LEGS WORKOUT FOR BEGINNER is a free 34 min workout plan with 8 illustrated exercises for your abs and legs. Follow the workout online, save it to your WorkoutLabs Fit account or download it as a printable PDF.
Tap any exercise in the workout to see the muscles worked, clear exercise illustrations and step-by-step instructions. Each workout includes sets, reps, rest times and notes so you can follow the plan without guessing.
The full workout takes about 34 minutes, covering 8 exercises with prescribed sets, reps and rest periods. Using the built-in timers and auto-advance keeps you on pace from start to finish.
What muscles does this workout target?
This routine primarily works your glutes & hip flexors, quadriceps, calves, abs. Tap any exercise in the workout to see a muscle diagram showing exactly which primary and secondary muscles it activates.
How often should I do this workout?
For best results, do this workout 2–3 times per week with at least one rest day in between, and pair it with sessions that target other muscle groups.
Can I download or save this workout?
Yes – you can download this workout as a free printable PDF using the download button, or save it to a free WorkoutLabs Fit account to follow it on your phone, customize the exercises and track your progress.
Stand with your feet hip width apart. Your toes should be pointing straight ahead or only slightly outward.
Cross your arms in front of your body, place your hands behind your head (prisoner squat) or at the sides of your head.
Keep your weight on your heels and bend your knees while lowering your hips towards the ground as if you are sitting down on a chair.
Keep your back straight at all times.
Continue until you feel a slight stretch in your quadriceps. Pause for a count of one. Do not let your knees extend out beyond the level of your toes.
Return to the start position by pushing down through your heels and extending your hips forward until you are standing straight. Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Hamstrings
Stand with your feet in a wide stance, with your toes slightly pointed outwards – like a sumo wrestler. Hold your hands together in front of your chest.
Keeping your back straight, lower your body towards the ground by bending your knees.
As you reach a fully squatting position (legs are bent at a 90-degree angle), hold the pose for 1 second before driving your feet into the floor and slowly push your body back up to the starting position.
For a bonus, tense your glutes at the top of the movement.
Primary muscle group(s):
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Calves, Glutes & Hip Flexors
Stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart and place your hands on your hips. This is the start position.
Step forward with either leg in a long stride. Keep your other foot in place behind you.
Bend your knees as you do this so your body is lowered towards the ground. Keep your back straight throughout the movement.
Continue down until your front knee is just above the ground. (Your front leg should be bent 90 degrees at the knee)
Hold for a count of one.
Push down through your front heel and extend both knees to return to the start position.
Pause then repeat with your other leg. When you have lunged with both legs, that is one repetition.
Repeat.
Try to keep your hands on your hips at all times, using your obliques to keep your balance.
Keep your hands at your sides or hold on to a wall for balance.
Bring your feet to be hip distance apart.
Focusing the tension in your calf muscles, slowly raise yourself up on to the balls of your feet.
Pause at the top of the movement and slowly return to the starting position.
Primary muscle group(s):
Calves
Stand up straight with your hands at your sides.
Keep your back straight and your core tight.
Forcefully press off the ground with the balls of both feet.
Launch into the air and land softly on the balls of your feet.
Focus the tension in the calf muscles, NOT the quadriceps.
Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Abs, Calves, Hamstrings, Shoulders
Stand with your feet together, arms fully extended with your hands by your sides. This is the start position.
Bend your knees slightly then straighten and push through the balls of your feet while straightening your your knees to jump up spreading your legs to wider than hip width apart.
As you do so, raise both arms out and up in a smooth arc until your hands meet above your head.
As you return to the ground, bring your feet together and your hands back to your sides with your arms fully extended.
Continue without pause for the desired amount of time or repetitions.
This exercise can be performed as a timed exercise, completing as many reps as possible in a set time or, in sets with a fixed number of repetitions per set. To increase intensity, bend your arms slightly as you raise them to engage your biceps and triceps and squeezing them during each rep.
Stand tall against a wall with your head and back touching the wall.
Position your feet so that they are shoulder-width apart and a few inches away from the wall.
Rest your arms at your sides.
Bend your knees and lower into a squat position until your thighs are parallel to the floor and hold the position
Return to starting position by straightening your knees and standing tall again.
Primary muscle group(s):
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Abs, Calves, Hamstrings
Place your feet at shoulder-width or just outside of shoulder-width. Turn your toes out slightly. Brace your core and keep your chest up.
Swing your arms up to shoulder level as you slowly bend your knees and push your hips backward. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel with the ground.
Pause and stay in this position for as long as you can. Return to the starting position by dropping your arms and push your hips forward.
Hold one rope end in each hand out to your sides with the middle of the rope behind you.
Keep the rope ends even with your hips.
Rotate your wrists to swing the rope up over your head.
As the rope swings down in front of and towards you, jump over the rope with both feet.
Continue rotating your wrists to swing the rope behind you, back up over your head to repeat.
You can vary the speed, use one leg,alternating legs and even the direction you swing the rope in to increase your stamina and coordination.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Abs, Calves, Hamstrings, Shoulders
Stand with your feet together, arms fully extended with your hands by your sides. This is the start position.
Bend your knees slightly then straighten and push through the balls of your feet while straightening your your knees to jump up spreading your legs to wider than hip width apart.
As you do so, raise both arms out and up in a smooth arc until your hands meet above your head.
As you return to the ground, bring your feet together and your hands back to your sides with your arms fully extended.
Continue without pause for the desired amount of time or repetitions.
This exercise can be performed as a timed exercise, completing as many reps as possible in a set time or, in sets with a fixed number of repetitions per set. To increase intensity, bend your arms slightly as you raise them to engage your biceps and triceps and squeezing them during each rep.
Primary muscle group(s):
Calves
Stand up straight with your hands at your sides.
Keep your back straight and your core tight.
Forcefully press off the ground with the balls of both feet.
Launch into the air and land softly on the balls of your feet.
Focus the tension in the calf muscles, NOT the quadriceps.
Stand up straight with a tight core and flat back.
Position your feet wider than shoulder-width. Your toes should be facing out diagonally.
Holding a dumbbell with both hands in front of you, look straight ahead and bend at the knees while driving your hips backward. Your knees should be following your toes in a diagonal line.
Complete this wide stance squat by having your thighs come parallel with the ground.
Pause and slowly return to the starting position without locking your knees.
Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Abs, Calves, Glutes & Hip Flexors, Hamstrings
Set a barbell on a rack at your shoulder height.
Step under the bar and rest the back of your shoulders against the bar. Do not put the bar on your neck.
Hold on to the bar using an overhand grip so that your palms are facing forward.
Lift the barbell off the rack by pushing up with your legs while straightening your torso.
Step away from the rack and position your legs in a wider than shoulder width position and with your toes slightly pointed out.
Keep your head up and look straight ahead at all times, as looking down will put you off balance.
Ensure your back is straight. This is the start position.
As you inhale, slowly lower the bar by bending your knees while keeping a straight posture with your head up.
Continue down until the angle between you upper legs and calves is slightly less than 90-degrees . As a guide, the front of your knees should be in line with your toes. Do not allow your knees to extend out beyond your toes.
Hold for a count of one.
As you exhale, raise the bar back to the start position, by pushing through your heels as you straighten your legs.
Pause for a count of one.
Repeat.
This is an exercise which carries some risk. If you have back issues, substitute this exercise for the dumbbell squat or leg press instead. Never slouch your back forward as this can cause back injury. This exercise is best performed inside a squat rack for safety purposes.
Primary muscle group(s):
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Calves, Glutes & Hip Flexors, Hamstrings, Lower Back
With your feet shoulder-width apart, stand with dumbbells as your sides with your palms facing each other.
Keeping your back straight and facing forward, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Pause for one second.
Pushing up from your heels, raise back up to starting position and repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Calves, Hamstrings
Sit down on a leg press machine and place your legs on the platform directly in front of you at shoulder width.
Lower the safety bars holding the weighted platform and press the platform all the way up until your legs are fully extended in front of you bot do NOT lock your knees. Your torso and legs should be at a 90degree angle to each other. This is the start position.
Inhaling, slowly lower the platform until your upper and lower legs form a 90-degree angle. Pause for a count of one,
Return to the starting position by pushing through the heels of your feet, engaging your quadriceps. Exhale as you do so.
Repeat.
After completing the desired number of repetitions, make sure you lock the safety pins of the machine before alighting.
Always check to make sure that when you re-rack the weight the platform is securely locked.
Stand with your feet hip width apart. Your toes should be pointing straight ahead or only slightly outward.
Cross your arms in front of your body, place your hands behind your head (prisoner squat) or at the sides of your head.
Keep your weight on your heels and bend your knees while lowering your hips towards the ground as if you are sitting down on a chair.
Keep your back straight at all times.
Continue until you feel a slight stretch in your quadriceps. Pause for a count of one. Do not let your knees extend out beyond the level of your toes.
Return to the start position by pushing down through your heels and extending your hips forward until you are standing straight. Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Hamstrings
Stand with your feet in a wide stance, with your toes slightly pointed outwards – like a sumo wrestler. Hold your hands together in front of your chest.
Keeping your back straight, lower your body towards the ground by bending your knees.
As you reach a fully squatting position (legs are bent at a 90-degree angle), hold the pose for 1 second before driving your feet into the floor and slowly push your body back up to the starting position.
For a bonus, tense your glutes at the top of the movement.
Primary muscle group(s):
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Calves, Glutes & Hip Flexors
Stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart and place your hands on your hips. This is the start position.
Step forward with either leg in a long stride. Keep your other foot in place behind you.
Bend your knees as you do this so your body is lowered towards the ground. Keep your back straight throughout the movement.
Continue down until your front knee is just above the ground. (Your front leg should be bent 90 degrees at the knee)
Hold for a count of one.
Push down through your front heel and extend both knees to return to the start position.
Pause then repeat with your other leg. When you have lunged with both legs, that is one repetition.
Repeat.
Try to keep your hands on your hips at all times, using your obliques to keep your balance.
Workout done!
Exercises done
of 8
Total time
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