Legs, tempo, and leverage

This is the lesson that decides whether bodyweight training works for you long term. Your legs are strong and your bodyweight is fixed, so we have to get creative.

Go to one leg

The single most effective move is to halve the base of support. In rough order of difficulty:

• Split squat, both feet on the floor
• Rear-foot-elevated split squat
• Step-down from a box, controlled
• Skater squat, rear leg hovering
• Pistol squat, assisted with a doorframe

Slow everything down

A five-second lowering phase on a split squat is a different exercise from a normal-speed one. Add a two-second pause at the bottom and it becomes harder again. Time under tension is the closest thing you have to added weight.

Hinge without a barbell

The single-leg deadlift is the pattern to own here. Hinge at the hip on one leg, back leg extending behind you, spine long. Touch the floor with your fingertips, stand up. It looks gentle and it is not.

For the hamstrings specifically, the sliding leg curl - heels on a towel on a smooth floor, hips lifted - is the best thing available without equipment.

A note on volume

Legs tolerate more reps than the upper body here, because each rep is relatively light. Sets of eight to fifteen are the working range, twice a week, and soreness after the first two weeks is expected rather than informative.