30 Best Leg Exercises: Get Strong and Toned Legs

A well-rounded leg workout/exercise routine is essential for building strength, improving athletic performance, and achieving those coveted toned legs which are essential part of the V-shaped adorable look. Leg muscles and their toning is also critical because the lower body provides stability to perform the strength training and bodybuilding, especially for the upper body workouts including chest, abs, back, shoulders etc. The stability and balance of the body is mainly provided by the legs during workout.

In this blog, we’ll introduce you to 30 leg exercises that target various muscle groups in your lower body, providing a comprehensive lower-body workout plan. For each exercise, we’ll briefly describe the target muscles and provide instructions on how to perform them correctly.

1. Table of Contents

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   Air Squat: Leg Exercise

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
3. Keep your chest up and your back straight.
4. Return to the starting position by pushing through your heels and continue your leg exercise.

2. Barbell Hack Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. To perform barbell hack squat, stand with your feet hip-width apart and a barbell behind your legs.
2. Bend your knees to lower your body, grasping the barbell from behind.
3. Lift the barbell by straightening your hips and knees.
4. Return to the starting position with control and repeat this leg workout.

3. Barbell Lunge: Effective Leg Exercise

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. To start this leg exercise, stand with your feet hip-width apart and a barbell on your upper back.
2. Step forward with one leg and lower your body until both knees are bent at a 90-degree angle.
3. Push back to the starting position.
4. Repeat on the other leg.

4. Barbell Walking Lunge: Comprehensive Leg Exercise

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Hold a barbell on your upper back.
2. Take a step forward with one leg and lower your body into a lunge.
3. Step forward with your other leg and repeat the lunge.
4. Continue walking while lunging and complete the reps as per your leg workout plan.

5. Belt Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. To perform this leg workout, use a belt squat machine.
2. Attach the belt around your waist and stand on the platform.
3. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
4. Return to the starting position and repeat this leg exercise.

6. Body Weight Lunge

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart to perform this leg exercise.
2. Step forward with one leg and lower your body into a lunge.
3. Push back to the starting position.
4. Repeat this leg exercise on the other leg.

There are some useful body weight leg workouts. 

7. Box Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. To perform box squat for leg workout, use a box or bench behind you in order to start performing this leg workout.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back until you touch the box.
4. Stand up from the box.

8. Bulgarian Split Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Stand facing away from a bench with one foot resting on the bench behind you.
2. In this leg exercise, lower your body by bending your front knee until it’s at a 90-degree angle.
3. Push back up to the starting position.
4. Repeat the same leg workout on the other leg.

9. Chair Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Start this leg exercise by Standing with your feet hip-width apart and a sturdy chair behind you.
2. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back until you touch the chair.
3. Stand back up.

10. Dumbbell Lunge

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. To start this leg workout, hold a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Step forward with one leg and lower your body into a lunge.
3. Push back to the starting position.
4. Repeat same leg workout on the other leg.

You have gone through first ten effective leg workouts and select some to incorporate into your overall workout plan and achieve your fitness goals. The next part covers the remaining 20 leg exercises which will help you achieving toned leg muscles and strong legs. Read full workout plan for Chest. 

In the second part of our leg exercise guide, we’ll continue to explore a variety of leg exercises that target different muscle groups in your lower body. Whether you’re looking to strengthen your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, or calf muscles, these exercises have got you covered.

11. Dumbbell Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand by your sides.
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
3. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
4. Keep your chest up and your back straight.
5. Return to the starting position by pushing through your heels.

12. Front Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Hold a barbell across the front of your shoulders, with your elbows up and in front of you.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
4. Keep your chest up and your back straight.
5. Return to the starting position by pushing through your heels.

13. Goblet Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest with both hands.
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
3. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
4. Keep your chest up and your back straight.
5. Return to the starting position by pushing through your heels.

14. Hack Squat Machine

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Use a hack squat machine at the gym.
2. Position your shoulders under the shoulder pads and your feet on the platform.
3. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing the platform downward.
4. Return to the starting position with control.

Read full Back workout to incorporate into your daily fitness routine. 

15. Half Air Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Perform an air squat but only go halfway down before returning to the starting position.
3. This exercise is an excellent progression toward full air squats.

16. Hip Adduction Machine

Target Muscles: Inner Thigh (Adductors)

How to Perform:

1. Use the hip adduction machine at the gym.
2. Sit with your legs on the padded levers.
3. Squeeze your legs together to work the inner thigh muscles.
4. Release the levers to return to the starting position.

17. Landmine Hack Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Insert one end of a barbell into a landmine attachment or securely into a corner.
2. Stand facing the barbell and hold it with both hands at your chest.
3. Lower your body by bending your knees.
4. Push the barbell upward to return to the starting position.

18. Landmine Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How Perform:

1. Insert one end of a barbell into a landmine attachment or securely into a corner.
2. Stand facing away from the barbell.
3. Hold the barbell close to your chest.
4. Lower your body by bending your knees.
5. Push the barbell upward to return to the starting position.

19. Leg Extension

Target Muscles: Quadriceps

How Perform:

1. Use a leg extension machine at the gym.
2. Sit with your legs on the padded levers.
3. Extend your legs to lift the weight.
4. Lower the weight back down to the starting position.

20. Leg Press

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Use a leg press machine at the gym.
2. Sit with your back against the seat and place your feet on the platform.
3. Lower your body by bending your knees.
4. Push the platform to extend your legs.
5. Return to the starting position and complete reps of this leg workout.

Read the effective workout plan for shoulders.

21. Lying Leg Curl

Target Muscles: Hamstrings

How to Perform:

1. In order to perform this leg exercise, use a leg curl machine at the gym.
2. Lie face down with your legs under the padded levers.
3. Curl your legs by bending your knees to lift the weight.
4. Lower the weight back to the starting position.

22. Pause Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Perform a standard squat but pause at the bottom of the movement.
2. Hold the pause for a few seconds before returning to the starting position.
3. This variation adds intensity to your squats making them an effective leg exercise. 

23. Romanian Deadlift

Target Muscles: Hamstrings, Glutes

How Perform:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a barbell in front of your thighs.
2. Hinge at your hips and bend forward while keeping your back straight.
3. Lower the barbell as far as your flexibility allows.
4. Return to the upright position by engaging your hamstrings and glutes and repeat this leg workout.

24. Safety Bar Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Use a safety bar or yoke bar for this squat variation.
2. Position the bar across your shoulders.
3. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
4. Return to the starting position and complete the reps.

25. Seated Leg Curl

Target Muscles: Hamstrings

How to Perform:

1. To perform seated leg curl, use a seated leg curl machine at the gym.
2. Sit on the machine with your legs under the padded levers.
3. Curl your legs by bending your knees to lift the weight.
4. Lower the weight back to the starting position and repeat this leg workout. The complete and effective abs workout plan is crucial.

 

26. Shallow Body Weight Lunge

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. To start shallow body weight lunges as leg exercise, stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Perform a lunge, but don’t go as deep as a typical lunge.
3. This exercise is excellent for building muscular endurance.

27. Side Lunges (Bodyweight)

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Stand with your feet together.
2. Take a step to the side with one leg and lower your body by bending that knee.
3. Push back to the starting position.
4. Repeat the same leg workout on the other leg. 

28. Smith Machine Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. In order to start the smith machine squat for leg exercise, use a Smith machine at the gym.
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and the barbell on your upper back.
3. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
4. Keep your chest up and your back straight.
5. Return to the starting position by pushing through your heels.

29. Squat

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
3. Keep your chest up and your back straight.
4. Return to the starting position by pushing through your heels and repeat this leg workout.

30. Step Up

Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes

How to Perform:

1. To start this leg exercise, stand in front of a sturdy bench or platform.
2. Step onto the bench with one foot and push through that foot to stand on the bench.
3. Lower the other foot back to the ground.
4. Step up and down for repetitions. For details on cardio exercises, Read here. 

Conclusion

These 30 leg exercises can be incorporated into your fitness routine to help you build strength and achieve those toned legs you desire. If you are a beginner, start with 3-5 leg exercises in your overall fitness plan and then gradually go on increasing one or two leg workouts or their reps. In this way, you will be in a better position to achieve your fitness goals. The way to perform each and every leg workout is detailed in order to avoid injury to the body. Try to follow the instructions and ensure that you prefer to listen to your body during performing your leg workouts.

Never overdo anything and let your body adapt to each and every exercise with the passage of time. Remember to perform each exercise with proper form and gradually increase the intensity to continue challenging your muscles. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced fitness enthusiast, there’s a leg exercise here for everyone.