Best Leg Exercises: 8 Moves for Size & Strength

By Jon Klipstein, U.S. Army Combat Veteran & Founder of Die Tryin Co., and Chelsea Rodgers, IFBB Pro & Die Tryin Co. Athlete

LEG DAY SEPARATES THE SERIOUS FROM THE REST

Everybody trains arms. Far fewer train legs like they mean it — and it shows. Your legs hold the biggest muscles on your body, which means leg day drives more total growth, more strength, and more real-world power than any other session.

But not all leg work is equal. A handful of exercises do the heavy lifting; the rest is filler. Here are the best leg exercises — what they hit, how to do them right, and how to put them together into a leg day that actually builds wheels.

THE MUSCLES YOU'RE TRAINING

"Legs" isn't one muscle. A complete lower body trains all of them:

• Quads (front of the thigh) — knee extension; built by squats, presses, lunges.
• Hamstrings (back of the thigh) — hip hinge and knee flexion; built by RDLs and curls.
• Glutes — your most powerful muscle; hip extension; built by squats, hip thrusts, lunges.
• Calves — the lower leg; built by direct calf raises (and almost always neglected).

Train the whole list. Skipping the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes) is how you end up with quad-dominant legs and a higher injury risk.

THE 8 BEST LEG EXERCISES

Heavy compounds for size and strength, plus targeted work so nothing gets left behind.

1. Barbell Back Squat

The king. Nothing builds total leg mass and strength like a heavy squat. Hit at least parallel — depth is where the growth lives. Want a bigger squat? We broke that down separately.

2. Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

The best hamstring and glute builder. Hinge at the hips, keep the bar close, feel the stretch in the hamstrings, and drive up. This is the posterior-chain move most people are missing.

3. Leg Press

Load up quad volume with less stress on your lower back than squats. Great for pushing heavy after your free-weight work — just don't bury your knees into your chest; control the range.

4. Bulgarian Split Squat

Brutal and humbling. One leg at a time fixes side-to-side imbalances and lights up the quads and glutes. Rear foot elevated, drop straight down, drive through the front heel.

5. Walking Lunges

Functional, glute-and-quad building, and a serious conditioning hit. Long strides bias the glutes; shorter strides bias the quads. Add dumbbells once bodyweight is easy.

6. Lying or Seated Leg Curl

Direct hamstring isolation the compounds can't fully replace. Squeeze hard, control the negative, and don't let your hips pop up to cheat the weight.

7. Hip Thrust

The top glute builder, period. Back on a bench, drive the hips up, squeeze hard at the top. Loads the glutes through a range squats can't reach.

8. Standing Calf Raise

The most-skipped move on this list. Calves need direct, high-rep work with a full stretch at the bottom and a hard squeeze at the top. Train them or they won't grow.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR LEG DAY

Exercise choice matters, but so does how you put it together. A 2022 umbrella review of resistance-training variables backs the basics: enough volume, taken close to failure, progressed over time. A simple, complete leg day:

• Squat — 4 sets of 5–8
• RDL — 3 sets of 8–10
• Leg press or Bulgarian split squat — 3 sets of 10–12
• Leg curl — 3 sets of 12–15
• Calf raise — 4 sets of 12–20

Train legs 1–2× per week, push every set close to failure, and add weight or reps over time. That progression is what turns the work into size.

COMMON LEG-DAY MISTAKES

• Quarter squats. Half a rep is half the result. Hit depth.
• Skipping the posterior chain. All quads, no hamstrings/glutes = imbalanced, injury-prone legs.
• Never training calves. They won't grow on accident. Direct work, every leg day.
• Ego over form. Loading the bar past what you can control wrecks your knees and lower back. Earn the weight.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the best leg exercise?

The barbell back squat — it builds the most total leg mass and strength. Pair it with a Romanian deadlift so you train the hamstrings and glutes too, and you've covered the biggest drivers.

How often should I train legs?

One to two times per week for most lifters. Two sessions let you split quad-focused and hamstring/glute-focused days, which works well for adding size.

What are the best leg exercises without machines?

Barbell squats, Romanian deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats, walking lunges, and hip thrusts — all free-weight or bodyweight, all complete leg builders.

How do I grow my hamstrings and glutes, not just quads?

Prioritize hip-hinge movements: Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, and leg curls. Most people over-train quads and under-train the posterior chain — flip that.

Why are my calves not growing?

Almost always too little direct work. Hit standing calf raises with a full stretch and squeeze, high reps, every leg day, and progress the load.

READY TO GEAR UP?

Leg day is where pre-workout earns its keep. Hit your hardest sessions on SEND IT, recover with Post Iso protein, and run daily Creatine for strength and size. Put the whole plan together with our complete guide to building muscle, or take the quiz to build your stack.

ALWAYS FORWARD.