Leg exercises

Everything that trains the lower body sits here — quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves, from squats with no load to heavy barbell work. Narrow the list by equipment first: bodyweight moves cover a session at home, and barbells and dumbbells open up once you're in a gym. For a balanced week, pair a knee-dominant movement such as a squat or lunge with a hip hinge that loads the hamstrings.

  • Single Leg Dumbbell Deadlift

    The Single Leg Dumbbell Deadlift is a unilateral exercise targeting the hamstrings, glutes, and core. It enhances balance, stability, and coordination while improving lower body strength. This exercise requires a dumbbell and focuses on maintaining proper form to prevent injury.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Dumbbell Bulgarian Squat

    The Dumbbell Bulgarian Squat is a unilateral lower body exercise that targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. It involves performing a squat with one leg elevated behind you on a bench or platform while holding dumbbells for added resistance. This exercise improves balance, coordination, and strength in the lower body.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Single-Leg Box Jump

    The One Leg Box Jump is a plyometric exercise that targets the lower body, focusing on the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. It enhances explosive power, balance, and coordination by requiring the athlete to jump onto a box or platform using one leg. This exercise is beneficial for athletes looking to improve their single-leg strength and stability.
    LegsAdvanced

  • Walking Cardio

    Walking Cardio is a low-impact aerobic exercise that involves walking at a steady pace to improve cardiovascular health, endurance, and overall fitness. It can be performed on a treadmill or outdoors and is suitable for all fitness levels.
    LegsBeginner

  • Lever Horizontal Leg Press

    The Lever Horizontal Leg Press is a compound lower body exercise that targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. It involves pushing a weighted platform away from the body using the legs while seated in a reclined position. This exercise is performed on a specialized machine that provides stability and support, allowing for controlled movement and reduced risk of injury.
    LegsBeginner

  • Sumo Squat With Smith

    The Sumo Squat With Smith Machine is a lower body exercise targeting the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and inner thighs. This variation of the squat involves a wider stance and utilizes the Smith machine for stability and control, allowing for a focused engagement of the lower body muscles.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Single-Leg Lying Curl

    The Lying Single Leg Hamstring Curl is an isolation exercise targeting the hamstrings. It involves lying face down on a leg curl machine and curling one leg at a time towards the glutes. This exercise helps in strengthening and developing the hamstring muscles, improving knee flexion and stability.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Vertical Leg Press Smith Machine

    The Vertical Leg Press on a Smith Machine is a compound lower body exercise that targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. This exercise involves lying on your back and pressing the weight upwards using your legs, with the Smith Machine providing stability and safety through its guided bar path.
    LegsBeginner

  • Stabillity Ball Wall Squat

    The Stability Ball Wall Squat is an exercise that targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core muscles. It involves using a stability ball placed between your lower back and a wall to perform a squat with added support and balance challenge.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Smith Rear Lunge

    The Smith Rear Lunge is a lower body exercise that targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Utilizing the Smith machine provides stability and control, making it suitable for both beginners and advanced lifters. This exercise helps in improving balance, coordination, and overall leg strength.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Machine Calf Raises

    Machine Calf Raises target the calf muscles, primarily the gastrocnemius and soleus. This exercise is performed using a specialized machine that allows for controlled movement and resistance, making it effective for building strength and size in the lower leg muscles.
    LegsBeginner

  • Pistol Box Squat

    The Pistol Box Squat is a unilateral lower body exercise that targets the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and core. It involves performing a single-leg squat to a box or bench, which helps in maintaining balance and control while reducing the range of motion compared to a full pistol squat. This exercise is beneficial for building strength, improving balance, and enhancing mobility.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Barbell Cossack Squat

    Barbell Cossack Squat is a lateral squat variation performed with a barbell across the upper back. It trains the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and adductors through a side-to-side lower-body pattern.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Jumping Jacks

    Jumping Jacks are a full-body cardiovascular exercise that increases heart rate, improves endurance, and enhances coordination. This plyometric movement involves jumping to a position with legs spread wide and arms raised overhead, then returning to the starting position.
    LegsBeginner

  • Pogo Jumps

    Pogo Jumps are a plyometric exercise designed to improve lower body explosiveness, agility, and coordination. This exercise primarily targets the calves, but also engages the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. It is performed by bouncing off the ground with minimal knee bend, focusing on quick and repetitive movements.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Prone Lying Leg Curl

    The Prone Lying Leg Curl is an isolation exercise targeting the hamstrings. It involves flexing the knees against resistance while lying face down on a leg curl machine. This exercise helps in strengthening the hamstrings, improving knee joint stability, and enhancing overall lower body performance.
    LegsBeginner

  • Butterfly Stretch

    The Butterfly Stretch is a flexibility exercise targeting the inner thighs, hips, and groin. It is commonly used to improve range of motion and reduce tension in the lower body, making it beneficial for athletes and individuals looking to enhance their flexibility.
    LegsBeginner

  • Superman

    Superman is a prone bodyweight exercise involving a coordinated lift of the arms and legs. It engages the spinal extensors, glutes, and muscles around the shoulders as part of posterior-chain and trunk-control training.
    LegsAdvanced

  • Smith Zercher Squat

    Smith Zercher Squat is a front-loaded squat with the Smith-machine bar supported in the crooks of the elbows. It trains the quadriceps and glutes while the trunk and upper back support the load in front of the body.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Zercher Squat

    The Zercher Squat is a compound lower body exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core. It involves holding a barbell in the crook of your elbows while performing a squat, which challenges stability and engages the upper body muscles for support.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Smith Front Squat

    Smith Front Squat is a front-loaded squat performed in a Smith machine. The guided bar path supports a quad- and glute-focused squat pattern while the front position encourages an upright torso.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Rocking Frog

    The Rocking Frog is a dynamic stretch exercise that targets the hips, groin, and lower back. It helps improve flexibility and mobility in these areas, making it beneficial for athletes and individuals looking to enhance their range of motion.
    LegsBeginner

  • Bulgarian Jump Squat

    Bulgarian Jump Squat is a unilateral plyometric lower-body variation that combines a Bulgarian split squat with a jump. It develops the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, balance, and explosive power.
    LegsIntermediate

  • Lizard Pose

    Lizard Pose is a yoga mobility posture that emphasizes the hip flexors, groin, and front of the hip. It is used to explore comfortable hip opening and lower-body flexibility in a low lunge position.
    LegsBeginner