Your house is the gym: what to use
With no weights, the load comes from leverage and from putting your whole bodyweight on one leg. A few things you already own make that possible:
| Item | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Sturdy chair or sofa edge | Box squats, Bulgarian split squats (back foot up), hip thrusts with your shoulders on the edge | Push the chair against a wall so it cannot slide |
| Bottom stair | Step-ups, single-leg calf raises with the heel hanging off | Hold the rail on calf raises |
| Sofa or heavy bed | Anchor for your heels on Nordic hamstring curls | Put a cushion under your knees |
| Towel or socks on a smooth floor | Sliding leg curls for the hamstrings | Not on carpet, it will not slide |
| Backpack with books or water bottles | Extra load once bodyweight is easy | Pack it tight so it does not swing |
| Wall | Wall sits, balance support on single leg moves | Keep the knees over the feet |
A filled backpack is the closest thing to a dumbbell at home. If you do own dumbbells, the dumbbell leg workout is built for that setup.
Leg exercises you can do at home
Bodyweight squatQuads and glutes
Box squat to benchQuads and glutesGuide
Split squatQuads and glutes
Reverse lungeQuads and glutes
Dumbbell step-upQuads and glutesGuide
Wall sitQuads
Glute bridgeGlutesGuide
Single-leg glute bridgeGlutes
Nordic hamstring curlHamstringsGuide
Single-leg calf raiseCalvesThe home leg workout
| Exercise | Sets x reps | Rest | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgarian split squat, back foot on a chair | 3 x 8 to 15 per leg | 60 s between legs | Hardest quad and glute move without weights |
| Bodyweight squat, 3 seconds down | 3 x 15 to 25 | 60 s | Both legs, full depth, deep knee bend |
| Single-leg glute bridge | 3 x 10 to 15 per leg | 45 s | Glutes and hip extension |
| Nordic hamstring curl, heels under the sofa | 3 x 3 to 8 | 90 s | Knee flexion for the hamstrings, the usual gap at home |
| Step-up on the bottom stair or a chair | 2 x 12 to 15 per leg | 45 s | Quads, balance, a bit of conditioning |
| Single-leg calf raise on a stair | 3 x 12 to 20 per leg | 30 s | Calves through a full stretch |
The Bulgarian split squat goes first because it is the move that gets closest to a loaded squat: one leg carries most of your bodyweight. Slow two-leg squats then finish the quads while they are already tired. The bridge trains the glutes without stressing the knees, and the Nordic hamstring curl covers what squats and lunges miss, the hamstrings bending the knee. Lower yourself as slowly as you can and catch yourself with your hands; most people can only control part of the way down at first.
Calves come last. A calf raise on a stair lets the heel drop below the toes, which is where most of the work happens. Pause one second at the top and one at the bottom.
The difficulty ladder: progress without weights
At home you cannot add 2.5 kg (5 lb) to the bar, so you climb a ladder of harder versions instead. Stay on a rung until you can do the top of the rep range in every set with clean form, then move up one rung and drop back to the bottom of the range.
| Pattern | Rung 1 | Rung 2 | Rung 3 | Rung 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | Box squat to a chair | Bodyweight squat | Squat with a 3 to 5 second lowering and pause | Backpack squat or assisted pistol to a chair |
| Single leg | Split squat | Reverse lunge | Bulgarian split squat | Bulgarian split squat with a backpack or front foot raised |
| Hip extension | Glute bridge | Single-leg glute bridge | Shoulders-elevated single-leg bridge on the sofa | Same, with a 3 second hold at the top |
| Hamstrings (knee) | Sliding leg curl, both legs | Sliding leg curl, lowering on one leg | Nordic curl, partial range | Nordic curl, full range under control |
| Calves | Two-leg calf raise on a stair | Single-leg calf raise | Single-leg, 2 second pause at the bottom | Single-leg holding a backpack |
This is the same principle as progressive overload in the gym: the muscle has to do a little more over time. Reps, slower tempo, pauses and harder variations all count, as long as the set still ends close to failure. A set of 40 easy squats builds endurance more than muscle, so move up the ladder before you pass about 30 reps.
Beginner and advanced home leg workouts
Beginner: 20 minutes, twice a week
| Exercise | Sets x reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Box squat to a chair | 3 x 10 to 15 | 60 s |
| Split squat, hand on a wall | 2 x 8 to 12 per leg | 60 s |
| Glute bridge | 3 x 12 to 15 | 45 s |
| Wall sit | 2 x 20 to 40 s | 60 s |
| Two-leg calf raise on a stair | 2 x 15 to 20 | 30 s |
Touch the chair lightly on every box squat, do not sit down and rest. When 15 reps feel easy, take the chair away. A glute bridge is a safe place to learn to squeeze the glutes before you try single-leg versions.
Advanced: two harder days
| Day | Exercise | Sets x reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Bulgarian split squat with a loaded backpack | 4 x 8 to 12 per leg | 90 s |
| Day 1 | Assisted pistol squat to a chair | 3 x 5 to 8 per leg | 90 s |
| Day 1 | Step-up on a chair, 3 seconds down | 3 x 10 per leg | 60 s |
| Day 1 | Single-leg calf raise with a backpack | 4 x 10 to 15 per leg | 30 s |
| Day 2 | Nordic hamstring curl | 4 x 4 to 8 | 2 min |
| Day 2 | Shoulders-elevated single-leg bridge | 3 x 10 to 15 per leg | 60 s |
| Day 2 | Reverse lunge, 2 second pause at the bottom | 3 x 10 to 12 per leg | 60 s |
| Day 2 | Wall sit, single leg lifted | 3 x 20 to 30 s per leg | 60 s |
Nordic curls make the hamstrings very sore the first few times. Start with 2 sets and add one a week. If you train the upper body at home too, pair this with a chest workout at home and a back workout at home, or follow a full home workout plan.
How hard should a bodyweight leg workout feel?
Harder than most people expect. Legs are used to carrying you all day, so 10 easy squats do very little. Each working set should end with one or two reps left that you could just about do. Your legs should burn, your breathing should be up, and the last reps should slow down.
- Too easy: you could do 10 more reps at the end of the set. Move up a rung on the ladder.
- About right: the final 2 to 3 reps are a fight but form holds.
- Too hard: your knee caves in, your heel lifts, or you need to bounce. Go back a rung.
- Knee or hip pain (not muscle burn) is a reason to shorten the range or swap the exercise. If it stays, see a physiotherapist.
Gripp tracks reps when there is no weight to add
Gripp is coming to iPhone. Log your split squats per leg and Gripp tells you what to aim for next time: last session 11 reps, today go for 12. When every set hits the top of the range it is time to move up a rung. Your plan can be 2 home leg days plus a run, and the in-app coach can suggest a swap when your knee complains, which you approve or skip.
Join the waitlist