Leg Day Workout
A complete leg day that trains quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves in one session, built around the squat and hinge patterns that drive real lower-body size and strength.
Program Overview
This leg day workout trains your entire lower body in a single session, built around the two patterns that matter most: squatting and hinging. You start with heavy compound work while you are fresh, then move through unilateral and glute-focused movements before finishing with calves. Legs respond well to being trained hard and then given time to recover, which is why this session works best run twice a week. It pairs naturally with our push day and pull day workouts to form a complete training week. Every exercise includes a form video.
Anyone who wants a focused, complete leg session. Pairs with our push day and pull day workouts for a full weekly split.
Who Is This For?
This workout suits you if:
- You want stronger, more developed legs
- You have access to a full gym
- You have a few months of training experience
- You want one session that covers your whole lower body
This works best inside a complete week of training. Browse our muscle building programs to build it into your split.
Weekly Schedule
Phase 1: Build the Base (Weeks 1-4)
Run the full session twice a week with at least two days between. Start with the heavy squat work while you are fresh, then move through the accessory movements. Control every rep and leave one or two in reserve.
Use weights you control for all reps with one or two in reserve. Add load whenever a movement feels comfortable across all sets.
Place the barbell on your upper traps, squat down until thighs are at least parallel.
Rest the barbell on your front deltoids with elbows high and upper arms parallel to the floor.
Hold the barbell at hip height with an overhand grip, feet hip-width apart.
Stand a couple of feet in front of a bench and place one foot behind you on the bench.
Sit with your upper back against a bench, barbell across your hips.
Stand on a raised surface with the balls of your feet on the edge and heels hanging off.
A brisk walk on your rest days to aid recovery and keep you active.
Light stretching and mobility for any areas that felt tight in your last session.
Phase 2: Add Intensity (Weeks 5-8)
Same session, now pushing your squats and hinges closer to failure and adding weight or reps wherever you can while keeping your form clean.
Beat your last week on at least one set of each exercise, whether that is more weight, an extra rep, or a cleaner tempo.
Place the barbell on your upper traps, squat down until thighs are at least parallel.
Rest the barbell on your front deltoids with elbows high and upper arms parallel to the floor.
Hold the barbell at hip height with an overhand grip, feet hip-width apart.
Stand a couple of feet in front of a bench and place one foot behind you on the bench.
Sit with your upper back against a bench, barbell across your hips.
Stand on a raised surface with the balls of your feet on the edge and heels hanging off.
A brisk walk on your rest days to aid recovery and keep you active.
Light stretching and mobility for any areas that felt tight in your last session.
Leg Day Workout PDF
A complete leg day for quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, built around the squat and hinge patterns that drive real lower body size.
This is a single session you run twice a week for 8 weeks with full gym access, with at least two days between. It runs 6 exercises for 20 sets: back squats and front squats while you are fresh, then Romanian deadlifts for the hamstrings, Bulgarian split squats for the unilateral work, and glute and calf work to finish. Phase 1 (weeks 1-4) keeps one or two reps in reserve on every set. Phase 2 (weeks 5-8) pushes the squats and hinges closer to failure, adding weight or reps wherever you can while keeping the form clean.
- Two Squats, One Hinge Back squat for load, front squat for the quads, Romanian deadlift for the hamstrings. The three movements that build legs, in one session.
- Single Leg Work Included Bulgarian split squats expose and fix the strength difference between legs that bilateral squats hide.
- Heavy First, Accessories After The squats open the session while you are fresh, and the PDF orders everything else so the hardest work is never done tired.
Get Your Leg Day Workout
Includes both training phases, the weekly schedule, and exercise cues for the full session. Download instantly after you submit the form.
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Nutrition Guidance
Building muscle needs enough fuel and protein behind your training. Our macro calculator sets your calories and protein targets, and our recipes make hitting them easier. If you are choosing between programs, our guide on choosing the right plan for your goals is worth a read.
The Basics
- Calories: Eat in a slight surplus of 250 to 500 calories per day to build muscle while minimizing fat gain. Our macro calculator sets your starting point.
- Protein: 1.6 to 2.2g per kg of bodyweight daily to drive recovery and muscle growth. Browse our recipes for ideas.
- Hydration: Drink water consistently, especially on training days.
- Sleep: Seven to nine hours per night. Muscle is built during recovery, not during the session.
Use the macro calculator to set your calories and protein for your goal, then track your bodyweight as a weekly average and adjust in small increments based on the trend.
