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Exercises

Leg exercises for women: squats, hinges, lunges and glute work

Published October 19, 2026

The best leg exercises for women are the goblet squat and leg press for the front of your thighs, the dumbbell Romanian deadlift and lying leg curl for your hamstrings, the hip thrust and hip abduction machine for your glutes, and the reverse lunge and step-up to train one leg at a time. Women build leg muscle the same way men do, so the plan is the same: one squat, one hinge, one glute move and one single-leg move, each taken within 0 to 2 reps of failure. What makes legs look toned is muscle you have built, which these exercises do.

  1. Goblet Squat Quads, Glutes
  2. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift Hamstrings, Glutes
  3. Hip Thrust Glutes
  4. Dumbbell Reverse Lunge Quads, Glutes
  5. Step-Up Quads, Glutes
  6. Leg Press Quads, Glutes
  7. Lying Leg Curl Hamstrings
  8. Hip Abduction Machine Abductors

Squats for the front of your thighs

Squats bend your knees and hips together, so they load your quads and glutes in one movement and set the shape of the front of your legs. Start with the goblet squat at home, use the leg press when you are in a gym and want to push hard without balancing a weight, and add the wide sumo squat when you want more inner thigh.

Quads and glutes, front-loaded squat

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

Holding one dumbbell against your chest pulls your torso upright and lets you sit deep between your knees, so it teaches a good squat while it builds your thighs. It needs one dumbbell or kettlebell and works at home or in the gym.

How to do it

  1. Hold one dumbbell upright upright at your chest, both hands cupped under the top end, feet a little wider than your hips and toes turned slightly out.
  2. Take a breath, then bend your knees and hips together and sit straight down between your heels.
  3. Go as low as you can while your heels stay down and your chest stays tall, ideally until your elbows reach the inside of your knees.
  4. Push the floor away through your whole foot to stand up, and finish with a hard glute squeeze.

Cues

  • Elbows inside the knees
  • Knees travel over the toes
  • Chest stays proud

Common mistakes

  • Rising onto your toes at the bottom: widen your stance slightly or rest your heels on a thin plate.
  • Letting the dumbbell drift away from your chest, which tips you forward: keep it touching your sternum the whole set.

Swap for: Dumbbell Front Squat, Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat, Leg Press

Build a session with Goblet Squat

Inner thighs and glutes, wide-stance squat

Sumo Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

Standing wide with your toes turned out shifts more of the squat into your adductors, the inner-thigh muscles, and your glutes. Holding one weight at your chest keeps it simple enough for home, and it pairs well with a regular squat on a second leg day.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about twice hip-width apart, toes pointed out at roughly 45 degrees, holding one kettlebell or dumbbell with both hands at your chest.
  2. Push your knees out over your toes as you lower your hips straight down, torso upright.
  3. Sink until your thighs are about level with the floor.
  4. Push the floor away with your heels to stand, pressing your knees outward the whole way up.

Cues

  • Knees follow the toes
  • Hips straight down, not back
  • Squeeze the inner thighs to stand

Common mistakes

  • Knees caving inward as you rise: lighten the weight and push them out deliberately.
  • Bending forward at the waist to get deeper: depth comes from your hips dropping, so stop where your chest has to fall.

Swap for: Goblet Squat, Wide-Stance Leg Press, Hip Adduction Machine

Build a session with Sumo Squat

Quads and glutes, machine squat

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

The machine holds your back and balance for you, so the only thing that limits the set is your legs. That makes it the safest way to take a squat pattern close to failure, and moving your feet higher on the platform puts more of the work into your glutes and hamstrings.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your back and hips flat against the pad and place feet hip-width apart in the middle of the platform.
  2. Release the safety handles and lower the platform by bending your knees toward your chest.
  3. Stop when your knees are bent past 90 degrees and just before your lower back starts to lift off the pad.
  4. Press the platform away through your whole foot until your legs are nearly straight, without locking your knees.

Cues

  • Lower back stays on the pad
  • Knees in line with the toes
  • Soft knees at the top

Common mistakes

  • Going so deep that your hips curl off the seat: set your depth by where your back stays flat.
  • Pushing through your toes: keep the whole foot on the platform and press through the heel and midfoot.

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

Build a session with Leg Press

Hinges and curls for the back of your thighs

Your hamstrings do two jobs: they straighten your hips and they bend your knees. The Romanian deadlift trains the first with a long stretch, and the leg curl trains the second, so doing one of each covers the whole back of the thigh instead of leaving it to squats, which barely reach it.

Hamstrings and glutes, hip hinge

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

Pushing your hips back with dumbbells in your hands stretches your hamstrings under load, which is what builds the back of the thigh. It is the most useful leg exercise you can do with a pair of dumbbells, and it teaches the hinge every deadlift variation uses.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, one dumbbell per hand in front of your thighs, knees softly bent.
  2. Send your hips back as if you were shutting a car door with them, letting the dumbbells slide down the front of your legs.
  3. Keep your back flat and lower until you feel a strong pull in your hamstrings, usually with the dumbbells around mid-shin.
  4. Push your hips forward to stand tall, finishing with your glutes squeezed and your ribs down.

Cues

  • Hips back, knees quiet
  • Dumbbells stay close to the legs
  • Stop at the stretch, not the floor

Common mistakes

  • Bending your knees more and more until it becomes a squat: keep the same soft bend from top to bottom.
  • Rounding your back to reach lower: the rep ends where your back stays flat.

Swap for: Romanian Deadlift, Single-Leg RDL, Dumbbell B-Stance RDL

Build a session with Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, knee flexion

Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Romanian deadlifts train the hamstrings at the hip, and the leg curl trains them at the knee, so you need both for the full back of the thigh. The machine is easy to learn and you can take every set to failure without any risk to your back.

How to do it

  1. Lie chest-down on the machine with the pad resting just above your heels and your knees just past the end of the bench.
  2. Hold the handles and press your hips into the pad.
  3. Curl your heels toward your glutes as far as the machine allows.
  4. Lower slowly until your legs are nearly straight, then curl again.

Cues

  • Hips pinned to the pad
  • Slow on the way down
  • Pull with the heels

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your hips to swing the weight up: lighten it until your hips stay down.
  • Dropping the weight at the bottom: take about two seconds to lower each rep.

Swap for: Seated Leg Curl, Stability Ball Leg Curl, Band Leg Curl

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Glute exercises that lift and round the hips

Hip thrusts and bridges load your glutes hardest at the top, where squats go light, and the abduction machine works the upper side of the glutes that gives your hips their width. One thrust or bridge plus one abduction exercise is enough for most weeks.

Glutes, loaded hip extension

Hip Thrust

Glutes

With your upper back on a bench and a barbell across your hips, you can load your glutes far more than in any squat or lunge, and the hardest point of the rep is at the top where the glutes are fully squeezed. It is the most direct way to build your glutes, and a dumbbell works if there is no bar.

How to do it

  1. Sit down and lean your upper back against the edge of a bench and roll a padded barbell over your hips.
  2. Plant your feet flat, about hip-width apart, so your shins are vertical at lockout.
  3. Tuck your chin, brace, and press your heels down and raise your hips until your torso is level with the floor.
  4. Hold the top for a second with your glutes squeezed, then lower your hips toward the floor and repeat.

Cues

  • Chin tucked, eyes forward
  • Ribs down at the top
  • Push through the heels

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to get the bar higher: the rep ends when your hips are level with your knees and shoulders.
  • Feet too far from the bench, which moves the work to your hamstrings: walk them in until your shins are vertical at the top.

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

Build a session with Hip Thrust

Glutes, floor bridge

Dumbbell Glute Bridge

Glutes

The bridge is the hip thrust done flat on the floor with a dumbbell on your hips, so it needs no bench and no bar. The range is shorter, which makes it easy to learn and good for high-rep sets at the end of a home session.

How to do it

  1. Lie face up, knees bent, feet flat, hip-width apart, and rest one dumbbell across your hip bones, holding it at each end.
  2. Press your lower back gently into the floor and brace your abs.
  3. Press your heels down and raise your hips until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line.
  4. Pause one second at the top, then lower until your glutes almost touch the floor.

Cues

  • Heels down, toes light
  • Squeeze before you lower
  • Do not touch down between reps

Common mistakes

  • Pushing through your toes, which hands the work to your quads: keep the pressure in your heels.
  • Overarching at the top: finish with your ribs down and your glutes doing the work.

Swap for: Single-Leg Glute Bridge, Hip Thrust, Band Hip Thrust

Build a session with Dumbbell Glute Bridge

Upper glutes, hip abduction

Hip Abduction Machine

Abductors

Pressing your knees outward against the pads trains your gluteus medius, the upper outer glute that rounds out the sides of your hips. Squats and thrusts barely reach it, and the machine lets you take it to failure safely in a few minutes.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the machine with your back against the pad and the outside of your knees against the leg pads.
  2. Hold the handles and sit tall.
  3. Push your knees apart as far as the machine allows, pausing for a moment at the widest point.
  4. Let your knees come back together slowly without letting the weight stack touch.

Cues

  • Push with the outside of the knees
  • Pause wide
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Rocking your torso to push the pads open: sit tall and lighten the stack.
  • Doing half reps with a heavy stack: full range with less weight works the glute more.

Swap for: Lateral Band Walk, Clamshell, Standing Side Leg Raise

Build a session with Hip Abduction Machine

Lunges and step-ups, one leg at a time

Working one leg at a time evens out a stronger side, trains the balance muscles around your hips, and makes a light pair of dumbbells feel heavy. The reverse lunge is the kindest lunge on your knees, the step-up is the easiest to learn, and the lateral lunge moves sideways to reach your inner thighs.

Quads and glutes, one leg at a time

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping backward keeps your front shin more upright than a forward lunge, so it is easier on your knees and easier to balance. It trains each leg on its own, which a pair of dumbbells needs to stay challenging at home.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with one dumbbell per hand at your sides, feet hip-width apart.
  2. Take a long step back with one foot and lower your back knee toward the floor.
  3. Stop with your back knee just above the floor and most of your weight on the front heel.
  4. Push through the front foot to bring the back leg forward and stand, then switch legs or finish one side first.

Cues

  • Long step back
  • Weight on the front heel
  • Torso slightly forward for more glute

Common mistakes

  • Stepping back too short, so the front knee shoots forward: lengthen the step.
  • Pushing off the back foot to stand up: the front leg does the work and the back foot only balances.

Swap for: Bulgarian Split Squat, Dumbbell Split Squat, Reverse Lunge

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Quads and glutes, single-leg step

Step-Up

Quads, Glutes

Stepping onto a bench or sturdy box is the easiest single-leg exercise to learn because the step gives you a target and a stable base. A higher step shifts the work into your glutes, and it is a good choice when lunges bother your knees.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing a knee-height bench or box with one dumbbell per hand.
  2. Place one whole foot on the step.
  3. Lean slightly forward and drive through that heel to stand up on the step, bringing the other foot up beside it.
  4. Step down slowly with the same trailing leg, keeping the working foot on the box, and repeat on that side.

Cues

  • Whole foot on the box
  • Drive with the top leg
  • Lower on a count of two

Common mistakes

  • Springing off the floor with the back foot: lift the toes of the back foot so the top leg has to do the work.
  • Using a step so high that your hips tuck under at the bottom: start at knee height or lower.

Swap for: Barbell Step-Up, Kettlebell Step-Up, Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Build a session with Step-Up

Inner thighs and glutes, side lunge

Dumbbell Lateral Lunge

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

Moving sideways trains your adductors and the outer glutes in a way that squats and forward lunges miss, and it stretches the inner thigh at the bottom. It is a good second single-leg exercise for a home day with dumbbells.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet together, holding one dumbbell per hand at your sides or one at your chest.
  2. Take a wide step to the side and sit your hips back over that foot, bending the knee while the other leg stays straight.
  3. Lower until your thigh is near parallel to the floor and you feel a stretch along the inside of the straight leg.
  4. Push off the bent leg to return to the start, then repeat on the other side.

Cues

  • Sit back, not down
  • Both feet flat
  • Straight leg stays straight

Common mistakes

  • Letting the bent knee cave inward: keep it pointing the same way as your toes.
  • Taking a step so short you cannot sink into it: step wide enough to feel the inner-thigh stretch.

Swap for: Cossack Squat, Kettlebell Lateral Lunge, Hip Adduction Machine

Build a session with Dumbbell Lateral Lunge

Calf raises

Calves get some work from every squat and lunge, but not enough to change their shape. Two or three sets of calf raises with a full stretch at the bottom, twice a week, is what does it.

Calves, standing raise

Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise

Calves

Holding dumbbells and rising onto your toes trains the calf muscle that shapes the lower leg. Standing on a step adds a deep stretch at the bottom, which is where the calves respond best.

How to do it

  1. Stand with the balls of your feet on a step or plate, heels hanging off, one dumbbell per hand.
  2. Lower your heels slowly until you feel a full stretch in your calves.
  3. Pause for a second in the stretch.
  4. Rise as high onto your toes as you can, hold for a moment, and repeat.

Cues

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

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing at the bottom: the pause takes the spring out and makes the calves do the work.
  • Bending your knees to push up: keep them nearly straight so the calves cannot get help.

Swap for: Standing Calf Raise, Single-Leg Calf Raise, Seated Calf Raise

Build a session with Dumbbell Standing 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

Training at home with a pair of dumbbells

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench

You train legs at home with one pair of dumbbells, a sturdy step or stair, and floor space, and you want firmer, stronger legs and glutes.

A light pair of dumbbells stops being hard on two-leg squats quickly, so both days lean on single-leg work (reverse lunges, step-ups, lateral lunges) and higher reps to make the same weight count. Each day has one squat, one hinge, one single-leg move and one glute move, so every part of the leg gets trained twice a week. Squats, lunges and bridges end 0 to 1 reps short of failure because a light weight only builds muscle when the set is close to the end, while the Romanian deadlift stops at 2 to keep your back fresh. Day A is 14 sets and day B is 13.

Legs A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat1 warm-up set firstOne dumbbell at the chest. Elbows inside the knees. 3 × 10–20 1 90 s
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift3 s down. Stop at the hamstring stretch. 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
Dumbbell Reverse LungePer leg. Long step back. 3 × 8–15 1 90 s
Dumbbell Glute BridgeBoth dumbbells on the hips. Pause 1 s at the top. 3 × 12–25 0 1 min
Dumbbell Standing Calf RaiseOn a stair. Pause in the stretch. 2 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Legs A in the session builder

Legs B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Sumo Squat1 warm-up set firstBoth dumbbells held together between the legs. 3 × 12–20 1 90 s
Step-UpPer leg. Back toes lifted. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Dumbbell Romanian DeadliftPause 1 s in the stretch. 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
Dumbbell Lateral LungePer side. Sit the hips back. 2 × 8–12 1 1 min
Dumbbell Standing Calf RaiseHold 1 s at the top. 2 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Legs B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Legs A and Legs B once each per week with at least two days between them. Use a stair or a knee-height bench that does not slide for the step-ups.
How to progress
Add reps until every set hits the top of its range at the target reps in reserve. When the pair is too light even at 20 reps, slow the lowering to three seconds and add a one-second pause at the bottom of squats and lunges before buying heavier dumbbells.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

A gym with machines and a barbell, two leg days

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Dumbbells, Lying Leg Curl +2

You train in a gym with a leg press, curl and abduction machines and a barbell for hip thrusts, and you give your legs and glutes two days a week.

Splitting the week into a glute-and-hamstring day and a quad day lets the hip thrust and the leg press each open a session while you are fresh, at 1 rep in reserve with a warm-up set. Machines take balance out of the picture, so the leg curl and abduction sets go to 0 to 1 reps in reserve without risk, while the Romanian deadlift stays at 2. Day A is 13 sets and day B is 14, which puts your glutes, quads and hamstrings each at roughly 10 hard sets a week counting the overlap.

Glutes and Hamstrings
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hip Thrust2 warm-up sets firstPause 1 s at the top. Shins vertical. 4 × 8–12 1 2 min
Dumbbell Romanian DeadliftHeavy pair. Hips back. 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Lying Leg Curl2 s down. 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Hip Abduction MachinePause wide on every rep. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Glutes and Hamstrings in the session builder

Quads and Glutes
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Leg Press2 warm-up sets firstFeet mid-platform. Back flat. 4 × 8–12 1 2 min
Step-UpPer leg. Knee-height bench. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Dumbbell Reverse LungePer leg. Lean forward slightly. 2 × 8–12 1 90 s
Lying Leg CurlLast set to failure. 2 × 10–15 0 75 s
Dumbbell Standing Calf RaisePause in the stretch. 3 × 10–15 0 1 min

Open Quads and Glutes in the session builder

How to run it
Run Glutes and Hamstrings early in the week and Quads and Glutes three or four days later. If you also train upper body, put those days between the two leg days.
How to progress
Double progression: when every set of an exercise reaches the top of its range at the target reps in reserve, add the smallest weight step and work back up. On the hip thrust and leg press, add load every week or two while the reps stay in range.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Knees that ache on squats and lunges

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Leg Press, Lying Leg Curl +2

You want strong legs, but deep squats and forward lunges make your knees ache, and you train in a gym.

This plan moves most of the work to your hips: the hip thrust, Romanian deadlift and leg curl train glutes and hamstrings while your knees stay still or barely bend. The front of your thighs still gets work from a leg press done with high feet and a range you control, and from a low step-up where your shin stays nearly vertical. Abduction sets strengthen the side of the hip that keeps your knees tracking over your toes. Everything sits at 1 to 2 reps in reserve so the knees never take a grinding rep. Day A is 12 sets and day B is 12.

Day A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hip Thrust2 warm-up sets firstKnees stay at 90 degrees at the top. 4 × 8–12 1 2 min
Leg PressFeet high on the platform. Pain-free depth only. 3 × 10–15 2 2 min
Lying Leg CurlSlow lowering. 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Hip Abduction MachinePause wide. 2 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Day A in the session builder

Day B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift1 warm-up set firstKnees softly bent and still. 4 × 8–12 2 2 min
Step-UpPer leg. Low step, shin near vertical. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Glute BridgePause 2 s at the top. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Hip Abduction MachineLean slightly forward for more glute. 2 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Day B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Day A and Day B once each per week. On the leg press, set your feet high on the platform and stop each rep where your knees still feel fine, even if that is above 90 degrees. Use a step low enough that your knee stays behind your toes.
How to progress
Add reps first, then weight. On the leg press and step-up, earn depth before load: once a range feels fine for two weeks, lower an inch further before adding weight.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What exercises tone your legs?

Squats, Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, lunges and step-ups. Toned legs are legs with some muscle on them and less fat over it, so the exercises that build muscle are the ones that tone. Do each for 8 to 20 reps and stop 0 to 2 reps short of failure, and add weight or reps over the weeks so the muscle keeps growing.

Are 4 exercises enough for leg day?

Yes, if they are a squat, a hinge, a glute exercise and a single-leg exercise, done for 3 to 4 hard sets each. That is 12 to 16 hard sets, which covers your quads, hamstrings and glutes. The plans on this page use four or five exercises per day; add a calf raise when you have time.

What leg exercises are good for bad knees?

Exercises where the knee bends little or not at all: the hip thrust, glute bridge, Romanian deadlift and leg curl. For the front of your thighs, use a leg press with your feet high and a depth that does not hurt, and step-ups on a low step. The knee-friendly plan on this page is built from exactly these.

How many times a week should women train legs?

Twice a week works well for most people. It lets you spread 10 to 20 hard sets per muscle across two sessions so each one stays short and focused. Once a week also builds muscle if that one session is hard enough, about 15 sets across your legs and glutes.

Should women train legs differently from men?

No. Muscle grows the same way in women and men, from hard sets taken close to failure with more weight or reps over time. What changes is the goal: many women want more glute work, so the plans here give the hip thrust and abduction machine a bigger share than a typical leg day would.

How heavy should my dumbbells be for leg exercises?

Heavy enough that you finish each set within 0 to 2 reps of failure inside the rep range. For many women starting out, that is 10 to 20 pounds per hand for lunges and step-ups and 20 to 35 pounds for a goblet squat or Romanian deadlift. If you can do 20 reps with reps to spare, go heavier or switch to a single-leg version.