23 CrossFit Leg Workouts That Are Just Brutal

Maybe you want to shock your legs to stimulate new growth, or you are just looking for a challenge.

Either way, these brutal CrossFit leg workouts will give you some of the most demanding leg training you’ve ever done.

Legs often get left behind in many people’s workouts, while we all focus on the upper body and core strength. But if we want to see strong and ripped legs, they need just as much attention and care as every other muscle group.

Don’t worry; these workouts are still brutal, but they will work your legs in a way that you never have before.

Let’s get to it.

#1 Canine Rex

For Time

7 Rounds of:
500 meter Run
14 Air Squats
14 Lunges (per leg)
14 Sit-Ups
14 Squat Jumps

Directly into:

25 Burpees
1 mile Run

Squats, running , and lunges. This should leave your legs a bit shaky.

This WOD is dedicated to canine officer Rex with the Michigan State Police, who was killed when a drunk driver hit their patrol vehicle.

#2 Manion

7 Rounds For Time

400 meter Run
29 Back Squats (135/95 lb)

This workout is pretty straightforward. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, though. Scale back as needed.

This WOD is dedicated to First Lieutenant Travis Manion, 26, of Doylestown, PA, killed by sniper fire while fighting against an ambush in the Anbar Province, Iraq.

#3 Super Legs

5 Rounds for Time

20 Air Squats
20 Alternating Lunges
20 Alternating Split Squat Jumps
10 Squat Jumps

The name says it all, nothing but straight leg exercises.

#4 Jumping Jack Flash

For Time:

50 Air Squats
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Push-Ups
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Lunges
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Burpees
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Mountain Climbers (L+R=1)
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Mountain Climbers (L+R=1)
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Burpees
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Lunges
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Push-Ups
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Air Squats
50 Jumping Jacks

This workout will have you doing more jumping jacks than you did in all of elementary school.

#5 November Rain

For time_

100 Jumping Jacks
4o Lunges
40 Jump Squats
100 High Knees
40 Butt Kickers
20 Side Lunges
100 Bicycle Crunches
Run for 1.5 miles

This workout is almost as good as the Guns & Roses song with the same name.

#6 Jenny

20-minute AMRAP

45-lb. overhead squats, 20 reps
45-lb. back squats, 20 reps
400-meter run

#7 Buzzkill

For Time

30 Hang Power Clean
25 Box Jumps High
20 Deadlift
15 Squat Clean
10 Pull Ups
5 Front Squat

Use a weight that is about 50% of your max.

#8 Fat Amy

For Time

50 Air Squats
10 Burpees
40 Sit-Ups
10 Burpees
30 Lunges (alternating legs)
10 Burpees
20 Kettlebell Swings (1.5/1 pood)
10 Burpees
10 meter Bear Crawl
10 Burpees
20 Kettlebell Swings (1.5/1 pood)
10 Burpees
30 Lunges (alternating legs)
10 Burpees
40 Sit-Ups
10 Burpees
50 Air Squats

I’m not sure who the Amy is that this WOD is named after, but if she does this workout on the regular, she probably isn’t fat anymore, and I bet her legs look great.

#9 Barbell Barbarian

EMOM for 10 minutes, do:

1 Deadlift
1 Hang Clean
1 Front Squat

Use 60% of your one-rep maximum for each exercise.

This workout will crush your legs and the rest of your body as well.

#10 Suarkraut Balls

10 Minute AMRAP – As Many Reps as Possible in 10 Minutes

25 Mountain Climbers
5 Squat Cleans (40 / 60 kg)
10 Wall Balls

This workout is only 10 minutes but it will blast the hell out of your legs.

#11 Brian McAleese

For time

75 Thrusters (95/65 lb)
At the top of each minute perform:
20 Double-Unders

This workout is easily one of the most difficult on the list, no shame in scaling back if you need to with this bad boy. Also, If you can’t do double unders, just do 50 regular rope jumps.

This is a Hero WOD done to honor Brian McAleesewho worked for FDNY, who was killed on September 11, 2001.

#12 Mark Whitford

4 Rounds for Time

15 Dumbbell Thrusters (2×40/20 lb)
50-meter Dumbbell Overhead Walking Lunges (2×40/20 lb)

This is another brutal leg workout that you might have trouble finishing, scale back as needed if you can’t finish it as listed.

This WOD is dedicated to Mark Whitford, FDNY, Engine 23, who was killed on September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center.

#13 Gregg Atlas

For Time

10,000 lb Cumulative Back Squats
20 Burpees each time you rack the bar

This workout is more for advanced CrossFitters. Choose any weight to squat, then figure out how many reps you need to do to get to 10,000 and that’s your goal. You can change the weight as you go if needed. Any time you rack the weight to rest or to change the weight you have to do 20 burpees.

This Hero WOD is done to honor Gregg Atlas, FDNY (New York, NY), Engine 10, who was killed on September 11, 2001.

#14 Stephen Harrell

7 Rounds for Time

5 Overhead Squats (95/65 lb)
Max Thrusters (95/65 lb)
2-minute Rest

This Hero WOD is dedicated to Stephen Harrell, FDNY, killed in the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001.

Scale back on the weight if you need to for this one if needed.

#15 Stephen Belson

For Time

20 Box Jumps (30/24 in)
5 Squat Cleans (155/105 lb)
30 Box Jumps (30/24 in)
5 Squat Cleans (155/105 lb)
40 Box Jumps (20 in)
5 Squat Cleans (155/105 lb)

This Hero WOD is done to honor Stephen Belson, FDNY, Ladder 24, who was killed on September 11, 2001.

#16 Fools Mile

For Time

20 Burpees
40 Lunges
400 meter Run
20 Burpees
40 Lunges
400 meter Run
20 Burpees
40 Lunges
400 meter Run
20 Burpees
40 Lunges
400 meter Run
20 Burpees
40 Lunges

With this many lunges, you will have some seriously sore glutes for the next few days.

#17 Combs

For Time

60 Air Squats
400 meter Run
40 Air Squats
800 meter Run
20 Air Squats
1,600 meter Run
Time Cap: 35 minutes

This workout is some serious cardio

#18 Top Gun

20 Thrusters (135/95 lb)
20 Sumo Deadlift High-Pulls (135/95 lb)
20 Push Jerks (135/95 lb)
20 Overhead Squats (135/95 lb)
20 Front Squats (135/95 lb)

Perform 4 Burpees to start, and every minute on the minute.

This workout is no joke. It’s probably the most challenging workout on the list. Scale back as needed. No shame in scaling this beast.

Hard to believe a workout this tough isn’t a Hero WOD.

#19 William Krukowski

AMRAP in 10 minutes

5 Back Squats (225/155 lb)
10 Box Jumps (24/20 in)
15 Broomstick Overhead Squats
20 Walking Lunges (2-count)

You can use a piece of PVC pipe or something similar if you don’t have a broomstick.

For the walking lunges, 2-count means 1 right lunge + 1 left lunge = 1 repetition. 40 total.

This one moves pretty fast and is only 10 minutes long, but your legs should be like rubber by the end.

This workout is done to honor William Krukowski, FDNY, Ladder 21, killed on September 11, 2001, in the Twin Towers.

#20 Fast and Heavy

For time

21 Dumbbell Thrusters
400 meter Run
18 Dumbbell Thrusters
400 meter Run
15 Dumbbell Thrusters
400 meter Run

For this workout, choose dumbbells that are heavy but that you can move fast. Thus the name of the workout.

#21 The Man in the Red Bandana

AMRAP – 19 minutes

5 Thrusters (135/95 lb)
17 Front Rack Lunges (135/95 lb)
77 Double-Unders
200.1 meter Plate Carry (45/25 lb)

If you can’t do double unders just do 154 singles instead.

This workout is done to honor Welles Crowther. who lost his life in the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

He was an equities trader and volunteer firefighter who saved 18 lives in the Twin Towers. He wore a red bandana around his nose and mouth to protect him from the smoke.

#22 Stephen Harrell

7 Rounds for Time

5 Overhead Squats (95/65 lb)
Max Thrusters (95/65 lb)
2-minute Rest

This Hero WOD is dedicated to Stephen Harrell, FDNY who was killed in the World Trade Center attack on 9/11.

If you want to blast your legs and shoulders, this workout is for you.

#23 Turkey Day Massacre

For Time

10 Overhead Squats (95/65 lb)
20 Thrusters (95/65 lb)
30 Wall Ball Shots (20/14 lb)
40 Ring Dips
50 Double-Unders
50 Pull-Ups
40 Power Cleans (95/65 lb)
30 Kettlebell Swings (53/35 lb)
20 Push Jerks (95/65 lb)
10 Back Squats (95/65 lb)
400 meter Run with the Barbell (95/65 lb)

If you can’t do double unders perform 100 singles.

This Thanksgiving WOD should crush your legs and the rest of your body.

Wrap Up

Now you have plenty of workouts to blast your legs and give you something different to do on leg day.

Scale back on any of these if you need to. Let me know if I missed any good leg workouts in the comment section below.

Ryan Douglas

Ryan is a former college wrestler and lifelong fitness fanatic. He has run half marathons, done mud runs, placed in body transformation contests, coached wrestling, and now coaches girls’ soccer. Not to mention he has also tried literally hundreds of supplements over the years and has a vast and thorough supplement knowledge. He has written for Muscle & Strength, Testosterone Junkie, The Sport Review and other publications. He is also the editor-in-chief of this website and has over 25 years of experience in the fitness industry. Feel free to connect with him on his LinkedIn page below.

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