Leg day done right is more than just squats. This five-exercise routine covers the full lower body: quads, hamstrings, and glutes, in an order that primes the hips first, hits the heavy compound work while you're fresh, then finishes with targeted isolation. Whether you're trying to build size, improve strength, or just stop skipping legs, this is a session you can run week after week.
Inner Thigh
Warm-up — open the hips before loading them
Start here before you touch a barbell. The adductor machine pulls your legs inward against resistance, loosening the inner thigh and opening up hip range of motion. That translates directly to better squat depth and knees that stay in line. Keep it light — enough to feel the muscle wake up, not enough to fatigue it. If you're unsure which machine you're sitting in, check the movement: adductor brings the legs together. The one that pushes them apart is the abductor, and that's not what you need here.
2 sets × 15–20 reps. Light weight. The last rep of each set should feel mildly challenging, not draining.
Barbell Squat
Primary compound movement — the foundation of the session
The squat loads the quads, hamstrings, and glutes simultaneously and demands coordination across the whole lower body in a way no machine can replicate. Feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly out, core braced before you descend. Push your knees out over your toes and drop your hips to at least knee height.
4 sets × 8–10 reps at 70–75% of your 1RM. Your last set should reach failure at rep 10. If it doesn't, you're not using enough weight.
Leg Press
Volume work — more load on the quads and glutes, without taxing your spine
After squats, the leg press lets you keep loading the quads and glutes without putting your lower back under a barbell. Foot position changes what you're training: higher on the platform hits more glute, lower shifts the work toward the quads. Start in the middle and adjust once you're comfortable.
3 sets × 10–12 reps at 65–70% of your 1RM. Rep 12 of your last set should be a genuine grind.
Leg Extensions
Quad isolation — finish what the squat started
Pure quad isolation, no other muscles involved. By now your quads are already working hard, and the leg extension finishes them off. One thing worth knowing: some lifters do leg extensions before squats, not after. Pre-fatiguing the quads means the body recruits them harder once you get under the bar, which can mean better quad development at lower squat weights. A legitimate strategy, especially if heavy squatting bothers your knees.
3 sets × 12–15 reps. Set the weight so rep 15 of your final set is your actual failure point.
Lying Leg Curl Machine
Hamstring isolation — the exercise most people skip, and shouldn't
The leg curl trains the hamstrings, the muscles most people underwork relative to their quads. That imbalance is one of the more common sources of knee and lower back problems. Both lying and seated versions work; seated tends to keep tension on the hamstring through a slightly fuller range. If knee stability is something you think about, it's worth moving leg curls earlier in the session, right after the adductor warm-up. Activated hamstrings do contribute to stability under heavy load.
3 sets × 10–12 reps at 65–70% of your 1RM. Last set should approach failure at rep 12.
The order here is a starting point, not a rule. Once you've run this routine a few times and know how your body responds, experiment. Move the leg curl earlier if your knees feel unstable under load. Try leg extensions before squats if quad growth is the priority. The structure is there to give you a framework; what you do with it is up to you.