Killer Legs! The No-Excuse Bodyweight Leg Blast

You don’t always need a weight room to get a killer workout. Maybe you can’t find the time to hit the gym after a long day at the office. Maybe you are traveling for work. Or maybe you just want to add a little variety to your mundane program. Whatever your situation may be, I have a brutal leg workout that requires only 15 yards of space and 20 minutes of your time.

You can do this workout in a parking lot, at the local park or even in the hallway of a hotel. Not having a gym is no longer an excuse to not workout! You may be thinking, “how hard could a bodyweight-only leg workout be?!” But I assure you, this workout will test not only your body but your mental toughness as well.

You don’t always need a weight room to get a killer workout. Maybe you can’t find the time to hit the gym after a long day at the office. Maybe you are traveling for work. Or maybe you just want to add a little variety to your mundane program. Whatever your situation may be, I have a brutal leg workout that requires only 15 yards of space and 20 minutes of your time.

You can do this workout in a parking lot, at the local park or even in the hallway of a hotel. Not having a gym is no longer an excuse to not workout! You may be thinking, “how hard could a bodyweight-only leg workout be?!” But I assure you, this workout will test not only your body but your mental toughness as well.

This workout got its name, “the Swedish leg workout,” because it was brought over by a group of Swedish Olympic field athletes. They were here during the winter months for a training camp in preparation for the Olympic Games. They would use this workout once a week to strengthen their lower bodies. Hey, if it’s good enough for Olympians… it’s good enough for you.

The Workout

This workout consists of 12 different exercises done one after the other with no rest in between exercises. If you have to rest, take 15-20 seconds in between each exercise.

Mountaineers – Get in a bear crawl position with your weight on your palms. Move your legs in a running motion, alternating feet. Do this for 30 sec.

Jumping Jacks – Standard jumping jack. Do 60 reps.

Lateral Lunges – Begin with feet shoulder width apart. Step laterally with your right foot about 18” and squat down towards you right side, reverse the motion and return to a shoulder width stance. Then do the same with the left side. Go as low as you can, as you get stronger you will be able to get lower. Do 10 reps on each side for a total of 20.

Squats (hands above head) – Simply squat down and back up with your hands above your head. Do 10 reps.

Walking Lunge – Try to stay upright and get your back knee as close to touching the ground as possible. Do this for 15 yards.

Duck Walks – Get in a full squat position and walk while maintaining a full squat position. Do this for 15 yards.

Lunge, Squat, Lunge – Do a walking lunge with your right leg, bring feet back together, do a full squat, and then lunge forward with your left leg, bring your feet together and do a full squat. Do this for 15 yards.

Lunge Jumps – Start in a lunge with your right leg forward, jump and scissor your legs so that you end up in a lunge with your left leg forward. Do this for 20 jumps total.

Vertical Squat Jumps – Squat down to a full squat position and explode up as high as possible, land again in a full squat and repeat. Do 15 jumps.

Superstars – These are the same as the mountaineers except you move both feet simultaneously (rather than alternating). Do this for 30 seconds.

Calf Raises – These are just simple calf raises. You can do these on a flat surface, you don’t need to elevate your toes. Do 50 reps.

Wall Sit – Get your back flat against a wall with the top of your thighs parallel to the ground. Hold this position for 1 min.

At first glance this may seem like an easy workout. Trust me, it is not! It will push your body and mind. As you get in better shape you can increase the reps or go through the workout twice in a row.

You can use this as a standalone lower body workout once or twice a week or you can use it as a change-up during a scheduled deload week. I have used it both ways with success.

The beauty of this routine is its simplicity. You don’t need equipment, you don’t need a lot of time, and you don’t need much space to complete it. Now that I took away all your excuses… give it a try!