Advertisement

Upgrade Leg Day With The 20 Best Leg Exercises

Photo credit: milan2099 - Getty Images
Photo credit: milan2099 - Getty Images

From Esquire

Leg exercises fill even the most enthusiastic gym-goer with trepidation, and for good reason. The recovery period is longer and more painful. Results, being slow to materialise, are not as satisfying in the short term. Since they often recruit multiple muscles, leg exercises can be more taxing than most upper-body moves. And when your wheels do finally appear to grow, they’re hidden under jeans for 90 per cent of the year. Great.

With so many compelling reasons to skip leg day, why bother at all? Well stop that nonsense thinking right now.

Why Training Legs Is So Important

First and foremost, leg exercises target some of your body’s biggest muscles – the largest being your glutes – the foundations on which your fitness is built. Training legs means burning more calories, elevating your T-levels, boosting your big lifts, improving your mobility, and, of course, building strength, power and mass.

You might not know it, but leg exercises are also critical to brain and nervous system health. Your pins send important signals to the brain that help produce neural cells (essential for handling stress and adapting to challenges) in particular during weight-bearing exercise, research published in Frontiers revealed.

On the flip side, skipping leg day one too many times can make you unbalanced and more susceptible to injury. If you play sports, you’ll be slower and weaker. And on a less scientific note, you will look ridiculous. Nobody wants that.

Like it or not, leg day is going nowhere, so logic dictates you should make full use of it. And when it comes to building muscle size, regularly changing exercises is just as effective as increasing the intensity of your workout, according to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning.

Don’t be all mouth and no trousers – hit the refresh button on your lower body routine with 20 of the best leg exercises below.


#1 Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Stand facing away from the bench, holding a barbell across your upper back. Have one leg resting on the bench behind you, laces down.

  • Squat with your standing leg until the knee of your trailing leg almost touches the floor.

  • Push up through your front foot to return to the start position.

Why: Scientists looked at muscle activation across a trio of unilateral barbell exercises: the split squat, single-leg squat and Bulgarian (or “rear foot elevated”) split squat in a study published in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. While all three equally target the quads and glutes, this move is particularly effective at targeting the hamstrings, they concluded. “If you find having the barbell on your back causes you to excessively lean forward, try front loading or replacing with dumbbells by the side instead,” suggests Phillip Leonard, head of personal training at Ten Health & Fitness.


#2 Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Put a weight plate on the floor and rest your toes on it whilst sitting on a bench.

  • Place a dumbbell on your knee, your right hand holding the handle whilst your left hand holds the top.

  • Lift up your toes as high as possible. Pause, then lower it back onto the weight and repeat.

Why: “The seated variation deactivates the hamstrings – the focus goes entirely to the soleus,” explains Jonathan Dick, Tier X coach at Equinox Kensington. “Strengthening your calves can help treat shin splints if you’re spending too much time on the treadmill.” Being notoriously stubborn in terms of muscle growth, your calves will reap the benefits of a little concentrated effort.


#3 Romanian Deadlift

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Stand behind a grounded barbell. Bend your knees slightly to grab it, keeping your shins, back and hips straight.

  • Without bending your back, push your hips forwards to lift the bar. From upright, push your hips back to lower the bar, bending your knees only slightly.

Why: “It’s a great variation on the traditional deadlift that focuses on your glutes and superior end of your hamstrings,” says Leonard. Practising hip flexion exercises – like the Romanian deadlift – can seriously improve your sprint speed and agility. After eight weeks of hip flexor-specific training, participants in a University of Florida study saw their sprint and shuttle run PBs improve by around four per cent and nine per cent respectively.


#4 Goblet Squat

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Stand with your legs wider than your shoulders and hold a dumbbell with both hands in line with your thighs.

  • Stick your backside out, bend your knees and lower yourself into a squat until the dumbbell touches the floor. Drive back up and repeat.

Why: You get the lower body muscle-building benefits reaped from traditional squats while torching your shoulders and arms at the same time. “Goblet squats are a great alternative for those who lack the shoulder mobility to maintain proper back squat form,” says Dick. “Positioning the load in the front of the body will challenge the core and quadriceps more.”


#5 Barbell Side Lunge

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Stand with your legs under your hips and hold a barbell on your back.

  • Step your right leg out to the side and lower your body as you bend your knee, keeping your left leg straight.

  • Drive yourself back up to starting position and repeat on the other side.

Why: You’ll be a far more agile sportsman. Lateral lunges place emphasis on your hip adductors and abductors, the School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science reports, making it beneficial for the “very tight sidestepping manoeuvres” required in American football, rugby, basketball and skiing. “If you find it difficult to keep an upright torso, try placing a wedge under the heel of the bent leg,” says Leonard. “This will reduce the amount of hip flexion required, allowing for a more upright position.”


#6 Good Morning

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Place a barbell across your shoulders behind your neck. Ensure your shoulder blades are pushed back to take the weight off the bar.

  • Brace your core and slowly bend at the hips to lower your head towards the floor. Pause at the bottom, then reverse.

Why: It’s excellent for building the solid foundations that your big lift PBs depend upon. “This is a great posterior chain exercise to strengthen both hamstrings and glutes, while challenging the core,” explains Dick. “Try taking a wider-than-shoulder-width foot position, or ‘sumo’ stance, to really target the glutes.”


#7 Battle Ropes Reverse Lunge

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Hold the ends of the rope in each hand with your thumbs parallel, and your feet shoulder-width apart in an athletic stance.

  • Swing your arms up and down in a constant, controlled motion, moving the rope in a wave motion, as you simultaneously step back and lower your knee to the ground to lunge, one leg at a time.

Why: Reverse lunges boast all the benefits of regular lunges, but they’re much easier on the knees. Left to our own devices, most of us have a tendency to send our knees past our toes: a high-risk injury zone. Lunging in reverse eliminates that risk. “To make it extra spicy and increase the glute focus, start with both feet on a low box and step back and down into more depth,” Leonard suggests.


#8 Kettlebell Pistol Squat

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Hold one kettlebell with both hands just under your chin.

  • Lift one leg off the floor and squat down with the other.

  • Drive through the heel and bring yourself back up to standing position, without letting your leg touch the floor. Lower back down and repeat.

Why: “A great single leg exercise to challenge hip mobility and stability that transfers over directly to daily life,” says Dick. It’s also incredibly tricky to master, requiring strength, dexterity and balance in equal measure – giving those who can execute it flawlessly a free pass to gloat.


#9 Hip Thruster

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Lean the top of your back against a bench, creating a 45-degree angle between yourself and the support.

  • Squeeze your glutes and core and raise your hips to lift the load until your back is straight and your knees form a 90-degree angle. Return to the starting position.

Why: Hip thrusters build power in your glutes like no other. Your derriere might not be an aesthetic priority, but it should be from a training perspective – weak glutes have a negative impact on the movement mechanics of your entire leg, which spells trouble for your knee joints and ankles. “Bullet-proof your technique with a strong brace before pushing into the lift,” says Leonard. “Make sure to squeeze those glutes as hard as you can, holding the top position for at least a split second.”


#10 Single Leg Curl

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Lie face down on the leg curl machine with your heels against the lower pad and the bench against your thighs.

  • Bend one knee to pull the pad up towards your backside as far as possible, then return to the start position and repeat on the other side.

Why: “Single leg curls are great for strengthening the hamstrings, and doing so can help bulletproof your knees,” explains Dick. “A great thing to try is eccentric-focused reps – use both legs to perform the curl and use only one leg to return the weight back to the start. This allows you to overload each leg without risking injury.”


#11 Single Leg Deadlift

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Hold two dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing inwards.

  • Slowly lift one leg straight behind you, bending the other slightly, and lean forward so that your arms lower the dumbbells towards the floor. Pause, then return to upright position.

Why: Unilateral exercises, like the single leg deadlift, work your mind-muscle connection a little harder because of the need to stay balanced. Your muscles activate quicker to keep you from falling over, known as a faster rate of force production (RFD). A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that unilateral exercises improve RFD by as much as 40 to 60 per cent. “If you struggle with balance, my go-to regression is to use the landmine instead,” says Leonard.


#12 Leg Extension

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Sit in a leg extension machine with your ankles against the lower pad. Use your quads to push forwards and straighten your legs in front of you, then return to the start position.

Why: Tag this onto the end of your workout – it’s the ultimate quad-centric finisher. “A great strengthening exercise for the quadriceps, which will again help with protecting the knees as we get older,” says Dick. “Again, try using eccentric-focused reps: both legs perform the extension, one leg lowers the weight back.”


#13 Prowler Push

Sets: 4
Work:
60 secs
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • To push, keep your arms, neck and back in a static straight line. When you walk forwards, only move your legs.

  • To pull, grip the sled handles, bend at the knees while keeping your back straight and upright, and walk backwards with firm steps.

Why: No matter whether your end goal is improved endurance, power, or functional muscle – and especially if it’s all three – the prowler sled has you covered. There’s minimal risk of injury and you'll recover quicker, too, since the movement is ‘concentric’, says Leonard. “Muscle soreness largely comes from the eccentric phase of a movement – think: the lowering phase in a squat. That means recovery from a heavy prowler push will be quicker than exercises like back squats or deadlifts.” Progressing is simple: either up the weight or push faster.


#14 Farmer's Carry

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Hold two dumbbells by your side. Keep your arms strong and walk short, quick steps as fast as possible.

  • Turn around and walk back.

Why: Don't underestimate the farmer’s carry – it's tough on your entire body, from your delts to your hamstrings. “You can think of this as a walking plank,” explains Dick. “To perform a farmer’s carry properly, you need to maintain the same body position as you would for a plank. Walking heel-toe, standing tall and stabilising through your glutes with each step.”


#15 Sumo Squat

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart holding a barbell across your upper back with an overhand grip.

  • Taking care to not arch your back, push your hips back and bend your knees to lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.

  • Drive you heels into the floor to push yourself explosively back up to the start position.

Why: Switch up your squat routine with the sumo variation to give your hip adductors and abductors a blast. Most people can squat deeper using the sumo style, which will bring flexibility benefits. “The wide stance means there is less distance to travel to reach parallel,” says Leonard.


#16 Clean and Jerk

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Sink down into squat position and hold a barbell with overhand grip, shoulder width apart.

  • Get under the bar as you drive it up towards your shoulders, then straighten your legs to stand. Bend your legs and use momentum to jump slightly and push the bar straight up above your head.

  • Reverse the action to lower the barbell back down to the floor.

Why: Don’t sleep on this Olympic-style weightlifting move. “If your goal is to build power and speed, the clean and jerk is a must,” says Dick. “A favourite of sprint athletes like Usain Bolt, it’s great for developing explosive hips. This definitely requires a high level of both mobility and training skills.” If it’s good enough for Bolt...


#17 Hack Squat

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and hold a barbell behind you at arms’ length.

  • While keeping your head up and back straight, squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Drive through your heels to stand back up as you breathe out.

Why: The hack squat will carve out those coveted vastus medialis, or VMO, gains – the teardrop-shaped muscle on your quads. Aesthetics aside, the muscle is a key knee stabiliser, so this move will help safeguard your knee joint. “Utilising different movement patterns outside of the traditional back squat can be rut-busting and allows us to become more robust in those main lifts,” says Leonard.


#18 Thruster

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Hold two kettlebells by their handles but so the weight is resting on the back of your shoulder.

  • Slightly bend your knees and squat down, keeping your legs in line with your shoulders.

  • Drive through your legs and straighten them, extending your arms as you do so to raise the kettlebells above your head. Squat down and repeat.

Why: “Like the clean and jerk, thrusters can be an excellent choice for developing explosive power,” explains Dick. “They also require a high level of both mobility and training skills.” He suggests using this move as a cardio finisher, performing 5 to 10 reps every minute on the minute (EMOM) for 5 to 10 rounds.


#19 Standing Long Jump

Sets: 3
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Lower yourself into a squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Swing your arms back and use them to propel yourself forward, then bring your legs forward for additional momentum.

  • Jump as far as you can and land on the soles of your feet.

Why: A bona-fide power-building move, the standing long jump improves the reaction of fast-twitch muscle fibres throughout your body – particularly when it comes to your glutes, quads, hip flexors, calves and hamstrings. Being a plyometrics exercise, it’ll get your blood pumping, too. “If you’re looking to develop explosive horizontal power, these are number one,” says Leonard. “To reduce the stress on your knees, aim to jump up and forward.”


#20 Incline Treadmill Sprint

Sets: 6
Work
: 30 secs
Rest: 60 secs

How:

  • Increase the incline on a treadmill and sprint at full speed for the designated time.

Why: Cardio on leg day? Well, yes actually. “These are great to throw in at the end of a session to develop lower body strength and power,” says Dick. “When you’re already fatigued from lifting, the incline serves as a built-in safety net and naturally reduces limb speed – protecting you from any potential hamstring injuries.”

Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox

SIGN UP

Need some positivity right now? Subscribe to Esquire now for a hit of style, fitness, culture and advice from the experts

SUBSCRIBE

You Might Also Like