Leg day workout
Two leg day workouts — a squat day and a deadlift day — to alternate through the week or run one at a time.
Leg day trains the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Lead with a squat or a deadlift, add a single-leg exercise, and finish with leg curls and calf raises. Most splits alternate a squat-focused day with a hinge-focused one.
Squat leg day
Squat heavy, then build the rest of the legs around it.
Barbell Back Squat- Sets
- 4
- Reps
- 5–8
- Rest
- 3 min
Romanian Deadlift- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 8–10
- Rest
- 2 min
Leg Press- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 10–12
- Rest
- 2 min
Lever Lying Leg Curl- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 10–12
- Rest
- 60 s
Lever Standing Calf Raise- Sets
- 4
- Reps
- 10–15
- Rest
- 60 s
Deadlift leg day
The hinge leads; single-leg work and machines fill in the quads.
Barbell Deadlift- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 5
- Rest
- 3 min
Bulgarian Split Squat- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 8–10 each leg
- Rest
- 2 min
Lever Leg Extension- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 12–15
- Rest
- 60 s
Lever Seated Leg Curl- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 10–15
- Rest
- 60 s
Lever Seated Calf Raise- Sets
- 4
- Reps
- 12–15
- Rest
- 60 s
Can’t do one of these?
Machine taken or training somewhere else? Each of these has substitutes that work the same muscles.
Tips
- Warm up with two or three light sets of your first lift.
- Leave one or two reps in reserve on squats and deadlifts; save the hardest sets for machines, where failure is safe.
- Eat and sleep well before leg day; it is the most demanding session of the week.
Run this workout in SPLYT
Every exercise here is in SPLYT’s library. Save the workout as a template, log your sets on iPhone or Apple Watch, and next time your weights are already filled in from what you lifted.
Exercises to swap in
Every one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration. Swap any of them into the workouts above.
Quads
Hamstrings
Questions
What should I do on leg day?
A squat or deadlift, a single-leg exercise like split squats or lunges, a leg curl and a calf raise. Add a leg press or leg extension for more quad volume.
How long should a leg day workout take?
About 60 to 75 minutes with rests of two to three minutes on the big lifts.
Can I train legs two days in a row?
It’s better to leave at least a day between hard leg sessions so your legs recover.