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- Learn how to work all your Leg Muscles with our Hamstring Exercises, Glute Exercises, Quadriceps Exercises, and Calf Exercises
- Why Your Workout Routines Need Leg Exercises
- The Lower Body Exercises
- Barbell Leg Exercises
- Body Weight Leg Exercises
- Cable Leg Exercises
- Dumbbell Leg Exercises
- Weight Machine Exercises
Leg Exercises
Learn how to work all your Leg Muscles with our Hamstring Exercises, Glute Exercises, Quadriceps Exercises, and Calf Exercises
Welcome to our Leg Exercises main page!
Here we’ve linked to all of our weight training exercises that target your leg muscles: the calves, quadriceps, glutes, and hamstring muscle groups. Each individual lower body exercise page comes complete with pictures, tips, and exercise instructions so you can immediately add to your leg workouts and other weight training programs.
Why Your Workout Routines Need Leg Exercises
Leg and Lower Body Exercises are happily (and stupidly) skipped by the majority of lifters. However, your leg muscles form the foundation to your POWERHOUSE and can’t be ignored.
Too often, people think:
“Who cares about my legs? I’m trying to sell tickets to the guns show and be able to bench press more than my buddies.”
While that may be the case, calling on this large leg muscle group releases more muscle building testosterone and growth hormone than training any other muscle group. These natural muscle builders supplement all your other lifts and don’t just build your leg muscles, but also pump up your chest muscles and all of the other glamour muscles.
Lower body exercises also force your body to extract more energy (burn more calories) than upper body exercises. Burn fat build muscle – Nice huh? Which one you do will depend on your diet.
The Lower Body Exercises
We’ve divided up the page to give you a few options:
- Continue reading below to see all our leg exercises sorted by equipment required – barbell, body weight, cable, or dumbbell exercises.
- View Each Lower Body Exercise by Primary Muscle Trained
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- Calf Exercises
- Glute Exercises
- Hamstring Exercises
- Quadriceps Exercises
- Leave this page and check out our list of the Best Leg Exercises
Barbell Leg Exercises
| Exercise Name |
Primary Muscle(s) |
Addl Equip. Required |
| Barbell Deadlifts | Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lats, Lower Back, Quadriceps, Traps, Upper Back | Barbell |
| Barbell Hack Squat | Quads, Calves, Forearms, Hamstrings, Glutes | Barbell |
| Barbell Lunges | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Barbell |
| Barbell Squat | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Barbell |
| Bench Squat | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Barbell |
| Bulgarian Split Squats | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Barbell, Bench |
| Front Squats | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Barbell |
| Front Squat to Bench | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Barbell, Bench |
| Good Mornings Exercise | Lower Back, Glutes, Hamstrings | Barbell |
| Jefferson Squats | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Barbell |
| One Leg Squat | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Barbell |
| Overhead Squat | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Shoulders | Barbell |
| Power Clean | Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lower Back, Quadriceps, Shoulders, Traps | Barbell |
| Reverse Lunge | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Barbell |
| Rocking Standing Calf Raise |
Calves | Barbell |
| Romanian Deadlift | Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lower Back, Upper Back | Barbell |
| Side Lunges | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Hip Abductors | Barbell |
| Side Split Squat | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Hip Abductors, Lower Back | Barbell |
| Speed Squats | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Barbell |
| Standing Calf Raises | Calves | Barbell |
| Sumo Deadlifts | Hamstrings, Forearms, Glutes, Hip Adductors, Lower Back, Quadriceps, Traps, Upper Back | Barbell |
| Suitcase Deadlift | Hamstrings, Abs, Calves, Glutes, Lower Back, Quads, Traps | Barbell |
| Step Ups | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Barbell, Bench |
| Stiff Leg Deadlift | Hamstrings, Calves, Glutes, Lower Back, Upper Back | Barbell |
| Wide Stance Squat | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Barbell |
| Zecher Squats | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Barbell |
Check out all our Barbell Exercises divided by muscle group trained!
Body Weight Leg Exercises
| Exercise Name |
Primary Muscle(s) |
Addl Equip. Required |
| Back Extension Exercise | Lower Back, Glutes, Hamstrings | Hyperextension Equipment |
| Donkey Calf Raises | Calves | None; Partner |
| Flutter Kicks | Glutes, Hamstrings | Body Weight Exercise |
| Glute Bridge Exercise | Glutes, Hamstrings | Body Weight Exercise |
Check out all our Body Weight Exercises by muscle group trained!
Cable Leg Exercises
| Exercise Name |
Primary Muscle(s) |
Addl Equip. Required |
| Cable Hip Abduction | Hip Flexors | Machine |
| Glute Kickbacks | Glutes, Hamstrings | Cable |
Check out all our Cable Exercises divided by muscle group trained!
Dumbbell Leg Exercises
| Exercise Name |
Primary Muscle(s) |
Addl Equip. Required |
| Dumbbell Calf Raises | Calves | Dumbbells |
| Dumbbell Deadlifts | Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lats, Lower Back, Quadriceps, Traps, Upper Back | Dumbbells |
| Dumbbell Lunge | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Dumbbells, Bench |
| Dumbbell Split Squat | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Hip Flexors | Dumbbells |
| Dumbbell Squat | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Dumbbells |
| Dumbbell Squats to Bench | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Dumbbells, Bench |
| Dumbbell Step Up | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Dumbbells, Bench |
| Reverse Lunges | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Dumbbells |
| Rocking Standing Calf Raise | Calves | Dumbbells |
| Romanian Deadlifts | Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lower Back, Upper Back | Dumbbells |
| Sissy Squat | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Dumbbells or Weight Plate |
| Sumo Squat | Quads, Abs, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Dumbbells |
| Walking Lunges Exercise | Quads, Abs, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Dumbbells |
View all our Dumbbell Exercises divided by muscle group trained!
Weight Machine Exercises
| Exercise Name |
Primary Muscle(s) |
Addl Equip. Required |
| Calves Press on Leg Machine | Calves | Machine |
| Hip Abduction Exercise | Hip Flexors | Machine |
| Hip Adduction Exercise | Hip Flexors | Machine |
| Leg Curls Exercise | Hamstrings | Machine |
| Leg Extensions Exercise | Quads | Machine |
| Leg Press Exercise | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Machine |
| Machine Hack Squats | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Machine |
| Narrow Stance Hack Squats | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Machine |
| Narrow Stance Leg Press | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Machine |
| Seated Calf Raise | Calves | Machine |
| Smith Machine Goodmorning | Lower Back, Glutes, Hamstrings | Smith Machine |
| Smith Machine Hack Squats | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings | Smith Machine |
| Smith Machine Reverse Calf Raises |
Calves | Machine |
| Smith Machine Romanian Deadlifts |
Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lower Back, Upper Back | Smith Machine |
| Standing Calf Raise | Calves | Machine |
| Standing Leg Curls | Hamstrings | Machine |
| Smith Machine Squat | Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back | Smith Machine |
The Most Popular Leg Exercises:
Rather than viewing exercises by primary leg muscle or from the list above, check out the most popular lower body exercises. Each page links to all of the variations of these popular lower body exercises.
- Calf Raises Exercise
- Front Squat
- Deadlifts Exercise
- Hack Squats
- Lunges Exercise
- Split Squats
- Step Up Exercise
Leg Exercises by Primary Leg Muscles Trained:
Are you trying to be more specific? Maybe you want to focus on your quads or build your own hamstring workout, glute workout, or calf workouts. Check out each of the exercise pages for these muscle groups listed below.
- Calf Exercises
- Glute Exercises
- Hamstring Exercises
- Quadriceps Exercises
Finally, if you found this page of interest, check out these related pages:
- Best Leg Exercises
- Weight Training Exercises Main Page
- Compound Exercises
- Fat Loss Workouts and Fat Burning Exercises
- Muscle Building Workouts and Strength Training Exercises
You’ve seen the Exercises, now check out the Workout Routines.
Start at our Home Page.