How to hit all parts of the leg?

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Certain exercises, including squats and deadlifts, may help strengthen and tone your legs. Increasing sets and reps may help.

Strong legs do more than look good. Even the simplest daily movements like walking require leg strength. This means that incorporating leg workouts into your routine is integral to your health.

But you may wonder where to begin.

Whether you’re working out at home pandemic-style or back at the gym sweating it out, creating an effective leg workout doesn’t have to be complicated. Let’s dive in.

Movement patterns in a good leg workout 

When it comes to designing an effective leg workout, simpler is better. The basic lower body movements — squats, hip hinges (deadlifts), and lunges — should comprise the majority of your programming.

These movements inherently focus on the major muscle groups of the legs: the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves.

Once you master these movements, there are plenty of variations and ways to progress that will keep you challenged.

When designing your leg workout, here’s an easy way to break it down: Start with a squat movement, then move to a hip-hinge movement, then add in your single-leg movements.

How many sets and reps should you do in your leg workout?

As a beginner looking to increase general fitness — and following the theme of keeping things simple — choose 3–5 exercises per leg workout. Then complete 3 sets of 8–12 reps of each exercise, ensuring that you’re working your muscles to fatigue but not failure (1).

Why no more than 5 exercises? You’ll be able to focus on those integral movements, performing at your peak. If your workouts get too long, they can be unproductive.

How many times per week should you work legs?

Recent research suggests that when trying to maximize muscle growth, there’s not much difference between training the major muscle groups one time per week versus three times per week (3).

What makes the most difference in muscle growth is resistance training volume, meaning how many sets and reps you’re completing. Higher volume sessions (say, 3 sets of 12 reps, or even 4 sets of 8 reps) tend to produce better results than working the same muscle group multiple times in a week (4).

Summary

Simpler is better for leg workouts. Stick with the basic movements — squats, hip hinges, and lunges — and stick with 3 sets of 12 reps for each exercise.

How to warm up and cool down properly

An effective workout isn’t complete without a proper warmup and cooldown.

For your warmup, aim to start with 5 minutes of light cardio to get your heart rate up and blood flowing. If you have time, hop on the foam roller for 5 minutes of soft-tissue release.

Then, dive into a dynamic stretching routine, with movements like leg swings, hip openers, bodyweight squats, and lunges.

After your workout is a good time to complete a more in-depth stretching routine.

Summary

Warm up with some light cardio, foam rolling, and a quick dynamic stretching routine. Cool down with a nice stretch.

Exercises for your leg workout 

When crafting your next leg workout, choose from this list of 15 of the best leg exercises.

1. Back squat

Target your posterior chain — or the back of your body, including the glutes and hamstrings — with a back squat.

How to perform:

1. Load a barbell on your traps and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your gaze should be ahead, your chest should be proud, and your toes should be pointed slightly out.
2. Sit back into your hips, bend your knees, and drop down toward the floor. Ensure that your knees move slightly out, and do not collapse in.
3. Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground — or as far down as your mobility allows — then push back up to the starting position.

2. Front squat

Target the front of your body — especially your quads — with a front squat.

How to perform:

1. Load a barbell onto the front of your shoulders, hooking your fingers in an underhand grip on either side of your shoulders to support it. Push your elbows up and keep your gaze ahead.
2. Sit back into your hips, bend your knees, and lower down toward the floor. Ensure that your knees track out and your chest stays proud, resisting the pull to fall forward.
3. Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground — or as far down as your mobility allows — then push back up to the starting position.

3. Romanian deadlift

Build your glutes, hamstrings, and calves, as well as mobility in your hips, with a Romanian deadlift.

How to perform:

1. Hold a barbell or one dumbbell in each hand. Keep your back straight and your gaze straight throughout the movement.
2. Begin to hinge forward at your hips, lowering your weight toward the ground with a slight bend in your knees. Allow the weights to closely follow the line of your legs, and lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
3. Pause, then drive your hips forward to stand up, allowing your glutes to power the movement.

4. Good mornings

Wake up your hamstrings with the good morning, a hip-hinge movement.

How to perform:

1. Load a barbell onto your traps and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. With soft knees, hinge at your hips and slowly move your torso toward the ground, sending your butt backward. Maintain a proud chest and keep your gaze straight throughout the movement.
3. Lower down until you feel a stretch in your hamstring, then use your glutes to return to the starting position.

5. Walking lunges

Challenge your balance, as well as your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, with walking lunges.

How to perform:

1. Start with your feet together. Hold a dumbbell in each hand if you want to perform a weighted walking lunge.
2. Keeping your chest proud and gaze straight ahead, step forward, lunging with your right leg until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
3. Push up through your right heel, coming back up to the starting position.
4. Continue forward with the left leg.

6. Reverse lunge

A friendlier version of the forward lunge, the reverse lunge is a great exercise to execute ideal lunge positioning.

How to perform:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms down at your sides.
2. Step backward with your right foot, lunging until your left leg forms a 90-degree angle. Keep your torso upright.
3. Push back up through your left heel to the starting position.

7. Lateral lunge

As humans, we move mostly in the front-to-back planes of movement. Doing side-to-side movements like lateral lunges helps increase stability and strength.

How to perform:

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1. Start with your feet wider than hip-width apart.
2. Bend your left knee, sitting back into your left hip and keeping your torso upright. Keep your right leg as straight as possible, and lower down on your left leg until your knee forms a 90-degree angle.
3. Push back up to the starting position and repeat. Complete the desired number of reps on each side.

8. Stepup

Increase strength, balance, and power with a stepup.

How to perform:

1. Stand with a bench or another elevated surface about one foot in front of you. Hold a dumbbell in each hand if you want to complete a weighted stepup.
2. Step onto the bench with your entire right foot, pushing up through your heel to bring your left foot to meet your right foot, or lift your left knee for added difficulty.
3. Step down with your left foot to return to the starting position.

9. Glute bridge

This exercise requires only your body weight.

How to perform:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and your arms down at your sides.
2. Inhale and push through all four corners of your feet, engaging your core, glutes, and hamstrings to press your hips toward the ceiling.
3. Pause at the top, then slowly release back to the starting position.

10. Hip thrust

Build strength and size in your glutes with the hip thrust.

How to perform:

1. Sit on an elevated surface like a bench or sofa and place a barbell, dumbbell, or plate on your hips. You’ll have to support the weight with your hands throughout the movement.
2. To set up, scoot your back down the bench with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground shoulder-width apart. Your legs should form a 90-degree angle, and the bench should be positioned right below your shoulder blade.
3. Keep your chin tucked and drop your butt down toward the ground. Lower down while keeping your feet stationary, stopping once your torso forms a 45-degree angle with the ground.
4. Push up through your heels until your thighs are parallel to the floor again. Squeeze your glutes at the top, then return to the starting position.

11. Goblet squat

The goblet squat is easier on your back than a back squat, but it still works your quads and glutes.

How to perform:

1. To set up, hold a dumbbell vertically and grip it with both hands underneath the top of the weight. Position the dumbbell against your chest and keep it in contact throughout the movement.
2. Begin to squat, sitting back into your hips and bending your knees. Keep your torso up and lower down as far as your mobility allows.
3. Push up through your heels back to the starting position.

12. Leg press

While machines lack some of the benefits of free-weight exercises, machines like the leg press allow you to isolate specific muscles easily — in this case, the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.

How to perform:

1. Get into the leg press machine with your back and head flat on the pad. Place your feet hip-width apart. Your legs should form a 90-degree angle.
2. Engage your core and extend your legs. Pause at the top, but take care not to lock your knees.
3. Slowly return the plate to the starting position by bending your knees.

13. Leg curl

Isolate your hamstrings and calves with the leg curl machine.

How to perform:

1. Get into the leg curl machine lying flat on your stomach with the roller pad just above your heels. Grab the support bars on either side of the machine.
2. Engage your core and lift your feet, pulling the pad toward your butt.
3. Pause at the top, then return to the starting position in a controlled manner.

14. Bulgarian split squat

Work your legs and core with the Bulgarian split squat.

How to perform:

1. Stand about 2 feet in front of a knee-level bench or step, facing away. Lift your right leg behind you and place the top of your foot on the bench.
2. Lean slightly forward at your waist and begin to lower down on your left leg, bending your knee. Stop when your left thigh is parallel to the ground.
3. Push up through your left foot to return to a standing position.

15. Single-leg deadlift

Whip your hamstrings into shape and work on your balance with the single-leg deadlift.

How to perform:

1. Hold a pair of dumbbells. Keep your back straight and your gaze straight throughout the movement.
2. Put your weight into your left leg and begin to hinge at your waist, keeping your left knee soft.
3. Continue to hinge forward and lift your right leg up and back until your body forms a straight line from head to toe. Ensure that your hips stay square to the ground.
4. Pause, then return to the starting position and repeat. Complete the desired number of reps on each leg.

The bottom line

Keeping things simple when designing a leg workout is the most effective approach, especially for beginners. Choose 3–5 exercises, do them well, and watch your leg strength increase.

Leg workouts can be divided into the muscle groups you want to work, and can include squats, deadlifts, leg curls and glute bridges.

A workout for the legs usually includes specific exercises that target  the quads, calf muscles, glutes and hamstrings, for example. 3 rounds of 10 to 12 repetitions are typically indicated for each exercise. 

For best results, it is important to workout intensely, as guided by a personal trainer and to have a healthy and balanced diet that is supervised by a registered dietitian. 

Quad exercises

The main quad exercises you can incorporate into your leg workout are squats, leg extensions and leg presses. 

1. Squat

A squat is considered to be an all-encompassing exercise, as it works the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves, making it a great leg exercise. 

It is important to perform exercise with guidance from a personal trainer to prevent injury. When performing a squat, you should ensure your legs are hip width apart, and that you lower yourself as if you were going to sit on a chair.

To increase resistance, a squat can be done with a barbell on your shoulders or with dumbbells in front of you. 

2. Leg extensions

The extension chair is a great way to work the front of the thigh, or the quadricep muscles. You should adjust the chair to your size, so that your back is well supported and your knees do not pass your feet when sitting. +

After adjusting the machine, position your feet behind the machine bar and extend your leg, so that the bar is in-line with your knee when your leg is fully extended. Ensure you lower your leg in a controlled movement, and return to the starting position to repeat. 

3. Leg press

A leg press is an excellent way to work the quads and can be done using the press machine, which allows flexion of the legs at 45º ou 90º. A personal trainer can better indicate which equipment is best for you to use based on your goals. 

This is another all-encompassing exercise, as it targets not only the thighs, but also the hamstrings and glute. To complete this exercise, adjust the bench and platform to your size, and push the platform away from you. Slowly return to your starting position and repeat this exercise 10 to 12 times, or as indicated by your personal trainer. 

Hamstring exercises

Some exercises that target the hamstrings are the deadlift and leg curls. 

1. Deadlift

A deadlift targets the hamstrings and the glutes and can be done with a barbell or dumbbells. Hold the weight in front of your body, at about the height of your quads, then lower it toward your feet, making sure to keep your back straight to avoid activating your back muscles. 

While going down, keep your legs either stiff at the knees or slightly flexed, and keep your hips slightly flexed back, to activate your leg muscles. 

Another variation is the single deadlift, in which you hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand. Lift the opposite leg from the ground and hold it in the air behind you as you lower the weight toward your feet. Another variation, known as the good morning, involves performing the deadlift with a barbell supported on your back. 

2. Leg curls

This exercise targets the hamstrings and involves lying stomach down on the leg flexion machine. The bench should be adjusted to your size, with your hips lining up with where the bench curves and your feet on the supports. Flex your legs to about 90º and slowly return to your starting position. 

It is important that the machine is well-adjusted to your size and weight capability for this exercise to avoid injury and overloading of your lower back. 

Glute exercises

Bridges and donkey kicks are great exercises for targeting your glutes. 

1. Bridges

Bridges, or hip lifts, are often indicated to work the glutes, and can be done using just your body weight or incorporating other weights. If you are just using your body weight, you should lie on the ground with you belly up and knees bent, and lift your hips off the floor as you contract your flutes. Then lower your hips without touching the floor and repeat the same movement. 

Another way to complete this exercise is by supporting a barbell or dumbbell on the hips. If using extra weight, you should support your back on a bench and complete the same movement. 

In addition to working your glutes, bridges also target the ab muscles and quads, making it a great option to incorporate in your workout.

2. Donkey kick

A donkey kick is another exercise that mainly works the glutes, although it can also activate the hamstrings. To complete this exercise, get down to the ground on your hands and knees. With one knee flexed, lift your heel up toward the ceiling, until it is in line with your hips. Contract your glute as you lift your heel up, and then return to your starting position to repeat. You can also perform this exercise by keeping your leg straight behind you and lifting your toe off the floor until your leg is in-line with your hips.

Another way to intensify this exercise if by using a weighted ankle band on the leg you are working, are by using a Smith machine.

Calf exercises

The exercise that isolates the calf muscles is usually done at the end of the workout, as all the other exercises usually activate the calf muscle in some capacity. Nonetheless, it is still important to perform exercises that target just the calf muscle to ensure greater leg stability and increased strength and volume.

One exercise that works these muscles is the calf raise. Stand on a step or stair using your toes and without supporting your heels. Then lift your heels, standing on your tippy toes, and feel your calf muscles stretch. Then lower your heels slowly, past the starting position if you can to further work the muscle, and repeat the movement. 

These exercises can be done in 3 rounds of 10 to 12 reps, are as guided by your personal trainer. The number of reps you complete will vary based on your training goals. 

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