Large, sculpted quads you can show off in your hoochie daddy shorts; a peachy behind that fills your scrunch bum leggings, and defined calves that scream athleticism; If that doesn’t convince you to train legs, then we don’t know what will.
But the best leg exercises don’t just make your legs look great. They also help you perform better in the gym, on the pitch, and in everyday life—from walking to tackling the stairs and carrying heavy objects.
But if training legs is so good, why do so many of us shy away at the mere mention of leg day?
Maybe it’s because training legs isn’t easy – our leg muscles are some of the biggest muscles in our body, after all. But we know if you’re reading this, like us, you probably aren’t afraid of a little hard work!
So if difficulty isn’t the limiting factor, then maybe it’s simply not knowing which leg exercises you need to do, how often you need to train, and how to build an effective leg workout. With so many differing opinions filling our feeds, the answer to the best leg exercises to grow big legs isn’t easy—but don’t worry, we’ve got the answers for you, with the best leg exercises to attack your hamstring, quads, glutes and calves.
All you need to do? Download The Gymshark Training App, add our best leg day exercises to your leg workout, and start training, tracking and building the best legs possible!
What You'll Find In This Article:
Why Is It Important To Train Legs?
How To Plan & Structure Your Leg Workout
How Many Times Should You Train Legs Per Week?
Leg Workout Warm-Up
The Best Leg Exercises For Hamstrings
The Best Leg Exercises For Quads
The Best Leg Exercises For Glutes
The Best Leg Exercises For Calves
Leg Workout Cool Down
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Why Is It Important To Train Legs?
Training legs is no easy task. Leg Day is one of the most physically demanding sessions of the week, and it takes hard work and determination to push yourself through the mental barriers to make progress.
It's easy to overlook leg day workouts in favor of other body parts, but leg exercises are essential for building a balanced physique. Training your leg muscles helps in building bigger legs by producing elevated levels of cortisol and testosterone (the human growth hormone) - something chest day will thank you for, too.
Made up of the hamstrings, quads, glutes, and calves – your legs are home to some of the largest muscles in your body, and training them can help you burn calories, increase your metabolism, and build lean muscle.
Oh, and did we mention that leg exercises can help improve balance, coordination, and flexibility, which can reduce the chance of injury? Maybe it's time to take leg day more seriously…
How To Plan & Structure Your Leg Workout
Now that you know why leg training is important, let's talk about how to plan and structure your leg workouts to get the most out of your session.
The key to building bigger, stronger legs is to focus primarily on compound leg exercises, which target multiple muscle groups at once under a greater load. Examples of compound leg exercises include squats, deadlifts, and lunges, and they're essential for building strength and muscle.
Along with utilizing compound leg exercises, It's important to consider the varied movement patterns across different planes of motion for a well-rounded leg workout. For example;
Extension - such as a squat, or lunge variation.
Flexion - such as hamstring curls.
Hip Hinges - such as RDLs, or Deadlifts.
Plantarflexion - such as calf raises, or box jumps.
When planning your leg workout, including leg exercises that incorporate the above movements can help build a baseline for your session, providing variety in the muscles targeted to boost strength, flexibility, and performance.
Progressive Overload
When planning your leg workouts, you should also place emphasis on progressive overload.
This means gradually increasing the weight and intensity of your exercises over time. It is best done through writing or using an app to track your sets, reps, and weight lifted.
Aim to add more weight or reps each week, and challenge yourself while retaining good form to ensure you're getting the most out of your leg workouts.
How Many Times Should You Train Legs Per Week?
Now that you know how to plan and structure your leg workouts, let's discuss how often you should train your legs.
There are many differing opinions about how many leg days a week you should train to build big legs, but as a general rule of thumb, if growing your legs is your overarching goal, you should aim to train them two to three times per week. This will give you enough time to recover between workouts and allow your muscles to adapt and grow.
Muscles generally need 48 hours to recover, so it's vital to avoid back-to-back leg workouts that place increased stress on the same muscle groups. This ensures adequate rest, recovery, and muscle growth.
Before deciding on what leg workout frequency works best for you, it's important to consider your goals—if your lower body is a weakness or priority, you may want to add an extra leg workout each week, and vice versa.
You can also split your leg workouts into separate days for hamstrings, quads, glutes, and calves. This will allow you to focus on specific muscle groups and ensure you're getting the most out of your leg workouts.
5-day Leg Workout Split (With Legs As A Priority):
Monday - Legs Push, with a main focus on quads and calves.
Tuesday - Upper Push, with the main focus on chest, shoulders & triceps.
Wednesday - Legs Pull, focusing on glutes, hamstrings and calves.
Thursday - Rest.
Friday - Upper Pull, focusing on back and biceps.
Saturday - Legs, focus on big compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts, with accessory movements.
Sunday - Rest.
3-Day Leg Workout Split:
Five days is quite a commitment. If you only have 3 days to train, you could split your week workout split into:
Monday - Upper Push, with the main focus on chest, shoulders & triceps.
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - Legs: Focusing on all leg muscles (quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves)
Thursday - Rest.
Friday - Upper Pull, focusing on back and biceps.
How To Warm Up Properly For Leg Day
Warming up for your leg workout is essential to reduce your risk of injury and prepare your body for the leg day onslaught it is about to receive.
Elevating your heart rate is always a great place to start: Walking at a steady pace for 5 minutes on a cardio machine, such as a treadmill, cycling, or assault bike, will help increase your heart rate and begin to circulate more blood around the body.
Next, move onto a few dynamic stretches, before proceeding to bodyweight leg exercises like squats, lunges, and calf raises.
Need some inspo? Try our Best Leg Day Warm Up Exercises.
When you come to start your main workout, ease yourself into the exercises by performing them using a light weight (or even a resistance band) for a reduced number of reps before increasing the weight and beginning your working set. This will help you get a better range of motion, activate your muscles, and prime your central nervous system.
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The Best Leg Exercise To Grow Bigger Legs
Right, so you know why to train legs, and how to warm up - it's now time to start choosing the best leg exercises for your next leg day workout.
As mentioned, the leg muscles are comprised of the hamstrings, quads, glutes, and calves. Our best leg exercises guide covers the best movements to target each of these muscles in your leg workout.
The Best Leg Exercises For Hamstrings
Your hamstrings are located at the back of your thighs, and they are important for stabilizing your knee joints, as well as helping you generate power during activities like running and jumping.
One of the best leg exercises for targeting your hamstrings is the Romanian deadlift. This exercise involves hinging at the hips and lowering the barbell down to your shins while keeping a straight back. It's great for targeting your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
You can also do variations such as the single-leg Romanian deadlift, the glute-ham raise, or good mornings, which are great ways to learn how to hip-hinge efficiently.
Read our Best Hamstring Exercises To Strengthen Your Legs
The Best Leg Exercises For Hamstrings:
Romanian Deadlift
Deadlift
Lying Hamstring Curls
Good Mornings
Nordic Hamstring Curl
Glute-Ham Raise
Bulgarian Split-Squat
Back Squat
Kettlebell Swings
Compound hamstring exercises often involve holding heavy barbells, and adding volume can be difficult. Lifting accessories such as lifting straps can help make the bar easier to hold, so you can focus on the muscles you're training rather than your grip.
Shop: Lifting Equipment
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The Best Leg Exercises For Quads
You’re probably familiar with the quads as the teardrop muscle that fills the front of your legs. Quad training is usually a high priority for leg workouts because as soon as shorts season hits, it’s your quads that make any 5-inch shorts look 🔥.
But there’s more to your quadriceps than meets the eye. These mighty leg muscles are responsible for knee extension and hip flexion, making them essential for generating power during activities like running, jumping, and cycling.
The barbell squat, along with variations such as the goblet squat and the front squat, is one of the best leg exercises for your quadriceps.
Another great exercise for your quads is the hack squat, which allows you to place a greater volume on the legs, without loading the spine with weight.
Read our Best Quad Exercises For Strength & Mass
The Best Leg Exercises For Quads:
Back Squat
Front Squat
Bulgarian Split-Squats
Barbell Lunges
Hack Squat
Leg Press
Leg Extension
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The Best Leg Exercises For Glutes
You probably don’t need persuasion to train this lower body muscle: The glutes, as you probably well know, are responsible for the shape and size of your butt. The largest and most powerful muscle in our body, growing your glutes is the key to a perky peach. Train your glutes and pop on your Lift Contour Shorts – it’s a match made in heaven.
But there’s more: Our glutes are essential for generating power during activities like running, jumping, and squatting and play a key role in stabilizing your hips and keeping your lower back safe during heavy lifts. So you need to give this muscle the time it deserves in your leg workout.
One of the best leg exercises for targeting your glutes is the hip thrust, along with variations such as single-leg hip thrusts and barbell glute bridges.
Read our Best Glute Exercises To Increase Size And Strength
The Best Leg Exercises For Glutes:
Barbell Hip Thrusts
Back Squat
Front Squat
Bulgarian Split Squat
Deadlift
Romanian Deadlift
Don't have access to weights or working out from home? Try the Best Bodyweight Glute Exercises.
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The Best Leg Exercises For Calves
Your calves are located at the back of your lower legs, and they are important for helping you generate power during activities like running and jumping.
They also play a key role in stabilizing your ankles and keeping your feet healthy, allowing you to perform simple tasks such as walking, climbing stairs and more.
One of the best leg exercises for targeting your calves is the standing calf raise, along with variations such as single-leg calf raises, and seated calf raises to ensure both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles are targeted for maximal growth in the calves.
Read Our Best Calf Exercises To Grow Bigger, Stronger Calves
The Best Leg Exercises For Calves:
Standing Calf Raise
Seated Calf Raise
Leg Press Calf Raises
Single-Leg Calf Raises
Explosive Vertical Jumps
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How To Cool Down Properly After Leg Day
Now that you know the best leg exercises for your next leg day workout, let's finish off with an appropriate cool-down aid recovery and retain muscle pliability.
Starting with 5 minutes of low-intensity cardio will help to flush out lactic acid and improve circulation, reducing muscle soreness and improving recovery.
Following the low-intensity cardio, complete a few dynamic stretches before finishing with static stretches. Focus on stretching the muscles you just worked, hold each stretch for around 30 seconds, and focus on your breathing for a deeper, more targeted stretch.
Try: The Best Hamstring Stretches For Tight Muscles
Try to target each major muscle group that you have trained, along with your hips and back, with different static stretches while your muscles are warm and pliable.
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Time To Train Your Legs With The Best Leg Workout
If you want big, strong and powerful legs, using the right leg exercises to hit each and every leg muscle is essential. Not only will it help you build an athletic physique, but will increase your strength, power and overall health and fitness.
When designing your leg workouts, focus on compound exercises and progressive overload. Aim to perform your leg workouts two to three times per week, and always make sure to warm up and cool down properly.
Ready to start building bigger, stronger legs? Download The Gymshark Training App to access hundreds of free leg workouts, or design your own using the best leg exercises mentioned above.
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WRITTEN BY: CHRIS BECK
Chris Beck is Senior Editor at Gymshark, with a passion for writing informative conditioning, health and fitness tech content. Chris is an avid gym-goer and sportsman, Personal Trainer, and also holds qualifications in Nutrition, Sports Performance, and is a certified Crossfit Level 1 Trainer.
