The Best Leg Workout for Building Muscle and Strength

To build stronger, more muscular legs, you need to follow three rules:

Do a small number of effective leg exercises with proper technique that train your quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and adductors.
Take most of your sets close to failure and incrementally add weight over time.
Do about 6–10 reps per set and 5–6 hard sets (or 30–60 reps) per workout for each muscle you want to emphasize (it’s fine to do a bit less for lower priority muscles).

Do that, and research shows your legs will become bigger and stronger. And if you’re a woman reading this and balk at the idea of having "bigger" legs, don’t worry—keep reading to learn why.

The Best Leg Workout for Men

Barbell Back Squat: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Barbell Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Leg Extension: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Seated Leg Curl: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Leg Press Calf Raise: 4 sets | 10–15 reps | 2–3 min rest

Total Sets	Total Reps	Effective Reps	Estimated Duration
16	112–156	~64	~40–55 minutes

Do this workout once per week, ending each set with about one good rep left in the tank (one rep in reserve, or RIR). You start your workout with the squat, which is the most technically and physically taxing exercise and primarily trains your quads, glutes, and adductors (the muscles that pull your thighs together).

Next you do Romanian deadlifts, which target your hamstrings and glutes (they also train your spinal erectors and forearms). This also gives your quads a few minutes to rest.

After that, you hit your quads again with leg extensions, and then your hamstrings with seated leg curls.

Finally, you finish with some calf raises, since none of the prior exercises meaningfully train your calves.

Note: An "effective rep" is a repetition performed when a muscle is already within about 5 reps of failure, when all or most of the fibers in the muscle are activated. A "hard set" is a set taken close or all of the way to failure, and doesn’t include warm-up sets.

The Best Leg Workout for Women

Barbell Back Squat: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Hip Thrust Machine: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Leg Extension: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Seated Leg Curl: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Hip Abduction Machine: 2 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest
Leg Press Calf Raise: 2 sets | 10–15 reps | 2–3 min rest

Total Sets	Total Reps	Effective Reps	Estimated Duration
16	108–146	~64	~40–55 minutes

This workout is almost identical to the men’s workout above, but instead of the Romanian deadlift, which primarily targets the hamstrings, you do a hip thrust, which primarily targets the glutes. If your gym doesn’t have a hip thrust machine, you can also do a barbell hip thrust.

You also do 2 sets of hip abduction to emphasize the gluteus medius and minimus and other smaller muscles that contribute to the size and shape of your derrière, like the piriformis. Finally, you only do 2 sets of calf raises, as most women generally don’t want significantly bigger calves.

That said, if you want to develop all of your leg muscles more or less equally, you can also do the men’s workout shown above.

Finally, if you’re worried that this leg workout will make you "bulky," I have good news:

The reality is that it’s exceptionally difficult (basically impossible) for your legs to get "too big" if you follow the leg workout in this article.

In my experience working with tens of thousands of women through my books and coaching, even if you were to do this workout twice per week, your legs would end up strong, defined, and "toned," but nowhere close to what most would consider "bulky."

The reason men’s legs get bigger when they follow this workout plan is that they have 15-20 times more testosterone flowing through their veins than you do.

So unless you start taking steroids to alter your physiology to mirror that of a man, your legs will never "blow up" in the same way.

The Best Machine Leg Workout

Hack Squat Machine: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Hip Thrust Machine: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Leg Extension: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Seated Leg Curl: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Leg Press Calf Raise: 4 sets | 10–15 reps | 2–3 min rest

Total Sets	Total Reps	Effective Reps	Estimated Duration
16	112–156	~64	~40–55 minutes

One of the reasons many people shy away from leg and lower body workouts is because some of the most common lower body exercises are hard to learn, uncomfortable, and put a lot of stress on your lower back. For example: squats, Romanian deadlifts, and deadlifts.

What’s more, these exercises also require you to think about controlling the weight, rather than just contracting your muscles as hard as possible. This is also one of the reasons they’re so effective, especially for beginners: If you put in the work to learn them, they train many different muscles simultaneously.

That said, if you have an injury or simply don’t like training with barbells and dumbbells, you can make just as much progress using machines. This workout follows essentially the same structure as the ones above, but you substitute the barbell back squat with the hack squat machine.

If your gym doesn’t have a hack squat machine, you can use the leg press, belt squat, pendulum squat, or any other exercise that involves straightening your knee and extending your hips at the same time.

The Best Dumbbell Leg Workout

Dumbbell Goblet Squat: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Dumbbell Step-Up: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Nordic Hamstring Curl: 3 sets | 6–8+ reps | 2–3 min rest
Bodyweight Single-Leg Calf Raise: 4 sets | 10–15 reps | 2–3 min rest

Total Sets	Total Reps	Effective Reps	Estimated Duration
16	112–156+	~64	~40–60 minutes

It’s hard to make meaningful progress training your lower body with just dumbbells, but if that’s all you have available, this workout is the way to go.

Goblet squats and step-ups train your quads and glutes, Romanian deadlifts train your hamstrings and glutes, Nordic curls train your hamstrings again (but in a slightly different way), and bodyweight calf raises train your calves.

The Best Bodyweight Leg Workout

Bodyweight Squat: 3 sets | 10–15 reps | 2–3 min rest
Bodyweight Step-Up: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest
Nordic Hamstring Curl: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Bodyweight Glute Bridge: 3 sets | 10–15 reps | 2–3 min rest
Bodyweight Single-Leg Calf Raise: 4 sets | 10–15 reps | 2–3 min rest

Total Sets	Total Reps	Effective Reps	Estimated Duration
16	142–204	~64	~45–65 minutes

It’s hard to make meaningful progress training your lower body with just your body weight, but if that’s all you have available, this workout is the way to go.

Bodyweight squats and step-ups train your quads and glutes, Nordic curls train your hamstrings, glute bridges train your glutes, and calf raises train your calves.

7 Tips to Improve Your Leg Workouts

Use double progression to add weight over time. To progress these workouts, use double progression: use a weight that allows you to work within the given rep range, take each set 1–2 reps shy of failure, and once you hit the top of the range for your first set, add weight. For bodyweight exercises, progress by doing more reps or using a harder variation.
Rest 2–3 minutes between sets. This gives your muscles time to recover so you can maintain your reps and technique.
Take each set 1–2 reps shy of failure. Failure is the point where you can’t move the weight with good form despite giving your maximum effort, and you generally want to end your sets 1–2 reps shy of this point. This should still feel very difficult. Your last 2–3 reps should be meaningfully slower than your earlier reps and you’ll often feel a burning sensation in your muscles.
Be a stickler for good form. Your muscles don’t care how much weight you’re using. While you want to get stronger over time, what matters is effectively stimulating the muscle, not throwing around the heaviest weights possible. You’ll make better progress (and get injured less often) by using slightly less weight with excellent form than by adding more weight than you can safely handle.
Substitute exercises as needed. If a certain exercise doesn’t play well with your anatomy, if your gym doesn’t have a particular piece of equipment, or you have an injury that makes it uncomfortable, just swap it for something else. There’s almost always a way to modify a workout to get similar or the same results with a different exercise. Use the alternatives below to find an exercise that suits you, then check which muscles it trains before swapping it in.
Do a short, effective warm-up. Before your first exercise, do 5 reps with about 50% of your working weight (the weight you plan on using for your hard sets), then 5 with about 70%, resting 1–2 minutes after each. Keep these sets easy and focus on using excellent form. The goal is to warm up your target muscles and joints, practice the movements, and prepare yourself mentally for your hard sets. For a bodyweight workout, start with two easy five-rep sets of the first exercise instead.
Don’t train your legs when you’re fatigued. Lower-body workouts generally involve using more muscle mass and heavier weights than any other kind of workout, and this makes them particularly challenging for your muscles, joints, and cardiovascular system. They also require more focus and coordination than most other workouts. Thus, do what you can to "protect" these workouts from outside stressors and sources of fatigue. You want to be fresh for your leg workouts.

The 5 Best Leg Exercises

1. Barbell Back Squat

How to:

Adjust the hooks or pins in a squat rack so the bar is at your midchest (about the height of your nipples), and load it with plates (or not, if the bar alone is enough weight). Grip the bar with your palms facing forward, thumbs on top of the bar, and your hands three to six inches wider than shoulder-width apart.
Holding on to the bar for balance, place your feet underneath it about shoulder-width apart, then duck under the bar and place it across your upper-back muscles, directly across your shoulder blades. Tuck your shoulder blades back and down, and gently adjust the bar until you feel it resting on the "shelf" created by the bony protrusions of your shoulder blades and surrounding back muscles—this is where the bar must remain throughout the exercise.
Unrack the bar and take one step back with each foot (one at a time). Adjust your feet so they’re shoulder-width apart, toes pointing out at about 20 to 25 degrees. Stand tall with your chest out, take a deep breath into your stomach, and brace your abs.
Sit straight down by pushing your hips backward and bending your knees at the same time. Keep sitting down until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or as low as you comfortably can).
Start the ascent by driving through your heels and the middle of your feet, pushing the bar upward in a straight line. Around the halfway mark, push your hips forward and underneath the bar by squeezing your glutes, and return to the starting position.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The barbell back squat is the ideal starting point for any leg workout because it trains several different muscles simultaneously and allows you to add weight in small increments over time.

Mike’s tip: To prevent your knees from caving in as you stand up, imagine spreading the floor apart with your feet by driving your feet into the ground and away from each other (though they shouldn’t actually move).

Alternatives:

2. Leg Extension

How to:

Adjust the back pad so you can lean back at about a 30-degree angle, and scoot your butt forward so your knees are just in front of the edge of the seat when you’re seated.
Then adjust the shin pad so it touches your shins right above your ankles and puts your feet as close to your butt as possible. If the machine has a thigh pad as well, adjust it so it’s snug when seated but not painful.
Grab the handles and push your feet toward the ceiling as hard as you can until your legs are straight, and hold this position for a brief moment.
Lower your feet under control and return to the starting position.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The leg extension trains all four quad muscles, including the rectus femoris, which isn’t fully stimulated by squats. It also doesn’t put any stress on your lower back or require you to balance a barbell on your shoulders, which makes it safer and more practical to take your sets close or all of the way to failure.

Mike’s tip: Contract your quads as hard as possible at the top of each rep, and hold that position for a half second or so. This helps ensure you’re activating your quads as much as possible.

Alternatives:

3. Barbell Romanian Deadlift

How to:

Adjust the pins or hooks in a squat rack so the bar is at your midthigh, and load it with plates (or load the bar on the floor if you don’t have a rack).
Grip the bar just outside your thighs with your palms facing you, lift it off the rack (or floor), take one step back with each foot, and turn your toes out and bend your knees slightly.
Stand up tall with your chest out and arms at your sides, take a deep breath into your stomach, and brace your abs.
Squeeze the bar as hard as you can, press your upper arms into your sides, and, with a flat back, lower the bar toward the floor in a straight line, allowing your butt to move backward as the bar descends.
Once you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, bend your knees just enough to let the bar keep descending, and continue lowering it until your lower back begins to round—just below the knees for most people, about midshin for the particularly flexible.
Bring the bar upward by driving your hips toward it, keeping your arms straight, lower back slightly arched, and core tight, and return to the starting position.
On the last rep of a set, finish it fully (legs locked), then move the bar back to the pins or hooks—don’t try to deadlift it directly back onto them.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is one of the best exercises you can do for training your hamstrings and glutes. It also allows you to add weight in small increments, and isn’t as fatiguing as conventional deadlifts.

Mike’s tip: Imagine "crushing oranges in your armpits." Sounds strange, but this cue helps keep your upper back and shoulders tight throughout every rep.

Alternatives:

4. Seated Leg Curl

How to:

Sit in the leg curl machine and adjust it so the heel pad sits across your Achilles tendons, the thigh pad rests snugly across your lower thighs, and your knees are a couple of inches off the front edge of the seat.
Adjust the back pad so that it’s as far forward as possible while keeping the bottom of your thighs securely anchored to the pad (this increases the tension on your hamstrings).
Grab the handles, press your back against the pad, and pull your heels down and back toward your butt as far as they will go, typically until the machine runs out of range of motion.
Pause for a brief moment, and return to the starting position under control.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The seated leg curl trains all four portions of your hamstrings—the semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and long and short heads of the biceps femoris. It’s especially useful for training the short head of the biceps femoris because this muscle only crosses your knee, so hip-hinge exercises like the Romanian deadlift don’t train it directly.

Mike’s tip: Pull your toes back toward your shins (dorsiflexion) throughout each rep. This helps maintain good form and many people find it helps them better activate their hamstrings.

Alternatives:

5. Leg Press Calf Raise

How to:

Sit in the leg press machine seat and wedge your butt down into the base of the seat.
Place your feet shoulder-width apart and toward the bottom of the footplate so that the balls of your feet are touching the footplate, but the rest of your foot hangs off the bottom.
Using your legs, press the footplate away from your body and use the safety handles to release the weight.
While keeping a slight bend in your knees, lower the footplate toward your chest by allowing the weight to push your toes toward your shins.
When you feel a deep stretch in your calf muscles, push the footplate away from you by forcefully pointing your toes.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 4 sets | 10–15 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The leg press calf raise effectively trains both calf muscles simultaneously: the gastrocnemius (the larger, visible calf muscle) and the soleus (the smaller, flatter muscle between your gastrocnemius and your shin bones). It’s best to do both straight and bent knee calf raises, but if you can only pick one, I generally recommend a straight leg version like the leg press calf raise.

Mike’s tip: Pause for a full two seconds at the bottom of every rep. This dissipates stored elastic energy in your Achilles tendons, so your calf muscles have to do more of the work.

Alternatives:

Smith-Machine Standing Calf Raise
Seated Calf Raise
Standing Calf Raise Machine

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