Leg Exercises

Squats, hinges and everything that loads your quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, adductors and abductors, with equipment, difficulty and instructions written for people who have never done them.

318 exercises across 6 sections.

Quads154
Hamstrings83
Glutes52
Calves29
Adductors13
Abductors12

Quads

154

The front of your thighs. Every squat, lunge and press.

Hamstrings

The back of your thighs. Hinges, curls and deadlift variations.

Glutes

Your hips and backside. Thrusts, bridges, hinges and deep squats.

Calves

Below the knee, at the back. Raises with straight or bent legs.

Adductors

Inner thigh. Movements that pull your legs toward the midline.

Abductors

Outer hip. Movements that push your legs away from the midline.

Common questions about legs training

Can I train legs without squatting?: Yes. A leg press or hack squat covers the same pattern, and split squats or lunges work if loading a bar hurts. Pair any of them with a hinge such as a Romanian deadlift.
How often should I train legs?: Twice a week, which a three-day full-body routine gives you automatically. One brutal leg day a week leaves you sore for three days and progresses slower.
How low should I squat?: As low as you can go with your lower back staying neutral, which for most people means thighs at or just below parallel. Depth beyond that is a mobility question, not a requirement.
Do leg extensions and curls do anything?: Yes, they add direct quad and hamstring work and they are easy to load and progress. They're a supplement to squats and hinges, not a replacement.