Training Legs – 12 Super Exercises for Legs and Glutes

Top 12 Exercises for Strong Legs and Glutes Training

While for many ladies leg training is the foundation, some guys don't even have it on their schedule. Though I must say, more and more men are seriously starting to train their legs. In this article, you'll find 12 exercises for training your thigh muscles and glutes, including 100 fitness plans with a focus on your lower body.

Why Train Legs?

You can train whatever you want. Personally, I find leg training to be brutal, but that's no reason to skip it. There are several reasons to train your legs. First, and most superficially: a muscular lower body just looks really good in swimwear. Second, and far more importantly, it's the most crucial muscle group for your health. To age vitally, you need strong leg muscles to remain independent. Moreover, training your legs leads to stronger bones, increased insulin sensitivity (due to more muscle mass), and uses more energy than any other muscle group.

Lastly, after your training, you'll just feel super proud having completed another intense leg session. Meanwhile, I'd like to debunk a myth. Although training legs results in a slightly higher hormone peak after your workout, this has no effect on potential muscle growth.

What Muscles Make Up Your Legs?

Your legs consist of many different muscles, but for this article, we'll focus on: glutes, quadriceps (thigh), and hamstrings. You mainly train your glutes by extending your hip, moving your thigh sideways, and standing on one leg. Your quadriceps, often referred to as the top of your thigh muscles, are typically seen in the shape of a ‘droplet’ above your knees. The primary function of your quadriceps is to extend your knee. Finally, the hamstrings. These muscles are located at the back of your thigh and are responsible for bending your knee and extending your hip. Why they are very active during a deadlift and less so during a squat will be discussed later. In summary, if you want to fully train your leg muscles, you should include exercises for your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes in your plan.

Also read: all about glute training and exercises

Best Exercises to Train Your Legs

Let's start with the most important point. There are no "best" exercises to train legs, or any other muscle group, for that matter. To effectively target a muscle group, you need to choose exercises where that specific muscle is the weakest link. For example, if you want to train your quadriceps, you'll need to do a leg extension exercise. Ideally, one where the quadriceps are the reason you fail. That's why the leg extension is a highly effective exercise for this thigh muscle. For your glutes, you'd focus on hip extension exercises, opting for a deadlift or hip thrust over a leg press.

Approach your leg training in this simple way. Ask yourself: "What movement do I need to make to train X muscle group?" and select your exercises accordingly. Keep in mind, some exercises have a greater training effect than others. For instance, a squat simultaneously extends your knee (quadriceps) and hip (glutes). The question is which muscle is the most limiting factor, as this muscle will receive a greater growth stimulus. I've made it easy for you by listing 8 thigh exercises and 4 glute exercises below that I personally prefer.

Check out: the app for over 200 exercises for your leg and glute muscles.

4 Exercises for Your Quadriceps

Any exercise where extending your knee is the primary or secondary movement is by definition an effective way to train your quadriceps. Additionally, one of the quadriceps muscles – the rectus femoris – also allows you to lift your leg, such as when kicking a football. Below, you'll find 4 leg exercises often included in an effective leg routine:

Quadriceps Exercise 1 – Leg Extension

The leg extension is a so-called isolation exercise. It targets your quadriceps specifically, without the assistance of other muscles. Training to (near) failure ensures you're giving these thigh muscles a serious growth stimulus. You're doing exactly what your quadriceps are meant to do – extending your knee. Of course, you can also perform the leg extension with one leg at a time.

Quadriceps Exercise 2 – High Barbell Squat

The High Barbell Squat is the ultimate all-rounder and should be part of any serious leg routine. It not only targets your quadriceps but also your glutes, as you're simultaneously extending your knee and your hip. Contrary to popular belief, your hamstrings don't receive a significant growth stimulus from this exercise. Besides working your quadriceps and glutes hard, dozens of other muscles are activated to keep you stable and upright. Even if bigger thigh muscles aren't your goal, this all-rounder should be part of every fitness program. Or one of its many variations, of course. Think double dumbbell squats, front squats, goblet squats. For more squat variations, check out the serious app.

Quadriceps Exercise 3 – Pistol Squat

Is there a more challenging bodyweight leg exercise than the Pistol squat? Not only is it a top exercise for your quadriceps but also for your glutes and many other muscles that aid in stability. In the beginning, this leg exercise can be seriously tough. This is partly because it requires a lot of muscle strength and partly because it demands mobility, mainly in the ankle joint. Honestly, you can't really say you're serious about your quadriceps if you can't do Pistol squats... (did I manage to challenge you with that comment? ;)

Quadriceps Exercise 4 – Incline Leg Press

The Incline leg press or the "normal" leg press. Both are serious choices for training your quadriceps. Because your hip extends less, your glutes are less actively involved than during a squat. However, your adductors – the muscles on the inside of your thigh – you'll also feel them trying to push off at the bottom of the leg press. This isn't surprising since this muscle greatly assists in extending your hip in that position. Now you've got a serious exercise for your adductors as well.

4 Exercises for Your Glutes

Your buttock consists of several muscles, namely the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. You can read all about them in this glute guide. To make it easy, for complete glute development, you should do exercises that involve hip extension and exercises where you stand on one leg (and extend your hip). Below again are 4, out of many glute exercises, to achieve this.

Glute Exercise 1 – Deadlift

The deadlift, or one of its variants, primarily aims to extend your hip. Besides your glute muscles, your hamstrings also work seriously hard to lift the weight off the ground. Without the back muscles, lower back, shoulders, (fore)arms, and many other muscles, you can't perform the deadlift. That's why the deadlift also belongs in every serious training program.

Glute Exercise 2 – Reverse Dumbbell Lunge

To complete a serious leg routine, in my opinion, you need a squat and deadlift variant, and also a lunge. With a lunge, you extend your knee and hip while also temporarily balancing on one leg. This trains not only the large glute muscle but also the gluteus medius. Depending on the variant, your quadriceps do more or less of the work. My personal favorite is the walking lunge, but this leg exercise isn't feasible in every gym.

Glute Exercise 3 – Barbell Hip Thrust

Who doesn't know it, the hip thrust? Ask that question 5 years ago and you'd get a very different answer than now. The hip thrust has gained significant recognition over the last few years and is on many people's schedules when it comes to glutes. That's not surprising, since the primary goal of the exercise is to extend your hip. However, this exercise is often performed 'suboptimally'. Therefore, make sure to check the instruction video carefully and see that it's about maximizing hip extension while keeping the lower back neutral. That's why you rotate on your shoulder blades and not on the hip.

Glute Exercise 4 – Glute Extension (Roman Chair)

Just like the name suggests – glute extension – this exercise is all about targeting your glutes... if you do it right. It's a relatively small movement where your lower back stays in a neutral position throughout (not arching or rounding, because then you're mostly working your lower back). You don't need heavy weights for this exercise. If you can do it with a 5-kilo plate, holding it with straight arms above your head, you're a real booty boss.

Also read: 6 serious exercises for the top of your glutes (gluteus medius)

4 Exercises for Your Hamstrings

Training legs isn't complete without the hamstrings. This is a bit trickier muscle group to target compared to your quadriceps or glutes. For instance, during a squat, you extend your hip, which is a primary task of your hamstrings. But because you're also extending your knees, instead of bending them, the length of most hamstring muscles remains the same. Therefore, they mainly play a stabilizing role in, in this case, the squat. To seriously target your hamstrings, you need to look for more primary hip-extending leg exercises, i.e., exercises with less knee extension, and exercises where you bend your knees. Luckily, there's a wide variety of leg exercises for that.

Hamstrings Exercise 1 – Romanian Deadlift

The difference between a deadlift and a Romanian deadlift is that in a Romanian deadlift, you keep your knees in a more extended position. That's why the plates rarely touch the floor unless you're extremely flexible. In the lowest position, you often feel a clear stretch in your hamstrings, signaling that you can extend your hip again. This leg exercise gives your hamstrings and glutes a serious growth stimulus.

Hamstrings Exercise 2 – Seated Leg Curl

In the seated leg curl, the movement is fully focused on bending your knee. As you've read, this is a primary task of your hamstrings, so you can be sure this thigh muscle is being worked the most. Wondering if you're doing this leg exercise right because you also feel your calf muscle? That's correct, one of the calf muscles – the gastrocnemius – assists in bending your knee.

Hamstrings Exercise 3 – Goodmorning

If you look closely, the Goodmorning is almost the same movement as the Romanian deadlift. The only difference is that now the barbell rests on your neck. I could repeat everything, but for the exact same reason, the Goodmorning is an effective leg exercise for your hamstrings.

Hamstrings Exercise 4 – Prone Leg Curl

Just like in the seated leg curl, the prone leg curl isolates the hamstrings. The only movement you're making is bending the knee. The big difference is that now you're lying on your stomach, and thus your hip is almost fully extended. This slightly changes how you're training the hamstrings compared to sitting. In short, if your gym offers both options, switch these exercises up now and then in your leg routine.

100 Plans to Train Your Legs

Why reinvent the wheel when you can have direct access to the best leg training plans? In our app Serious Fitness Lab, you'll find over 100 workout plans focusing on your leg and glute muscles. Whether your goal is to get bigger legs, lose weight, or become fitter, we've got dozens of programs ready for all objectives. All based on the latest scientific insights, so you spend every minute in the gym as effectively as possible. Chances are you're currently doing way too many exercises and sets to see serious results. Of course, you can first test the app for free to see if you're ready to get serious. Download the app here.

Also check: the Glutes are King plan

6 Frequently Asked Questions About Training Legs

How can you best train your legs?
Start with basic movements such as squats, lunges, and deadlifts. Perform these exercises 2-3 times a week, paying attention to technique. Progressive overload (more weight or repetitions) leads to muscle growth, provided you have a suitable nutrition plan.

Also read: this is how your muscles grow.

Which sport gives beautiful legs?
Sports like cycling, running, and swimming promote toned legs through both fat burning and muscle building. However, no sport is as effective as strength training for seriously shaping your legs.

How can you quickly get toned legs?
Combine regular strength training with a slight daily caloric deficit. Your muscles become truly visible when the distance between the muscle and the skin is reduced (and the fat in between thus disappears).

How often should you train your legs?
There's no mandatory training frequency. For the best results, regardless of your goal, train your legs 2 to 3 times a week. This allows for sufficient recovery time and stimulates muscle growth without overtraining.

Is it good to train your legs every day?
Training your legs every day is not recommended, as rest days are crucial for recovery and muscle building.

How long should you train your legs to see results?
What does "results" mean? If you want to see a visible difference in the amount of muscle mass on your legs, you should be seriously training your legs for 3 to 6 months, combined with a muscle-building nutrition program and sufficient recovery time. Check here for the most effective leg plans to get serious.