13 Leg Exercises for Building Lower-Body Strength

Leg workouts include any strength-training exercise designed to activate your leg muscles, including your hip flexors, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. Leg exercises include both weighted and bodyweight workouts. Bodyweight lunge and squat variations tend to be the most commonly practiced leg exercises due to their ability to build muscle throughout the lower body using a low-impact range of motion. However, weighted exercises and high-intensity interval training (HIIT exercises) are equally effective at encouraging muscle growth in the hips, glutes, and legs.

There are several notable advantages to practicing leg workouts.

1. 1. Leg exercises help stave off muscle imbalances. Muscle imbalances can lead to joint pain and limited mobility. Leg workouts aim to train each side of the body equally to promote muscle growth in both legs.
2. 2. Leg exercises improve your athletic performance. The best leg exercises deliver full-body benefits that promote overall wellness. In addition to providing foundational leg strength to perform daily movements, your leg muscles provide lower-body power and speed to your athletic performance.
3. 3. Leg exercises can help reduce back pain. Weak leg muscles can lead to pain in your lower back. By practicing leg exercises properly and consistently, you build strength in your glutes and hips to support the lower back and alleviate back pain.

Consider some of the best exercises for building a strong lower body.

1. 1. Bulgarian split squats: Perform Bulgarian split squats by placing your back foot onto an elevated surface. Keep your torso upright with a slight forward lean. Hinge your front knee and ankle, activating your front leg as you lower your body. Pause once your back leg is a couple of inches off the floor. Stand again and repeat this movement for your desired amount of repetitions.
2. 2. Romanian deadlifts: The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a barbell weightlifting exercise that targets your posterior chain, including your glutes, spinal erectors, and hamstrings. The Romanian deadlift activates these lower-body muscle groups by incorporating the hips more than a traditional deadlift. Variations on the Romanian deadlift involve different equipment like a kettlebell or dumbbell.
3. 3. Single-leg deadlifts: The single-leg deadlift (SLDL) is an exercise characterized by a forward hip-hinge movement while lifting one leg off the ground and extending it backward. Single-leg deadlifts work muscle groups in your posterior chain, including your calf muscles, lower back muscles, hamstrings, and glutes.
4. 4. Goblet squats: A goblet squat is a full-body exercise characterized by performing a squat while holding a single free weight, like a dumbbell or kettlebell, in front of your chest. A goblet squat works muscles in your lower body like the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves, and it also works the core muscles in your upper body.
5. 5. Back squats: A back squat, also known as a barbell back squat, is a compound exercise that activates muscle groups throughout your lower body. Perform back squats by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Unrack a weighted barbell, holding it on your upper back. Keep your chest up as you hinge your hips and knees to lower your body into a squat position.
6. 6. Front squats: A front squat is a compound exercise that activates muscles throughout your body. It is also known as a barbell front squat. Perform front squats by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lift a barbell and hold it in a rack position in front of your shoulders. Keep your torso in an upright position and engage your core as you lower your body into a squat position. With proper squat form, front squats can increase your core strength and quad strength. For an easier variation, use a kettlebell or a pair of dumbbells rather than a weighted barbell.
7. 7. Leg extensions: A leg extension, also known as a knee extension, is an isolation exercise focused on the quadriceps. This exercise requires a leg extension machine that includes a seat and a padded bar that presses against your legs, promoting strength and flexion. (Variations may involve ankle weights or a resistance band.) When using a leg extension machine, you sit and extend your legs to push a padded bar away from your body.
8. 8. Leg presses: Practice leg presses by sitting against the backrest of a leg press machine. Place your feet against the footplate with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Slowly push against the footplate to move a pulley attached to weight plates. Return the footplate to its original position and repeat for the desired amount of reps.
9. 9. Walking lunges: To practice walking lunges, get into the starting position by placing your feet shoulder-width apart, keeping a slight bend in your knee. Take a big step forward with your right foot and lower your left knee to the ground. At the bottom of the lunge, both of your legs should be roughly at a 90-degree angle. Drive through your right heel to return to the starting position. Repeat with the opposite side. When practiced in rapid succession, walking lunges can raise your heart rate to provide a great cardio exercise.
10. 10. Reverse lunges: The reverse lunge is a bodyweight workout. Perform reverse lunges by taking a step backward, keeping your upper body aligned and your back straight. Lower yourself enough for your front leg to be at a 90-degree angle. With proper form, reverse lunges are one of the most accessible lunge variations for building strong glutes.
11. 11. Calf raises: Perform calf raises by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your body by pushing into the fronts of your feet, activating your calf muscles as you stand on your tiptoes. Return to a regular stance and repeat the movement pattern. Although calf raise exercises require no equipment, you can add an additional challenge by holding a kettlebell or a pair of dumbbells during the exercise.
12. 12. Step-ups: Perform step-ups by standing in front of an elevated, knee-height surface like a plyometric box or bench. Place your right foot on top of the elevated surface and push through your right leg to lift your body up onto it. Step down slowly with your left leg and perform the next repetition leading with your left foot. Hold a set of dumbbells or kettlebells throughout the movement for an added challenge.
13. 13. Single-leg hip thrusts: The single-leg hip thrust is a lower-body exercise that activates your gluteal muscles. With proper form, single-leg hip thrusts can also work muscle groups in your lower back and legs like the hamstrings, adductors, and quadriceps. Perform the hip thrust by placing your shoulders against a bench or elevated surface and lifting your hips off the floor with one leg.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

To see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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