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Exercises

Compound leg exercises: squats, hinges and single-leg lifts

Published October 29, 2026

The best compound leg exercises are the barbell back squat, front squat and leg press for the quads; the trap bar deadlift, Romanian deadlift and hip thrust for the glutes and hamstrings; and the Bulgarian split squat, reverse lunge and step-up for one leg at a time. A good leg day uses one squat, one hinge and one single-leg lift, for 12 to 16 hard sets in total. Do the heaviest lift first for 4 to 8 reps, keep the rest at 8 to 15, and stop each set 1 to 2 reps short of failure.

  1. Barbell Back Squat Quads, Glutes, Adductors
  2. Leg Press Quads, Glutes
  3. Romanian Deadlift Hamstrings, Glutes
  4. Trap Bar Deadlift Quads, Glutes
  5. Bulgarian Split Squat Quads, Glutes
  6. Hip Thrust Glutes
  7. Front Squat Quads, Glutes, Adductors
  8. Step-Up Quads, Glutes

Squats for quads and glutes

A squat bends the hips and knees together under load, which makes it the biggest quad builder you have. Back squats carry the most weight, front squats stay more upright, and goblet squats are the version to learn on.

Quads and glutes, barbell squat

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

With the bar on your back, the squat lets you load the quads, glutes and adductors heavier than any other knee-bending lift. Put it first on leg day and keep reps between 4 and 8.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar across your upper back below the neck, hands just outside your shoulders, and unrack it.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned out a little.
  3. Breathe in, tighten your stomach as if bracing for a punch, and sit down between your heels.
  4. Stand back up keeping your chest and hips rising together.

Cues

  • Breathe and brace
  • Chest and hips rise together
  • Whole-foot pressure

Common mistakes

  • Hips shooting up first out of the bottom: lighten the bar and keep your chest rising with them.
  • Letting the stomach go soft between reps: re-brace at the top of each one.

Swap for: Front Squat, Box Squat

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Quads, front-loaded barbell squat

Front Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

The bar in front keeps your torso upright, which shifts more work to the quads and less to the lower back. It is a good main squat for tall lifters or anyone whose back tires before their legs.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in a rack at upper-chest height and step under it so it rests on the front of your shoulders, elbows high.
  2. Unrack it, take a step back, and set your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  3. Take a big breath, brace, and squat down with your elbows staying up and your torso upright.
  4. Drive up through your whole foot to standing, breathing out at the top.

Cues

  • Elbows high
  • Brace before you descend
  • Chest stays tall

Common mistakes

  • Elbows dropping as you come up: that lets the bar roll forward.
  • Breathing out at the bottom: hold the brace until you are nearly standing.

Swap for: Barbell Back Squat, Goblet Squat

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Quads and glutes, dumbbell squat

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

The goblet squat trains the same pattern with one dumbbell and almost no setup. Use it to learn depth, at home, or as a lighter higher-rep second squat.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest.
  2. Sit down between your knees, elbows inside them at the bottom.
  3. Stand up tall.

Cues

  • Elbows nudge the knees out at the bottom.
  • Chest stays up behind the weight.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the weight pull you forward.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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Machine compound lifts

The leg press and hack squat are still multi-joint lifts. The machine holds your back, so balance never ends the set before your legs do, which makes them a strong second lift after a free-weight squat.

Quads and glutes, plate-loaded press

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

Your back stays on the pad and the legs do the pushing, so you can add volume after squats without tiring the lower back. Foot position shifts the work between quads and glutes.

How to do it

  1. Sit in the machine with your whole back against the pad and your feet hip-width on the platform.
  2. Release the safety handles and bend your knees, bringing the platform toward you under control.
  3. Lower until your knees are bent to about 90 degrees or a little deeper, without your lower back curling off the pad.
  4. Press the platform away until your legs are nearly straight, and repeat.

Cues

  • Lower back stays on the pad
  • Whole foot pushes
  • Stop just short of locking out

Common mistakes

  • Going so deep that your hips roll up off the seat: stop where your back stays flat.
  • Snapping the knees straight at the top: keep a soft bend.

Swap for: 45-Degree Leg Press, Hack Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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Quads, machine squat

Hack Squat

Quads, Glutes

The hack squat sled guides the path, so the quads can work hard through a deep range without balancing a bar. It is one of the best quad builders in the gym.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the platform with your back against the pad and shoulders under the pads, feet shoulder-width.
  2. Unlock the safeties and sink down as deep as your knees and hips allow.
  3. Push through your whole foot to stand back up, stopping just short of locking your knees.

Cues

  • Knees travel forward over toes
  • Deep and slow

Common mistakes

  • Cutting depth as the set gets hard: keep the same depth on every rep, and reduce the weight if needed.

Swap for: Leg Press, Smith Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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Hinges for hamstrings and glutes

Squats load the front of the leg more than the back. A hip hinge balances them with heavy work for the glutes and hamstrings; every leg day should have one.

Glutes, quads and hamstrings, deadlift

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

The trap bar puts the load at your sides, between a squat and a deadlift. It trains the whole leg with an upright back and is the easiest heavy hinge to learn.

How to do it

  1. Step inside the trap bar with the handles beside your feet.
  2. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and grip the handles.
  3. Flatten your back, take the slack out, and stand up by pushing the floor away.
  4. Lower under control. Each warm-up set adds weight toward your working sets.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Flat back
  • Slack out before you pull

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: pull the slack out first.
  • Rounding the back as the weight climbs: hold the ramp until the setup is solid.

Swap for: Barbell Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift

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Hamstrings and glutes, barbell hinge

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

Lowering the bar with soft knees stretches the hamstrings under load, which is what builds them. It is the hinge that best balances a squat-heavy leg day.

How to do it

  1. Stand with a barbell at your thighs, hands just outside your legs, feet under your hips.
  2. Soften your knees and push your hips back, sliding the bar down your thighs.
  3. Stop when your hamstrings are fully stretched, usually just below the knee, with your back flat.
  4. Push your hips forward to stand up, glutes tight at the top.

Cues

  • Hips back
  • Bar stays on your legs
  • Back flat

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees into a squat: keep them soft and still.
  • Reaching for the floor: stop where your back would round.

Swap for: Weighted Back Extension

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Hamstrings and glutes, dumbbell hinge

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The same hinge with dumbbells, so it works at home or as a lighter version with a slightly longer range than a barbell allows.

How to do it

  1. Stand hip-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand resting against the front of your thighs, palms facing you.
  2. Push your hips straight back and let your torso fold forward, knees softly bent, the dumbbells brushing your legs.
  3. Lower until the dumbbells pass your knees and you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, with your back still flat.
  4. Drive your hips forward to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top, and repeat.

Cues

  • Hips back, not down
  • Dumbbells slide down your legs
  • Flat back, chin tucked

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees into a squat so the dumbbells go lower: the depth comes from the hips, and most people stop just past the knees.
  • Rounding the lower back at the bottom: end the rep where your back stays flat, and lighten the load if that is high.

Swap for: Single-Leg RDL, Dumbbell Good Morning, Kettlebell Deadlift

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Glutes, loaded hip extension

Hip Thrust

Glutes

The hip thrust loads the glutes hardest at the top, where squats and deadlifts are easiest. Add it when glute size is a goal of your leg day.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your shoulder blades against the long side of a flat bench and roll a padded bar over your hips.
  2. Plant your feet flat about hip width apart, close enough that your shins are vertical at the top.
  3. Drive through your heels and lift your hips until your torso and thighs form a straight line.
  4. Hold the top for a second with your chin tucked, then lower your hips most of the way down and repeat.

Cues

  • Chin tucked, ribs down
  • Shins vertical at the top
  • One-second squeeze

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to get higher: stop when your hips are level with your knees and squeeze your glutes there.
  • Feet too far out, which turns it into a hamstring exercise: bring them in until your shins are vertical at lockout.

Swap for: Dumbbell Hip Thrust, Smith Machine Hip Thrust, Glute Bridge

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Single-leg lifts

One leg at a time, the hips also work to keep you level, and a weaker side can't hide behind the stronger one. These need lighter weights, so they suit the end of the session or a home workout.

Quads and glutes, rear-foot-elevated squat

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

With the back foot up, nearly all the load goes into the front leg. A pair of moderate dumbbells is enough to make the quads and glutes work as hard as a heavy squat.

How to do it

  1. Set the top of your back foot on a bench and place your front foot a long stride ahead.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, and keep your front foot flat.
  3. Drop your back knee straight toward the floor until the front thigh is close to level.
  4. Press through the front foot to rise, then finish all reps before switching legs.

Cues

  • Go deep for the inner thigh
  • Front foot flat
  • Rear foot is just a kickstand

Common mistakes

  • Pushing up with the back leg: let it relax and make the front leg do the work.
  • Front knee collapsing inward: keep it pointed the same way as your toes.

Swap for: Dumbbell Split Squat, Step-Up, Reverse Lunge

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Quads and glutes, step-back lunge

Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back instead of forward keeps the front knee steadier and the load on the glutes. It is the lunge to use when forward lunges bother your knees.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall holding a kettlebell in each hand at your sides.
  2. Step one foot back and lower until the back knee nearly touches the floor.
  3. Keep most of your weight on the front foot.
  4. Push through the front foot to step back up, then alternate or finish one side.

Cues

  • Step long, drop straight down
  • Front foot does the work
  • Tall chest

Common mistakes

  • Short steps that push the front knee far over the toes: step back further.
  • Wobbling side to side: narrow the load or slow down.

Swap for: Bulgarian Split Squat, Dumbbell Reverse Lunge, Step-Up

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Quads and glutes, step onto a bench

Step-Up

Quads, Glutes

Stepping onto a box with dumbbells trains each leg through a long range with no awkward landing. Keep the back foot light so the top leg does the work.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing the bench with two dumbbells.
  2. Place one whole foot on the bench.
  3. Lean forward a little and push through the top foot to stand up on the bench.
  4. Bring the other foot up only to touch, then lower it back to the floor.
  5. Finish all reps on one leg before switching.

Cues

  • Whole foot on the bench
  • Push through the top heel
  • Lower slowly, do not drop

Common mistakes

  • Pushing off the floor with the back foot: that halves the work. Keep the trailing foot light.
  • Using a bench so high that your knee is far above your hip: you will rock instead of step.

Swap for: Barbell Step-Up

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

One leg day a week at the gym

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~55 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Leg Press, Flat Bench, Dumbbells

You train on a push-pull-legs or body-part split and have one leg day a week to cover quads, hamstrings and glutes.

About 16 working sets: 7 squat-pattern sets for the quads, 6 hinge and thrust sets for the hamstrings and glutes, and 3 single-leg sets per side. That is a full week of leg volume in one session.

Leg day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Back Squat3 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Romanian Deadlift1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–10 2 2:30 min
Leg Press 3 × 10–15 1 2 min
Hip Thrust 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Bulgarian Split SquatPer leg. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
How to run it
Put it at least two days away from your pull day if pull day has deadlifts. Expect about 70 minutes.
How to progress
Double progression: when every set reaches the top of its rep range at the target reps in reserve, add 5 to 10 lb to the squat and Romanian deadlift and the smallest jump on the leg press.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Upper-lower split: two lower days

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Dumbbells, Flat Bench, Leg Press +2

You train four days a week on an upper-lower split, so you get two lower-body sessions and can give squats and hinges a heavy day each.

Two days of 12 sets each: a squat-heavy day and a hinge-heavy day. Every leg muscle gets trained twice a week, and neither day carries both the heaviest squat and the heaviest hinge.

Lower A: Squat
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Back Squat3 warm-up sets first 4 × 4–6 2 3 min
Romanian Deadlift 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Step-UpPer leg. 3 × 8–10 2 90 s
Leg Press 2 × 12–15 1 2 min

Open Lower A: Squat in the session builder

Lower B: Hinge
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 4 × 3–6 2 3 min
Hack Squat 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Hip Thrust 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Reverse LungePer leg. 2 × 10–12 2 90 s

Open Lower B: Hinge in the session builder

How to run it
Lower A early in the week, Lower B three or four days later, with upper days between them.
How to progress
On each day's first lift, add weight when every set reaches the top reps at 2 reps in reserve. For the others, fill the rep range first, then add the smallest jump.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Home leg day with dumbbells

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench

You train at home with adjustable dumbbells and a bench, no rack and no machines.

Without heavy barbells, higher reps and single-leg lifts make the legs work hard enough. Twelve sets per session, twice a week, gives about 24 leg sets weekly.

Dumbbell leg day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat1 warm-up set first 4 × 10–15 2 90 s
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
Bulgarian Split SquatPer leg. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Step-UpPer leg. 2 × 10–12 2 75 s
How to run it
Twice a week with two days between, such as Monday and Thursday. About 40 minutes.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of the range, then move up one dumbbell. When you run out of dumbbell weight, slow the lowering to 3 seconds and pause at the bottom.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What are the main compound leg exercises?

The squat, deadlift, leg press and lunge or split squat. The Romanian deadlift and hip thrust add more glute and hamstring work.

Is the leg press a compound exercise?

Yes. It bends the hips and knees together and works the quads, glutes and adductors. The machine supports your back, but the movement is still multi-joint.

What compound exercises hit calves?

Squats, lunges and step-ups use the calves a little to balance, and sled pushes and jumps use them more. For calf size you still need calf raises, which are an isolation exercise.

How many compound leg exercises per workout?

Three or four: one squat or leg press, one hinge, one single-leg lift, and a thrust or second squat if you train legs once a week.

What are some good exercises to strengthen my legs?

The barbell back squat, trap bar deadlift and Bulgarian split squat build the most strength. Train them for 4 to 8 reps and add weight steadily.

Should I squat and deadlift on the same day?

You can, but one of them should be lighter. Most people do better with a heavy squat on one day and a heavy deadlift on another.