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Exercises

Lower body exercises for men: squats, hinges, single-leg work and calves

Published October 29, 2026

The best lower body exercises for men are a squat (barbell back squat, hack squat or leg press) for the quads, a hinge (trap bar deadlift or Romanian deadlift) for the hamstrings and glutes, a single-leg move like the Bulgarian split squat, a leg curl, and a calf raise. Train them twice a week with 4 or 5 exercises per session, about 20 to 26 hard sets a week in total. Keep the heavy squat and hinge at 4 to 8 reps and 2 reps in reserve, run the machines and calves at 10 to 15 reps closer to failure, and add load when every set reaches the top of its range.

  1. Barbell Back Squat Quads, Glutes, Adductors
  2. Trap Bar Deadlift Quads, Glutes
  3. Romanian Deadlift Hamstrings, Glutes
  4. Bulgarian Split Squat Quads, Glutes
  5. Leg Press Quads, Glutes
  6. Seated Leg Curl Hamstrings
  7. Standing Calf Raise Calves

Squats and leg presses for the quads

Every lower body session should start with a squat-pattern lift. The barbell squat builds the most total strength; the hack squat and leg press let you push the quads hard with less demand on your back; the goblet squat is the dumbbell version for home.

Quads and glutes, heavy squat

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

The lift that builds the most lower body strength, and the easiest to measure. If you train with a barbell, make it the first lift of your squat day.

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, machine squat

Hack Squat

Quads, Glutes

The sled guides the bar path, so your quads can work close to failure without your back or balance giving out first. A strong main squat for men who find the barbell squat uncomfortable.

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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Quads and glutes, machine press

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

Lets you load the legs very heavily with your back supported. Good as a main lift on a machine day, or for higher reps after squats.

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 and glutes, dumbbell squat

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

Holding one dumbbell at your chest keeps you upright and teaches depth. At home it is your main squat until the heaviest dumbbell you own gets easy for 15 reps.

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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Deadlifts and hinges for hamstrings and glutes

Hinging trains the back of your legs, the half that squats underwork. Pair one heavy hinge with one Romanian deadlift variation each week, and add a hip thrust if you want more glute work.

Glutes, quads and back, heavy hinge

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

Standing inside the bar keeps the weight centered over your feet, so it is easier to learn and easier on the lower back than a straight-bar deadlift while still moving big weights.

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, stretched hinge

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

Lowering the bar along your thighs with soft knees stretches the hamstrings under load, which is what grows them. The best second hinge of the week.

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 hamstring stretch with a pair of dumbbells. It is the hinge for home training and an easy swap if the barbell version bothers your grip.

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 bridge

Hip Thrust

Glutes

Puts heavy load on the glutes at full hip extension, the position squats and deadlifts load least. Add it when you want more glute strength for sprinting or jumping.

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

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Single-leg work

Split squats and lunges load each leg on its own, so a stronger side cannot cover for a weaker one, and they build balance that two-leg lifts do not. They are also hard to load heavily, which makes them easier on your lower back.

Quads and glutes, rear-foot-elevated split squat

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

The hardest single-leg exercise for its weight. With the back foot on a bench, the front leg does nearly all the work, and a pair of moderate dumbbells is enough to make 8 reps tough.

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, stepping lunge

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back instead of forward keeps the front knee easier to control and the torso upright. A simpler single-leg move for days when split squats are too much.

How to do it

  1. Start tall with a dumbbell hanging from each hand and your feet under your hips.
  2. Step one foot back and lower until your back knee is just above the floor and your front thigh is near parallel.
  3. Keep your front heel flat and your chest tall.
  4. Push through your front foot to bring the back foot forward to the start, then alternate or finish all reps on one side.

Cues

  • Front shin stays vertical
  • Back knee kisses the floor
  • Drive through the front heel

Common mistakes

  • Taking a short step so the front knee shoots forward and the heel lifts: step farther back.
  • Letting the torso twist or lean to the side as you tire; keep both dumbbells hanging straight down.

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

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Leg curls, extensions and calves

Isolation work fills what the big lifts leave out: knee-bending for the hamstrings, full knee extension for the quads, and the calves. Run them at 10 to 20 reps and take the last set close to failure.

Hamstrings, knee flexion

Seated Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Curling from a seated position works the hamstrings in a stretched hip position, and no hinge trains the knee-bending half of their job. Two or three sets a week fill that gap.

How to do it

  1. Set the backrest so your knees line up with the machine's pivot, and lock the thigh pad down firmly.
  2. Rest the lower pad just above your heels with legs straight.
  3. Curl your heels down and back under the seat as far as they go.
  4. Let the pad rise slowly until your legs are straight again, and repeat.

Cues

  • Thigh pad snug
  • Pull heels under the seat
  • Two seconds on the way up

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your hips off the seat to finish the rep: tighten the thigh pad and lighten the stack.
  • Letting the stack crash between reps: control it all the way to straight legs.

Swap for: Lying Leg Curl, Romanian Deadlift, Nordic Hamstring Curl

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Quads, knee extension

Leg Extension

Quads

It loads the front of the thigh all the way to full lockout, where squats go light. Use it after squats for 12 to 15 reps, close to failure.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your knees at the pivot and the pad on your lower shins.
  2. Straighten both knees until your legs are level.
  3. Lower slowly. Build up the weight over 2 lighter sets.

Cues

  • Squeeze at the top
  • Control the drop

Common mistakes

  • Letting the stack slam between reps: keep tension on.

Swap for: Single-Leg Leg Extension, Sissy Squat

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Calves, straight-knee raise

Standing Calf Raise

Calves

Straight knees train the large calf muscle through a full stretch on the step. Pause at the bottom of each rep instead of bouncing.

How to do it

  1. Set the shoulder pads so you have to bend your knees slightly to get under them, then step the balls of your feet onto the edge of the block.
  2. Stand up tall to lift the weight off the stack, legs straight but not locked.
  3. Let your heels sink below the block until your calves are fully stretched, and hold that bottom for a second.
  4. Drive up onto your big toes as high as the ankle allows, pause, then lower slowly.

Cues

  • Pause in the stretch
  • Push through the big toe
  • Knees stay still

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing out of the bottom: the Achilles tendon springs you up and the calf does less. A one-second pause removes the bounce.
  • Bending the knees to finish the rep: that turns it into a partial squat. Lighten the stack until the legs stay straight.

Swap for: Smith Machine Calf Raise, Donkey Calf Raise, Barbell Standing Calf Raise

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Calves, one-leg raise

Single-Leg Calf Raise

Calves

Body weight on one leg is already a real load for the calves. Hold a dumbbell on the working side when 20 reps are easy.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one foot with the other lifted just off the floor, arms by your sides; hold a dumbbell in each hand once body weight is easy.
  2. Rise onto the ball of your foot as high as you can and hold for a second.
  3. Lower your heel to the floor over two seconds.
  4. Finish all reps on one leg, then switch; sets are per leg.

Cues

  • Rise as high as you can
  • Pause at the top
  • Two seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing through the reps: pause for a beat at the top of each one.
  • Rolling onto the outside of the foot: keep your weight over the big toe.

Swap for: Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise, Kettlebell Calf Raise, Standing Calf Raise

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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

Upper/lower split in a gym with a barbell

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets21 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Leg Extension, Standing Calf Raise, Trap Bar +2

You lift four days a week on an upper/lower split, you can squat and deadlift with good form, and you want both strength and leg size.

Each lower day opens with one heavy lift at 2 reps in reserve, then fills in the pattern the other day left out. Day 1 has 12 hard sets and Day 2 has 9, about 21 lower body sets a week.

Day 1: Squat
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Back Squat3 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–10 2 2:30 min
Leg Extension 2 × 10–15 1 75 s
Standing Calf Raise 3 × 8–12 1 75 s

Open Day 1: Squat in the session builder

Day 2: Deadlift
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 3 × 4–6 2 3 min
Bulgarian Split SquatPer leg. 3 × 8–10 2 90 s
Seated Leg Curl 3 × 10–12 1 75 s

Open Day 2: Deadlift in the session builder

How to run it
Run Day 1 and Day 2 on your two lower days, with at least two days between them. Put the harder day after a rest day.
How to progress
Add 5 to 10 lb to the squat and trap bar deadlift when every set hits the top of the rep range at 2 reps in reserve. Machines and calves follow double progression: reps first, then the next plate.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Your lower back does not like heavy barbell work

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentHack Squat, Seated Leg Curl, Dumbbells, Standing Calf Raise +4

You want to build your legs in a gym, but heavy squats or deadlifts leave your lower back tight, or you would rather keep the spine out of it.

Machines let the legs work close to failure while your back stays supported, so you get the leg size without the back fatigue. Each session has 12 hard sets, 24 a week, which machines and lighter single-leg work recover from well.

Day A: Hack squat
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hack Squat2 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–12 2 2:30 min
Seated Leg Curl 3 × 10–12 1 75 s
Dumbbell Reverse LungePer leg. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Standing Calf Raise 3 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Day A: Hack squat in the session builder

Day B: Leg press
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Leg Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 10–15 1 2:30 min
Hip Thrust 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Leg Extension 3 × 12–15 0 75 s
Seated Leg Curl 3 × 10–12 1 75 s

Open Day B: Leg press in the session builder

How to run it
Two sessions a week with two or three days between, Day A first, then Day B.
How to progress
When every set reaches the top of its range at the target reps in reserve, move the pin one plate. For hip thrusts and lunges, add 5 lb or one dumbbell size.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

At home with adjustable dumbbells

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You train at home with dumbbells and a bench, and you need your legs to keep growing on light loads.

Single-leg work doubles what your dumbbells weigh to each leg, which is why the split squat carries this session. 13 hard sets per session, twice a week, is 26 sets, enough when loads are modest and sets end close to failure.

Lower Body: Home
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat1 warm-up set first 4 × 8–15 2 90 s
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Bulgarian Split SquatPer leg. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Single-Leg Calf RaisePer leg. 3 × 10–20 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week with at least two days between, on days you do not train upper body hard, or after a short upper session.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range, then move up one dumbbell size. On the goblet squat, once the heaviest dumbbell is easy for 15, slow the lowering to 3 seconds and pause at the bottom.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What counts as a lower body workout?

Any session that trains the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. A complete one includes a squat or leg press, a hinge like a deadlift, single-leg work, and a calf raise.

Is it okay to do leg day every day?

No. Hard leg training needs about 48 to 72 hours to recover from. Two lower body sessions a week, with a few days between, build more than daily sessions.

Is 4 exercises enough for a leg day?

Yes. A squat, a hinge, a leg curl and a calf raise cover the whole lower body. What matters more is that each set ends close to failure and the weights go up over time.

Should men train legs with heavy weights or high reps?

Both work for size. Use 4 to 8 reps on the big lifts for strength, and 10 to 20 on machines and calves. Build each session around one heavy lift, then lighter work.

What are the best lower body exercises for men at home?

Goblet squats, Bulgarian split squats, dumbbell Romanian deadlifts and single-leg calf raises. Single-leg work makes light dumbbells count.