The 10 Best Leg Exercises of All Time
Among purists, a “top 10” of leg exercises would include only one entry:
the classic barbell squat. And why not? The exercise is devastatingly
simple and effective. You place a heavy barbell across your back, then
bend at the hips and knees to descend as far as you can (as those same
purists might tell you, “glutes to grass” if you can stomach it). Then you
stand up
This movement not only rocks your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes but
also kick-starts a cavalcade of responses throughout your body as your
core and upper body tighten and stabilize while beneficial,
growth-promoting hormones are released in response to the major
stressor
In our eyes those who love the squat are 100 percent correct, so we’ll
save you the suspense: It’s No. 1 in this ranking. However, we contend
that the nine other moves featured here are great in their own right.
They’re all proven muscle builders and should be rotated through a proper
leg-training program over the course of a training cycle to maximize your
development
Here, then, are our 10 favorite leg exercises of all time. Feel free to
debate their merits, quibble over their placement and lament those we’ve
forgotten on the Muscle & Performance Facebook page
(facebook.com/MuscleAndPerformance). Just don’t argue that the squat is
overrated, or you may be quickly overrun by the true believers. And trust
us: If they’re avid squatters, their legs are huge, so that’s a stampede
you want no part of
Leg Press
First, let’s talk about what many trainers hate about the leg press: It
can cause lower-back injury when done incorrectly. And when guys load
every last plate in the gym on the sled and try to half-ass a few reps
out, with their lower back disengaging from the pad on every rep in part
due to woefully inflexible hamstrings and glutes, that’s about as
incorrect as you can get. It’s true that it’s one of the most abused
exercises in the gym — probably because you can feel like a big shot and
handle much more weight than you can on a squat — but used carefully, the
leg press can be very beneficial. And just as important, it helps provide
variety in what might otherwise be a very squat-centric leg program
Main Areas Targeted: Quadriceps
(emphasized with feet lower on platform and closer together), glutes and
hamstrings (emphasized with feet higher and wider on platform)
Strengths: The leg press is a
closed-kinetic-chain exercise, which simply means your feet are planted
rather than free. A closed chain provides for a stronger base of power
without as much shearing force on the knee joint as can occur in an
open-chain exercise like the knee extension, which didn’t make the list
for that very reason
How-To: Sit squarely in the leg
press machine and place your feet shoulder-width apart on the sled.
Keeping your chest up and lower back pressed into the pad, carefully
unlatch the sled from the safeties. Bend your knees to lower the platform,
stopping before your glutes lift off the pad. From there, powerfully
extend your knees to press the weight up (but don’t lock them out at the
top
Step-Up
This is arguably one of the more functional exercises on this list. After
all, you probably walk up stairs on a fairly regular basis, right? Being a
unilateral exercise, it also means a stronger leg can’t compensate for a
weaker one, with each leg taking its turn absorbing the full brunt of the
motion
Main Areas Targeted: Quadriceps,
glutes
Strengths: The step-up comes in
all sorts of variations and can be adjusted to challenge beginners and
advanced athletes alike. To provide the resistance, you can hold a
barbell, dumbbells or kettlebells (either at your sides or racked at
shoulder level), wear a weight vest or just go with your own bodyweight.
Step up onto a platform ranging from a height halfway up your shin to
where your thigh is parallel to the floor in the start position. Not only
does this develop power through the glutes, hips and thighs, but it also
helps you practice balance and jumping force, which is helpful if you’re
in a sport that requires vertical hops
How-To: Hold a dumbbell in each
hand in front of a knee- to hip-high step, bench or platform. Starting
with your feet in a shoulder-width stance, step forward with one leg onto
the platform and drive through that thigh to propel your body upward.
Bring your trailing leg up and stand atop the platform, then step back
with either leg to return to the floor. You can either repeat with the
same leading leg for all reps and then switch or alternate your lead leg
from step to step
Pistol Squat
Admittedly, you’ll probably feel like an idiot when learning this move.
You’ll fall on your can in the bottom position and likely lose your
balance repeatedly. You won’t even be able to get all the way down into a
full squat at first. We can only urge you, however, to not give up: Those
who master this exercise have a tremendous weapon in their leg-training
arsenal, and it doesn’t require a lick of equipment
Main Areas Targeted: Quads,
hamstrings, glutes
Strengths: Sure, this is more
about dynamic performance than pure muscle building, but no matter.
Consider this the functional cousin of No. 9 above and remember: The more
functional you are, the better you’ll be at mastering any exercise or
physical activity. You may find that your quads burn deep for days after
you first try the pistol squat, which is a sure sign that you’ve been
shortchanging your range of motion on traditional leg exercises for
years
How-To: Begin in a standing
position. Extend one leg straight out in front of you, balancing on your
other foot. From here, squat all the way down by lowering your hips and
glutes straight toward the floor, bending your knee until your working
thigh is below parallel. At the bottom, your nonworking leg and arms will
be out in front of you for balance with your planted foot flat on the
floor. Drive through that heel to return to a standing position, making
sure to never let that heel come up as you rep
Glute-Ham Raise
Chances are, your gym won’t have Louie Simmons’ Westside Series glute-ham
developer. It’s rare unless the place where you train is the type
patrolled by beefy powerlifters and chronically hazy with chalk dust. But
if it does, or if you can get your hands on one, do so because the
glute-ham raise on this apparatus is one of the very best strength- and
muscle-building exercises you can do for your lower body. “We do no less
than 600 [reps] per month just for maintenance, and at other times we use
135 pounds of heavy weight,” Simmons says, the “we” referring to the
select group of powerlifters and athletes who train at his exclusive
Westside Barbell gym in Columbus, Ohio
Main Areas Targeted: Glutes,
hamstrings
Strengths: From a
muscle-stimulation perspective, the glute-ham raise has been found to be
on par with an exercise higher on our list, the revered Romanian deadlift,
as reported in a small comparative study of hamstring exercises published
in the June 2014 issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning
Research. With the specially designed Westside bench you’ll get support in
all the right places, but don’t let a lack of equipment dissuade you. You
can alternatively do glute-ham raises with a partner holding your legs
(kneel on the floor and keep your hands out in front to catch yourself as
you lower your torso to the floor) or kneel on a lat-pulldown station seat
so your heels are under the knee pads, placing a barbell or a sturdy stick
on the floor that you grasp for balance (lower yourself via the power of
your hams and glutes, then reverse
How-To: Get into position on the
bench, securing your ankles between the rollers, your knees on the pads
and your feet on the platform. Start with your torso and thighs aligned
and perpendicular to the floor. Cross your hands over your chest. Slowly
extend your knees by lowering your torso as far toward parallel to the
floor as you can go. Flex your hams to bring your body back to vertical.
Note that when performing reps correctly, the calf/ankle area will
alternate between touching the bottom and the top roller
Walking Lunge
Lunges come in more varieties than Taylor Swift breakup songs. You can do
stationary lunges in any direction — front, side, backward or any point in
between — and have a damn fine exercise on your hands. But walking lunges
ultimately made our list because a) they’re slightly more functional since
you continually move forward instead of standing still and b) they provide
an excellent finisher to any leg workout. No less than eight-time Mr.
Olympia Ronnie Coleman used to take a loaded barbell outside and lunge
through the Metroflex Gym parking lot in the Texas heat to cap his leg
day, which with thighs as big as 36 inches around in his heyday was a
sight to behold
Main Areas Targeted: Quads, hams, glutes
Strengths: “The walking lunge is a dynamic movement, requiring coordination and
muscle recruitment to perform correctly,” explains Gene Flores, CSCS, a
physical therapist and orthopedic clinical specialist at Vargo Physical
Therapy, an outpatient clinic in Reseda, Calif. “This exercise is
predominantly a unilateral activity no matter which way it’s performed,
with emphasis on the front rather than the back leg. You’ll get a good
amount of co-contractions from above and below the knee joint, from the
hip and core to the ankle and foot
How-To: Holding dumbbells in each hand, step forward with one foot. Bend both
knees to lower your torso toward the floor, making sure your front knee
doesn’t pass your toes at the bottommost position. Stop just short of your
rear knee touching the floor, then drive through the heel of your front
foot while bringing your rear leg forward until you return to a standing
position. Then step with the opposite leg into a lunge, repeating the
pattern. Continue alternating down the floor. “The cues I utilize when
teaching this movement are to always have your core engaged, with a
neutral spine or slight lordosis (extension),” Flores says. “Most
important, do not let the front knee turn in or out excessively
Bulgarian Split Squat
Did Bulgarian strength athletes really use this movement as a training
cornerstone? The myths may not match the reality, but the name has stuck
to what is, all in all, a pretty solid exercise. That is, if you tweak the
common variation (shown here) as proposed by well-known Canadian strength
coach Charles Poliquin. He contends that over-elevating the back leg —
putting it on a flat bench or even higher — reduces the stability of the
front leg, thus limiting your strength potential and putting you at risk
for injury while also unnecessarily stressing the spine. His solution? The
exercise that lands at No. 5 on our list, a split squat in which you
elevate the back leg only 6 inches from the floor
Main Areas Targeted: Quadriceps,
glutes
Strengths: This move focuses on
each leg individually, so you can pay full attention to each without a
stronger leg compensating for a weaker one (as can happen on any bilateral
exercise). In other words, any weaknesses in your strength or thigh
development have nowhere to hide
How-To: Holding a dumbbell in
each hand, step forward with one foot and rest your rear foot on an
elevated platform or bench, top of the foot facing down. Bend your front
knee to lower yourself, making sure that knee doesn’t track out ahead of
your toes. (If it does, take a longer step out from the platform.) When
your knee joint forms at least a 90-degree angle, reverse the motion,
driving through the heel of your forward foot to return to standing. Do
not forcefully lock out the knee
Hack Squat
While the barbell version of the hack squat — picking up a barbell placed
behind you — is perfectly acceptable, especially for those training at
home, the typical machine-based hack squat you find at most gyms is our
choice here. That’s the one that’s plate-loaded and angles your body
slightly backward. Within the confines of the machine, you’ll find a bit
more safety than you would with the free-weight squat, which becomes more
crucial as you tire during a workout. That means hacks are a great
mid-workout option, serving as a bridge between squatting and other moves
such as the leg press and lunge
Main Areas Targeted: Quads and
glutes primarily, hamstrings secondarily
Strengths: “This exercise is done
in a weight-bearing functional position just like a standing squat,”
Flores points out. “The hack squat machine also allows you to go a little
heavier without sacrificing too much form as you would performing bar
squats since your back is supported, which decreases the chance of injury.
That’s important when the goal is to increase mass and strength
How-To: Step inside a hack squat
machine, placing your shoulders and back against the pads. Set your feet
at mid-platform just inside shoulder width, keeping your feet flat
throughout the exercise. With your chest up and core tight, unhook the
safeties and slowly lower yourself, stopping when your thighs are just
past parallel to the platform. From here, powerfully press upward to the
start position, keeping your knees bent slightly at the top to protect
them from hyperextension. “When performing any squat movement, my cues are
always to avoid any excessive internal or external rotation at the knees —
think the ‘knock-knee’ position or knees and toes pointing out — along
with keeping your knees about shoulder-width apart throughout the
movement,” Flores instructs. “The weight should be felt in your heels, not
your toes
Romanian Deadlift
The quadriceps muscle is a powerful, four-headed beast of a muscle
group, and unless you develop hamstrings with enough strength of equal
measure to balance out the quads, your knees will be forever prone to
injury. Enter the Romanian deadlift, or RDL for short. This movement works
the hamstrings from the hips, a necessary addition to a hams routine that
might otherwise be dominated by variations of the leg curl (seated, lying
and standing) that all work the muscle from the knee joint
Main Areas Targeted: Hamstrings
Strengths: You may notice a
pattern here — well, you should, at least — but like the other exercises
on this list, the key to results with the Romanian deadlift is pinpoint
form. Keep your back flat, core tight and the bar sliding along the front
of your legs on the way up and down and you’ll build thick, impressive,
protruding hamstrings. Allow your lower back to collapse and take on the
load and you’ll help put a Ferrari in your chiropractor’s garage
How-To: Stand upright holding a barbell in front of your upper thighs with an
overhand grip. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly bend your
knees. With your chest up, arms straight and core tight to maintain the
natural arch in your low back, lean forward from your hips, pushing them
rearward until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor or until you
feel a good stretch in your hamstrings. At the bottom, keep your back flat
and head neutral. The bar should be very close to or in contact with your
legs throughout. Flex your hamstrings and glutes to reverse the motion,
bringing the bar back to the start position. “The movement should come
from the hips extending — pushing your hips forward — not from extending
the lower back,” Flores says. “In other words, don’t lead the lift with
your chest, arms and back
Front Squat
As you already know, the barbell back squat is No. 1 on our list. But the
exercise ranked runner-up is a close second in the eyes of many,
especially those who like the idea of big, beefy quadriceps and the more
direct line of resistance offered by moving the barbell to the front
versus draping it across the upper back
Main Areas Targeted: Emphasis on
quads, plus glutes, hamstrings, calves and core
Strengths: “Both the barbell
front and back squats are great exercises for increasing leg, back and
core strength and for positively affecting anabolic metabolism,” says
Dustin Kirchofner, certified strength and conditioning coach at Yuma
United MMA and owner of Modern Warfare Fitness. “As for which is better,
it depends on your posture, technique, previous injuries and personal
preference. For example, if you lack proper shoulder external-rotation
capability, then back squats might not be your best option. Due to your
poor shoulder and thoracic spine mobility, you may have issues getting the
bar racked and properly positioned across your back. In that case, front
squats would quite possibly be a much better choice
How-To: Set the pegs in a power
rack just at or below mid-chest, and place the safety bars at a level
between your hips and knees. Step up to the bar, crossing your arms to
build a shelf to cradle it at your front delts and upper chest. Keep your
chest up, lower back and abs tight, and eyes forward as you step back into
a shoulder-width stance. Bend your knees and hips as if sitting in a chair
until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, then reverse
direction by driving through your heels and pressing your hips forward to
return to standing. “Keep your neck and back straight and elbows lifted
high throughout the lift,” Kirchofner instructs. “Inhale to support the
trunk and abdomen at the start of your descent, and keep your core and
abdomen engaged to help minimize stress on your lower lumbar area
Barbell Squat
We know, ranking barbell back squats No. 1 here is about as surprising as
a Donald Trump publicity stunt. But what else can we do? It’s not the
reigning “king of exercises” for nothing. No single exercise is arguably
as effective, not only for the intended lower-body target muscles but for
all the muscles from your shoulders, chest and back down to your core, all
of which fire to maintain your posture and balance as you rep
Main Areas Targeted:Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, core
Strengths: “You need strong legs
from the ankles to the hips, and back squats work the lower-body prime
movers, stabilizers and synergists,” Kirchofner explains. “The quadriceps
and hamstrings are the major muscle groups that affect knee stability and
motion. Quads come into play during the straightening of the knees, while
hamstrings are directly related to the bending of the knees and the
pushing action against the ground, such as in a short sprint. At the end
of the day, squats are beneficial in developing muscular growth, strength
and power, all while strengthening stabilizers and the core
How-To: Stand with your feet
about shoulder-width apart and hold a bar across your upper back. Your
knees should be slightly bent and your toes turned out slightly. Keeping
your head in a neutral position, abs tight and torso upright, bend at the
knees and hips to slowly lower your body as if you were going to sit in a
chair. Go as deep as you can handle, ideally to a point where your thighs
come parallel to the floor or below while maintaining your natural
lower-back arch, then forcefully drive through your heels and extend your
hips and knees to return to a standing position
