Training guide
Bigger legs mostly means bigger thighs: the quads at the front, the hamstrings at the back, the inner thighs and the glutes. No single exercise builds them all. In a 10-week trial, full squats grew the front of the thigh, the glutes and the inner thighs, but not the hamstrings or the quad muscle that crosses the hip, so a complete plan adds a hinge, a leg curl and a leg extension.
To build leg muscle, work towards about 10 hard sets a week for the front of your thighs and the same again for the back, over 2 sessions, and add weight or reps over months. You can do it at home or in the gym: free weights and machines built similar muscle in trials, and so did one-leg and two-leg training.
This guide covers your thigh muscles, which exercises grow which, how deep to squat, how many sets and how often, how to measure your thighs, how long it takes, and the knee and back warning signs. Calves and glutes have their own guides.
Full squats grew the front of the thigh, the glutes and the inner thighs, but not the rectus femoris (the quad muscle that crosses the hip) or the hamstrings. The leg press grew the quads, glutes and inner thighs, and leg extensions grew the rectus femoris far more (13.2% against 1.1%).
Seated leg curls grew the hamstrings more than lying curls (14% against 9%), and Romanian deadlifts grew them as much as Nordic curls.
Full squats grew the glutes and inner thighs more than half squats, with the front of the thigh about equal, and in another trial they built strength at every depth with less pain than partial squats.
Build towards about 10 hard sets a week for the front of your thighs and, separately, for the back, over 2 sessions.
Free weights and machines built similar muscle, single-leg and two-leg training did too in pooled trials, and progressive bodyweight squats matched barbell squats in a small trial. Use what you have and can progress.
Results vary a lot between people, partly through their genes. In the legs, women and men gained similar amounts from the same training, in absolute as well as relative terms.
Four muscles at the front of the thigh straighten your knee: the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius, and the rectus femoris, which also crosses the hip and helps lift your thigh. Together they're the largest muscle group in the body.
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Three muscles at the back of the thigh bend your knee, and all but one part of them also straighten your hip, so they work at their longest when your hip is bent, as in a seated leg curl or a Romanian deadlift.
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The adductors draw your leg inwards. The largest, the adductor magnus, also helps straighten your hip, which is why deep squats and the leg press grew it.
Full squats and the leg press grew the gluteus maximus too, and lunges and hip thrusts train it. Our glute guide covers it in full.
In 17 men, full squats twice a week for 10 weeks grew the muscles that straighten the knee, the glutes and the inner thighs, while the rectus femoris and the hamstrings didn't change. That's why a legs plan needs a hamstring move and, for the whole quad, a leg extension or similar.
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A tape measure takes in the skin and fat over the muscle as well, so your thighs can measure smaller while you lose fat even as the muscle grows (our reading).
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In the legs, women and men gain similar amounts from the same training, in absolute as well as relative terms. Gains slow as you become more trained and come a little more slowly with age, and people vary hugely.
In 17 men over 10 weeks, full squats grew the glutes (6.7% against 2.2%) and the inner thighs (6.2% against 2.7%) more than half squats, while the front of the thigh grew about the same (4.9% against 4.6%). In a separate trial of 17 male students over 12 weeks, deep squats (to 120 degrees of knee bend) increased front-thigh size by 4 to 7%, more than shallow squats (to 60 degrees). In 53 trained men over 10 weeks, only full squats raised strength at every depth, and half squats brought more pain.
17 untrained adults trained one leg on a leg press and the other on a leg extension: 5 sets of 10 at 70% of their maximum, twice a week for 12 weeks. The rectus femoris grew 13.2% with leg extensions and 1.1% with the leg press, the other quad muscles grew similarly, and the whole quadriceps grew by a comparable amount (7.1% and 4.9%). The leg press also grew the gluteus maximus by 15.4% and the adductor magnus by 6.2%.
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In 45 untrained women, partial leg extensions in the deep-bend part of the range gave more growth in some parts of the thigh than partials in the straighter part. A review of 11 studies found training at long muscle lengths tended to grow muscle more, though not in every study.
20 adults trained one leg with seated curls and the other with lying curls: 5 sets of 10 at 70% of their maximum, twice a week for 12 weeks. The whole hamstrings grew 14% against 9%, with the muscles that cross both the hip and the knee gaining most, because sitting puts them at a longer length.
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In 32 adults over 6 weeks, lowering-focused Romanian deadlifts and Nordic curls each grew hamstring area by about 10%, with no difference between them. In 36 untrained adults over 9 weeks, stiff-leg deadlifts grew the hamstrings by 7.0% and Nordic curls by 11.4%, a similar amount. In 30 male athletes, a hip-extension exercise and Nordic curls both grew the hamstrings, but different parts of them.
In 38 trained men over 8 weeks, machine and free-weight training grew the thighs by similar amounts, and in 8 untrained women, free-weight lunges and an inclined leg press grew the quads similarly.
Across 24 randomised trials, single-leg and two-leg training built similar muscle, and each did better for strength when tested its own way. The trials were small, so it's promising rather than settled.
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In 13 sedentary young women, a 10-level progressive bodyweight squat programme grew the glutes, the rectus femoris and the calves as much as barbell squats over 6 weeks. It's one tiny trial, but it fits the wider evidence that hard sets build muscle at any load.
Each extra weekly set added about 0.4% growth across 15 studies, and an overview of 137 reviews found 10 or more sets a week built more muscle. The returns shrink as the sets go up.
Across 28 studies of 747 adults, light, moderate and heavy loads built similar muscle when the sets went to failure, and heavier loads built more strength. Across 15 studies, stopping a few reps short of failure cost little growth.
With the weekly sets matched, 25 studies found no real difference between training a muscle once, twice or three times a week.
Back squats at 4 sets of 6 (our leg day workout) and leg presses at 3 sets of 8 to 12 (our leg press guide), stopping 2 or 3 reps short of failure, with 2 to 3 minutes' rest between heavy sets. Goblet squats at 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 12 are the way in; our squat, front squat, goblet squat and leg press guides cover technique.
3D demoBarbell back squatAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoBarbell front squatAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoDumbbell goblet squatIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoLeg pressBeginner · Strength machine
3D demoMachine hack squatBeginner · Strength machine
3D demoHeel-elevated deep squat (slant board squat)Intermediate · A stepBulgarian split squats at 3 sets of 6 to 10 each leg, lunges at 3 sets of 8 to 12 each leg, and step-ups at 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 12 each leg, stopping 2 or 3 reps short, as our Bulgarian split squat, lunge and step-up guides set out.
3D demoRear-foot-elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)Intermediate · A bench or box
3D demoSplit squatIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoSplit squat with dumbbellsIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoReverse lungeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoWalking lungeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoDumbbell lungeIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step
3D demoDumbbell step-upIntermediate · A dumbbell + A stepRomanian deadlifts at 3 sets of 8 to 10, lowering for about 3 seconds (our deadlift guide's editorial starting point), and seated leg curls at 3 sets of 10 to 15 (our machine leg workout), with the last set of curls 0 to 2 reps short of failure. Nordic curls and slider curls work without a machine.
3D demoBarbell Romanian deadliftIntermediate · A barbell
3D demoDumbbell Romanian deadliftIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoSingle-leg Romanian deadliftAdvanced · A dumbbell
3D demoTrap bar (hex bar) deadliftIntermediate · Other / check instructions
3D demoSeated leg curlBeginner · Strength machine
3D demoMachine leg curlBeginner · Strength machine
3D demoNordic curlAdvanced · An anchor point
3D demoSlider hamstring curlIntermediate · No equipmentLeg extensions at 2 sets of 12 to 15 (our leg day workout), with the last set 0 to 2 reps short of failure. Inner-thigh work is optional: deep squats and the leg press already grew the inner thighs in trials, and it won't slim your thighs, as our thigh fat guide explains.
Squat as deep as you can with control and without pain. Full squats grew the glutes and inner thighs more than half squats, and they built strength at every depth.
You can lift more in a half squat, but in two trials the shallower squat built less muscle, or the same in the front of the thigh, than the deeper one.
Squat only as deep as your lower back stays still, as our back pain after deadlifts guide says, and within the limits in our knee pain when squatting guide. The leg press lets you control the depth.
Build towards about 10 hard sets a week for the quads and, separately, for the hamstrings, over 2 sessions. Count squats, leg presses, lunges and step-ups as quad sets (they also work the glutes and inner thighs), but count them as little or nothing for the hamstrings, which squats didn't grow (our reading of the trials).
Twice a week: a squat or leg press, a hinge, a single-leg move and a leg curl, 2 or 3 sets of each (our editorial starting point). In your first two weeks, do 2 sets of each and stop every set with 3 or 4 reps to spare, as our plans advise.
Session A: squats for 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10, Romanian deadlifts for 3 sets of 8 to 10, leg extensions for 2 or 3 sets of 12 to 15 and seated leg curls for 3 sets of 10 to 15. Session B: the leg press for 3 sets of 8 to 12, Bulgarian split squats for 3 sets of 6 to 10 each leg, seated leg curls for 3 sets of 10 to 15 and leg extensions for 2 sets of 12 to 15. That's about 15 quad sets and 9 to 12 hamstring sets a week (our editorial layout, with doses from our guides and workouts).
Squats, leg presses and hinges: 6 to 12 reps, stopping 2 or 3 reps short of failure, which our guides call RIR (reps in reserve: how many more you could have done). Leg extensions and curls: 10 to 15 reps, with the last set 0 to 2 reps short.
2 to 3 minutes between heavy sets of 5 to 8, 90 seconds to 2 minutes for other squats, presses and single-leg work, and 60 to 90 seconds for leg extensions and curls, as our plans' notes say.
Twice a week is a practical default. With the weekly sets matched, training more often doesn't add growth.
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Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range, then add the smallest weight step you have. For single-leg moves at home, hold dumbbells or wear a loaded backpack.
Session A of our editorial layout, the shape our compound vs isolation guide describes; doses from our squat, deadlift and leg press guides and our leg day and machine leg workouts.
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The movement on the figure: Barbell back squat
Hard sets build muscle at any load: in a small trial, progressive bodyweight squats grew the thighs and glutes as much as barbell squats in women new to training. Split squats, Bulgarian split squats, step-ups and single-leg Romanian deadlifts let you keep progressing.
Slider hamstring curls (3 sets of 6 to 12 in our lower body workout at home) and Nordic curls train the back of the thigh without a machine, and single-leg Romanian deadlifts with a backpack or dumbbells add the hinge.
Our two dumbbell leg workouts combine goblet squats, Romanian deadlifts, step-ups, split squats and slider curls.
Split squats at 3 sets of 8 to 12 each leg, slider curls at 3 sets of 6 to 12 and step-ups at 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 10 each leg (our lower body workout at home). The pistol squat is an advanced step.
3D demoBodyweight squatBeginner · No equipment3D demoDumbbell goblet squatIntermediate · A dumbbell3D demoSplit squatIntermediate · No equipment3D demoRear-foot-elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)Intermediate · A bench or box3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step3D demoSingle-leg Romanian deadliftAdvanced · A dumbbell3D demoSlider hamstring curlIntermediate · No equipment3D demoNordic curlAdvanced · An anchor point
3D demoPistol squatAdvanced · No equipmentFrom the thigh measurement in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's measuring manual; measuring every 4 weeks is our editorial suggestion.
In 10 to 12-week trials, the thigh muscles an exercise trained well grew by about 5 to 15%, and muscles it didn't train grew a few percent or not at all. Expect months rather than weeks.
The same training can change one person's muscle size a lot and another's barely at all, and part of that is genetic. Compare yourself with your own training log.
Track your lifts first, and measure your mid-thigh every 4 weeks as above. Bathroom body-fat scales estimate fat poorly, so don't judge your progress by them.
In trials, extra protein stopped helping at about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day, a deficit of about 500 calories a day stopped lean-mass gains, and in trained lifters a bigger surplus mainly added fat. Our guide to building muscle covers the rest.
Pair the leg day workout with the machine leg workout or the bodybuilding lower body workout later in the week; with dumbbells, the two dumbbell leg workouts; with no weights, the lower body workout at home twice a week (our suggestion).
A gym leg day: back squats, leg press, leg curls, Bulgarian split squats, leg extensions and calf raises.
55 minIntermediate9 movesA wall, A barbellA 45-minute leg day on machines only: the leg press, then leg extensions and seated leg curls for the muscles it misses, hip abduction and calf presses.
45 minBeginner10 movesCardio machine, Strength machineA 60-minute lower-body session for muscle growth: hack squats, Romanian deadlifts, leg curls, leg extensions, hip thrusts and standing and seated calf raises.
60 minIntermediate11 movesCardio machine, A wallLegs and glutes with dumbbells: goblet squats, Romanian deadlifts, step-ups, split squats and calf raises.
35 minIntermediate10 movesA wall, A dumbbellDumbbell leg workout B: Bulgarian split squats, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, slider curls, single-leg bridges, calf raises and suitcase carries.
45 minIntermediate12 movesA bench or box, A dumbbellA lower body workout at home: split squats, slider hamstring curls, single-leg bridges, step-ups, band walks and calf raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate12 movesA wall, A stepA 35-minute gym hamstring workout: Romanian deadlifts for the hip, seated leg curls for the knee, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, then Nordic curls when ready.
35 minIntermediate7 movesA dumbbell, Strength machineA gym lower body workout for legs and glutes: trap bar deadlifts, hip thrusts, reverse lunges, leg curls, hip abduction, calf raises and core.
50 minIntermediate13 movesOther / check instructions, A barbellThe 4-day split, the 5-day split and push pull legs give about 18 quad sets and 12 glute and hamstring sets a week; the 3-day plan gives about 12 of each. The 30-day squat challenge builds bodyweight squats.
A 4-day upper/lower split: two upper body and two lower body gym days, each muscle trained twice a week, with sets, reps and progression.
4 training days50 minIntermediate6 days a weekA 6-day push/pull/legs plan for experienced lifters: two push, two pull and two leg days, with sets, reps, rest and lighter weeks.
6 training days55 minAdvanced5 days a weekA 5-day gym split that trains every muscle twice a week: upper, lower, push, pull and legs, with an honest look at the bro split.
5 training days50 minIntermediate3 days a weekA beginner gym plan: three full-body sessions a week, alternating workouts A and B, with sets, reps, rest and an 8-week progression.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA free 30-day squat challenge with a chair track and a single-leg track: 3 short sessions a week, optional practice days and a before-and-after test.
3 training days15 minBeginner4 days a weekA 4-day dumbbell-only plan for home or gym: two upper and two lower days, every set, rep and rest, and how to keep progressing when the dumbbells max out.
4 training days45 minBeginnerIn the legs, women and men gained similar amounts, in absolute as well as relative terms. Leg training won't make your thighs bulky by accident: muscle comes slowly and follows the sets you choose.
Adults over 50 gained lean mass in 49 studies, a little less at older ages, and training didn't raise the risk of serious harm. Machines, sit-to-stands and step-ups are good places to start.
Use the limits in our knee pain when squatting and back pain after deadlifts guides, and choose the leg press or single-leg moves if heavy squats hurt.
The UK consensus on osteoporosis recommends strength training for the legs, with safe lifting and no loaded bending of the spine or movements at the end of your range. Our osteoporosis guide covers heavy squats and deadlifts.
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In pregnancy and after the birth, follow our pregnancy and postpartum guides before heavy squats, deadlifts or leg presses; the NHS says to keep up strength training you already do in pregnancy, adjusted as needed. If your blood pressure is high, breathe out as you push on the leg press rather than holding your breath.
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For loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These can be signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently: don't drive yourself, as our back pain after deadlifts guide says. Call 999 too for chest pain that feels tight or spreads to your arms, neck or jaw.
A pop or tearing feeling at the front of the knee after a fall, a jump, a landing or a heavy squat, then you can't straighten the knee or lift the straight leg, there's a dent above or below the kneecap, or the kneecap sits higher or lower than on the other side. Go to A&E or an urgent treatment centre, or get help from NHS 111, as our knee pain when squatting guide explains. In the US, go to urgent care or the emergency department.
Pain, pins and needles or numbness that travels down your leg from your back points to a nerve rather than the muscle. Stop or shrink any move that sends it further down your leg, and see a GP if it spreads below the knee, as our back pain after deadlifts guide says.
Knee pain of 0 to 2 out of 10 is safe, and up to 5 is acceptable if your knee is back to normal by the next morning; for pain at one point just above or below the kneecap, keep it to 3 or less. Back pain should stay at about 5 out of 10 or less, settle within an hour or so and be no worse the next morning. These are the limits in our knee and back guides.
A sudden sharp pain at the back, inside or front of the thigh during a sprint, a heavy hinge or a lunge can be a strain. Stop, and see our hamstring, groin and thigh strain guides.
Beat says a drive to be more muscular, sometimes called muscle dysmorphia, can be part of an eating disorder, especially in men. The NHS lists exercising too much and very strict routines around food among the signs of an eating disorder, and says people with body dysmorphic disorder may take anabolic steroids because they don't see themselves as big or strong enough. See a GP; our eating disorders guide has Beat's helplines.
Full squats didn't grow the rectus femoris or the hamstrings in a 10-week trial. Leg extensions grew the rectus femoris 13.2% against 1.1% with the leg press, and seated curls grew the hamstrings. A squat is a great base, not the whole job.
Full squats grew the glutes and inner thighs more and the front of the thigh as much; deeper squats grew the front of the thigh more in another trial; and half squats brought more pain and no strength gain at every depth.
Hard sets build muscle with light or heavy loads, machines matched free weights for thigh growth, and in a small trial, progressive bodyweight squats matched barbell squats. A barbell makes loading easy; it isn't essential.
Leg extensions grew the rectus femoris 13.2% against 1.1% with the leg press: they fill a gap that squats and leg presses leave.
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Muscle comes slowly, women and men gain similarly in the legs, and growth follows the sets you choose.
Light and heavy weights grew muscle similarly when the sets were hard; heavier weights built more strength.
No single exercise grows every thigh muscle. Full squats grew the front of the thigh, the glutes and the inner thighs, but not the rectus femoris or the hamstrings, so add a hinge or a leg curl for the back of your thighs and a leg extension for the whole quad.
Yes. The leg press grew the quads by a similar amount to leg extensions overall and grew the glutes and inner thighs too, lunges matched an inclined leg press, and single-leg training built about as much muscle as two-leg training in pooled trials. Choose the moves that suit your body and equipment.
As deep as you can with control and without pain. Full squats grew the glutes and inner thighs more than half squats, with the front of the thigh about equal, and built strength at every depth with less pain than partial squats.
Build towards about 10 hard sets a week for the front of your thighs and, separately, for the back, over about 2 sessions. Squats and leg presses count for the quads, glutes and inner thighs, but barely for the hamstrings, which squats didn't grow.
Yes, if the sets are hard. In a small trial, progressive bodyweight squats grew the thighs and glutes as much as barbell squats over 6 weeks in women new to training, and split squats, step-ups, single-leg Romanian deadlifts and slider curls let you keep progressing. Our lower body workout at home is built this way.
Both work. In one trial, the leg press grew the whole quadriceps 4.9%, the glutes 15.4% and the big inner-thigh muscle 6.2%, and squats grow the same muscles; free weights and machines built similar muscle overall. Use what you can load and progress safely.
Use a hinge and a curl each week. Seated leg curls grew the hamstrings more than lying curls (14% against 9%), and Romanian deadlifts grew them about as much as Nordic curls over 6 weeks.
The same way as anyone: squats or leg presses, hinges, single-leg work and curls, building towards about 10 hard sets a week for each muscle group. Women and men gain similarly in the legs, in absolute as well as relative terms, and growth is slow and follows the sets you choose.
Months. In 10 to 12-week trials, the thigh muscles an exercise trained well grew by about 5 to 15%, and results vary a lot between people. Track your lifts, and measure your mid-thigh the same way every 4 weeks if you like.
Stand with your weight on your other leg and the measured leg slightly forward with a soft knee, then measure halfway between the crease at the top of your thigh and the top of your kneecap, with the tape at right angles to the thigh. Measure at the same time of day every 4 weeks or so.
Pain up to 2 out of 10 is fine, and up to 5 is acceptable if your knee is back to normal by the next morning. Get help the same day for a pop at the front of the knee followed by a knee you can't straighten, and see our knee pain when squatting guide for the other warning signs.
A small surplus helps, but a big one mostly adds fat, and a deficit of about 500 calories a day stopped lean-mass gains in trials. Protein of about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day covers most people's needs.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
