With so many choices of how to train the lower body, it's no wonder that so many lifters feel overwhelmed and skip leg day entirely. (That's your excuse, right?)

This list will give you clarity, but you'll still have to work! Almost across the board, multijoint or "compound" exercises top this list. Why? In addition to recruiting more muscle mass, these exercises generate greater release of the muscle-building hormones testosterone and growth hormone. Here are the other standards we used to make our selections:

  • Ease of learning and performing  
  • Total muscle stimulation and intensity  
  • Popularity among diehard lifters and bodybuilders (This matters!)  
  • Availability of equipment in commercial gyms  

Build around these movements, and you can create more efficient, effective leg workouts. And with three complete workouts we've included for you, you have no more excuses. Get educated and get to work!

Barbell Back Squat

Barbell Back Squat

Why it's on the list: Squats are king because they're the most challenging leg movement you can do. They work all the lower-body musculature and have been shown to spike muscle-building hormone release. In fact, squatting before doing curls has even been shown to significantly improve arm strength! Don't laugh: Powerlifter and bodybuilder Layne Norton, Ph.D., pairs the two moves in his Legs and Arms Blast workout.

High bar or low bar? That's up to you and your goals. High bar, where the bar rests atop the traps, hits all the leg musculature fairly evenly. Low bar, a favorite of powerlifters, targets the glutes and allows you to lift more weight. Not sure which? Choose the variation that allows you to squat deeper, more comfortably, and without excessively rounding your back.


Back Squat Variations for Leg Development:

In your workout: For leg growth, do this movement first with several light warm-up sets, pyramiding up in weight, before attempting your heaviest weight for multiple sets. Classic rep schemes like 5x5 or 3x8-10 work great. Don't be afraid to belt up if you're going heavy. 

Barbell Front Squat

Barbell Front Squat

Why it's on the list: Shifting the bar from the back to the front of the body changes your squat dramatically. Front squats emphasize the quads over the glutes and hams, which means you'll sacrifice some of the load. It also helps you maintain a more vertical torso position, which can help increase squat depth and perhaps decrease the risk of lower back injury.

Front squats also demand—and build—serious upper back and core strength. Those benefits also apply to variations like dumbbell front squats and goblet squats. Think you're too strong for goblets? Strength coach and physical therapist John Rusin requests that you do half your body weight for 20 reps and reconsider. 

Front Squat Variations for Leg Development:

In your workout: These are brutally hard, so do them first, when your energy levels are highest, for 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps. Favor the lower end if you're looking to build strength.  

Olympic Lifts: Snatch And Power Clean

Olympic Lifts: Snatch and Power Clean

Why it's on the list: Movements like snatches and power cleans take some serious dedication and technique to master, but they can be unrivaled when you are trying to improve jumping power for sports or even squat strength. In fact, one study found a nearly 18 percent greater improvement in squat 1RM after following an Olympic-based program compared to a traditional powerlifting program. 

While the rep ranges for these lifts aren't usually in the "golden" range for hypertrophy, the large amount of muscle mass used and higher intensities may still increase testosterone release. If you're just learning, there are plenty of progression lifts to help you get to the full lifts.

Olympic Lift Variations for Leg Development:

In your workout: These exercises require absolute concentration on technique and body position. They should be your very first exercise of the day, and if you're getting serious or going heavy, investing in some knee sleeves is a good idea. Stick to reps of 2-3, and add volume by doing more sets, moving up from 3-8. If you're not ready for the real-deal lifts but want the same benefits, check out Lee Boyce's article, "Olympic Lifts for the Rest of Us."

Deadlift

Deadlift

Why it's on the list: Deadlift variations are rightfully considered whole-body exercises, specifically for the posterior chain. But research has shown that along with the hamstrings and glutes, they definitely hit the quads, as well—especially if you pull with a wider or sumo-style stance.

Deadlift Variations for Leg Development:

In your workout: For bodybuilders, the deadlift is commonly trained as part of back day. If you're training it with legs, you probably won't be able to go too heavy—keep the reps moderate, at least 5-8 reps per set, hit them after squats, and stop each set short of failure.

Split Squat

Split Squat

Why it's on the list: Done right, split squats—particularly rear-foot-elevated or "Bulgarian" split squats—are devastating to your legs. In fact, EMG evidence suggests that 4 sets using your 10-rep max with Bulgarians create similar quad activation to back squats. The same study also found similar testosterone responses between Bulgarians and back squats!

Nevertheless, split squats are deceptively difficult, partly because of balance and partly because you're training one side at a time. And when you raise your rear foot in a so-called Bulgarian split squat, everything gets tougher. If balance is holding you back, you can just drop your back foot, hold onto a stable object, or even perform them in the Smith machine. like forced reps and dropsets, because you can change weight quickly and aren't balancing a barbell.

Hack Squat Variations for Leg Development:

In your workout: Hack squats are typically done after free-weight exercises and before single-joint leg movements. The sweet spot is somewhere around 3 sets of 8-12 reps, although if you're following a program built by a hack devotee like Kris Gethin in his 8-Week Hardcore training plan, you can expect that to go up to 20-30 reps and beyond. Consider yourself warned