This four-move leg workout is how I like to make cobwebs go away on stale leg day routines. And you only need 16 minutes and minimal equipment to hit major lower body muscles without aggravating the causes of knee pain.
We know spot workouts can burn your lower body, get your heart rate up, burn calories, and challenge your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core muscles. But sculpting a strong, defined lower body is more of a work in progress than an overnight success.
You will need to train regularly to see marked improvements in strength, power, muscle mass, and to notice leaner, sculpted limbs.
But the good news is that you only need these four exercises and a merciless exercise format to achieve the next level of daytime tremors. This is exactly what I designed. The best part? No lunges or jumps. Let’s save it for the knees, okay?
Grab one of the best yoga mats and read on.
Lower body EMOM in four movements of 16 minutes
The beauty of this short, effective leg workout is that all the focus is on those large, powerful muscles that drive the movement – your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core muscles. This means you can strengthen the muscles around your knees, which could help combat annoying knee pain without making it worse with lunges or jumps.
Use whatever weights you like, but I recommend a medium-heavy kettlebell or one of the best adjustable dumbbells and a heavy medicine ball. Each movement is functional (you can read more about functional training and why we love it here) and includes four compound exercises that target and strengthen multiple muscles and joints in one movement.
For the first exercise, I added more intensity by increasing the range of motion. The technique helps muscles adapt and grow without more load or equipment, and it’s one of the 5 smart ways to build muscle without lifting heavier because you can contract more muscle fibers more a long time.
EMOM16
Minute 1: 8-12 reps / Deficit Weighted Squat
Minute 2: 15 repetitions / Wall ball cleans up
Minute 3: 50 seconds / mountaineers
Minute 4: 20 repetitions / Weighted Frog Squat
Complete the set number of reps in the first minute, then rest until the start of the next minute, and so on, for four rounds.
In the third minute, work for 50 seconds and rest for 10 seconds. You should always have 10 seconds to spare before starting the next exercise, but adjust the reps and weights to your ability.
1. Deficit Weighted Squat
This exercise works your lower body through a greater range of motion by elevating your feet to create a deficit on a box, stack of plates, or benches. The wider stance also emphasizes your outer glutes – the gluteus medius. Check out the clues in the video and remember to adopt a sumo squat position with your toes pointed. Learn how to pull off the move by checking out when I did 50 sumo squats every day for a week – here’s what happened.
How:
- Stand with feet elevated in a sumo squat position
- Hold a weight in both hands in front of you
- Lower yourself into a squat and touch the weight to the floor
- Climb up to stand.
2. Wall ball cleans
Cleanses engage multiple muscle groups across the body, including your core, but if you don’t have a ball to hold, we cover clean kettlebell variations in the 5 Best Kettlebell Exercises for Beginners. Wall ball cleans help you build grip and forearm strength and are a much easier variation to master. For extra pushing power, try wall balls (I did 50 wall balls every day for a week, and here’s how to master them). Move quickly to hit 15 reps and increase your heart rate.
How:
- Start with your ball on the ground in front of you
- Lower yourself into a squat to pick up the ball
- Raise the ball up
- Catch in low squat position, ball against chest
- Climb up to stand.
3. Mountaineers
You can learn to do mountain climbers here. If you struggle with hip flexibility, I recommend practicing Cossack squats to help open your hips and build hip flexibility and lower back strength. The exercise will increase your heart rate and add an element of cardio, hip flexor activation, and speed.
How:
- Start in a plank position
- Bring your right knee towards your right elbow
- When replacing your right leg, bring your left knee towards your left elbow
- Repeat.
4. Frog squats
Frog squats require you to send your butt up and back from a low squat position in a rocking motion to work your quads and hamstrings. It’s a slow burner, so you won’t need any weight to feel the motion burning your legs. But if you want to add weight, hold one in a cup hold (in front of your chest) using both hands.
How:
- Start in a low squat position
- Gently push your knees out with both elbows and grab the weight in both hands
- Send your hips up and back and lower your chest
- Lower your butt down.
If 16 minutes of leg work isn’t enough, check out more workouts below to complete for a complete workout, and remember to always stretch before and after exercising!