on a widely known circuit called Tabata
Originally, it was a training protocol to test the physical capabilities of athletes.
But over the years, it’s been adapted to help regular fitness junkies like you and me get the most work done in as little time as possible.
So here’s the full circuit…
- 20-Seconds of Jump Squats
- 10-Seconds of rest
- 20-Seconds of Alternating Lunges
- 10 Seconds of rest
Repeat x4 times for a total of 4 minutes.
It’s stupidly simple, I know. But it’s a killer workout designed to get the most out of you in the quickest time.
The trick here though, is that you have to work hard…
…I mean, really hard.
If you’re not putting in maximum effort with every rep, you’re not going to feel the benefit.
And the great thing is, you can adapt this workout to suit your current fitness level.
So, for instance, you could do.
- Regular squats and lunges
- Split squats (alternating legs each round)
- Burpees (without the pushup)
I’m probably missing a few here. But my point is if you’re short on time and want to get things done. You can smash through a pretty decent calisthenics leg workout in under 5 minutes.
WATCH VIDEO: How To QUICKLY Master The Planche, Muscle-Up, Human Flag, And Other Advanced Calisthenic Moves That Defy The Law Of Gravity
(Video Will Open In A New Window)
Mini Leg Circuit
This is a little leg circuit I do on occasion to really beat the sh*t out of my legs.
Again it’s only basic, but it’s designed to suck every ounce of energy out of your legs while leaving you in a crumpled mess on the floor.
Here’s how it goes…
- 20 jump squats
- 20 regular squats
- 20 alternating lunges
- Wall sit until failure
- Rest 1-2 minutes
- Repeat x3
The idea here is that the wall sits at the end of each round leaves nothing left in the tank. So by the time sets two and three rolls around, you’re having to fight through every single rep to get to the dreaded wall sit at the end.
Strength Endurance Circuit
The last calisthenics leg workout focuses more on strength.
Now ideally, you should be able to do at least an assisted pistol squat on each leg for at least 6-8 reps on your first set.
So here’s how it goes…
…Perform pistol squats (or assisted pistol squats) on one leg until you hit near failure.
…Switch to the other leg and perform the same number of repetitions.
…Once you’re done, immediately switch back to the other leg and do another set until you’ve completed 3 sets on each leg.
…After that, do exactly the same only with split squats.
So the whole thing looks like this…
- Pistol Squats x3 on each leg (no rest)
- Split Squats x3 on each leg (no rest)
The reason this routine works so well is because one leg is always resting while the other works. This lets you get more done in less time while frying your legs into oblivion.
More Calisthenics Leg Workouts
I hope everything I’ve talked about has given you a little insight into what’s possible when structuring your workouts this way.
To be honest, these are just the basics.
If you want a calisthenics workout that goes beyond what I’ve covered here. I’d recommend taking a look at the Bar Brothers 12-Week Transformation Program.
It will get you up to speed with both basic and advanced calisthenics progressions. And goes into far more detail then I can provide in a single blog post.
To sweeten the deal, I’ll also throw in my own collection of digital training guides worth over $100 if you buy the program through any of the links on my website.
This includes…
…HIIT to Fit
…Functional Strength
…And Kettlebell Transformation
Here’s what each one looks like…
If you want them, just send me proof (screenshot or receipt) that you brought the Bar Brothers Program via the contact form on my website…
…Or by emailing me directly at Dan@Un-Ripped.Com
And I’ll send you ALL three training guides straight to your email address ASAP as a sincere thank you for buying the program.
Anyway…
That about wraps things up for today.
If you have a calisthenics leg workout you’d like to share or just want to say hello. Feel free to drop a comment in the box below…