Leg Workout: The Best Leg Exercises

This page lists the 10 best leg exercises, shows you the order to do them on leg day, and gives you sets and reps that work. There is also a leg workout for home and a simple rule for how often to train. Tap any exercise to see it from every angle.

The quads on the front of the thigh straighten the knee. They do most of the work in squats, leg presses and lunges. The hamstrings on the back of the thigh bend the knee and help extend the hip, so they work hard in Romanian deadlifts and deadlifts. The glutes drive the hips forward in every big leg lift. The calves point the foot and need their own exercise, such as a standing or seated calf raise, because the big lifts barely train them.

Start with the heaviest lift, a squat or a leg press, while you are fresh. Then train the hamstrings, then one leg at a time. Five exercises is plenty for one session. Use heavier weight and lower reps on the first lift, and moderate weight with more reps after that. Stop each set with one or two good reps left.

You can train your legs at home without weights. Body weight squats, reverse lunges, Bulgarian split squats with your rear foot on a chair and glute bridges cover the quads, hamstrings and glutes. For calves, stand on a step and raise your heels. Without heavy weight, you make progress by adding reps, slowing down each rep, pausing at the bottom or moving to single leg versions. A pair of dumbbells makes home leg training much easier to progress.

• Body weight squat: 3 sets of 15 to 20
• Bulgarian split squat: 3 sets of 10 to 15 per leg
• Reverse lunge: 3 sets of 10 to 12 per leg
• Single leg calf raise on a step: 3 sets of 12 to 20

Most people do best training legs two times a week. One hard leg day is enough to keep making progress as a beginner, but two shorter sessions are easier to recover from and add up to more good sets. Aim for about 10 to 20 hard sets per week for the quads and about the same for the hamstrings. Leave at least 48 hours between hard leg sessions.

Four to six is enough for most people. Pick one heavy squat or press, one hamstring exercise, one single leg exercise and, if you have time, a glute or calf exercise.

Two times a week works for most people. If you only train legs once a week, make that session a little longer and keep it hard.

The squat, leg press, Romanian deadlift and Bulgarian split squat. Train them in the 6 to 12 rep range, close to failure, and add weight or reps over time.

Yes. Body weight squats, reverse lunges, Bulgarian split squats and glute bridges all work. Use higher reps, slow tempo and single leg versions to keep them hard.

About 12 to 18 hard sets in total. Use 5 to 8 reps on the first heavy lift and 8 to 15 reps on the exercises after it.