There are a plethora of leg exercises out there to build strength and muscle. But there are certain exercises better than the other and these are mainly compound movements. In this article, we will go over the best leg exercises to strengthen your legs and also go over the best compound leg exercises to build strong and huge legs.
Contents
Best leg exercises
- Squat
- Leg extensions
- Leg curls
- Calf raises
- Hip thrusts
- RDLs
- Hack squat/Leg press
- Belt squat
- Bulgarian split squats
Best compound leg exercises
- Squat
- RDLs
- Hack squat/Leg press
- Belt squat
- Hip thrust
Squat
The squat is a fundamental exercise in everyone’s routine and there are no other exercises that build the legs like squats do. The squat works the quads, hamstring, glutes, and core at the same time. Certain tricks like having a heeled shoe or elevating your heels on some plates will allow you to hit your quads more. It is generally recommended to start with flat feet and gradually make up your way to the heeled shoes. Heeled shoes or squat shoes help by raising the heels and require less ankle mobility if you’re using squat shoes.
Pro tip: There are 2 variations of the barbell back squat which are high-bar squats and low-bar squats. The high bar puts more emphasis on the quads and the low bar engages the posterior chain better.
How to:
- Set the rack height to match the middle of your sternum
- Take a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart
- Get under the bar plant your feet and lift the bar
- Take 2 steps back, Brace and squat
Leg extensions
Leg extensions target the quads directly and are a great way to build strong quads if you lack quad strength. Leg extensions should be your go-to exercise if you want to build huge and strong quads.
Pro tip: To engage your quads more curl your toes up
How to:
- Set the machine to your liking
- Sit in the machine grab the handles and pull the weight up
Leg curl
Leg curls are a great way to strengthen your hamstrings. Many athletes use this exercise to strengthen their lockouts in deadlifts. This exercise is a great way to improve your deadlift and can also help aid the squat.
Pro tip: Use a lighter weight and try to feel the contraction
How to:
- Lay on the leg curl machine
- Curl the weight up
- Squeeze and let it down slowly
Calf raises
If you don’t have big calves you probably don’t get a girlfriend too. Calves are one of the most important aspects of legs it helps balance weight if you go off balance and overall give a good look to a physique.
Pro tip: Calves should be trained regularly at least 3 times a week
How to:
- Get under a calf machine or stand on an elevated platform
- Push yourself up with your calves
- Hold and let down slowly
- Go below parallel
Hip thrusts
Hip thrusts are the most neglected movement by men and the most done movement by women. Hip thrusts work the glutes and the hamstring to some extent but they primarily target the glutes. Hip thrusts can help in squats if it is hard for you to push the weight up or for deadlifts if you have a poor lockout.
Pro tip: Do not jerk the weight it can lead to lower back injuries
How to:
- Set the hip thrust machine or do one with dumbbells or barbells
- Place the weight on your hip crease
- Plant your feet and push the weight up
- Hold for a second before letting it down slowly
Romanian deadlifts (RDLs)
The Romanian deadlift is the most alpha deadlift to be ever performed. Romanian deadlifts primarily work the hamstrings and also target the glues and lower back to some extent. RDLs are a great way to strengthen your conventional deadlifts as the movement pattern is the same and is one of the best leg exercises.
Pro tip: To utilize RDLs to the max use lighter weight and feel the contraction. The form is key for RDLs.
How to:
- Stand 1 inch away from the bar
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart
- Grab the bar and do a conventional deadlift
- Hinge from the hips and let the weight down slowly till you feel a stretch in your hamstrings
- Pull up the weight and repeat
Hack squat
The Hack squat is a perfect exercise to build legs if you have some back issues. This exercise is endorsed by Tom Platz and is a great way to build legs if done correctly. The stance in the hack squat can shift focus from targeting the hamstring to the quads.
Pro tip: Keep the legs close if you want to target quads
How to:
- Get under the hack squat
- Perform a squat till your hip crease is below your knee
- Squat up and repeat
Leg press
The leg press is similar to the belt squat it removes the back completely and puts all the load on the legs. Many people tend to do half reps on the leg press because they use a lot of weight that they can’t handle. The leg press is a great exercise for building thick and strong legs.
Pro tip: DO NOT lock out your knees. Change foot placement to target different parts of the legs. Place your feet on top the the platform to target the hamstrings, and place your feet on the bottom of the platform to target the quads.
How to:
- Adjust the seat incline and place your feet on the platform
- Bend the knees till you feel the stretch in your muscles
- Hold for a second and push upwards
- DO NOT LOCK OUT YOUR KNEES
Belt squat
The belt squat is a great leg exercise as it removes the load from the back by suspending the weight from the hips. The belt squat primarily targets the hamstring and the glutes and is a great movement to build strength.
Pro tip: Do lighter weights with a ton of reps for best results.
How to:
- Adjust the belt to a height from which you can hit the full range of motion
- Brace your core
- Hold the handles and descend into a squat
- Push upwards and repeat
Bulgarian split squats
The bulgairian split squats come last in the list of leg exercises for strength because it is hard to perform and can sometimes put load load on the joints. Bulgarian split squats are tricky to perform if you have balance issues or a wider frame. Bulgarian split squats primarily target the quads and the glutes.
Pro tip: Have something to hold onto if you have balance issues
How to:
- Grab a dumbbell in one hand or both hands
- Place a leg on a elevated surface behind you
- Squat down with one leg and repeat
Leg exercises you can perform at home
- Body weight squats
- Lunges
- Bulgarian split squats
- Donkey calf raises
- Glute bridge
The verdict on the best Leg exercises
The above listed leg exercises have been chosen based on the muscle activation and how good are they at building legs. If you want to do compund exercises for legs we have exercises such as the squats, RDLs, Hack squats, etc. You can even build your own routine having a mix of both isolation movements and compound movements.
FAQs
Q1. What are the best leg exercises for building strength?
Ans. Compound movements like the squat, RDLs and belt squats are some exercises which can help you build strength and it can even translate into your daily life.
Q2. What are the best leg exercises for building muscle?
Ans. Exercises such as the leg extensions, leg curl and calf raises are some isolation movements in which you can build muscle.
Q3. Can i build legs without weights or machines by doing bodyweight leg exercises?
Ans. Yes, you can. You can use your own bodyweight to build your legs.
