It takes five minutes in the gym to spot a dude that’s skipped leg day. The trouble is, knowing how to get bigger legs doesn’t always come easy. Some of us just don’t feel like we’re built to bulk up on our lower half. But that doesn’t mean knowing how to build leg muscle is totally impossible.
In fact, the goal of building bigger legs is often one of the main reasons why lifters go through a bulking period. By increasing their calorie intake, lifters can increase their lifting volume, frequency and speed up recovery time – Resulting in plenty of muscle.
If you’re unsure how to make your legs bigger, it is typically recommended that you stick to compound movements. Think:
- Squats
- Hinges (stiff leg deadlifts)
- Movements that allow for a high amount of muscle stimulus
Put simply, the more you can workout (and recover properly from said training), the more you can repeat the process of training and recover in order to beef up those legs.
So, if you’re stuck on how to build leg muscle, you won’t be for much longer. Below we’re going to dig into the best legs exercises for mass – also paying attention to your calves, hamstrings and quadriceps.
The ultimate muscle building leg workout
Looking for the best leg workouts for mass building? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 10 absolute must-have exercises to add to your muscle building leg workout:
- Leg press
- Barbell Goodmornings
- Hack squats
- Back squats
- Hamstring curls (machine)
- Walking lunges
- Leg extensions (machine)
- Bulgarian split squats
- Front squats
- Stiff leg deadlifts
Not sure how they work and benefit your workouts? You’re in luck – here’s how to make your legs bigger.
Leg Press
If you wanna know how to make your legs bigger, there’s no doubt about it, you’re going to become best buds with the leg press! Although a key move for building quad size and strength, many of us do this exercise totally wrong.
In order to maximize this exercise, be sure to perform these in the fullest ranges of motion, often maxing out your pain-free knee flexion angles and be prepared to build up the weight you’re pushing.
Barbell goodmornings
Looking for the best leg exercises for mass? Well, you’re going to need barbell goodmornings – This exercise is crucial for building bigger and stronger glutes, etectors and hamstrings.
A popular move in bodybuilding and weightlifting circles, goodmornings improve hamstring and glute muscle growth, while also supporting back strength (which is crucial for heavy back and front squats, as well as deadlifts).
For best results, train this with rep ranges similar to the stiff leg deadlift.
Hack squats
Easily one of the best leg workouts for mass, the hack squat machine really works those quads. By isolating the quads, you can apply a high amount of weight.
Try to keep your feet as close to underneath as you can, allowing you to to gain depth in the squat via knee flexion rather than limiting the range of motion or gaining depth via hip flexion (leaning forward).
Back squats
The king of leg strength and muscle growth, back squats are a must in your workout routine. Get ready to maximize those quadriceps through high bar back squats, allowing a more vertical torso positioning and deeper ranges of knee flexion.
Also Read: The Ultimate Bodyweight Workout
Compared to the low bar back squat, its high bar counterpart is a key move for building bigger quads. You can also experiment further with variations, such as the tempo back squat.
Hamstring curls (machine)
Easily one of the best leg workouts for mass, machine hamstring curls (either lying or seated) are a great addition to any muscle building leg workout – since they don’t load up the hips or lower back.
Complete these early in your workout session to pre-exhaust the hamstring pre-compound lift, or near the end of the session.
Walking lunges
Easy to do at home (or at the gym), if you want to know how to make your legs bigger you can certainly start with walking lunges.
Easily done with just about anything, from dumbbells, sandbags, your own bodyweight, barbells or kettlebells – the deep range of motion and control throughout this move is key to bulking up those legs.
Leg extensions (machine)
If you’re concerned about putting too much pressure on your back or hips (or simply don’t want to overload them), machine leg extensions are a great additional quad workout.
Best performed either as a pre-exhaust exercise before compound lifts or at the end of your gym workout.
Bulgarian split squats
A key exercise for building the quads, glutes and even your hamstrings, if you wanna know how to build leg muscle you’re going to need Bulgarian split squats!
Depending on your goal, perform this move with heavier or lighter loads, whether dumbbells, kettlebells or even sandbags (if you’ve got a good grip!).
Try placing your lead leg on a raised surface to further increase the range of motion and muscle damage.
Front squats
Ready for even greater degrees of knee flexion? The front squat is a great squat variation that minimizes loading the hamstrings, lower back and glutes, while maximizing those QUADS!
Stiff leg deadlifts
Ready to build the strongest hamstrings, ever? I’d highly recommend stiff leg deadlifts over your conventional deadlift, since their stimulus to fatigue ratio is more in their favor – as well being less stressful only your lower back.
Also Read: The Best Steroids For Weight Loss – Steroid Comparison
Where the stiff leg deadlifts benefit your muscle building leg workout is its limitation in the amount of knee flexion and really shifts the loading to the hamstrings (and off the lower back and supporting muscles).
How to build leg muscle with our top 5 training techniques
Get ready to maximize your legs gains while minimizing your injury risks by performing these moves with proper form.
Elevate those heels
When doing quads-focused exercises, elevating your heels allows for deeper degrees of knee flexion to take place, which is exactly what you need if you want to build thick thighs.
While doing this, you’ll minimize the need for hamstring and calf flexibility, and allow for a more vertical squatting or lunging position – therefore shifting more load onto your quads.
Top tip:
Use small weight platers under your heels or wear shoes with an elevated heel. Don’t do this, however, for hamstring-focused exercises.
Emphasize the full range of motion
Training in the fullest range of motion you can manage while maintaining a flat or arched back and muscle control is key for maximizing muscular stress and tension.
Training in the fullest ranges of motion that you are able to allows you to load the muscle fibers and place the greatest amount of stress on them – while also minimizing the need for excessive loading (which can actually contribute to joint pain or nervous system fatigue in more extreme cases).
Control the eccentric phase
Controlling the lowering phase (aka the eccentric phase) is a great way to increase tension on the muscle.
Increased tension often leads to greater muscle breakdown and ultimately growth.
Pause at full range of motion
Using pauses throughout the range of motion allows you to place extra loading demands and tension on the muscle fibers.
Be sure to maintain control and positbal strength (for example, flat back) when pausing, rather than allow the body and muscles to relax.
Minimize momentum
When it comes to knowing how to get bigger legs (and muscle all round), more often than not you want to minimize momentum when lifting.
Try to avoid catching the bounce of squats or slamming the bar on the ground during stiff leg deadlifts – as you could be sacrificing those leg gains and heighten your risk of injury.
3 Best leg workouts for mass building
Our muscle building leg workout will allow you to successfully build strength, increase muscle size and set the groundwork for a successful strength cycle to come.
Quadriceps-focused workout
Below, you’re about to find out some of the best legs exercises for mass building – with a focus on growing your quadriceps, calves and hamstrings.
Primary focus: Quadriceps
Accounts for: 50 to 75% of the weekly training volumes necessary for most guys to gain size
Best paired with our hamstrings-focused workout below to maximize weekly growth.
Heel elevated back squat
- 5 sets of 4 to 8 reps
- 2 second eccentric
- 1 second pause
Barbell high-bar good morning
- 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps
- 2 to 3 second eccentric
Leg press or hack squat
- 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- 2 to 3 second eccentric
Leg press calf extensions
- 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- 2 to 3 second eccentric
- 1 second pause
Walking lunge
- 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 10 steps per leg
- Focus on deep knee flexion
Hamstrings-focused workout
Below, you’re about to find out some of the best leg exercises for mass – with a focus on growing your calves, quads and hamstrings.
Primary focus: Hamstrings
Accounts for: 50 to 75% of the weekly training volumes necessary to gain size
Also Read: What’s the best workout split routine?
Best paired with the quads-focused workout above.
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Stiff leg deadlift
- 6 sets of 6 to 8 reps
- 2 second eccentric
Lying hamstring curl
- 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps
- 2 to 3 second eccentric
Leg press or hack squat
- 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- 2 to 3 second eccentric
Seated calf raise
- 4 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- 2 to 3 second eccentric
- 1 second pause
Quadriceps and hamstrings-focused workout
Ready for a complete lower body workout? The weekly training volumes are towards the lower end if you are on a mission to gain huge less muscle during your bulk.
However, you can use this in combination with one of the two workouts above or repeat this twice per week.
Front foot elevated bulgarian split squat
- 3 to 4 sets
- 8 to 10 reps
- 2 second eccentric
Hack squat of leg press
- 4 to 5 sets
- 8 to 10 reps
- 2 second eccentric
Stiff leg deadlift
- 4 to 5 sets
- 6 to 8 reps
- 2 second eccentric
Lying hamstring curl
- 3 sets
- 15 to 20 reps
- Rest period of 30 seconds
Machine leg extensions
- 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps
- Rest period of 30 seconds
Seated or standing machine calf extension
- 4 sets
- 12 to 15 reps
- 2 to 3 second eccentric
- 1 second pause at the bottom
Ready for huge leg GAINS?
After following our muscle building leg workout, you should be well on your way to gaining a huge amount of leg muscle.
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