Try this 6-minute no-equipment leg workout for bigger calves and stronger quads

Short on time but want strong legs? Try this home workout on for size

Person working out in their living room
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Did you know that your legs and glutes are half of your body? Why aren't you training them? It's true; leg workouts can be gruelling – not to mention DOMS, which inevitably sets in after more challenging sessions – but what if we told you that 'leg days' could be done quickly and effectively? Check out this fast, no-equipment leg workout if you don't believe us!

Performing leg workouts can improve knee stabilisation which is crucial for preventing an anterior cruciate ligament injury. They can also boost your metabolism as you’re training large muscle groups, which means your body will burn more calories. Finally, completing leg workouts can aid sports performance by increasing your speed and endurance as power is generated from your lower half. 

This 6-minute leg workout involves six exercises, each to be performed for 45 seconds with a 15-second rest in between. The main goal of the workout is to help strengthen your quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. The exercises are as follows:

  • Single leg calf raises (22 seconds each leg) 
  • Elevated side squats (22 seconds each leg) 
  • Back and forth lunges (22 seconds each leg)
  • Single leg Romanian deadlift (22 seconds each leg)
  • Bulgarian Split Squats (22 seconds each leg) 
  • Curtsy lunges (22 seconds each leg) 

If you enjoyed this workout and are keen to elevate your leg workout to another level, then we have a 5-move best leg workout routine by Love Island star Frankie Foster. If you find this workout too intense, try this no-equipment inner thigh exercise programme instead. Added to this, we recommend trying the best leg workouts for women we’ve tied together here.

Meg Walters
Freelance journalist

Meg is a British-Canadian freelance writer based in southeast London. She can usually be found writing about classic films, rom-coms, period dramas, TV, Millennials, pop culture, books, style, lifestyle and fitness. Her writing has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, GQ, Stylist, The i, i-D, Little White Lies, Insider and more.