The Ultimate Leg Workout for Strength & Mass

Ever show up to the gym on leg day and think, "what should I do today?"

If you want to go to the gym with a clear plan and purpose of how to build your legs into an unbreakable foundation, you've come to the right place. 

This article offers a leg workout that will transform twigs into trunks.

Table of Contents:

• Best Leg Exercises for Building Strength & Mass
• The Best Leg Workout Routine
• Benefits of Strong Legs
• Leg Anatomy & Functions

THE BEST LEG EXERCISES FOR STRENGTH AND MASS 

Let's look at some of the best leg exercises to add more muscle and power. You'll see these exercises in our ultimate leg day routine below. 

1. BACK SQUATS:

Often called the king of leg exercises, the back squat trains nearly everything from your hips to your ankles, with your core working overtime to stabilize the load. Back squats build overall strength, burn plenty of calories, and improve athletic power.

How to do back squats:

• Set up bar slightly lower than shoulder height
• Get under the bar with it resting across your upper back, then grab the bar with both hands using an overhand grip, squeeze shoulder blades together, engage the core, then press up and step back from the rack
• Starting with feet about shoulder-width apart with toes slightly pointing outwards, lower body by hinging at the hips and knees while your butt moves down and back until your thighs are parallel to the floor
• Press up through your feet while squeezing your glutes to return to an upright standing position
• Repeat for desired reps

2. FRONT SQUATS:

Front squats hammer the quads and encourage an upright torso, which many lifters find more comfortable on their lower back. Because the bar sits in front, your core and upper back work hard to keep you from folding forward.

Last but not least, the front squat offers more variations on the grip position so that you can alter the exercise to your body mechanics. 

How to do front squats:

• Set up bar slightly lower than shoulder height
• Get under the bar with it resting across the front of your shoulder, then grab the bar with your preferred grip (cross arm or clean)
• Starting with feet about shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointing outwards, engage core then lower your but down while the bar keeps moving in a straight line until your thighs are parallel with the floor
• Press up through your feet while squeezing your glutes and quads to return to a standing position
• Repeat for desired reps 

Related: Front Squat vs Back Squat Muscles Worked

3. HACK SQUATS:

Think of hack squats as a guided, highly targeted lower body builder. The machine removes balance demands so you can push heavier weight safely and really focus on the quads.

How to do hack squats:

• Set up machine with the desired weight
• Get into position with pads on your shoulders and back against the support if there is one
• Set your feet shoulder-width apart with toes pointing out slightly
• Release safety pins, then lower down until your knees are 90 degrees
• Press through your feet, squeeze glutes until you're standing upright but don't lock out knees
• Repeat for desired reps

Note: If your gym doesn't have a Hack squat machine, replace it with the leg press (below), barbell hack squat, or if you want, one of these hack squat alternative exercises.

4. LEG PRESS:

The leg press lets you move serious weight without loading your spine. It’s perfect for building volume after squats and great for intensity techniques like drop sets.

How to leg presses:

• Load the machine with the desired weight
• Get into position on the seat with your back against the backrest, then place your feet on the footplate shoulder-width apart
• Press through your feet, then release the safety
• Drive through your feet until your legs are almost fully extended
• Slowly bring your knees towards your chest, then press through your feet to extend your legs again
• Repeat for desired reps 

Related: Leg Press Foot Placement Muscles Worked

5. BARBELL HIP THRUSTS:

The hip thrust is one of the best exercises for targeting the gluteus maximus. If you want strong, powerful glutes — this belongs in your program.

How to barbell hip thrusts:

• Set up a barbell in front of a bench, then wrap a towel or pad on the center of the bar (use wide weight plates that can clear your legs)
• Sit down perpendicular between the barbell and the bench with your upper back against it, then roll the bar over your legs until it's at the crease in your hips
• Bend your knees, then plant your feet on the floor with toes pointing 10-15 degrees outwards
• Grab the bar just outside your knees the press through your feet, and lean back on the bench to get the weight off the ground
• Squeeze glutes and extend your hips until there's a 90-degree angle at the knees, pauses briefly at the top
• Slowly lower hips until a few inches off the ground, then repeat the lift
• Repeat for desired reps

Related: Best Barbell Hip Thrust Alternatives

6. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUATS:

This challenging dumbbell leg exercise is fantastic for the glutes, quads, calves, and hamstrings. By performing this elevated split squat, you reap the benefits of engaging more stabilizer muscles in the legs and the core.

In addition, unilateral exercises like the Bulgarian split squat can help to highlight any muscle imbalances you have before they become a real problem. Plus, you can work on driving off one leg at a time; this skill is vital in many sports and daily activities like walking or running.

How to do Bulgarian split squats:

• Set up bench or other raised platform around knee height
• Stand half a step in front of the bench, then reach back with one leg to rest on the bench so that you're in a lunge position
• Starting with your torso upright, core engaged, and hips squared; lower your body until your front thigh is parallel with the floor without your knee passing your toes
• Press through your front foot's heel, returning to starting position
• Repeat for desired reps, then switch sides

Note: Split squats are a similar exercise and are great if you want to lift heavier loads.

7. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT:

The Romanian deadlift AKA the RDL, is a great exercise to hit the hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae, and core. We chose this exercise for the best leg day gym routine because it works the hamstrings more than other hamstring-focused exercises. 

This study compared the RDL with good mornings, leg curl, and the glute ham-raise. The findings showed that the RDL and the glute-ham raise activated the hamstrings the most.

Aside from being an excellent exercise to hit the hamstrings, the RDL can help improve your other big lifts, such as the deadlift and squat. Plus, it's an awesome outer thigh exercise!

How to do Romanian deadlifts:

• Set up the barbell, then stand behind it so the bar is over your mid-foot
• Grab the bar with both hands using an overhand grip around shoulder-width apart
• Start with your shoulder blades retracted down and back, engage your core while keeping a slight bend at the knees
• Lift up by contracting your glutes until you're standing upright with the barbell at your thighs
• Hinge forward at the hips as you lower the bar down your body to the floor
• Pause briefly at the bottom, then press through the floor with your heels, contract your glutes and lift the bar again
• Repeat for desired reps

8. GLUTE-HAM RAISE: 

Fantastic for hamstring strength without loading your spine. Powerlifters swear by it, and for good reason.

How to do glute-ham raises:

• Get into position on the machine with your feet on the platform and knees on the pad with your ankles lock-in
• Place your arms across your chest
• Starting with your upper body straight, slowly lower your body until your torso is parallel with the floor
• Press through your toes and contract your hamstrings to lift your body back up
• Repeat for desired reps

Note: If you don't have a glute-ham set up at your gym, you can always perform Nordic hamstring curls. 

Related: Best Glute Ham Raise Alternatives

9. LUNGES:

Lunges are unilateral, functional, and incredibly effective for building strong legs that actually help you move better.

How to do lunges:

• Stand with feet hip-width apart while holding dumbbells with both hands to the side of your body
• Take a step forward with your left leg, keeping your torso upright while you bend at the left knee and lower your right knee towards the floor until your front thigh is parallel with the ground
• Push through your front foot's heel, returning to starting position
• Repeat movement with your other leg
• Complete desired number of reps

Note: To make this easier, simply do the same exercise without extra weight.

Related: Best Lunge Alternatives

10. SINGLE LEG EXTENSION:

The single-leg extension is great to isolate the quads and focuses on the mind-muscle connection as you contract the muscle. This isn't the most functional leg workout exercise, but it's excellent to exhaust the quads, stimulating new muscle growth.

We don't advise that you go too heavy on this one as it can put added stress on the knee joints. Instead, use this exercise as an accessory to the larger compound lifts. You can try using super slow eccentric phases or dropsets to push yourself with the lighter loads lifted.

How to do single leg extensions:

• Set the desired weight, then get into position on the seat where your knees are aligned with the axis of the machine
• Using one leg at a time, contract your quadriceps to extend your leg until it is locked out
• Slowly return to starting position
• Repeat desired reps, then switch legs

Note: To round out the muscles of the quads to create a killer outer sweep, angle your toes inwards during the exercise.

Related: Best Leg Extension Machine Alternatives

11. HAMSTRING CURL:

The hamstring curl is a good exercise to hit the hamstrings and glutes. Although the RDL and glute-ham raise result in greater muscle activation, the hamstring curl has its merits if done correctly.

With this exercise, you can focus specifically on the hamstring and glute contraction as you're lying in a locked-in position. The machine enables changing up training variables by easily doing pyramid/ reverse pyramid or dropsets.

The machine also provides constant tension on the muscles, so it's great to work the muscles to exhaustion.

How to do hamstring curls:

• Set up desired weight, then lie face down on the bench with your legs stretched out behind you so that the roller pad is a few inches above your heels
• Hold the handles, then bring your heels towards your butt as you squeeze your hamstrings; hold briefly at the top, then lower to starting position
• Repeat for desired reps

Related: Best Leg Curl Alternatives

12. STANDING CALF RAISE:

Many people might mistake the seated, and standing calf raises as one and the same, but there are differences mainly due to the angle of the knees. The standing calf raise will put more emphasis and stress on the gastrocnemius compared with a seated calf raise.

So, if you want to develop those diamond-shaped calf muscles, standing calf raises are a must.

How to do standing calf raises:

• Get into position with your shoulders under the bar (or pads if using a machine) with your feet hip-width apart while standing on an elevated platform
• Keep a slight bend in the knees without flexing the legs, then unrack bar or machine
• Slowly lower your heels until you feel a deep stretch the pause briefly at the bottom
• Press through the balls of your feet while contracting your calves until you make it to the highest you can; pause briefly
• Repeat for desired reps

Note: This exercise can also be done with a Smith Machine 

13. SEATED CALF RAISES:

Like the standing calf raise, this exercise is still working the calf muscle, but the emphasis is on the soleus muscle located underneath the gastrocnemius.

With the knees bent at 90 degrees, the focus here is the soleus which can add significant overall size and width to the calf muscle.

How to do seated calf raises:

• Get into position with your knees under the pad with your legs bent at 90 degrees
• Release safety, then lower your heels slowly until you feel a deep stretch in the calves, pause here briefly
• Press up through the balls of your feet as high as you can, squeeze once at the top of the movement
• Repeat for desired reps

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ACTIVATION EXERCISES FOR LEG WORKOUT

A good warm-up does more than get you sweaty — it wakes up the muscles you’re about to rely on and helps prevent injury.

Perform before each leg workout:

• Air Squats: 2 x 20
• Donkey Kicks: 2 x 15 per leg
• Lateral Walks: 2 x 15 steps per direction

These drills prep your hips, knees, and glutes so your heavy sets feel stronger and more stable.

Related: Best Glute Activation Exercises

Training Variables for Leg Workout Routines

Let’s break down the essentials that determine whether your leg training produces real results.

Training Frequency

Research consistently shows most people grow best when training a muscle twice per week with 10–20 total working sets. This is exactly why this program uses two leg days.

Rep Ranges

Legs respond to multiple rep ranges:

• Heavy 4–6 reps for strength
• Moderate 6–12 reps for hypertrophy
• High 12–20 reps for accessories

Rotating through all three creates complete development.

Exercise Order

Always start with:

1. Big compound lifts
2. Secondary compounds
3. Unilateral exercises
4. Isolation and burn-out work

This ensures your most important lifts get your best energy.

Progressive Overload

The real secret behind growth: you must gradually do more.

• More weight
• More reps
• More total sets (over time)
• Better technique

Even small improvements add up quickly.

THE BEST LEG WORKOUT ROUTINE FOR STRENGTH AND MUSCLE MASS

The ultimate leg workout is divided into two training sessions (Session A & B) to align with the proper training frequency and volume of hitting the muscles twice weekly. 

Note: Even if you don't train your legs twice per week, you can use the two leg workouts in rotation, to add some variety and allow for the best possible muscle development over time. 

Before each leg workout, you should perform the following warmup and activation:

• Air Squats: 2 sets x 20 reps
• Donkey Kicks: 2 sets x 15 reps (each leg)
• Lateral Walks: 2 sets x 15 steps (each direction)

For squats, be sure to also do some ramp up sets and reps. Don't just jump right into your working weight. So, you'll do 2-3 warm up sets for Front Squats and Back Squats. Set 1 at 50% 1RM, Set 2 at 60% 1RM, Set 3 at 70% 1RM, and then you begin your working sets. 

LEG WORKOUT A:

LEG WORKOUT B:

ADD THE ULTIMATE LEG WORKOUT TO YOUR WORKOUT PROGRAMMING

The ultimate leg workout is based on 2 weekly training sessions, so the best way to incorporate it into your training is as a Push-Pull Legs or an Upper Lower training program.

You can use the ultimate leg workout in a 4, 5, or 6 day PPL or Upper Lower - just make sure you hit legs twice a week and have at least 24-48 hours rest between leg sessions. 

Here's a look at what your training schedule might look like:

4 Day Upper/Lower Split:

• Monday: Upper
• Tuesday: Ultimate Leg Workout A
• Wednesday: Rest
• Thursday: Upper
• Friday: Ultimate Leg Workout B
• Saturday: Rest
• Sunday: Rest 

6 Day PPL Workout Split:

• Monday: Push
• Tuesday: Pull
• Wednesday: Ultimate Leg Workout A
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: Push
• Saturday: Pull
• Sunday: Ultimate Leg Workout B

Learn about the 5 Best Workout Splits (Routines Included)

Rotating Between A & B Workouts:

Alternatively, if you only want to train legs just once a week with a routine like a bro split, then you can rotate between the A & B workouts every other week.

WHY LEG WORKOUTS ARE SO IMPORTANT

We probably shouldn't have to tell you why training your legs is essential, but just in case, here's a quick refresher:

Leg day isn’t just a fitness cliché — it genuinely affects your strength, longevity, and overall athleticism.

Stronger Foundation

Your legs support almost everything you do. Strong legs = stable, injury-resistant movement.

More Calories Burned

Big muscles require big energy. Hard leg sessions crank your metabolism.

Boosted Hormonal Response

Heavy leg training supports natural testosterone and growth hormone production, which helps your entire body grow and recover.

Better Everyday Movement

Stairs, running, walking, carrying groceries — everything gets easier with strong legs.

Aesthetics

Balanced physiques look better. Strong legs complete the picture.

Improved Sports Performance

Acceleration, jumping, changing direction — all start with powerful legs.

Reduced Injury Risk

Training the stabilizers around your knees, hips, and ankles helps prevent falls and joint issues.

Pain Reduction

For many lifters, strengthening the legs can help reduce lower back or knee discomfort.

Simply put: strong legs improve your life.

Long story short, don't skip leg day!

ANATOMY & FUNCTION OF THE LEG MUSCLES

We'll start at the waist and work our way down to cover the major muscles in the legs and their functions so that you better understand how and why to train them.

HIPS:

The hips are at the center of many leg movements as it is one of the most flexible joints of the body that include multiple muscles. These muscles can be described as 4 main groups of muscles, including the adductor group, lateral rotator group, gluteal group, and iliopsoas group. 

The general functions of the hip muscles are to provide support, stability, mobility, and strength to both the hip joint and thigh bones. Below you can see a brief description of the muscles found in each group and the overall purpose of the group. 

The muscles in the hip provide strength, stability, and mobility to the hip joint and thigh bones. We won't go into depth about all the muscles found in the hip, but below is the general functioning of each group of muscles.

• Adductor Group: The muscles in the adductor group are the; adductor brevis, adductor magnus, adductor longus, pectineus and gracilis. The primary function of this group is bringing the legs towards the center of the body; think of any movement where you squeeze your thighs together. Examples of inner thigh exercises include cable hip adductors and the hip adduction machine.
• Lateral Rotator Group: The muscles of this group include; externus/internus obturators, superior/inferior Gemelli, piriformis, and the quadratus femoris. The primary function of this group is to rotate the hip joint laterally. They also play a small role in hip extension and adduction.
• Gluteal Group: The gluteal group consists of four muscles; gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and the tensor fasciae latae. The primary function of the gluteus maximus is hip extension, while the other glute muscles support hip rotation and abduction. In addition, the tensor fascia latae works alongside the gluteus minimus and gluteus medius while also playing a big part in stabilizing the hip and knee joint.
• Iliopsoas Group: The iliopsoas group consists of the iliacus and psoas major muscles. The primary function here is hip flexion. 

Note: We will cover some of the specific muscles down below.

GLUTES:

The glutes AKA your butt or backside consists of three muscles; gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus.

• Gluteus Maximus: This is the largest muscle in the human body; it's a thick quadrilateral-shaped muscle that begins at the pelvic bone then moves down to your femur (thigh bone). This is the most superficial muscle on your backside and gives shape to your butt. With the right exercises and training methods, you will increase the strength and size of your gluteus maximus. The gluteus maximus works in concert with the other glute muscles stabilizing the pelvis and helping in hip rotation and abduction. Apart from that, another major function of the gluteus maximus is to help support hip extension in big compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and hip thrusts. 
• Gluteus Medius: This thick fan-shaped muscle is on the upper outer side of the butt. The gluteus medius starts at the ilium (hipbone) then travels to the femur. Roughly 2/3 of this muscle is covered by the gluteus maximus. The primary function of the gluteus medius is to act at the primary mover in hip abduction and lateral/medial rotation. Other functions of this muscle include helping the gluteus minimus provide stability and proper alignment of the pelvis during movement or single-leg movements. Think of exercises like lying abductions, clamshells, or lateral step-ups to hit the gluteus medius. 
• Gluteus Minimus: This muscle is similar in structure to the gluteus medius, but it is the smallest deepest of all the gluteal muscles. It begins at the ilium (hipbone) and ends at the femur. The main functions of the gluteus minimus are to stabilize the hips and pelvis when moving or standing on one leg, plus also to abduct the thigh. The minor functions are to help support internal and external rotation to the thigh. Some movements to work the gluteus minimus include one leg squats, curtsy lunges, or lateral walks. 

HIP FLEXORS:

Hip flexors are responsible for the legs and hips flexion. The muscles that comprise the hip flexors include; the iliacus, psoas major, rectus femoris, pectineus, and sartorius.

The muscles that make up the hip flexors include: 

• Iliacus: This small flat thin muscle is found deep in the pelvis, where it attaches the femur to the pelvis. The primary function of this muscle is to rotate and flex the thigh.  
• Psoas Major: The psoas is the only muscle that connects the spine to the leg from the lower back to the femur. Its principal function is to flex the hip, which brings the leg towards the body, giving us the ability to walk. 
• Rectus Femoris: This is actually a quadriceps muscle that's found on the front of the upper thigh; it connects the pelvis to the patellar tendon of the knee. This muscle helps support thigh flexion and also helps to flex the pelvis towards the thigh.  
• Pectineus: Often called the groin muscle, this flat muscle is located at the top of the inner thigh. Its principal function is to adduct the thighs to bring them together while also supporting hip flexion.  
• Sartorius: This is the longest muscle in the body as it travels from the pelvis to the knee. This muscle acts as a hip and knee flexor. 

Some great exercises to target the hip flexors include Bulgarian split squats, kettlebell swings, and lunges. 

HAMSTRINGS:

The hamstrings or hammies are found on the back of the upper thigh from the hips to the back of the knee. The hamstring muscles are comprised of; the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris. Exercises that hit the hamstrings are Russian deadlifts, good mornings, glute-ham raises and hamstring curls.

• Biceps Femoris: Consisting of the long and short heads, this large muscle sits on the back of the thigh. The biceps femoris plays a more significant role in hip extension than the other hamstring muscles. It also helps rotate the thigh outward and extend backward while at the knee; it is responsible for flexing and laterally rotating the joint. 
• Semimembranosus: The semimembranosus is a broad muscle helps extend the hip and turn the leg inwards, plus it supports flexion and medial rotation of the knee.
• Semitendinosus: The other large, long hamstring muscle starts at the sitting bone then travels down to the tibia (shin bone). The semitendinosus helps to medial rotate the thigh, extend the thigh back, bend the knee and rotate it medially.

QUADRICEPS:

The quadriceps femoris, quadriceps, or simply quads sit opposite the hamstrings and comprise four muscles; the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. The quads is the strongest muscle in the human body. All quad muscles have different origins but share the same tendon that inserts into the patella. The primary function of the quadriceps is knee extension while also helping to flex the thigh at the hip. A few exercises that target the quads are lunges, front squats and leg extensions.

The muscles of the quadriceps are:

• Rectus Femoris: This is the only muscle of the quads that crosses the hip and knee, which is part of the reason why it's also considered a hip flexor muscle. The rectus femoris muscle has two heads; it begins at areas on the ilium then converges a tendon inserted into the patella.
• Vastus Lateralis: The vastus lateralis is the largest of the vastus muscles found on the outer thigh and is responsible for creating the outer sweep look that bodybuilders try to achieve. This muscle connects the femur to the knee cap.   
• Vastus Medialis: The vastus medialis is the teardrop-shaped muscle on the inner thigh. Like the vastus lateralis, it attaches the femur to the kneecap.
• Vastus Intermedius: The vastus intermedius is the deepest muscle of the thigh and moves from the femur down to the kneecap. 

CALVES:

There are two muscles of the calf; the gastrocnemius and soleus. These muscles are found on the back of the lower leg and merge at the base of the leg, connecting to the Achilles heel. Both muscles are vital to our ability to walk, run and jump by lifting the heel, moving us forward. A few calves exercises that work the calves are standing and seated calf raises. 

• Gastrocnemius: The gastrocnemius is the larger muscle that creates the diamond shape of the calf due to the two heads of the muscle. 
• Soleus: The soleus is a flat muscle lies under the gastrocnemius; besides enabling us to move our foot forward off the floor, it also helps prevent us from falling forward. 

FINAL THOUGHTS ON LEG DAY AT THE GYM:

You're now equipped with the knowledge, exercises, and ultimate leg day workout to build those massive tree trunks. It's your turn to put this information into practice. You'll need to apply consistency and intensity to use this legs workout to achieve your goals. And, don't forget the other piece of the puzzle is to eat healthy while ensuring you get adequate protein and quality sleep to ensure your hard work doesn't go to waste. 

Maybe even throw a staircase workout into your routine to add a cardio element to your next workout routine for legs.

Legs goooo!

More Workouts:

• Back and Biceps Workout
• Chest and Triceps Workout
• Shoulder Workout

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