Low Impact Leg Workout (Knee Friendly)
Lower-body training that spares the knees: glute and hip emphasis, controlled range and no jumping. Two bodyweight sessions a week.
- Days per week
- 2
- Session length
- 39 min
- Exercises
- 14
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- Bodyweight, Dumbbell
Your week
- MonDay 1 · Glute Activation & Hinge
- TueRest
- WedRest
- ThuDay 2 · Knee-Friendly Squat & Unilateral
- FriRest
- SatRest
- SunRest
Free on iPhone and Android, or adjust it in the web planner
The workouts
Day 1 — Glute Activation & Hinge
Prioritize hip thrust and hinge patterns, then add abduction and controlled posterior-chain accessories.
About 39 minutes · 7 exercises| # | Demo | Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hip ThrustsRest 60s | 3 × 12 | 60s | |
| 2 | Dumbbell Romanian DeadliftRest 75s | 3 × 10 | 75s | |
| 3 | Glute Bridge MarchRest 45s | 3 × 10 | 45s | |
| 4 | Side Lying ClamRest 45s | 3 × 15 | 45s | |
| 5 | Standing Hip AbductionRest 45s | 3 × 12 | 45s | |
| 6 | Bent Leg Kickback (kneeling)Rest 45s | 3 × 12 | 45s | |
| 7 | Bodyweight Good MorningRest 60s | 3 × 12 | 60s |
Day 2 — Knee-Friendly Squat & Unilateral
Use supported squats and single-leg bridges to build stability and glute strength with low knee load.
About 39 minutes · 7 exercises| # | Demo | Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bodyweight Bench SquatRest 60s | 3 × 12 | 60s | |
| 2 | Glute Bridge One Leg on Floor (bent knee)Rest 60s | 3 × 10 | 60s | |
| 3 | Transverse Step UpRest 60s | 3 × 10 | 60s | |
| 4 | Side Lying Leg RaiseRest 45s | 3 × 12 | 45s | |
| 5 | Standing Hip Abduction (bent knee)Rest 45s | 3 × 12 | 45s | |
| 6 | Sliding Leg Curl on Floor with TowelRest 60s | 3 × 10 | 60s | |
| 7 | Straight Leg Kickback (kneeling)Rest 45s | 3 × 12 | 45s |
About this plan
Two sessions a week that train the legs hard while keeping the knees quiet. Nothing here jumps, and nothing takes the knee through a deep loaded bend.
Day one runs hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, bridge marches, side-lying clams, standing hip abduction and kneeling side kicks. Day two moves to bench squats, single-leg bridges, transverse step-ups, side-lying leg raises and standing abduction.
The bias is toward the hip and away from the knee, and it is deliberate. A hip thrust and a Romanian deadlift load the glutes and hamstrings heavily with the knee barely moving. A deep squat or a lunge loads the same muscles but asks the knee to bend under weight. If the knee is the limiting factor, the first pair gives you most of the training effect without the cost.
Squatting to a bench on day two rather than free squatting caps the depth precisely and gives you something to sit to on a bad day. Lower under control, touch, stand — do not drop onto it.
Transverse step-ups are the one knee-bending movement kept in, because stepping up is a pattern worth preserving and because you control the height. Start low. A step that has your knee below ninety degrees is fine; one that has you launching off the back leg is not.
The abduction and clam work is not filler here either. Weak gluteus medius lets the knee drift inward under load, and that inward drift is itself a common source of knee pain.
If a movement produces pain rather than effort, take it out. This plan is built to be adjusted, and no individual exercise in it is essential.
Train this plan in the app
LoadMuscle carries all 2 routines with a demo for every exercise, and logs your sets as you go, so next session you can see what to beat. Free on iPhone and Android. Want something built around your own schedule and equipment instead? Try the free workout planner.
