The 4 best leg exercises

October 14, 2025 6 min read

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Building strong legs is not just a matter of aesthetics. Having strong quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and adductors improves your athletic performance and the stability of your pelvis and hips, helping your health and performance improve in the long term. With so many exercises, the question arises: What are the best leg exercises?

The answer lies in choosing movements that recruit as many muscle fibers as possible, are functional, and have been scientifically researched. In this article, we will look at the 4 best leg exercises: squat, deadlift, hip thrust, and Bulgarian split squat. All of them are basic movement patterns that you should know and learn to perform, since they are the foundation of lower-body movement.

Why are these leg exercises the foundation of leg training?

We could fill a training program with machines and isolation exercises, but if you want to grow, gain strength, and improve your performance, it is advisable to do compound exercises (those that involve several joints and large muscle groups at the same time), especially if you are a beginner, since they will build an excellent foundation of strength and movement.

Studies such as Schoenfeld (2010) have shown that this type of movement They generate more overall hypertrophy and a greater hormonal response than isolation exercises.They also improve functional strength, stability, and mobility. In other words, they are more comprehensive, although they should not be overused either, since they generate more fatigue than single-joint exercises.

Squat and variations

The squat is probably the most studied and recommended exercise for leg hypertrophy. And for good reason: it activates the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and adductors. You also need to keep in mind when programming it that it is highly demanding on the core and lower back (Escamilla, 2001). It is the most complete lower-body movement.

Highly regarded authors such as Greg Nuckols in How to Squat point out that the key is to maintain a neutral spine, align your knees and feet, and find the appropriate depth (depending on the individual). And remember, the deepest option is not always Deep is better for everyone.Mobility, hip anatomy, and the individual’s confidence play a key role.

Science also gives us very good information, especially regarding depth. Bloomquist et al. (2013) demonstrated that Deep squats generate more quadriceps and glute hypertrophy than partial squats.But if your mobility does not allow it, lowering to 90° is also effective.

To sum up, the squat (or variations) should be part of your program. Do it 1–2 times per week, combining the free-weight squat, belt squat, pendulum squat, or hack squat, in the 4–10 rep range, so that your cardiovascular system is not the limiting factor, and progress in reps and loads.

Note that you do not always have to train in that repetition range; you can combine lower repetition ranges (4–6) with higher ones (8–10).

The 4 best leg exercises Moremuscle

Hip hinges, also known as deadlifts

The deadlift is another fundamental strength-training exercise because it activates the entire posterior chain—the glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors and, to a lesser extent, the lats and trapezius. It also trains the the ability to generate power from the ground (Escamilla, 2000), which is very useful for most sports.

Technique is key, as most people tend to perform it incorrectly: keep the bar close to your body, maintain a neutral back, and push with your legs against the floor.

Variants can also be included, such as the Romanian deadlift, which emphasizes the hamstrings and glutes more, or the sumo deadlift, which is particularly interesting because it may be better suited to certain body structures.

A study by Contreras et al. (2016) showed that the Romanian deadlift and hip thrust produce high levels of glute activation, although over different ranges of motion. This confirms that it is an essential exercise for lower-body strength and hypertrophy.

Although we will discuss the hip thrust in the following section.

Hip thrust, a staple for glute development

The hip thrust has been shown to be one of the most effective exercises for the gluteus maximus. It is an exercise that allows you to isolate hip extension and achieve maximum demands in the final range of motion (Contreras et al., 2015).

In a controlled trial, Contreras et al. (2017) observed that a 12-week hip thrust program significantly improved gluteus maximus strength and size in trained subjects. This makes it an essential complementary exercise to the squat and deadlift, as it works the hips from different angles and with different resistance profiles.

If your goal is specifically to develop your glutes, you should include it 1–2 times per week, with 3–4 sets of 6–10 repetitions. Space the sessions in which you include it at least 72 hours apart.

Bulgarian split squat, the love-hate exercise

The Bulgarian split squat is a unilateral exercise that works both the quadriceps and glutes, while also training other variables such as balance and stability and improving the Q angle in women. Working each leg independently helps correct asymmetries in the lower body and, in turn, reduce the risk of injury..

McCurdy et al. (2005) found that unilateral exercises can be just as effective as bilateral ones in strength development, with the added benefit of improving muscle symmetry.

This exercise is not designed for moving heavy or excessive loads, as the neural fatigue it causes is very high; at the same time, this makes it very practical and safe even for intermediate levels.

Lower-body training routine

A common mistake when planning leg training is thinking that more is always better, when the only thing this ends up doing is causing an injury.

What really matters is distributing volume, frequency, and intensity strategically and correctly. The scientific literature indicates that a a range of 10 to 20 weekly sets per muscle group is sufficient to stimulate hypertrophy in most people (Schoenfeld et al., 2017).

Training legs twice a week allows you to distribute volume more effectively, train with higher quality, and avoid excessive fatigue in a single session, helping you recover better. In addition, incorporating both bilateral and unilateral movements ensures balanced development and reduces the risk of injury.

Conclusion

The combination of the squat, deadlift, hip thrust, and Bulgarian split squat provides a complete, high-quality stimulus for your lower body.

These movements are supported by scientific research and practical experience in high-performance settings; however, they can be adapted to any level. Do not forget that you need to use proper technique, progress the loads correctly, and plan your volume carefully.

References

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