CrossFit leg workouts are among the hardest activities. You need to program each exercise properly so the order makes sense and you avoid getting injured during your workout.
Based on my experience, I compiled a list of the 10 best CrossFit leg workouts you may implement into your weekly workout schedule.
Each workout has specific programming, meaning different sets, reps, and rest intervals to ensure you get the most from each.
You will be ready to incorporate these workouts into your training schedule, making them as efficient as possible and avoiding injury.
Quick Summary
- The best CrossFit leg workouts include Canine Rex, Manion, Super Legs, Jumping Jack Flash, November Rain, Jenny, Buzzkill, Fat Army, Barbell Barbarian, and Suarkraut balls.
- Some of the best CrossFit leg exercises include back squats, deadlifts, cleans and jerks, front squats, split squats, walking lunges, and more.
- Training your legs is essentially to holistically develop your entire body, avoid injury, build agonist-antagonist muscle pairs, and gain power and strength.
10 Best Crossfit Leg Exercises

Our fitness team tested all workouts, including a regular fitness trainer and a CrossFit coach.
We ensured our workouts were safe and made clear guidelines for everyone to follow.
All workouts have programming written beside them, so follow the instructions and do pre-workout stretches to avoid injury and get the most out of your CrossFit workouts.
"Generally speaking, if you consider yourself a CrossFitter, your legs endure a lot of hammering from your regularly-scheduled WODs. But if you want to get better at your sport, you might want to consider giving your legs a little extra love. The name of the game in CrossFit is endurance." - Alex Polish, Certified Personal Trainer
1. Canine Rex
Canine Rex got its name from an accident involving the Michigan State policeman, Officer Rex, who got killed by a drunk driver.
This workout includes running, squats, and lunges. There are some burpees and a 1-mile run at the end of the workout.
It is advised to perform a bodyweight dynamic warm-up before the workout to get the lower body prepared and minimize the chance of injury and increase performance [1].
Here is the entire workout (7 rounds):
- Running - 500 meter
- Air squats - 14 reps
- Lunges - 14 reps
- Sit-ups - 14 reps
- Squat jumps - 14 reps
- Burpees - 25 reps
- Running - 1 mile
2. Manion

The Manion workout is simpler than the previous one since it only contains running and back squats.
However, you may be tricked by its simplicity since the back squats are meant to be loaded, making the whole workout much harder.
You should complete 7 rounds in total.
Here is the entire Manion workout:
- Running - 400 meter
- Back squats (135/95 lb) - 29 reps
3. Super Legs
This will be one of the hardest workouts if you have bad lower body endurance.
The entire lower body workout should be performed for 5 rounds. Here is the entire workout:
- Air squats - 20 reps
- Alternativ lunges - 20 reps
- Alternating split squat jumps - 20 reps
- Squat jumps - 10 reps
4. Jumping Jack Flash

In my opinion, Jumping Jack Flash is more challenging than the previous super leg workout, but that will mainly depend on your type of conditioning.
The main difference is that you do only one round, but the whole set is huge.
Consider using a foam roller or perform a dynamic warm-up before the workout to get your body ready.
Here is the entire Jumping Jack Flash workout:
- Air Squats - 50 reps
- Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
- Push-ups - 50 reps
- Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
- Lunges - 50 reps - 50 reps
- Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
- Burpees - 50 reps
- Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
- Mountain Climbers (L+R=1) - 50 reps
- Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
- Mountain Climbers (L+R=1) - 50 reps
- Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
- Burpees - 50 reps
- Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
- Lunges - 50 reps
- Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
- Push-ups - 50 reps
- Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
- Air Squats - 50 reps
- Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
5. November Rain

The November rain is another challenging and high-intensity workout that burns fat well when performed correctly.
It doesn't include any upper body exercises like the last one, and it has some exercises you will perform with your body weight, making it easier.
Try it on your leg day, but avoid lifting a heavy weight before it like kettlebells or dumbbells.
Here is the entire workout:
- Jumping Jacks - 100 reps
- Lunges - 40 reps
- Jump Squats - 40 reps
- High Knees - 100 reps
- Butt Kicks - 40 reps
- Side Lunges - 20 reps
- Bicycle Crunches - 100 reps
- Running - 1.5 miles
6. Jenny
Jenny is the type of workout that has its basis in the AMRAP technique. AMRAP means as many reps as possible in a given set of times [2].
This means you will never have a break during this workout, which will likely exhaust you because that is its primary intention.
Make sure to hydrate properly before it, and never complete this workout if you didn't have proper nutrients before since that may cause serious side effects.
Here is the entire workout (20-min AMRAP):
- Overhead Squats - 20 reps with 45 lb
- Back Squat - 20 reps with 45 lb
- Running - 400 meters
7. Buzzkill

Buzzkill workout will build strong legs but exercise your upper body too.
You should use about 50% of your 1RM (repetition maximum) for the entire workout for each exercise.
Make sure to warm up your upper and lower body before the workout since these exercises activate numerous muscle groups.
Here is the whole workout:
- Hang power clean - 30 reps
- Box jumps high - 25 reps
- Deadlift - 20 reps
- Squat clean - 15 reps
- Pull-ups - 10 reps
- Front squat - 5 reps
8. Fat Amy
The Fat Amy is one of those CrossFit Wods that combines different lower-body and upper-body movements.
It even contains kettlebell swings meant to build leg power, but that is out of the equation since there are more than 15 exercises, meaning the only thing you can improve here is endurance.
Here is the entire workout:
- Air squats - 50 reps
- Burpees - 10 reps
- Sit-ups - 40 reps
- Burpees - 10 reps
- Lunges (alternating legs) - 30 reps
- Burpees - 10 reps
- Kettlebell swings (1.5/1 pood) - 20 reps
- Burpees - 10 reps
- Bear crawl - 10 meters
- Burpees - 10 reps
- Kettlebell swings (1.5/1 pood) - 20 reps
- Burpees - 10 reps
- Lunges (alternating legs) - 30 reps
- Burpees - 10 reps
- Sit-ups - 40 reps
- Burpees - 10 reps
- Air squats - 50 reps
9. Barbell Barbarian

Barbell barbarian is very challenging workout. It is based on the EMOM technique or training method.
EMOM means every minute on the minute, meaning you will complete the desired number of reps in a single minute and rest for the time until the following minute begins.
Here is the entire EMOM Barbell Barbarian workout:
- Deadlift (60% of 1RM) - 1 repetition
- Hang clean (60% of 1RM) - 1 repetition
- Front squat (60% of 1RM) - 1 repetition
10. Suarkraut Balls
Suarkraut balls is the last workout on our list, based on the AMRAP technique.
You will perform as many rounds as possible in the 10 minutes for the following exercises:
- Mountain climbers - 25 reps
- Squat cleans (40/60 kg) - 5 reps
- Wall Balls - 10 reps
Related: CrossFit Bodyweight Workouts to Transform Your Fitness Levels
Why Should Crossfitters Train Their Legs?

CrossFitters should train their legs because that is the only way to holistically develop the whole body and avoid potential injury.
It is essential to train your upper and lower body in any sport or recreational activity if you seek to develop a healthy and injury-free body.
Developing one part of your body while ignoring other parts you believe aren’t supposed to be tackled can lead to serious muscle imbalances, joint problems, and injuries.
Always push and pull equally in your microcycles to build agonist and antagonist muscles [3].
This balance ensures all patterns of your body are close to equally strong, meaning the strength of one movement pattern can follow the strength of the remaining movement patterns.
Leg Exercises for Crossfitters

Workouts and exercises are different since the workouts are consistent exercises.
However, there might be days when you come to complete one exercise since strength training doesn't allow you to perform multiple high-intensity exercises in the same workout.
Here is the list of leg exercises for CrossFitters you might consider adding to your regular workouts:
- Front squat
- Back squat
- Overhead squat
- Thruster
- Pistol squat
- Deadlift
- Wall ball
- Walking lunges
- Single-leg deadlift
- Rear foot elevated split squat
- Sumo squat
- Nordic hamstring
FAQs
What Crossfit Workout Targets Your Legs?
CrossFit workouts targeting your legs include Canine Rex, Manion, Super Legs, Jumping Jack Flash, November Rain, Jenny, Buzzkill, Fat Army, Barbell Barbarian, and Suarkraut balls.
Is Crossfit Good for Your Legs?
Yes, CrossFit is good for your legs. However, you must allow your body to recover after each workout to avoid overtraining and negative side effects caused by little to no rest between workout sessions.
How Do I Make My Legs Stronger for Crossfit?
You make your legs stronger for CrossFit by doing CrossFit exercises and workouts. The best CrossFit leg exercises to strengthen them include back squats, rear foot elevated split squats, and front squats.
What Should I Supplement for a Crossfit Leg Workout?
You should supplement protein powder for a CrossFit leg workout.
Protein powders are essential for recovering your body on hard leg days and ensuring you return stronger for the next workout.
Check the following guides to pick the high-quality protein powder that will boost your recovery and build more muscle:
Let me know which CrossFit leg workout is your favorite and why.
References:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18027995/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8624389/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3625793/
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