As a long time coach and athlete, I’ve come to realize that there are only a few worthwhile lower body muscular strength exercises that should be included in most leg workouts. I know some of you think you’re special, and you need a very complex program to best develop lower body strength and muscle mass. Unfortunately, you’re probably wrong. In this article I’m going to cover the best 7 lower body muscular strength exercises for power and muscle mass. I will also review some great research on lower body training. Keep reading for more.
Before we get into the research, exercise programming, and minutia of a good leg workout, I want to clarify a few things. First, there are any number of other leg exercises that could be viable options for your next leg day. I’m not saying that a lower-body workout routine can only ever contain these exercises. Any reasonably hard movement, done with good form, can build strength and muscle.
I’m providing a list of the best 7 lower body muscular strength training exercises that will most efficiently build strength and power. Moreover, this isn’t just my opinion on the matter, I’ve scoured the internet to back up my claims with some great research studies.
If you’ve read any of my articles on fitness programing, or followed any of my strength, or bodybuilding programs, you know that exercise selection and exercise rotation is key to continued development. However, you’ll find that these 7 exercises can be modified quite easily to accommodate any number of variations. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the exercises.
The 7 Best Lower Body Exercises According to Science
Barbell Back Squat
Reverse Barbell Lunge
Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
Hex / Trap Bar Deadlift
Nordic Curl
Calf Raise
Core Strength / Stability Work
I know that many of these will come as no surprise, especially if you’ve done any of my programs previously. However, as I was doing doing my research for this article I did come across a few surprising findings. I found out that barbell hip thrusts, while beneficial, weren’t any better than Romanian Deadlifts for gluteus medius activation. I also discovered that core stability work increases your ability to produce more force with your lower body.
Obviously, I’m going to get into the specifics of these claims, as well as the research behind them for a quality lower body workout. I also encourage you to check out this article, and this article, where I cover how many sets and reps you need to build muscle strength and volume. Now let’s take a look at the venerable barbell back squat.
1. Barbell Back Squat
I hope you didn’t bet against this basic squat being included in the list. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular and effective leg exercises you can do. It’s great at building quads and abductors, as well as the hip, and lower leg sections of the body.
Most research indicates that it’s best done in the traditional style, where your feet are hip-width apart, and you use the longest range of motion you can safely. Interestingly enough, there is some research that shows that half squatting isn’t a total waste of your time, and has almost the same quad benefits as full depth squats. Check out this excerpt.
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
It’s clear from this research study that full depth squatting is preferred. It’s also clear that squatting lower builds more mass in your glutes, however, it seems that half squatting can build almost the same mass in your knee extensors (quads) as full depth squatting.
This might be something to keep in mind if you want to develop your upper leg muscles (quads). Conversely, if your Instagram feed is filled with butt training videos, then you should probably be squatting ass to grass. It’s also important to point out that there isn’t much hamstring activation on either type of squat.
Next we will talk about another great bang for you buck exercise that really should be more popular than it is, the reverse barbell lunge. If you like this kind of information then be sure to sign up for our email list below.
Join the Email List
2. Reverse Barbell Lunge
This style of reverse lunge is a great exercise that has awesome carry over effects for every type of athlete. If you pay attention, almost all sports and tactical activities require you to exert force using one leg at a time. And yet, we spend the vast majority of our time on leg exercises that involve exerting force with both legs simultaneously.
Even for power lifters, and olympic lifters, who’s sports requires exerting force with both legs exclusively, it still pays to train unilaterally. As you’ll see later on, a large portion of your ability to exert power, and strength, is dependent on your core muscle group.
These include your obliques, spinal erectors, and abs. They also include the smaller muscles in your hips and pelvis. Doing a reverse barbell lunge is a great way to force your body to strengthen these muscles to resist the effort of one leg exerting force. This builds your hip muscles which ultimately increases your squatting strength.
I’ve also found this to be a great exercise for hitting the glutes as well as other lower-body muscles in one movement. I often recommend this to athletes who have tweaked their low back, as you can still lift relatively challenging weights for your left leg, and right leg, that is easily supported by your low back. After all, putting a 135 pound bar on your upper back is easier than holding a 300 pound bar in the same spot!
This movement can also be used for some low level conditioning. Because you have to work both legs, you end up doing more overall reps which can significantly raise your heart rate for several minutes. These long set durations tend to increase your lower body muscular endurance as well.
Next let’s talk about one of the more surprising inclusions in this list of The best 7 lower body muscular strength exercises for power and muscle mass, the Romanian Deadlift.
3. Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
The RDL is perhaps the most under utilized exercise in the gym. I occasionally see CrossFit athletes, Powerlifters, and Olympic lifters use this weight training exercises, but most of the time they’re half-assing it (pun intended). This is a shame. As I learned in this research study, it’s actually as effective as the barbell hip thrust, with a much more comfortable starting position.
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
That final line is important. They found that the RDL was equally effective in targeting the glutes as the barbell hip thrust. The RDL also targets the lower back muscles that will help strengthen your core, and allow more strength and power to be expressed with the same amount of muscle mass. It also features a lower range of motion which can be easier for inflexible athletes.
As you’ll see later on, the hip thrust does make the honorable mention category, but it’s primarily a butt exercise with some hamstring activation as well. It’s clear that the RDL does all the things the hip thrust does, and provides more overall utility.
If you want to focus on muscle growth, and strength, then this is your program.
Next let’s cover one of the most under used barbells in the gym. The hex bar deadlift.
4. Hex / Trap Bar Deadlift
This exercise is a great heavy weight exercise and I normally focus on this during the off season. It’s also a great choice for tactical athletes, as well as field athletes, who need strength, and have no reason to focus on the traditional deadlift. If you read my previous article you’ll recall that you can use the hex bar to lifter heavier.
Research indicates that you can lift about 10% more weight on the hex or trap bar as compared to the conventional deadlift. While this lift does feel more like a squat, EMG studies confirm that it’s still predominantly a hip hinge movement. A sumo deadlift is much more quad dominant than the trap bar deadlift
While we’re talking about posterior chain movements, let’s discuss the best hamstring movement you can do to prevent injury and build strength, the Nordic Curl. See, not all exercises on this list are free weights!
5. Nordic Curl
It was a real toss up between the tried and true hamstring curl and the nordic curl. I ended up included the nordic curl because it has the highest hamstring activation across numerous studies. It’s also has been shown to decrease the incidence of hamstring injuries from running and sprinting. Check out this summary.
Nordic hamstring exercise ankle dorsiflexion was the exercise that achieved the highest biceps femoris long head activation (128.1% of its Maximal Voluntary Isometric Contraction). Conclusions: The results from this systematic review suggest that isokinetic and Nordic exercises seem to be the best option to activate biceps femoris long head. Future studies evaluating the implementation of these exercises in prevention programs are needed.
Biceps Femoris Activation during Hamstring Strength Exercises: A Systematic Review
Most athletes can’t actually do a body weight concentric with this movement, but isometric holds, or controlled eccentrics are great options to increase strength and augment injury prevention. You can also do this movement on a GHD machine, which gives you some additional support to do both eccentric and concentric contractions. Next lets talk about the calf raise.
If you want to try one of my best strength training programs then check this out.
6. Calf Raise
No one gets super excited about calf raises, but they are an important exercise, especially if you want to run fast. This research study highlights the correlation between strong calf muscles, and the ability to sprint quickly. While this is correlational data, I think we can see that you aren’t likely to be able to sprint fast if you have monster upper thighs, and no calf muscles.
In order to fully develop your calf muscles you need to focus on changing your left and right foot orientation during calf raises. This study demonstrates that the bodybuilders bros are right. Turning your toes in different directions does preferentially target different parts of the calf muscle. Make sure to use full range of motion when you do change your foot position.
Next we’re going to cover our last exercise, which isn’t actually a leg exercise. I know I’m a cheater, but once you see why I put it on the list, I think you’ll agree that core stability training really affects your lower body strength development.
7. Core Stability Exercises
These exercises are very important even though very few athletes focus on them. Most people think their core is just their abs, and maybe their low back. While these muscles are part of your core, they aren’t the only part, or even the most important part.
The are several muscle groups like your obliques, and muscles that attach from your pelvis to your spine. These muscles allow you to transmit your leg strength to your upper body, which is vital.
Intuitively we’ve all seen someone who’s legs over power their core. This is most often demonstrated in a max deadlift or front squat. Initially you’ll see good leg drive, however, as the core fatigues, and the spine rounds, you end up failing the rep because your core can’t transmit the force into your upper body.
This isn’t just my opinion, this is confirmed by research. Simple 15-30 second exercises allowed the research participants to improve their ability to jump and exert force with their lower body drastically. It also has the added benefit of increasing injury prevention. Next, let’s move on to some honorable mention leg exercises.
Honorable Mention: Lower Body Muscular Strength Exercises
In most of my programs, I use the above exercises quite often, but I also include some other exercises that are good movements. These exercises almost made it on the best 7 lower body muscular strength exercises for power and muscle mass list.
I often include leg presses and belt squats movement if those machines are available. They allow you to work a lot of lower body muscle mass without loading your spine. This can be beneficial for those with back injuries, and for very strong athletes that already load their spine a lot.
My next two exercises are the machine hamstring curl, and the leg extension. If you really want to focus on these muscle groups you need to do some isolation work. I generally prescribe these two movements for athletes looking to add mass to their legs. They’re less important for functional athletes in my opinion. Next, let’s find your best lower body strength program, so you can have a hard time finding pants that fit!
Finding Your Next Program
I’ve been writing programs on this website for years. The vast majority of these programs are functional fitness programs, and are completely free. However, I do have some premium programs, that include a lot more info compared to the free versions.
In this section I’m going to list several of my most popular programs for tactical athletes. Some of them will be functional bodybuilding programs, where as others might focus on endurance, or strength. I recommend clicking around to see which program is best for your fitness goals. Almost all of these programs will include most if not all of these lower body muscular strength exercises
Programs to Build Muscle Mass
- The 8 Week Functional Bodybuilding Hybrid Program
- 6 Weeks of Muscular Growth for Functional Fitness Athletes Program
- 12 Week Free Bodybuilding Program
- The 11 Week High Intensity Bodybuilding Program
Programs to Build Strength
- 9 Week Functional Strength Program (Part 1)
- 9 Week Advanced Strength Program for Functional Fitness
- 7 Week Free Strength Training Program
Hybrid Programs: Strength, Muscle Mass, and Conditioning
- 15 Week Lift Heavy Run Fast Program for Functional Fitness
- 10 Week Functional Powerbuilding Program
- 9 Week Sprint Program for Running
This is just a small sampling of some of my more popular programs. I would estimate that if you followed all of my programs, you’d have a fitness program laid out for the next several years! I bet you can find something that will fit your needs.
Final Thoughts
We’ve covered a lot of information here, and I don’t want you to overly worry about the minutae of studies and EMG amplitudes. The important thing is to make sure you regularly include these movements in your gym routine.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with including other movements than the ones mentioned in this article. I always say that a decent plan executed well, is better than a perfect plan executed poorly. This applies to your gym routine. Now get out there and get training!
The opinions and information expressed in this article are solely those of the author and are not affiliated with any corporation, group, public or private entity. This web site is not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by Crossfit Inc. All product and company names are the registered trademarks of their original owners. The use of any trade name or trademark is for identification and reference purposes only and does not imply any association with the trademark holder of their product brand.
