A complete leg day workout covers four areas: quads (squat or leg press), hamstrings (a hip hinge plus a leg curl), glutes (they work hard in both) and calves. Put the heaviest compound first, use full range of motion, and do about 12–18 hard sets in total. Below is how to build the session, the exercises that give you the most for your effort, and two sample leg days, one squat-focused and one hinge-focused, that you can alternate through the week.
The four jobs of a leg day
| Area | Main movement | Key exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Quads | Knee extension | Squat, leg press, hack squat, leg extension |
| Hamstrings | Hip extension and knee flexion | Romanian deadlift, seated leg curl, lying leg curl |
| Glutes | Hip extension | Deep squats, lunges, Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts |
| Calves | Ankle extension | Standing calf raise, seated calf raise |
The hamstrings are the part most leg days get wrong. They cross both the hip and the knee, so they need two kinds of work: a hinge (where they lengthen at the hip) and a curl (where they bend the knee). Squats barely train them.
Exercise choices that matter
Squat deep (or use a deep leg press)
Barbell SquatPlace the bar on your upper back, not on your neck, and step out of the rack. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width, toes turned out a little.How to do the Barbell Squat →
Depth matters for more than looks. In a 10-week study, full squats and half squats grew the quads similarly, but full squats grew the glutes and adductors significantly more (Kubo et al., 2019). Squat as deep as you can while keeping a neutral spine and your heels down. If you’re unsure about technique, read how to squat properly.
Leg press and hack squats are great quad builders too. They let you push close to failure without worrying about balance or your lower back. Use a full range: lower the sled until your knees are well past 90°.
Hinge for the hamstrings and glutes
Barbell Romanian DeadliftStand holding the bar in front of your thighs with your knees slightly bent. Push your hips back and lower the bar close to your legs with a flat back.How to do the Barbell Romanian Deadlift →
The Romanian deadlift loads the hamstrings in a deep stretch at the hip. Push your hips back with soft knees, keep the bar close and stop when you feel a strong hamstring stretch. The full breakdown is in Romanian deadlift form.
Choose seated leg curls when you can
Machine Seated Leg CurlAdjust the seat so your knees line up with the pivot and the lower pad sits behind your ankles. Lock your thighs in with the upper pad and hold the handles.How to do the Machine Seated Leg Curl →
When you sit, your hips are bent, so your hamstrings start the curl in a more stretched position. In a 12-week study comparing seated and lying (prone) leg curls, the seated version produced clearly greater hamstring growth (Maeo et al., 2021). Lying curls are still fine; seated is just the better default.
Add single-leg work
The Bulgarian split squat trains quads and glutes hard with less spinal load, fixes left-right differences and doubles as balance work. Shorter stance for more quads, longer stance and slight forward lean for more glutes. See Bulgarian split squat form.
Don’t forget calves
Calves need full range: a deep stretch at the bottom, a pause, then up onto your toes. Standing raises train the gastrocnemius; seated raises (knees bent) shift the work to the soleus. Both belong in a leg week. How to grow calves has more.
How many sets for legs?
More weekly volume generally means more growth, with 10 or more sets per muscle per week outperforming lower volumes (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). For legs, count quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves separately.
| Muscle | Hard sets per week (intermediate) |
|---|---|
| Quads | 10–16 |
| Hamstrings | 8–14 |
| Glutes | 8–14 (squats and lunges count) |
| Calves | 8–12 |
That’s too much for one session. Split it over two leg days.
Sample leg day 1: squat focus
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 4 × 5–8 | 3 min |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8–10 | 2–3 min |
| Leg press | 3 × 10–15 | 2 min |
| Seated leg curl | 3 × 10–12 | 90 s |
| Standing calf raise | 4 × 8–12 | 60–90 s |
16 hard sets, about 70 minutes.
Sample leg day 2: hinge focus
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift or trap bar deadlift | 3 × 4–6 | 3 min |
| Bulgarian split squat | 3 × 8–12 per leg | 2 min |
| Leg extension | 3 × 12–15 | 90 s |
| Lying leg curl or Nordic curl | 3 × 8–12 | 90 s |
| Hip thrust | 2 × 10–12 | 90 s |
| Seated calf raise | 3 × 12–20 | 60 s |
17 hard sets. If you do only one leg day a week, use day 1 and add 2 sets of leg extensions at the end.
Leg day for beginners
If you’re new to training, the sessions above are too much. Start with this, once or twice a week, for the first two months:
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Goblet squat | 3 × 8–12 | 2 min |
| Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8–12 | 2 min |
| Seated leg curl | 2 × 10–12 | 90 s |
| Calf raise | 2 × 10–15 | 60 s |
The goblet squat teaches you to sit down between your hips with your chest up, which carries over directly to the barbell squat later. Expect noticeable soreness after the first two or three sessions; it fades quickly once your legs get used to the work.
Leg day with only dumbbells
No rack or machines? You can still train legs hard:
- Quads: Bulgarian split squats and goblet squats, with a slow lowering.
- Hamstrings and glutes: dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, single-leg Romanian deadlifts and dumbbell hip thrusts.
- Calves: single-leg calf raises on a step, holding a dumbbell.
Single-leg work is the key, because it doubles the load on each leg without heavier dumbbells.
Order and warm-up
- 5 minutes on a bike to raise your body temperature.
- Warm-up sets for the first exercise only. For a 100 kg (225 lb) squat: bar × 10, 60 kg × 5, 80 kg × 3, 90 kg × 1, then work sets.
- Heaviest, most technical lift first, while you’re fresh.
- Isolation last. Leg extensions, curls and calves are safe to push hard when you’re tired.
How to progress leg training
Double progression works for every leg exercise: reach the top of the rep range on all sets, then add weight (5 kg / 10 lb on squats, deadlifts and leg press; one plate or pin on machines). Leg exercises progress fast at first because the muscles are big and strong. Log every set so you know exactly what to beat next time.
Leg day mistakes
- Half squats and quarter-rep leg presses. Heavier numbers, less muscle.
- No hamstring curl. Romanian deadlifts aren’t enough on their own.
- Calves as an afterthought. Two bouncy sets at the end won’t do anything.
- Too much too soon. Going from no legs to 25 hard sets will leave you sore for a week. Build up over a few sessions.
- Skipping legs because they’re hard. They’re half your muscle mass, and the most effective session of the week for overall growth.
Frequently asked questions
How many exercises should a leg day have?
Four to six. One squat or leg press pattern, one hinge, one single-leg or quad isolation exercise, one hamstring curl and calves is a complete session. More than that usually means lower-quality sets at the end.
How often should I train legs?
Twice a week is ideal for most people. If you do one leg day, make it complete and consider adding a short second session with leg curls, leg extensions and calves.
Should I squat first on leg day?
Put whichever exercise you most want to improve first, when you're fresh. For most people that's the squat or leg press. On a hamstring-focused day, start with Romanian deadlifts.
Is leg press as good as squats?
For building the quads, a well-performed leg press is excellent and easier to recover from. Squats train more muscles at once and build more general strength. Many good leg days include both, or alternate them.
How long should leg day take?
About 60 to 75 minutes including warm-ups. Heavy squats and deadlifts need 2 to 3 minutes of rest, so leg days run a bit longer than upper body sessions.
Sources
- Kubo K, Ikebukuro T, Yata H (2019). Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. European Journal of Applied Physiology
- Maeo S, Huang M, Wu Y, Sakurai H, Kusagawa Y, Sugiyama T, Kanehisa H, Isaka T (2021). Greater Hamstrings Muscle Hypertrophy but Similar Damage Protection after Training at Long versus Short Muscle Lengths. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences
