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.
Related: 21 Upper Body CrossFit Workouts That Build Muscle Mass
#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.
Related: 21 Brutal Wall Ball Crossfit Workouts
#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.
Related: CrossFit Running Workouts for Serious Cardio
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 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.
How many max thrusters for Stephen Harrell WOD??
hmmm…. I guess… the max you can do ? :p