As a coach of many years, I can say that athletes often have trouble finding the best leg day exercises for their specific needs. The most common pitfalls are failing to rotate exercises enough, and picking the wrong exercise type for their fitness goals. I also see strength athletes over complicating their leg day routine. In this article we’ll review some research on leg training. I will provide a list of 7 killer leg day exercises that I routinely recommend for all types of strength athletes. Keep reading for more.
To build your leg muscles you need to get a couple of things right. First, you need pick compound exercises that will challenge your muscle groups through a full range of motion. Next, select a training load between 70-90% of 1RM in the exercise, working to within a rep or two of failure on most sets.
During each lower body training session you need to pick 3-4 specific lower body movements that align with your goals. Perform 6-8 sets for each major muscle group for beginners on each workout. Intermediate and advanced athletes can perform 10-12 sets per muscle group, per leg session. Ideally you should perform two leg training workouts per week.
This advice is simple and research based. If you follow it, and exercise with proper form, you will see improvements. However, we need to make sure that we are carefully selecting the best leg exercises for our specific goals.
That is where this list of 7 killer leg day exercises comes in. In this article I will provide the full list, and in each section I will provide research and advice on how to perform each one for your fitness goals. Here’s the complete list.
7 Killer Leg Day Exercises for Strength Athletes
- Back Squat
- Nordic Curl
- Reverse Barbell Lunge
- Banded Plyometrics
- Weighted Squat Jump
- Romanian Deadlift
- Weighted Sled Pushing / Pulling
I bet some of you are surprised which exercises made the list, and which didn’t. It’s important to note that I’m not saying no other exercises are worthwhile, or that these are the only lower body leg exercises that you need to do. Front squats, calf raises, good mornings, and Bulgarian split squats are great exercises, but they don’t quite make the list of best exercises.
These exercises have a lot of research showing their efficacy. Moreover, I’ve found them to be very useful in many of my programs, and in my personal training as well. The good thing about these exercises is that they can easily be modified to support a wide variety of training goals.
They work well for those looking to improve their lower body strength for the CrossFit Open, or for those that enjoy hybrid training and want to increase their running performance as well as strength. Similarly, you’ll see that many of these movements can improve your vertical jump, and lower body power output.
I’ve also chosen exercises that can be performed with limited equipment. In most cases all you need are some free weights, and a squat rack. Let’s get to the first exercise, the back squat. Don’t forget to join the email list below for more research based articles!
Barbell Back Squat
The barbell back back squat is one of the best lower body strength exercises period. It challenges your quadriceps, lower back, hip flexors, and glutes. It can be loaded very heavily, to build strength, or performed with lighter weights, to build power. Here’s some interesting research on comparing half squatting to full range of motion squats.
The relative increase in 1RM of full squat was significantly greater in FST (31.8 ± 14.9%) than in HST (11.3 ± 8.6%) (p = 0.003), whereas there was no difference in the relative increase in 1RM of half squat between FST (24.2 ± 7.1%) and HST (32.0 ± 12.1%) (p = 0.132). The volumes of knee extensor muscles significantly increased by 4.9 ± 2.6% in FST (p < 0.001) and 4.6 ± 3.1% in HST (p = 0.003), whereas that of rectus femoris and hamstring muscles did not change in either group. The volumes of adductor and gluteus maximus muscles significantly increased in FST (6.2 ± 2.6% and 6.7 ± 3.5%) and HST (2.7 ± 3.1% and 2.2 ± 2.6%). In addition, relative increases in adductor (p = 0.026) and gluteus maximus (p = 0.008) muscle volumes were significantly greater in FST than in HST.
Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes
Said more simply, half squatting challenges your quads the same as a full depth back squat; however, it does not develop your gluteus muscles as well. For most strength athletes, I recommend using the longest range of motion squat they can. It builds more muscle mass, and targets more major muscle groups.
Some of you might be wondering how the back squat compares to the leg press machine, after all, you can put way more weight on a leg press, which could get you more likes on Instagram. I’m glad you asked. The research study highlighted below compared these two movements for improvement on strength and jumping ability.
The SQ exhibited a statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in jump performance in squat jump (SJ, 12.4%) and countermovement jump (CMJ, 12.0%). Whereas, the changes in the LP did not reach statistical significance and amounted to improvements in SJ of 3.5% and CMJ 0.5%. The differences between groups were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). There are also indications that the squat exercise is more effective to increase drop jump performance. Therefore, the squat exercise increased the performance in SJ, CMJ, and reactive strength index more effectively compared with the leg-press in a short-term intervention. Consequently, if the strength training aims at improving jump performance, the squat should be preferred because of the better transfer effects.
The Impact of Back Squat and Leg-Press Exercises on Maximal Strength and Speed-Strength Parameters
The research is clear. If you want to build a lot of lower body strength and power you need to be back squatting, in some form or fashion. This doesn’t have to be complicated. If you’ve done any of my function fitness programs, you know that I often have athletes use some squat variation 1-2 times per week.
While you can use higher reps to build a little more mass, research shows you can also build mass with lower reps as well. This has the added benefit of drastically increasing strength over high rep training. For your next workout try one of my favorite squat protocols (1×8, 1×5, 1×3, 1×2, 1×1). Choose a weight that keeps you within 1-2 reps of failure. Next we’ll talk about the best of the leg day exercises to keep you off of the surgeons table.
If you want to try my most popular training program to build conditioning, muscle mass, and strength then this is for you.
Nordic Curl
The Nordic Curl is one exercise you rarely see in regular commercial gyms. This is a true shame, as research has shown it to be one of the best hamstring exercises available. As a coach, I often recommend it for tactical athletes, and field sports athletes that need to sprint, and change direction rapidly.
In this research study, scientists examined the hamstring injury rate for soccer players over a season. In the study half the players performed the Nordic Hamstring Extension, which is lowering yourself slowly, while in a kneeling position. The other half did not perform this intervention.
They found that after the season, the players that did the Nordics had a 2.5% chance of suffering from a hamstring injury. Those that did not had an 8% chance of injuring their hamstrings. Of note, it did not seem to affect the severity of the injury, only the chance that you would become injured .
If you plan on doing any running above a fast jog, then you really need to do Nordic Hamstring Extensions. Check out this video on some execution tips for those unfamiliar with the movement.
In many of my programs I use this exercise at the end of the leg session. I like to program 3-5 sets of 6-8 reps. I recommend a 5 second lowering phase. As you become stronger, you can extend the lowering phase as required. Next, we’ll talk about another great strength building exercise that isn’t as popular as it should be. The reverse barbell lunge.
Reverse Barbell Lunge
The reverse barbell lunge is one of my favorite exercises to build strength and muscular endurance in the lower body. I’ve already covered how awesome the barbell back squat is, but we need to realize that this exercise, and many other leg movements, require you to exert force with both legs simultaneously.
It’s rare to have to do this in every day life. Most athletic movement requires you to exert force with your right foot and left foot staggered, or on different planes. Think of pushing a car, or rucking up a steep hill.
The reverse barbell lunge also has the benefit of allowing you to work each leg quite hard, without having to support a large load on your back. Many strength athletes tweak their lower backs from time to time. I often recommend using this exercise as a sub for back squats. As a bonus, it requires less room than the walking lunge.
If you can back squat 315 pounds for 6 reps, then you might only need to use 185 pounds for a similar effect, on each leg. Moreover, because the overall set length is longer, due to performing separate reverse lunge reps per leg, you can actually gain some anaerobic conditioning from this movement. You’ll be surprised how high your heart rate reaches after a big set.
If you plan on doing this awesome movement make sure you treat it like a strength lift. Stick with 3-5 sets of 4-10 reps per leg. You’ll be surprised how much functional strength you can build if you work at this movement. Next, we’ll take a look at the best movement on the list of leg day exercises for athletes that need powerful legs.
Banded Plyometrics
If I was a betting man, I would bet that you’ve never done any banded plyometrics, in your lower body workouts. If you’ve read my previous article on variable resistance training, you know that adding elastic bands to weight training can rapidly increase strength and power. In the case of banded plyometrics, the effect is just as strong.
This research study examined the effect biweekly banded plyometric training sessions had on national level handball players. This sport requires quick short sprints, and changes of direction.
In the experimental group, the researchers added in two training session per week where the players performed 5×6 counter movement jumps, and split jumps, with a resistance band. They started with around 80 pounds of elastic resistance, and gradually increased to 160 or so pounds.
They found that 5m and 30m sprint, change of direction, and overall leg power drastically increased in the elastic band group. The control group showed some improvement, but not to the extent of the experimental group. Of note, vertical jump performance increased about the same between groups. It was only horizontal leg power that really increased as a result of the banded plyometrics.
This is good news for us because elastic bands are cheap. For this kind of training you can simply anchor them to a heavy dumbbell or immovable object and complete 5-10 sets of jumps with 4-8 reps each set. It’s important to note that these jumps should be max effort.
As with all plyometric training, you should start with only 40-50 reps, in total. You can then build weight and volume from there. As you’ll see, this is a great way to increase agility and leg power. Next we’ll talk about another type of weighted plyometric, the weighted squat jump.
If you’re focused on building functional fitness and muscle mass, then this is your best program.
Weighted Squat Jump
The weighted squat jump is one of the best lower body strength and power exercises. Traditionally most coaches would simply prescribe olympic weight lifting, and squatting to increase leg power. While this does work, it is actually less effective than you might think.
In this study, researchers compared olympic weight lifting, mechanical resisted jumping, and weighted squat jumps for building lower body power. They found that the mechanical device that automatically increased the eccentric load actually worked the best, however that is irrelevant for our purposes.
The next best method for building leg power, was the weighted squat jump. They found it to be superior to olympic weight lifting for targeting the power muscle fibers. This makes sense when you really consider what olympic weight lifting is doing.
In effect you are applying force to a barbell with your back as well as your hips. This isn’t the same thing as simply using your legs to open your hips rapidly. This is why I often prescribe barbell jump squats for my athletes. Olympic lifting also requires a high level of skill to execute properly, where as squat jumps do not.
Research confirms that to achieve the highest power outputs you need to vary the load between 30-70% of your 1RM back squat. The highest total power is actually achieved with lower loads, where as the highest power on your quads is achieved with the higher loads. For most athletes, I like 5-10 sets of 5-7 reps with 30-40% loads. Each set should be done with a max effort jump. Next we’ll talk about the real king of glute training.
Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
One side Instagram influencers, your glute bridges and hip thrusts have no power here. The Romanian Deadlift is the true king of posterior chain training. In the research study below, exercise scientists actually found that the glutes are used harder on RDLs, than on weighted hip thrusts.
Before each exercise, surface electromyography (EMG) was recorded during a maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) and then used to normalize to each muscle’s EMG during each trial. Barbell hip thrust showed higher GM activity than the SQ (effect size [ES] = 1.39, p = 0.038) but was not significantly different from RDL (ES = 0.49, p = 0.285) at 1RM. Vastus lateralis activity at 1RM during the SQ was significantly greater than RDL (ES = 1.36, p = 0.002) and BHT (ES = 2.27, p = 0.009). Gluteus maximus activity was higher during MVIC when compared with the 60 kg load for the SQ (ES = 1.29, p = 0.002) and RDL (ES = 1.16, p = 0.006) but was similar for the BHT (ES = 0.22, p = 0.523). There were no significant differences in GM (ES = 0.35, p = 0.215) and BF activities (ES = 0.16, p = 0.791) between 1RM and MVIC for the SQ. These findings show that the RDL was equally as effective as the BHT for isolating the hip extensors, while the SQ simultaneously activated the hip and knee extensors.
Comparison Between Back Squat, Romanian Deadlift, and Barbell Hip Thrust for Leg and Hip Muscle Activities During Hip Extension
Not only does the RDL hammer the glutes, it also requires a lot of hamstring and spinal erector activation. This is why I recommend it for my athletes. It helps build back, and lower body strength at the same time.
Most often you’ll see athlete using too little weight. This is a strength exercise, and as such, the barbell needs to have a challenging load. I recommend doing 4 sets of 4-8 reps, leaving two reps in reserve on each set. If you find that your grip is giving up, then it’s ok to use lifting straps to assist.
Next we’ll finish this list of the best leg day exercises with one of the best lower body strength, and endurance movements that you can do. Weighted sled work.
Weighted Sled Pushing / Pulling
This is another exercise that you rarely see in conventional gyms. This is partially because many of them don’t have enough space to allow athletes to push or pull sleds indoors. This is a shame, because sleds are a great tool that can be adapted for many different purposes.
Most research shows that lighter sleds improved maximal sprint speed. Where as this study highlights that very heavy sled training can still improve your short range sprint performance. It can also build core strength when done correctly.
Conversely, the sled can be a great endurance training tool when the interval lengths are extended. I can tell you, without a doubt, that the hardest conditioning sessions I’ve ever done involved a light sled and 200m intervals.
The other benefit to sled training is that it is almost purely eccentric. This means you don’t have to exert any force to control the weight as you would in the lowering phase of a barbell lift. As a result, you will experience little if any soreness from this type of training.
As a coach, I like to use this for leg sessions where I want some conditioning stimulus as well. I would recommend 10-20 sets of a 20m push, with light to moderate weight for those looking for power development. If you want more leg strength, then go with 10 sets or less with a much heavier sled.
Now that we’ve covered all 7 of the killer leg day exercises for strength athletes, let’s take a quick look at some programs that incorporate the movements from this list of leg day exercises.
Your Next Fitness Program
In this section I’ll recommend several different types of programs. Some will be suited for functional fitness athletes, others for hybrid athletes, and a few for bodybuilders and strength athletes. Each program has its own page, with all the details you need to be successful. I recommend checking out a few of these pages to see which one’s will work best for your training goals.
- 8 Week Functional Bodybuilding Hybrid Program
- 7 Week Free Functional Bodybuilding Program
- 8 Week Hybrid Strength and Endurance Training Plan
- 7 Week Free Strength Training Program
- 12 Week Muscular Growth Program
- 9 Week Functional Strength Training Program
Now you have everything you need to build some strong legs, as well as your upper body. In the final section I will review some tips, that can help you continue to make improvements in the long run. Let’s finish this up.
Final Thoughts
The biggest mistake you can make, when working on your lower body training, is getting stuck in a rut. All athletes find exercises they like, and they tend to stick to them. If you look back on your training over the last year and find that you haven’t made any realistic progress towards your goals, then you know something must change.
The easiest way to jump start your progress is to switch your training methods. If you do a lot of machine work and slow grinding reps on your leg day workout, try some of these higher power movements. Conversely, if you rarely spend time building strength with heavy compound movements, then you’ll find that is your best training method. As long as you use good form you’ll benefit from new training challenges.
Your body is smart, and it can rapidly acclimatize to any type of training plan. You need to be smart, and switch your training program up before this happens. If you have any comments or questions put them below, and I’ll get you an answer. Don’t forget to join the email list. Now get out there and get training!
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