15 Best Leg Exercises for Building Muscle and Strength, According to Experts

Most exercisers love to hate leg training. They love the results, as great-looking legs are highly sought after, but they hate how hard leg training can be. After all, leg workouts can leave you lying on the floor in a pool of sweat, questioning whether you can walk out of the gym without help. And post-leg-day muscle soreness can be crippling.

As leg training is so hard, you must make the most of every lower body workout. Why waste your time and energy on exercises that don’t produce great results? Inefficient leg workouts are like throwing money down the drain — a waste of valuable resources.

So, with that in mind, in this article, I reveal the best leg exercises for every fitness and strength training goal. Build your workouts around these movements to make them as productive as possible.

Best Leg Exercises:

1. Back Squat
2. Front Squat
3. Hack Squat Machine
4. Sissy Squat
5. Belt Squat
6. Lunge
7. Bulgarian Split Squat
8. Romanian Deadlift
9. Good Morning
10. Barbell Hip Thrust
11. Leg Press
12. Leg Extension
13. Seated Leg Curl
14. Nordic Curl
15. Standing Calf Raise

Top Leg Exercises for Muscle and Strength

There are lots of great leg exercises to choose from, so it’s not always easy to know which ones to include in your workouts. Don’t worry – we’re here to help! In this section, we reveal the best leg exercises, explaining why and how to do them for safety and for the best results.

1. Back Squat

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12 for hypertrophy, 1-5 for strength
Equipment Needed	Barbell and weight plates
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, core

Squats are the king of lower body exercises — a title they undoubtedly deserve! In fact, if you did nothing but squats in your leg workouts, your wheels would probably be pretty jacked. 

“Your squat form is directly proportional to your leg gains,” said Saini, an American Council on Exercise-certified personal trainer. “Keep your torso upright and go as low as your mobility allows to maximize knee flexion and quad engagement.”

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly outward.
2. Position a barbell across your upper back. Hold it firmly in place with an overhand grip. Brace your core and lift your chest.
3. Bend your knees and squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Keep your feet flat and your weight on your heels. Do not round your lower back.
4. Drive your heels into the floor and stand up.
5. Reset your core and repeat.

Coach Tips:

• Always use a power rack for heavy squats.
• Work on your mobility to increase squat depth.
• Experiment with the width of your stance to see what works best and is most comfortable for you.

Variations

• Progression: Barbell Overhead Squat
• Regression: Box Squat

2. Front Squat

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12 for hypertrophy, 1-5 for strength
Equipment Needed	Barbell and weight plates
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, gluteus maximus, core, adductors

Athletes often favor front squats because they can improve vertical jump height. In contrast, bodybuilders like them because they’re more quadriceps dominant. Either way, front squats are a great alternative to back squats, even if they are a little uncomfortable.

Experiment with the crossed-arm and Olympic weightlifter-style front rack position to determine what works best for you.

Steps:

1. Rack and hold a barbell across the front of your shoulders. Hold it in place with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
2. Stand with your feet between hip and shoulder-width apart.
3. Brace your core, lift your chest, and pull your shoulders back and down.
4. Bend your knees and squat down until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.
5. Stand back up and repeat.

Coach Tips:

• Use a squat wedge or weightlifting shoes to achieve a greater depth.
• Keep your torso as upright as possible to maximize quads engagement.

Variations

• Progression: Zercher Squat
• Regression: Goblet Squat

3. Hack Squat Machine

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12 for hypertrophy, 1-5 for strength
Equipment Needed	Hack squat machine
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, abductors, adductors

The hack squat machine is a variation of an old-school exercise called the barbell hack squat, invented by wrestler and strongman George Hackenschmidt, who was famed for his muscular legs. However, most gyms today have a hack squat machine. This exercise is a great way to target your quads and hips.

A hack squat machine’s range of motion (ROM) can vary depending on its make. Place yoga blocks between your shoulders and the machine’s pads to increase your ROM and optimize target muscle fiber engagement, recommends Saini.

Steps:

1. Stand on the footplate with your feet around shoulder-to-hip width apart. Place your shoulders under the pads and your back against the backrest. Stand up straight and release the safety handles.
2. Bend your knees and go as deep as your mobility allows.
3. Drive your heels into the platform to stand back up.
4. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
5. Reengage the safety handles and then carefully climb off the machine.

Coach Tips:

• Experiment between a narrow, medium, and wide stance to see which you prefer.
• Keep your back pressed against the backrest for comfort and support.

Variations

• Progression: Extended ROM Hack Squat
• Regression: Leg Press

4. Sissy Squat

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	NA
Target Muscles	Quadriceps

The sissy squat is an old-school leg exercise that will set your quadriceps on fire. Performed correctly, it feels a lot like a leg extension. While this exercise can be hard on your knees, it should present no issues if you perform it using a good form. 

Saini suggests engaging your core muscles throughout the movement to maintain stability and prevent excessive knee stress.

Steps:

1. Stand next to a sturdy upright, such as a squat rack. Hold it for balance. Your feet should be about hip-width apart.
2. Bend your knees, push your hips forward, lean back slightly, and descend until your knees are a few inches above the floor. Your knees should travel forward and well beyond your toes.
3. Drive the balls of your feet into the floor, extend your knees, and come back up.
4. That’s one rep.

Coach Tips:

• Place a folded mat or foam pad on the floor in front of your feet and imagine trying to touch it with your knees.
• Use your arms for assistance as your quads start to fatigue.
• Think about driving your hips toward the ceiling throughout the ROM.

Variations

• Progression: Weighted Sissy Squat (with a plate or dumbbell)
• Regression: Assisted Sissy Squat (holding onto a stable surface)

5. Belt Squat

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12 for hypertrophy, 1-5 for strength
Equipment Needed	Belt squat machine
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, adductors

Squats are typically done using a barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells, or just your body weight. This variation uses a different loading method, which not only changes the feel of the exercise but also removes all the stress from your lower back. This is an excellent exercise for lifters with lower back pain.

Steps:

1. Using a dip belt or similar, suspend a weight from your hips. Make sure the chain/rope is strong enough to support the load you are using.
2. Step out into a shoulder-to-hip-width stance.
3. Bend your legs and squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
4. Stand back up and repeat.

Coach Tips:

• Stand on raised platforms if your weights touch the floor before you’ve hit full depth.
• Wrap a towel around your hips if your belt digs into your waist and causes discomfort.
• Experiment with a medium and wide stance to see which works best.

Variations

• Progression: Heavy Belt Squat
• Regression: Landmine Squat

6. Lunge

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, abductors, adductors

While bilateral or two-limbed exercises like squats and leg presses are effective, they also tend to hide muscle and strength imbalances. One way to fix such issues is with single-leg or unilateral exercises like lunges. As an added benefit, lunges improve balance and enhance coordination and mobility, making them a valuable functional movement for athletes.

“Don’t worry about letting your knees pass over the toes during the eccentric phase,” clarifies Saini. “When done in a controlled way, it maximizes quad stimulation.”

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet together, arms by your sides. Pull your shoulders back and down and brace your core.
2. Take a large step forward, bend your legs, and lower your knee down to just above the floor. Keep your torso upright and your front knee behind your toes.
3. Push off your front leg to return to the starting position.
4. Repeat on the other leg.
5. Alternate between legs for the prescribed number of reps.

Coach Tips:

• Take shorter steps to emphasize your quads.
• Hold dumbbells to make this exercise more demanding.
• Place your front foot on a 4 to 8-inch platform to increase your range of motion and, therefore, muscle engagement.

Variations

• Progression: Walking Lunge with weights
• Regression: Static Lunge

You can also do walking lunges, where, instead of bringing your feet back together, you step forward and into your next rep by moving forward. This requires more balance and coordination and is an excellent move for more experienced exercisers.

7. Bulgarian Split Squat

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core

Also known as the rear foot elevated split squat (RFESS), this unilateral leg exercise puts more load on your muscles than lunges and requires more balance. As such, this is an excellent movement for more experienced exercisers. That said, it’s much more accessible than pistol squats, so most people pick it up pretty quickly.

Steps:

1. Stand with your back to a knee-high bench or chair. Bend one leg and place the top of your foot on the bench. Hop forward into a split stance.
2. Keeping your torso upright, bend your legs and lower your rear knee down toward the floor. 
3. Straighten your front leg and return to the starting position.
4. Continue for the desired number of reps and then switch sides.

Coach Tips:

• Hold dumbbells to make this exercise harder.
• Place your front foot on a raised platform to increase the range of motion and, therefore, the difficulty of the exercise.

Variations

• Progression: Bulgarian Split Squat with weight
• Regression: Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (lower elevation)

8. Romanian Deadlift

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12 for hypertrophy, 1-5 for strength
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells or barbell and weight plates
Target Muscles	Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, erector spinae, core

If you want a more muscular posterior chain, this exercise is the one you want. Romanian deadlifts are a hip-hinge movement that intensely trains your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. Done with a barbell or dumbbells, this movement is popular with all types of exercisers, from bodybuilders to powerlifters to athletes to soccer moms.

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold your weight in front of your thighs.
2. Hinging from your hips, push your butt backward and lean forward as far as your flexibility allows.
3. Stand back up, taking care not to lean backward at the top of the movement.
4. Continue for the desired number of reps.

Coach Tips:

• Do not round your lower back, as doing so can lead to injuries.
• Place the balls of your feet on thin weight plates to push your weight onto your heels and increase hamstring engagement.
• Use chalk to bolster your grip and ensure your hands don’t limit the number of reps performed.

Variations

• Progression: Deficit Romanian Deadlift (standing on a platform)
• Regression: Kettlebell Swings

9. Good Morning

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Barbell, weight plates
Target Muscles	Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, erector spinae, core

Good mornings are so-called because, when you do them, it looks like you are bowing politely to greet an acquaintance. However, don’t let this genteel name fool you — good mornings are a challenging and effective exercise guaranteed to beef up your posterior chain.

Saini suggests actively pulling the bar into your traps throughout the movement, as it can enhance lat engagement and protect your spine.

Steps:

1. Rack and hold a barbell on your upper back. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Brace your core.
2. Push your butt back and hinge forward at the hips, leaning as far as your flexibility allows. Do not round your lower back.
3. Drive your hips forward and stand up.

Coach Tips:

• Take care not to round your lower back, as doing so can lead to injury.
• Use a safety bar with padded yoke and handles for comfort.

Variations

• Progression: Smith Machine Good Morning
• Regression: Bodyweight Good Morning

10. Barbell Hip Thrust

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12 for hypertrophy, 1-5 for strength
Equipment Needed	Barbell, weight plates
Target Muscles	Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, core

While the glute bridge is an effective exercise, most exercisers will outgrow it after a few months of consistent training. The barbell hip thrust is a similar exercise, but because it uses weight, you can progress it as you get stronger. This exercise grows with you. It’s also very lower-back-friendly and a safe movement for home workouts.

Steps:

1. Sit on the floor with your legs outstretched and your upper back resting against a sturdy bench. Roll a barbell up your legs so it’s resting across your hips. Bend your legs and plant your feet flat on the floor.
2. Drive your feet into the floor and lift your hips so they form a straight line with your knees and shoulders.
3. Pause for 1-2 seconds, lower your butt back to the floor, and repeat.

Coach Tips:

• Increase the load to make this exercise more demanding.
• You can use a dumbbell instead of a barbell if preferred.

Variations

• Progression: Single-Leg Barbell Hip Thrust
• Regression: Glute Bridge

11. Leg Press

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12 for hypertrophy, 1-5 for strength
Equipment Needed	Leg press machine
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus

The leg press is a popular gym exercise. It provides back support and balances and guides the weight so you’re free to focus on pushing the target muscles as hard as possible. While it’s not as functional as squats and lunges, it’s still an excellent exercise to help build and strengthen your entire lower body.

“Vary the tempo of the exercise,” urges Saini. “Slow, controlled reps emphasize time under tension, while faster reps can enhance power output.”

Steps:

1. Sit on the machine and place your feet on the footplate. They should be roughly shoulder-width apart. Extend your legs and flip the safety catches out.
2. Bend your legs and lower your knees toward your chest, taking care not to round your lower back.
3. Push the weight carriage back up, stopping just short of locking your knees.
4. Continue for the desired number of reps.
5. Replace the safety catches and exit the machine.

Coach Tips:

• Experiment with the width of your stance to see what feels most comfortable and effective.
• Leg press machines vary from gym to gym, so make sure you also go light on the first few sets to get a feel for its movement mechanics.

Variations

• Progression: Single-Leg Leg Press
• Regression: Seated Leg Extension

Read also Leg Press Variations for Powerful Quadriceps.

12. Leg Extension

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Leg extension machine
Target Muscles	Quadriceps

Leg extensions are among the few exercises that isolate the quadriceps. As such, they’re a popular exercise with bodybuilders and anyone else looking to maximize quad hypertrophy. Leg extensions are also ideal for muscle-building drop sets, but be warned, they also cause a deep, intense burn in your thighs.

Steps:

1. Sit on the machine and adjust the backrest so your knees align with the lever arm pivot point. The leg pad should rest against your lower shins. Hold the handles and lean against the back support.
2. Smoothly extend your legs all the way up until your knees are straight.
3. Bend your legs, but stop just before the weight plates touch the stack.
4. Continue for the desired number of reps.

Coach Tips:

• Do not kick the weight up, as doing so uses momentum and takes tension off the target muscles.
• Use one leg at a time to increase muscle engagement.
• Pause at the top of each rep for 2-3 seconds and lower the weight slower than you lift it to make this exercise even more effective.

Variations

• Progression: Single-Leg Leg Extension
• Regression: Isometric Quad Contraction

13. Seated Leg Curl

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Leg curl machine
Target Muscles	Hamstrings

Like leg extensions, seated leg curls isolate your hamstrings, making them a valuable exercise for targeting this often-underdeveloped muscle group. Seated leg curls put your hamstrings into a slightly stretched position, which may make them better for muscle growth than other leg curl variations. (5)

Steps:

1. Sit on the machine and adjust the backrest so your knees align with the lever arm pivot point. The leg pad should rest against your lower calves. Hold the handles and lean against the back support.
2. Bend your legs and pull your feet in toward your butt.
3. Slowly extend your legs, stopping just short of the weights touching the stack.

Coach Tips:

• Try to relax your calves to ensure your hamstrings are doing all of the work.
• You can also do this exercise one leg at a time or using an alternating leg action if preferred.

Variations

• Progression: Single-Leg Seated Leg Curl
• Regression: Lying Leg Curl

14. Nordic Curl

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Barbell, weight plates, or ankle pads
Target Muscles	Hamstrings, gluteus maximus

You don’t need any equipment to train your hamstrings with Nordic curls. This challenging leg exercise is a bodyweight alternative to machine leg curls and a very effective way to strengthen your hammies. However, be warned: this exercise is tough, so approach it with caution! (4)

Saini suggests using a “breathing ladder” technique for this exercise. Take a breath between each rep for the first few reps, gradually reducing breaths as fatigue sets in. This strategy can help you complete more reps.

Steps:

1. Kneel on the floor with your ankles secured under a barbell or similar equipment. Position your hands down by your waist but with your palms facing forward.
2. Bend your hips to 30-degree and do not change this position during the movement.
3. Extend your knees to lower your torso toward the floor.
4. Use your hands to break the fall.
5. Push yourself back up to the starting position and repeat.

Coach Tips:

• Use your arms only when absolutely necessary.
• Use a resistance band to offset some of your body weight and make this exercise a little easier.

Variations

• Progression: Weighted Nordic Curl
• Regression: Assisted Nordic Curl

15. Standing Calf Raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 10-20
Equipment Needed	Standing calf raise machine
Target Muscles	Gastrocnemius

No list of the best leg exercises would be complete without calf raises. After all, the calves are critical for both lower body function and aesthetics. Standing calf raises work both your major calf muscles, making it a very time-efficient lower leg exercise. Standing calf raises also lend themselves to lifting heavy weights, so they’re good for building strength, too.

Steps:

1. Step onto the standing calf raise machine, positioning your shoulders under the pads and the balls of your feet on the footplate. Your heels should be hanging off the edge.
2. Grasp the handles on the machine for stability. Keep your back straight and your core engaged. Look straight ahead and not down at your feet.
3. Lower your heels towards the ground, stretching your calf muscles as much as comfortably possible. This is your starting position.
4. Push through the balls of your feet to raise your heels as high as you can. At the top, pause briefly to squeeze your calf muscles.
5. Slowly lower your heels back to the starting position, feeling the stretch in your calf muscles.
6. Continue for the desired number of reps.

Coach Tips:

• Lower your heels as far as you can, as doing so increases the potential for muscle growth.
• Pause at the top of each rep for maximum muscle engagement.
• You can also do this exercise with a dumbbell or just your body weight.

Variations

• Progression: Single-Leg Standing Calf Raise
• Regression: Seated Calf Raise

Safety Tips for Leg Exercises

Leg exercises are very beneficial, as they help build strength and muscle mass. However, despite their benefits, some leg exercises can also cause serious injuries because they involve significant loads and put a lot of stress on your lower back.

With that in mind, in this section, I reveal how to make your leg workouts as safe as possible. After all, bodybuilding injuries can keep you out of the gym for weeks or even months, so it pays to avoid them at all costs.

Warm Up and Cool Down Properly

A safe and effective workout starts with a thorough warm-up. Warming up prepares your muscles and joints for what you are about to do, reducing your risk of injury. In addition, your warm-up will ensure your muscles and nervous system are working properly, making your workout more effective.

A good warm-up consists of the following components:

Pulse raiser:

This is the part of the warm-up that makes you warm! It usually comprises 5-10 minutes of easy cardio. Start slow and pick up the pace over several minutes. Take care not to turn your pulse raiser into a workout. You should feel warm at the end, but not tired.

Mobility exercises:

Mobility exercises warm up and lubricate your joints by increasing synovial fluid production, which is an oil-like substance that your body produces on demand. Joint mobility exercises include shallow progressing to deeper bodyweight squats and lunges, hip circles, and ankle rotations. Focus on the joints you are about to use, not forgetting your spine.

Dynamic flexibility exercises:

Static stretches have no place in your warm-up because they put your muscles to sleep and reduce force output potential (strength). Instead, dynamic stretches lengthen and wake up your muscles, making them much more warm-up-appropriate. Good dynamic leg stretches include leg swings, toe touches, and lateral lunges.

Ramped sets:

It would be a mistake to jump straight into heavy training immediately after your warm-up. Rather, it’s better to ramp up to your training weights to prepare your muscles for what you are about to do. This is best done by starting light and increasing your weights over several preparatory sets. For example:

• 10 reps with 20 kilograms (empty barbell)
• 8 reps with 40 kilograms
• 5 reps with 60 kilograms
• 3 reps with 80 kilograms
• 10 reps with 100 kilograms (first work set).

Read more about warming up for strength training here.

Use Proper Form and Technique

There are two ways to do any exercise — the right way and the wrong way. The right way is safe and effective as it puts plenty of tension on the target muscles while limiting the stress on your joints and connective tissue.

In contrast, the wrong way puts unwanted pressure on your joints, diverts tension away from the muscles you want to target, and significantly increases your risk of injury.

With that in mind, it makes sense to use the proper form and technique for all the exercises in your workouts, even if it means using a little less weight or doing a few less reps.

Breathe and Brace

Breathing is a critical part of safe strength training. Timing your inhalations and exhalations with your repetitions will make it easier to stabilize your core, reducing the stress on your lower back. Ideally, you should inhale at the start of each rep and exhale as you pass through that movement’s sticking point. Needless to say, this can differ from exercise to exercise.

Bracing is the art of contracting your core to maximize the stability of your core. Think of this as “turning on” your natural weightlifting belt. To brace:

• Tense your abs as if expecting a punch to the stomach. Do not pull your abs in. Instead, think of clenching your abdominal muscles.
• Inhale into your abdomen. Feel your entire waistline expand and solidify.
• Time your bracing to create maximal pressure where your chosen exercise is most demanding.
• Exhale between reps, reset your core and repeat.

Increase Weights Gradually

Doing too much too soon is a great way to get injured! While you do need to gradually lift more weight and do more reps to get stronger and more muscular, hurrying the process can be dangerous.

So, only increase the workload when you feel ready, and never at the expense of proper technique or form. If in doubt, put off any weight increases for a week or two to ensure that you are up to it.

Respect Your Body’s Need for Rest and Recovery

“Go hard or go home” might make for a good meme or T-shirt slogan, but when it comes to leg training, such an attitude could be your undoing. Leg exercises like squats and Romanian deadlifts require and take a lot of energy, and doing them hard and often can leave you tired and overtrained.

Too little rest between workouts could mean you start your training sessions already tired, which will have a detrimental effect on your performance. Your technique is more likely to break down if you are tired. After all, mistakes are more common when you are not fully engaged.

So, if you are feeling tired, consider taking a break from the gym or, at least, do fewer exercises and sets and stick to some less complex movements, leg presses, extensions, and curls, all of which require minimal balance and coordination, so there is less to go wrong.

When in doubt, play it safe and come back stronger next time. The alternative is getting hurt, and that could keep you out of the gym for several months.

Use Spotters and Power Racks for Safety

Some leg exercises are more dangerous than others. The riskiest are those that involve holding a weight across your upper back, e.g., barbell squats and lunges. A failed rep can leave you pinned under a heavy weight, which can cause severe injury.

Minimize the risk of accidents by training with a spotter or doing your workout in a power rack. That way, if you cannot complete a rep, you won’t get crushed by a heavy load. Accidents of this nature can cause serious injuries and can even be fatal.

Benefits of Leg Exercises

It’s undeniable – leg training is hard! It requires determination, motivation, and the willingness to suffer for your gains. It’s no wonder that some lifters are only too happy to skip leg day.

With that in mind, here, in alphabetical order, are the main benefits of leg exercises. Try to remember these the next time you are thinking of training your chest when you should be cranking out some squats!

1. Accelerated Calorie Burn

Your legs make up roughly 40-45% of your muscle mass. As such, leg training burns a lot of calories. (1) Not only that, but sustaining your leg muscles also uses a lot of energy, contributing significantly to your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE. Long story short, training your legs will make it easier to get and stay lean.

2. Enhanced Athletic Performance

Whether you want to run faster, jump higher, or kick harder, leg training will help. Leg exercises target the same muscles you use in athletic and sporting activities, and strength built in the gym transfers well to the playing field, fight cage, and running track. There is a reason that athletes put so much effort into leg training; it’s critical for their performance. (2) 

3. Improved Balance and Stability

Leg training doesn’t just develop the big muscles in your legs; it also works the smaller muscles that help stabilize your joints. That’s especially true for single-leg exercises. In addition to their muscular effect, leg exercises are also helpful for improving your balance.

Balance and stability make your movements more efficient and also reduce your risk of suffering a fall. While that might not sound important to younger exercisers, it becomes critical as you age. Falls are a leading cause of disability in older people and can even be fatal.

4. Increased Core Strength

Despite working your legs, a lot of lower-body exercises are considered to be full-body movements. We’re talking specifically about squat and deadlift variations. These exercises invariably involve holding a weight in your hands or on your shoulders as you use your legs.

These movements force you to support the load using your core, which is the collective name for the muscles of your midsection. Free core workout whenever you train your legs? Sign us up!

5. Joint Health and Flexibility

Contrary to popular opinion, squats are not bad for your knees, lunges aren’t bad for your hips, and deadlifts aren’t bad for your back. Instead, these exercises take your joints through a large range of motion, which does them nothing but good. Some of these leg exercises are virtually dynamic stretching exercises.

Building your workouts around the exercises in this article will help keep your joints strong and healthy while contributing to your muscle flexibility. All of these benefits will enhance athleticism and long-term functionality.

6. Lower Body Sculpting

It goes without saying that if you want legs that you can be proud of, you need to train them like you mean it. The good news is that by selecting appropriate exercises, you’ll have no problem precisely targeting the muscles you want to develop. So, whether you want to beef up your quads, sculpt more muscular hamstrings, or turn your calves into fully-grown cows, there are exercises you can use to get it done.

7. Mental Toughness and Discipline

Let’s be honest – lower body training is hard. Leg extensions can leave your thighs burning and quivering, while squats take the very air from your lungs and challenge your heart as much as any cardio session.

However, doing hard things is very beneficial and will help build your self-confidence, mental toughness, and discipline. All of these factors transfer to life outside the gym.

Faced with any adversity, all you need to remember is that leg training is harder. As the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And that applies to your body AND mind.

8. Optimized Hormonal Response

Leg exercises can trigger a cascade of hormones as your body adapts to the demands of your workout. Heavy squats, deadlifts, leg presses, etc., increase testosterone, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor production and also increase insulin sensitivity to optimal uptake of glucose into your muscle cells.

All of these factors can contribute to better metabolic health as well as muscle and strength building. You’ll also feel a sense of achievement and happiness from the endorphins released.

9. Reduced Risk of Injury

Lower leg injuries are common and include knee, hip, and ankle issues. Strong muscles and bones are more resilient and less prone to wear and tear and injuries. Regular leg training can help ward off chronic aches and pains and reduce the chances of acute injuries, e.g., during sports or due to accidents, such as falls.

10. Boosting Cardio & Mobility with Leg Training

Leg exercises, encompassing routines like squats, lunges, and deadlifts, engage multiple large muscle groups, requiring your heart and lungs to work harder to keep these muscles oxygenated. As a result, leg workouts act as a form of disguised cardio, enhancing not only muscular strength but also cardiovascular health, similar to activities like running or swimming.

But the benefits don’t end at the gym door. Every time you bend to pick an item or stand from a chair, you’re performing movements akin to those you practice during leg training. Such exercises improve our day-to-day mobility, making daily tasks smoother and more efficient. This is particularly vital as we age, with declining muscle mass, strength, and mobility. Indeed, research collated from various studies on PubMed underscores the benefits, confirming that strength training can significantly counteract sarcopenia (muscle loss) in the elderly and maintain their motor functionality. (3)

In essence, leg training not only fortifies your heart, lungs, and circulatory system but also refines your daily movements, ensuring long-term mobility and strength.

Now that you know why lower body training is beneficial, let’s move on to the best leg exercises.

Performance-Boosting Tips for Leg Exercises

Get even more from your leg exercises and workouts with these tried-and-tested performance-boosting training tips!

Use a Variety of Exercises

We have a saying in the fitness industry: If you always do what you have always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. In other words, doing the same exercises and workouts over and over is a good way to go nowhere fast!

So, while having a favorite workout or exercises you enjoy more than others is okay, it’s also important to shake things up occasionally and embrace new challenges. After all, easy workouts don’t build muscle and strength, and you need to push out of your comfort zone if you want to get good results from your training.

I’ve shared the 15 best leg exercises with you in this guide, so you have more than enough options to make sure your workouts are never repetitive or boring. Use this variety to avoid training ruts and plateaus.

Try Some Plyometric Exercises

Plyometric or jumping exercises are a great way to build muscle power, which is your ability to generate force quickly. Power is an integral part of most sports. Developing muscle power won’t just make you a better athlete. It’ll also make you a more functionally capable human being. Being powerful makes things like running up stairs, lifting heavy weights, and reacting to sudden changes, e.g., avoiding falling over after tripping, much easier and more efficient. Also, power training is fun!

So, while slow-speed strength exercises like squats and lunges are good for building muscle and strength, if you want your muscles to function as well as they look, you should also include plyometric exercises like squat jumps, box squats, kettlebell swings, and hurdle jumps in your workouts.

Focus on Eccentric Contractions

Most exercises involve two types of contraction – concentric or lifting and eccentric or lowering. While both are important, many exercisers focus more on lifting than lowering, making their workouts less effective than they could be.

You are stronger eccentrically than you are concentrically, meaning you can lower more weight than you can lift. You can make the most of this phenomenon by emphasizing the lowering phase of your chosen exercises. For example, for squats, try descending in four seconds and coming back up in two.

There is no need to time your reps, or train in time to a metronome. However, lowering the weight more slowly than you lift it will make your workouts harder and more productive.

Use Training Systems to Make Your Workouts More Challenging

While there is nothing wrong with doing three sets of ten, four sets of eight, or five sets of five with the same weight each time you work out, you can have too much of a good thing. These so-called straight sets can become boring, limiting the effectiveness of your workouts.

Bodybuilders use intensifying methods called training systems to breathe new life into old workouts, making them productive again. Popular training systems include:

• Drop sets
• Supersets
• Pre-exhaust
• Post-exhaust
• Matrix/21s
• Pyramids
• Reverse pyramids
• Static holds
• Partial reps

Each of these methods affects your muscles slightly differently, which, for building muscle, can help prevent training ruts and ensure that your workouts are always as effective as possible.

Be warned; some of these methods are very intense and will probably cause severe post-exercise muscle soreness. With that in mind, introduce these methods gradually and avoid doing too much too soon. Use ’em, but don’t abuse ’em!

Use Resistance Bands/Chains for More Intense Workouts

While there is nothing wrong with the basic version of most barbell leg exercises, using resistance bands or chains can add a new dimension to your lower body workouts. Using bands or chains, a type of training called accommodating resistance, increases the load on your muscles as your limbs approach terminal extension. In short, they make it harder to hit lockout.  

This change in the so-called strength curve provides some much-needed variety to your training. Also, it gives additional overload just where you need it – where you are typically strongest.

Powerlifters, who are the strongest squatters and deadlifters on the planet, often use chains and bands to make their workouts more productive. You can use accommodating resistance with several lower body exercises, including:

• Back squats
• Front squats
• Romanian deadlifts
• Good mornings
• Leg press
• Hip thrusts

How to Create a Leg Workout Routine

Randomly picking a few leg exercises and doing them a couple of times a week will provide some benefits. Still, it’s not the best way to organize your training. Instead, if you are serious about making lower body gains, you need to follow a good program.

Writing your own workouts is a skill that takes time to develop. However, once you “get it,” you’ll be able to create effective, safe training programs for almost any training goal. These are the things you need to consider when designing a leg routine:

Consider Your Experience and Goals

It’s very tempting to bite off more than you can chew and follow a program that’s too advanced for your needs and goals. The internet is littered with ultra-intense training programs, each one harder than the next.

The reality is that beginners don’t need long, complicated workouts to build muscle and get strong. In fact, a program of 3-4 exercises will get the job done. More experienced lifters may benefit from slightly longer programs, but even then, gaining strength and muscle needn’t be complicated.

So, the most essential thing to ensure is that your workout matches your experience and goals. Don’t create a powerlifting leg workout when you are a bodybuilder looking to develop maximum muscularity.

Training Volume and Frequency

It’s generally accepted that muscles respond best to about 12-20 weekly training sets. Doing less may produce suboptimal results, while doing more may not provide additional benefits. 12-20 sets seem to be the sweet spot for most people.

You can do all these sets in one workout or, better yet, spread them across two sessions. While training your legs twice a week may not be very appealing, it means neither workout is overly long and, therefore, won’t be excessively tiring. One way to do this is to divide your quads and hamstring training, e.g., squat, leg extensions, and leg press variations on one day and Romanian deadlifts, leg curls, and hip thrusts a few days later.

Ultimately, the best training frequency depends on how much time you can dedicate to working out, and anywhere from 1-3 leg workouts per week can be effective.

Loading

Loading means how much weight you are lifting relative to your one-repetition maximum, or 1RM for short. Broadly speaking, you have three loading options to choose from:

• Low reps/high weight, e.g., 1-5 with 85%+ of your 1RM.
• Medium reps/moderate weight, e.g., 6-15 reps with 60-85% of your 1RM.
• High reps/low weight, e.g., 15-30 reps+ with 30-60% of your 1RM.

While low reps/high loads are invariably best for building strength, almost any other loading and rep scheme can work for building muscle. That said, medium reps and moderate weights are generally the most time-efficient way to train for most people. However, if you prefer high reps and low weights, that’s fine, too.

Most people enjoy a mixture of loading parameters and rep ranges, using heavier weights for compound exercises such as squats and lighter weights for isolation exercises such as leg extensions and hip extensions.

Simply put, providing you take your sets close to failure, your rep count doesn’t actually matter all that much, so feel free to experiment to find the approach that suits you best.

Exercise Variety

The legs are a complex group of muscles that have several different functions. As such, you’ll need a variety of exercises to hit each major muscle with a similar amount of volume. A good leg workout should include exercises for the following:

• Knee extension – quadriceps
• Hip extension – hamstrings and glutes
• Knee flexion – hamstrings
• Hip abduction – gluteus minimus, medius, and tensor fascia latae
• Hip adduction – adductor longus, brevis, and magnus
• Ankle plantarflexion – gastrocnemius and soleus

While some of these actions and muscles overlap and can be worked with a single exercise, others require a more targeted approach. It’s generally best to use the least number of exercises to achieve the best coverage so you have more energy to put into each movement.

So, now you have all the information you need to create your very own leg training routine. But, to help you on your way, here is an example program that adheres to these guidelines:

Workout One		Workout Two
Exercise	Sets x Reps	Exercise	Sets x Reps
Back squats	4 x 6-8	Front squats	4 x 6-8
Leg extensions	3 x 8-10	Leg curls	3 x 8-10
Lunges	3 x 10-12	Romanian deadlifts	3 x 10-12
Leg press	3 x 12-15	Reverse lunges	3 x 12-15
Standing calf raise	4 x 12-15	Seated calf raise	4 x 12-15

FAQ’s

Do you have a question about the best leg exercises or lower body training in general? No problem, because we’ve got the answers!

1. What are the most effective leg exercises for building muscle?

The most effective leg exercises for muscle building are compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and lunges. These exercises engage multiple muscle groups, allowing for greater muscle activation and growth. They also allow you to lift the heaviest loads, which is important for maximizing muscle tension, another driver of muscle growth.

2. How often should I train my legs?

The frequency of leg training depends on your fitness level and goals. For beginners, once a week may suffice, while more advanced lifters may benefit from two or even three sessions per week. That said, two leg workouts, one quads dominant and one hamstring dominant, work well for many people and is a preferred option in many programs.

3. Can I train my legs and upper body on the same day?

There is no reason not to train your lower and upper body in the same session. Still, if you want to do several exercises per muscle group, the volume and energy required may be prohibitively high. For many, it’s better to separate upper and lower body training so you can put maximum effort into both.

4. What’s the difference between high reps and low reps for leg training?

High reps (15-30) with lighter weights are generally used for endurance and toning, while low reps (1-5) with heavier weights are used for building strength. A moderate rep range (6-15) is often used for hypertrophy or muscle growth.

5. Do I need to use weights for effective leg workouts?

While weights can enhance muscle growth and strength, bodyweight exercises like pistol squats, box jumps, and Bulgarian split squats can also be effective for leg training. Ultimately, your body cannot differentiate between using a barbell, leg press machine, or a challenging bodyweight exercise like Nordic curls. So long as you train hard and often enough, your muscles will respond by getting bigger and stronger.

6. Can I still train my legs if I have knee pain?

While some exercises can make knee pain worse, it’s still possible to train around knee pain to build and strengthen your legs. Exercises like wall squats, sled pushes and pulls, and step-ups are generally more knee-friendly than squats, leg presses, and leg extensions, so adapt your workouts accordingly.

However, if you have severe or persistent knee pain, it’s generally best to consult a healthcare provider before engaging in leg exercises. The last thing you want to do is to make an existing condition or injury worse.

7. What are plyometric exercises, and how do they benefit leg training?

Plyometric exercises are used by athletes to increase muscle power. They involve a rapid loading/stretching of the target muscles, which respond in turn with a powerful contraction. Most plyometric exercises are jumps and hops, although there are some upper-body plyometric exercises, too.

Plyometrics can improve muscle power, agility, and athletic performance. They can also contribute to muscle growth, albeit indirectly, because they increase squat, deadlift, leg press, etc. performance.

8. How can I avoid plateaus in my leg training?

Plateaus are best avoided by increasing your weights and/or reps whenever you can and changing your workouts when you notice that your progress is slowing down. Typically, this is every 8-12 weeks. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night and eating a healthy diet can also help prevent plateaus.

Conclusion

Leg training is critical for your bodybuilding, sports, and fitness success. Having strong, healthy legs could even enhance your quality of life when you are older. However, despite all those “friends don’t let friends skip leg day” T-shirts and memes, a lot of people either don’t train their legs often enough or use the same old exercises week after week.

Armed with the 15 best leg exercises, you now have access to a comprehensive list of movements you can use to achieve any lower body fitness goal. Use these exercises, and your workouts will always be varied, interesting, and, above all, effective.

While having the knowledge is a great start, the real transformation happens when you apply it. It’s essential to set up a routine, get into the gym, and give your leg training the dedication it deserves.

For added inspiration, dive into the 14 Best Legs in Bodybuilding History.

Learn More on Leg Training

The advantages of leg day extend well beyond this article. With a plethora of exercises tailored for the legs and various ways to incorporate them into your regimen, your next enlightening read awaits below:

• The Best Calisthenic Leg Workout
• The Best Best Barbell Leg Exercises and Workout
• The Best 30-Minute Leg Workout for Massive Quads, Hamstrings, and Calves
• The 12 Best Cable Exercises for Legs + Workout
• The Best Leg Day Workouts for Bigger, Stronger, Better Toned Legs
• 13 Best Quadriceps Exercises You Can Do At Home Without Equipment
• Best CrossFit Leg Workouts to Build Strength and Conditioning
• Best Old-School Leg Workouts

References:

1. Reis VM, Garrido ND, Vianna J, Sousa AC, Alves JV, Marques MC. Energy cost of isolated resistance exercises across low- to high-intensities. PLoS One. 2017 Jul 24;12(7):e0181311. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181311. PMID: 28742112; PMCID: PMC5524349.
2. Wirtz N, Zinner C, Doermann U, Kleinoeder H, Mester J. Effects of Loaded Squat Exercise with and without Application of Superimposed EMS on Physical Performance. J Sports Sci Med. 2016 Feb 23;15(1):26-33. PMID: 26957923; PMCID: PMC4763843.
3. Mayer F, Scharhag-Rosenberger F, Carlsohn A, Cassel M, Müller S, Scharhag J. The intensity and effects of strength training in the elderly. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2011 May;108(21):359-64. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2011.0359. Epub 2011 May 27. PMID: 21691559; PMCID: PMC3117172.
4. Schache A. Eccentric hamstring muscle training can prevent hamstring injuries in soccer players. J Physiother. 2012;58(1):58. doi: 10.1016/S1836-9553(12)70074-7. PMID: 22341384.
5. Maeo S, Huang M, Wu Y, et al. Greater Hamstrings Muscle Hypertrophy but Similar Damage Protection after Training at Long versus Short Muscle Lengths. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021;53(4):825-837. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000002523

---