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Exercises

Leg exercises at the gym: barbells, machines and cables

Published October 19, 2026

The best leg exercises at the gym are the barbell back squat and the hack squat or leg press for your quads, the Romanian deadlift and lying leg curl for your hamstrings, the barbell hip thrust and cable pull-through for your glutes, and a standing calf raise. Lead with one barbell lift while you are fresh, follow with a machine for the same muscles, and finish with isolation work. Four or five of these exercises are a complete gym leg day.

  1. Barbell Back Squat Quads, Glutes, Adductors
  2. Romanian Deadlift Hamstrings, Glutes
  3. Hack Squat Quads, Glutes
  4. Leg Press Quads, Glutes
  5. Hip Thrust Glutes
  6. Lying Leg Curl Hamstrings
  7. Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat Quads, Glutes
  8. Leg Extension Quads
  9. Smith Machine Calf Raise Calves

Squats and presses for quads

Start a gym leg day with one barbell squat, then use a machine squat or press to add volume when your back is tired. The Smith split squat trains one leg at a time and evens out your sides.

Quads, glutes and adductors, the main barbell lift

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

The back squat loads your whole lower body at once and is the leg exercise most programs are built around. In a gym with a rack it is the best first lift of the day, because nothing else lets you add weight in such small steps for so long.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in the rack at mid-chest height, step under it and rest it on your upper back, not your neck.
  2. Stand up to unrack, take two steps back and set your feet about shoulder-width with toes slightly out.
  3. Brace your stomach, then sit down between your heels until your hip crease drops below your knees.
  4. Drive up through your whole foot, keeping your chest and hips rising together.

Cues

  • Big breath, then descend
  • Knees track the toes
  • Chest and hips rise together

Common mistakes

  • Hips shooting up first out of the bottom: lower the weight and push your upper back into the bar as you stand.
  • Cutting depth as the weight climbs: keep the depth fixed and let the load wait.

Swap for: Front Squat, Smith Squat, Hack Squat

Build a session with Barbell Back Squat

Quads, upright barbell squat

Front Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

Holding the bar on the front of your shoulders keeps your torso upright and moves more of the work to your quads, with less load on your lower back. Pick it over the back squat if you want quads or your back is the weak link.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar on the front of your shoulders, against your throat, with your fingertips under it and elbows high.
  2. Unrack and set your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  3. Squat straight down, keeping your elbows up and your torso tall.
  4. Stand up by pushing your elbows up and your feet through the floor.

Cues

  • Elbows high
  • Torso tall
  • Sit straight down

Common mistakes

  • Elbows dropping so the bar rolls forward: lighten the bar or use a cross-arm grip.

Swap for: Barbell Back Squat, Hack Squat, Goblet Squat

Build a session with Front Squat

Quads, supported machine squat

Hack Squat

Quads, Glutes

The hack squat gives you a deep, quad-heavy squat with your back on a pad, so you can take it close to failure without a spotter. It is the squat to use when your lower back is tired or the racks are full.

How to do it

  1. Set your shoulders against the pads, feet about shoulder-width and a little forward on the plate.
  2. Unlock the safeties and squat down with your knees moving forward.
  3. Go until your thighs pass parallel to the platform.
  4. Push back up and stop just short of lockout.

Cues

  • Back on the pad
  • Deep every rep
  • Heels down

Common mistakes

  • Short reps to load more plates: a deep set with less weight grows more muscle.

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

Build a session with Hack Squat

Quads and glutes, heavy press with no back load

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

The leg press lets you load your legs heavily after a barbell squat has tired your back. It is the easiest way to add hard leg sets without adding fatigue elsewhere.

How to do it

  1. Sit back in the press with your hips and back flat and your feet hip-width on the platform.
  2. Release the safeties and bend your knees deeply toward your chest.
  3. Stop before your lower back lifts off the seat.
  4. Press the platform away and keep a slight bend at the top.

Cues

  • Low back stays down
  • Deep, controlled
  • Do not lock out

Common mistakes

  • Pushing through the toes: press through your whole foot, heel included.

Swap for: Hack Squat, 45-Degree Leg Press, Smith Squat

Build a session with Leg Press

Quads and glutes, one leg in the Smith machine

Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

The Smith machine takes the balance out of the split squat, so you can load each leg heavier and focus on the working leg. It is the best single-leg gym exercise when your hips and quads both need work.

How to do it

  1. Set the Smith bar on your upper back and put a bench about two feet behind you.
  2. Rest your rear foot on the bench, laces down, and set the front foot well forward.
  3. Lower straight down until the back knee is near the floor.
  4. Push through the front foot to stand. Finish one side, then the other.

Cues

  • Front foot does the work
  • Straight down
  • Hips square

Common mistakes

  • Front foot too close so the heel lifts: move it further forward.

Swap for: Bulgarian Split Squat, Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat, Cable Split Squat

Build a session with Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat

Hinges and curls for hamstrings

Your hamstrings work at both the hip and the knee, so train one hinge and one curl. The Romanian deadlift is the main hinge; the trap bar deadlift is a heavier whole-leg pull.

Hamstrings and glutes, barbell hinge

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The Romanian deadlift loads your hamstrings while they stretch, which is what makes them grow, and a barbell lets you load it heavily. It is the hamstring partner to the squat.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall holding a barbell at your thighs with hands just outside your legs.
  2. Unlock your knees and send your hips back, sliding the bar down your thighs.
  3. Stop when your hamstrings are fully stretched, usually around mid-shin, with your back flat.
  4. Push your hips forward to stand up.

Cues

  • Bar stays on your legs
  • Hips back
  • Flat back to the end

Common mistakes

  • Bending your knees into a squat as you go down: keep them softly bent and fixed.

Swap for: Trap Bar Deadlift, Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Stiff-Leg Deadlift

Build a session with Romanian Deadlift

Whole lower body, heavy pull

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

Standing inside the trap bar puts the weight in line with your body, so you can pull heavy with a more upright back than a straight-bar deadlift. It trains quads, glutes and hamstrings together.

How to do it

  1. Step into the middle of the trap bar, feet about hip-width.
  2. Hinge down and grip the handles at your sides with a flat back.
  3. Push the floor away and stand up tall.
  4. Lower the bar back down the same way, hips and knees bending together.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Chest up
  • Bar stays at your sides

Common mistakes

  • Rounding the back to reach the handles: use the high handles or lift the bar on blocks.

Swap for: Romanian Deadlift, Barbell Deadlift, Sumo Deadlift

Build a session with Trap Bar Deadlift

Hamstrings, knee flexion

Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Hinges train the hamstrings at the hip, and the lying curl trains them at the knee. You need both, and the curl is the one you can take to failure safely.

How to do it

  1. Lie prone on the machine with the roller above your heels and knees just past the end of the pad.
  2. Grip the handles and press your hips down.
  3. Curl your heels toward your glutes.
  4. Lower slowly until your legs are almost straight.

Cues

  • Hips down
  • Curl all the way
  • Slow lowering

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips rise to finish the curl: stop where your hips stay down.

Swap for: Seated Leg Curl, Cable Leg Curl, Nordic Hamstring Curl

Build a session with Lying Leg Curl

Glute exercises at the gym

Squats load the glutes at the bottom; the hip thrust, pull-through and kickback load them at the top. Pick one heavy and one light.

Glutes, barbell hip extension

Hip Thrust

Glutes

The barbell hip thrust loads the glutes hardest at full hip extension, so it fills in what squats and deadlifts leave out. It is the gym's best glute builder.

How to do it

  1. Sit down, upper back resting on the edge of a bench and a padded barbell across your hips.
  2. Plant your feet so your shins are vertical at the top.
  3. Press your heels down and raise the bar until your hips are level with your knees.
  4. Hold for a second, then lower the bar until your hips nearly touch the floor.

Cues

  • Chin tucked
  • Ribs down
  • Hold the lockout

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back at the top: tuck your pelvis and finish with your glutes.

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

Build a session with Hip Thrust

Glutes and hamstrings, cable hinge

Cable Pull-Through

Glutes, Hamstrings

With the cable pulling back between your legs, the pull-through trains the hip hinge with almost no load on your lower back. It is a good second glute exercise after a heavy squat or deadlift.

How to do it

  1. Attach a rope to a low pulley, face away from the stack and hold the rope between your legs.
  2. Walk out until the cable is tight and take a stance wider than your hips.
  3. Hinge your hips back and let the rope travel through your legs.
  4. Bring your hips through to stand tall and squeeze your glutes.

Cues

  • Hips back, not down
  • Arms just hold on
  • Stand tall at the end

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with your arms: keep them straight and let your hips move the weight.

Swap for: Romanian Deadlift, Hip Thrust, Band Pull-Through

Build a session with Cable Pull-Through

Glutes, one leg on a cable

Cable Glute Kickback

Glutes

With an ankle strap on a low pulley, the kickback trains one glute at a time through hip extension. It is a light finisher that adds glute work without more fatigue.

How to do it

  1. Strap one ankle to a low pulley and hold the frame for balance.
  2. Lean slightly forward with a flat back.
  3. Drive the strapped leg back until it is in line with your torso.
  4. Return it slowly, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Heel leads
  • Hips square
  • No arching

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the leg higher with your back: stop when your hip stops.

Swap for: Multi-Hip Glute Extension, Band Glute Kickback, Hip Thrust

Build a session with Cable Glute Kickback

Outer hips and upper glutes

Hip Abduction Machine

Abductors

A few sets on the abduction machine train the glute medius, which keeps your knees in line under heavy squats and lunges.

How to do it

  1. Sit in the machine with the pads on the outside of your knees.
  2. Push your knees out as wide as you can.
  3. Hold briefly, then let them come back slowly.

Cues

  • Push with the knees
  • Pause wide
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Rocking your torso: stay still and use a weight you can control.

Swap for: Multi-Hip Abduction, Band Seated Hip Abduction, Lateral Band Walk

Build a session with Hip Abduction Machine

Finishers: extensions and calves

Isolation work goes last. The leg extension finishes your quads; the calf raise is the only exercise here that trains your calves at all.

Quads, isolation

Leg Extension

Quads

After squats and presses, the leg extension finishes the quads without loading your back or hips. Use it last, for higher reps.

How to do it

  1. Line your knees up with the machine's pivot and set the roller on your lower shins.
  2. Hold the handles and sit back.
  3. Straighten your legs fully and squeeze.
  4. Lower slowly to a deep bend.

Cues

  • Pause at the top
  • Slow down
  • Hips stay seated

Common mistakes

  • Kicking the weight up: control it so the quads, not momentum, finish the rep.

Swap for: Single-Leg Leg Extension, Sissy Squat, Hack Squat

Build a session with Leg Extension

Calves, standing and loaded

Smith Machine Calf Raise

Calves

If your gym has no standing calf machine, a Smith bar on your back and a plate or step under your toes gives you the same heavy straight-knee calf raise.

How to do it

  1. Put a step or plate under the bar and set the bar on your upper back.
  2. Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge and your heels hanging off.
  3. Lower your heels until your calves are fully stretched and pause.
  4. Rise as high as you can and hold the top a second.

Cues

  • Pause in the stretch
  • Knees straight
  • All the way up

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing quickly: the pause at the bottom is what makes the set work.

Swap for: Standing Calf Raise, Seated Calf Raise, Barbell Standing Calf Raise

Build a session with Smith Machine Calf Raise

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. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Barbell strength with a squat rack

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~45 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Leg Press, Lying Leg Curl, Leg Extension +3

You have a squat rack and like the big lifts, and you can train lower body twice a week.

Each day leads with a heavy barbell lift for 4 sets of 5 to 8 at 2 reps in reserve, which builds strength without grinding reps that drain recovery. Machines and cables follow at 1 in reserve for muscle, and isolation finishes at 0 to 1. Day A has 15 working sets, day B has 15.

Lower A (squat)
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Back Squat3 warm-up sets firstBelow parallel. 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Leg Press 3 × 10–15 1 2 min
Lying Leg Curl 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Leg Extension 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Smith Machine Calf RaisePause in the stretch. 2 × 8–15 1 1 min

Open Lower A (squat) in the session builder

Lower B (hinge)
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Romanian Deadlift2 warm-up sets firstStop at a full stretch. 4 × 6–10 2 3 min
Hip Thrust1 s hold at the top. 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Smith Machine Bulgarian Split SquatPer leg. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Hip Abduction Machine 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Smith Machine Calf Raise 2 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Lower B (hinge) in the session builder

How to run it
Do Lower A and Lower B once each per week, with two days between. Warm up for the first lift with three lighter sets.
How to progress
On the barbell lift, add 5 pounds when all 4 sets reach 8 at 2 in reserve. On the rest, add weight when you hit the top of the range on every set.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

One leg day a week in a push-pull-legs split

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets17 a week
  • Per workout~45 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Lying Leg Curl, Leg Extension +1

You train push, pull and legs, and legs get one 60-minute session each week.

With one session a week, every main muscle gets its own exercise and slightly more sets. The front squat and Romanian deadlift lead because they cover quads and hamstrings with the least overlap; hip thrusts and curls follow. Compound lifts stop at 2 reps in reserve, isolation at 0 to 1. 17 working sets.

Leg Day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Front Squat3 warm-up sets first 3 × 6–10 2 3 min
Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–12 2 2:30 min
Hip Thrust 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
A1 Lying Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
A2 Leg Extension 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Smith Machine Calf Raise 2 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Do it once a week, on the day after your upper-body session with the least back work.
How to progress
Beat last week's reps on the first two lifts at the same weight. When all sets hit the top of the range, add weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Lower back tired from deadlifts or work

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets28 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentHack Squat, Lying Leg Curl, Adjustable Cable, Leg Extension +3

Your lower back is already loaded by heavy pulling, a physical job or long hours sitting, and you want leg sessions that leave it alone.

Every exercise here supports your back or barely loads it: hack squat and leg press instead of barbell squats, cable pull-through instead of Romanian deadlifts, and the Smith split squat for one-leg work. Because nothing loads the spine, the main lifts can go to 1 rep in reserve. Each day has 14 working sets.

Lower A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hack Squat2 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–12 1 2:30 min
Lying Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Cable Glute KickbackPer leg. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Leg Extension 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Smith Machine Calf Raise 2 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Lower A in the session builder

Lower B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Leg Press 3 × 10–15 1 2:30 min
Cable Pull-Through 3 × 12–15 1 90 s
Smith Machine Bulgarian Split SquatPer leg. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Hip Abduction Machine 3 × 15–20 0 1 min
Lying Leg Curl 2 × 10–15 0 1 min

Open Lower B in the session builder

How to run it
Do both days each week. If your back feels fine, swap the pull-through for the Romanian deadlift on day B.
How to progress
Add weight on the hack squat and leg press whenever you reach the top of the range on every set. On cables, add a plate or the next pin.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is the best gym exercise for legs?

The barbell back squat, because it trains quads, glutes and adductors heavily in one movement. If you cannot squat, the hack squat or leg press is close. Neither trains the hamstrings much, so pair it with a Romanian deadlift or a leg curl.

What are the big 3 leg exercises?

The squat, a deadlift variation and a lunge or split squat. At the gym that means the back squat, the Romanian or trap bar deadlift and the Smith or barbell split squat.

What gym machines are good for legs?

The hack squat and leg press for quads and glutes, the lying and seated leg curls for hamstrings, the leg extension for quads, the hip abduction machine for outer hips, and a standing or seated calf machine.

What are 5 lower body exercises?

Back squat, Romanian deadlift, hip thrust, leg curl and calf raise. Together they cover quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.

Is 4 exercises enough for a leg day?

Yes. A squat or press, a hinge, a leg curl and a calf raise, with three hard sets each, is a complete leg day. Add a glute or quad isolation exercise only if you want more for that muscle.