Leg Exercises for Men and Women

These leg workouts listed are for both men and women. Both of you can follow these workouts for building and toning your legs. There are a lot of leg workouts that you can follow, some of them need leg equipment or machines, while some of these exercises you can perform using body weight. We have listed leg workouts at the gym and leg workouts you can do at home.

You can do leg exercises in various forms. Variation does matter to the growth of your muscles. Update your workouts every two to four weeks for better results. You can do leg exercises with barbells, dumbbells, resistance bands, machines, and body weight.

Mentioned exercises is a list of all practical leg exercises that you can include in your workout schedule. You’re not supposed to do all of these on a single day.

1. Squat

Squats are an excellent mass building and toning exercise targeting the quads, glutes, and hamstrings. They can be done just about anywhere and can also be performed with or without weights or equipment.

Squats performed utilizing weights can be done with a straight bar attached to guides in a Smith machine, or a free style bar like pictured below. Even if this exercise seems easy, there are some instructions and process you should follow to grow your legs correctly and for your safety.

When lifting heavy weight outside of a rack, you should have a competent person spot you from behind.

Instructions for Squat:

     forward, chest out, and shoulders back.

2.  Hinge at the hips and push them back as if you are about to sit down

     on a chair or a bench. As you do this, bend at the knees.

3.  Slowly descend until the thighs are parallel to the floor (or drop further

     into your squat if you are comfortable with it).

4.  At the bottom of the squat, push off with the heels as if you are

     separating the floor with the feet and come back up to standing.

5.  This will complete your one repetition.

6.  Inhale as you squat down. Exhale as you press up.

7.  Repeat it until failure (6-12 reps / 2-3 sets).

Front squats are a similar exercise to regular squats, which also targets the quads, glutes, and hamstrings. The bar is held with the hands slightly outside shoulders with the elbows high and parallel to the ground.

The bar may be attached to guides in a Smith machine or a free style bar as pictured below. When lifting heavy weight outside of a rack, you should have a competent person spot you from behind.

Instructions for Front Squat:

2.  While keeping your chest up and elbows high, slowly descend until the

     legs break the plane of the knees.

3.  At the bottom of the squat, push off with the heels as if you are

     separating the floor with the feet and come back up to standing.

4.  This will complete your one repetition.

5.   Inhale as you squat down. Exhale as you press up.

6.  Repeat it until failure (6-12 reps / 2-3 sets).

Hack squat exercise machines isolate and stimulate your quads and glutes primarily, and hamstrings secondarily. The typical machine-based hack squat that you find at most gyms is plate-loaded and angles your body slightly backward. The hack squat machine allows you to go a little heavier as you would performing bar squats since your back is supported, which decreases the chance of injury.

Instructions for Hack Squat Machine:

     the stops are to be freed from the sled, e.g. push up or swing out

     the handles.

2.  Place the shoulders and entire back firmly set against the pads.

3.  Place the feet shoulder-width apart on the base.

4.  Press the sled up and move the handles in the direction to swing

     the stops clear.

5.  Slowly lower downward until the thighs are parallel to the floor

     (or drop further into the squat if you are comfortable with it).

6.  Press the sled back up without fully locking the legs out at the knee.

7.   This will complete your one repetition.

8.   Inhale as you squat down. Exhale as you press up.

9.   Repeat it until failure (8-12 reps / 2-3 sets)

Leg press exercise machines isolate and stimulate your quads, glutes and hamstrings and helps your legs grow to their full potential. Build and tone key muscles in your legs and embrace an effective fat loss tool when you start working out on a leg press machine.

Leg press machines come in a variety of styles. Some have plate loaded racks that are pressed up with the feet, others have a sled or a foot pad that can be adjusted forward and back like the one pictured below.

Adjust the machine so that your knees are close to the chest in the start position (or what you are comfortable with).

Instructions for Leg Press Machine:

2.  Sit on the machine and place the feet shoulder-width apart on

     the foot pad.

3.  Keep the entire back firmly set against the seat and hold

     the handles.

4.  Press out against the foot pad without fully locking the legs

     out at the knee.

5.  Slowly return all the way back to the start position.

6.  This will complete your one repetition. 

7.  Exhale as the legs press out. Inhale as the legs relax.

8.  Repeat it until failure (8-12 reps / 2-3 sets).

Leg extension exercise machines isolate and stimulate your quads. Leg extension machines have adjustments for the roller and seat so people of different heights can use the machine comfortably and effectively.

Adjust the roller so it rests on the front of your ankles close to your feet. Adjust the seat so that your knee joints can bend in a full range of motion close to the seat pad.

Instructions for Leg Extension Machine:

2.  Sit on the machine and place the feet under the roller.

3.  Keep the entire back firmly set against the seat and hold the handles.

4.  Extend the legs all the way up, giving the quads a one

     second squeeze at the top.

5.  Slowly return the roller all the way back to the start position.

6.  This will complete your one repetition.

7.  Exhale as the legs extend out. Inhale as the legs relax.

8.  Repeat it until failure (8-12 reps / 2-3 sets).

Lying leg curls are the top exercise for directly working the hamstrings. The leg curl is a vital exercise to ensure complete balance between the front and back of the leg. This balance is not only important for aesthetics, but also for injury prevention.

Lying leg curl machines have an adjustment for the roller so people of different heights can use the machine comfortably and effectively. You should adjust the roller so it rests on the back of your ankles, just below your calves and just above your Achilleas.

Instructions for Lying Leg Curl Machine:

2.  Lay down on the stomach with the roller behind the ankles,

     and grab ahold of the handles.

3.  Curl the legs until the roller touches the glutes

     (or as far as you’re comfortable with). Do the repetition slowly,

     smoothly and under control, squeezing and contracting

     the hamstrings at the top.

4.  Slowly return the roller all the way back to the start position.

5.  This will complete your one repetition

6.  Exhale as the legs curl up. Inhale as the legs relax.

7.  Repeat it until failure (8-12 reps / 2-3 sets).

The seated leg curl exercise is another option to the lying leg curls (standing leg curls) workout to help build the hamstrings but you place the roller under your heels and your thighs are held in place by a cushioned thigh pad.

Seated leg curl machines have an adjustment for the roller and seat so people of different heights can use the machine comfortably and effectively. Adjust the roller (ankle pad) so that it rests against the Achilles tendons beneath your calf muscles.

Adjust the seat so the thigh pad rests just above your knees.

Instructions for Seated Leg Curl Machine:

2.  Sit in the machine with the legs extended. Adjust the thigh pad so it

     is firmly pressed against the thighs just above the knees

     (your thighs are positioned between the thigh pad and the seat).

3.  Curl the legs until the ankle pad nearly touches the base of

     the machine. Keep the rest of your body stationary.

4.  Slowly return the ankle pad all the way back to the start position.

5.  This will complete your one repetition.

6.  Exhale as the legs curl down. Inhale as the legs relax.

7.  Repeat it until failure (8-12 reps / 2-3 sets).

Lunges are an excellent mass building and toning exercise targeting the quads, glutes, and hamstrings. They can be done just about anywhere and can also be performed with weights or just body weight.

Lunges performed utilizing weights can be done with a straight bar behind the head or using a pair of dumbbells like pictured below. Even if this exercise seems easy, there are some instructions and process you should follow to grow your legs correctly and for your safety.

Instructions for Lunge:

    forward, chest out, and shoulders back.

2.  Lunge forward with one leg, touch the floor with the back knee.

3.  Push off with the heel, come back up to the standing position.

4.  Repeat with the opposite leg.

5.  This will complete your one repetition.

6.  Inhale as you lunge forward. Exhale as you press back up.

7.  Repeat it for a full set or to failure (8-12 reps / 2-3 sets).

Seated Calf Raises are a fantastic way to build the soleus of the calves while minimizing all other areas of pressure on the body. They can be done with a barbell rested on your knees or on a seated calf machine like the one pictured below.

Instructions for Seated Calf Raise:

2.  Adjust the knee pads so that the knees just barely fit beneath them.

     Once the knees are in position underneath the pads, place the balls

     of the feet on the feet plate or foot plates with the heels hanging

     down over the edge(s).

3.  Press with the feet until the calves are fully flexed, remove the stop.

4.  Lower until the heels are lower than the feet plate,

     (a deep stretch will be felt in the calves)

5.  This will complete your one repetition. 

6.  Inhale as you come down. Exhale as you flex the calves.

7.  Repeat to complete the set, replace the stop (10-15 reps / 2-3 sets).

Standing Calf Raises are an excellent exercise to use if you are interested in isolating the calves. They can be done with a barbell rested behind the head, holding a dumbbell, or on a standing calf machine like the one pictured below.

Instructions for Standing Calf Raise:

2.  Adjust the shoulder pads so that the weights will not rest when

     the calves are fully stretched. Once the shoulders are in position

     underneath the pads, place the balls of the feet on the feet plate

     with the heels hanging down over the edge.

3.  Press with the feet until the calves are fully flexed.

4.  Lower until the heels are lower than the feet plate, (a deep stretch

     will be felt in the calves).

5.  This will complete your one repetition. 

6.  Inhale as you come down. Exhale as you flex the calves.

7.  Repeat to failure (10-15 reps / 2-3 sets).