This HIIT Leg Workout Will Hammer Your Quads In Less Than 5 Minutes

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If you’re looking for a HIIT leg workout that will smash your legs to pieces, then look no further. 

Because today, I’m bringing the thunder and delivering a few of my very own tried and tested leg workouts that are going to completely fry your legs in under 5 minutes.

Now, I’ve always hated leg day. I don’t know why but the idea of spending up to an hour training nothing but my legs has never really been my idea of fun.

And I don’t think I’m alone when I say this either.

Having said that, I still understand how important leg training is. So I’m always on the lookout for new and improved ways to get the most out of my leg workout so I can ultimately avoid spending hours on the squat rack or leg press machine.

Anyway…

Until a few years ago, my leg workout consisted of nothing more than a few sets of bodyweight squats at the end of my workout and calling it a day.

And while this is obviously better than nothing, it still wasn’t getting me the results I wanted.

Enter the benefits of adding a quick HIIT…

The Benefits Of A Quality HIIT Leg Workout

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with the concept of hiit. It’s basically a balls the wall type of approach to working out where you go all out a maximum intensity followed by short rest periods.

This is beneficial for a number of reasons…

Firstly, it saves a ton of time. And because of this, it’s more than capable of tearing your legs to shreds in a very short space of time.

A side effect of this is that you also have to work a lot harder. This, in turn, skyrockets your heart rate and brings about the awesome fat-burning effect that most people strive for whenever they hit the gym.

Another benefit (stick with me here; I’m almost done) is that it often involves training to muscle failure multiple times during the short, intense work intervals.

And this is great for tapping into your fast-twitch type 2 muscle fibres responsible for building muscle.

I’m not just talking muscular endurance here either.

In fact, when practiced consistently, you’d be surprised at how much relative and explosive strength you can actually build when you follow some of the basic leg workouts I’m going to be revealing a little later.

A HIIT Leg Workout That Ticks All The Boxes

Now, if you want to cut through all the fluff and filler and get your hands on a huge library of HIIT workouts that will smash your legs, core, and upper body to pieces…

…Then I highly recommend checking out Workout Finishers 2.0 by Mike Whitfield.

I’ve been a huge fan of Mike’s training concepts for a while because he’s developed (what I feel) are some of the most metabolic boosting HIIT workouts known to man.

Better still, they’re designed specifically to build muscle while torching a huge ton of fat in as little as 3 minutes.

Here’s the link to take a look…

My Very Own Tried & Tested Workouts To Fry Your Legs

So now for the good stuff, below are some of my very own tried and tested HIIT leg workouts to get you in shape in record time.

Each one takes less than 5 minutes, and by the time you’re done, you’ll barely be able to stand up, let alone walk.

Anyway, here they are for your unenjoyment…

Jump Squats & Alternating Lunges (Tabata Style)

So first up on my list of ridiculously hard HIIT workouts is a simple yet highly effective Tabata workout I used to perform religiously back when I used to box.

As the name suggests, it involves both jump squats and alternating lunges (jumping lunges) using the Tabata protocol or 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds.

The whole thing looks like this…

• Jump Squats (20 seconds)
• Rest (10 seconds)
• Alternating lunges (20 seconds)
• Rest (10 seconds)

Repeat x4 for a total of 8 rounds (4 minutes total)

Now, even though both of these exercises work the same muscle groups (quads, hamstrings, and glutes). Squats place slightly more focus on the quads, while alternating lunges place a lot more emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings.

I’ve personally found that by alternating between the two exercises each round that you’ll find it a lot easier to keep the momentum going while still getting a kick-ass workout in.

Quick Note: If you’re not quite capable of maintaining each exercise for all 8 rounds. I’d recommend regressing the workout to regular squats and lunges and work your way up from there.

If you wanted, you could even start by performing jump squats and alternating lunges and then scale back the exercise halfway through.

This way, you’ll still reap the benefits of gaining explosive strength while keeping the momentum going for the entire 4 minutes.

HIIT Split Squats

This is another Tabata workout that focuses on split squats.

Now, just for clarification, split squats are performed with your back leg raised on an elevated surface as opposed to lunges where both of your feet are still firmly on the ground.

What this does is place a lot more of your body weight on the front (working) leg.

If you’ve never performed traditional split squats before, then let me tell you that you’re in for a hell of a surprise. Because you’ll quickly notice how much more it activates both the glutes and hamstrings when executed correctly.

And when you combine this with Tabata, you’ll be guaranteed a killer leg session that takes no prisoners.

Anyway, here’s what it looks like…

• Split Squat – Right Leg Forward (20 seconds)
• Rest (10 seconds)
• Split Squat – Left Leg Forward (20 seconds)
• Rest (10 seconds)

Repeat x4 for a total of 8 rounds (4 minutes total)

The reason this workout is so effective is that it targets different parts of the legs that you wouldn’t typically hit with regular squats.

As I’ve already mentioned, it’s great for hitting the glutes and hamstrings. But it’s equally as good at targeting the front and side of the quads when you perform them with your feet a little closer together.

Not only that, but it’ll also quickly iron out any muscle imbalances you have between each leg. So if you find that one of your legs tends to be more dominant than the other, then I’d highly recommend giving this workout a try.

Taking Your HIIT Workout To The Next Level

Now, I’m not the fittest guy in the world but let me tell you that when performed with maximum effort, the above workouts will take a very long time to outgrow.

However, I understand that everyone’s different so if you find that you’re an exception to the rule and you want to up the intensity on your HIIT leg workout, then here’s a few things you can do…

#1 – Add More Rounds

The first option is to simply add more rounds. You’ll find that adding in that extra minute or two to the end of these already super-fast workouts will tap into that last little bit of energy reserve you have left.

#2 – Reduce Rest Periods

Another option would be to have a play around with the work/rest ratios of each workout. 

For instance, you could reduce the rest periods or even eliminate them altogether. I’m not saying that it’ll be easy, but it’ll get push you to your limit and beyond.

#3 – Add A Weighted Vest

You’d be surprised at how much more challenging you can make an exercise by adding a little additional weight.

I wouldn’t recommend going to the extreme with this option (5-10 pounds should extra be enough, to begin with), but if you’ve got a weighted vest on hand and you’re feeling up to it, then why the hell not.

#4 – Work Harder

Never underestimate the importance of hard work. Sometimes (even when you think you’re working hard), there’s still that little bit more in you that you haven’t tapped into yet. 

This could be getting more reps in each round or even focusing on improving your exercise form. But either way, it might just be that you need an imaginary kick up the ass to get you working to your full potential.

#5 – Invest In More Training

Last up (and certainly not least), invest in a workout program that’s guaranteed to deliver.

I’m not talking about hiring a personal training or anything like that. But you’d be surprised at how the right set of exercises… 

…Performed in the right order 

…For the right amount of time 

…Can have a massive impact on your overall workout.

Don’t believe me?

Then go ahead and check out Workout Finishers 2.0 by Mike Whitfield.

In Mike’s book, you’ll get 51 insanely difficult workouts designed to push your body to its physical peak. While building muscle and torching a sh*t ton of fat in the process.

Better still, it’s relatively cheap, and for less than the price of greasy takeout, you could have this unique training guild in your hands in less than 5 minutes.

Anyway, here’s the link again to take a look…

Wrapping Things Up

Now before I wrap things up, I just want to quickly point out that there are literally hundreds of HIIT leg workouts you can start to impliment if your willing to think outside the box.

To be honest, some of my best workouts (including the ones above) came about by trying out different leg exercises and mixing in various rep schemes and intervals.

It takes a little testing and tweaking to find something that works, but if you’re willing to put the time and effort in, there aren’t really any limits on how far you can take your training.

Hopefully, this has given you a little bit of inspiration to go out and smash your next HIIT workout with full force and intensity.

Just remember that nothing comes easy, and if you can still walk after performing any of the above, then you need to up your game and hit it harder next time around.

Anyway, that about wraps things up for today’s post, but if you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop them in the comments section below…