Whether you’re new to the gym or a casual gym-goer, you’ve probably heard the term “don’t skip leg day.” There is great truth to this common humorous phrase! Working your legs is just as important as other body parts and cardiovascular training. Learn about 10 ultimate barbell leg workouts that will strengthen your lower body and leave your legs pumping with happiness!
- Barbell Back Squat Leg Workout
- Barbell Front Squat Workout
- Barbell Split Squat Workout
- Barbell Reverse Lunge Workout
- Barbell Hip Thrust Workout
- Barbell Good Morning Workout
- Barbell Rack Pull Workout
- Barbell Romanian Deadlift Workout
- Sumo Deadlift Workout
- Barbell Standing Calf Raise Workout
Benefits of Barbell Leg Workouts
1. Barbell leg workouts burn more calories
Barbell leg workouts are frequently compound exercises, which means that you’re training multiple muscles or muscle groups at once. You get a bigger bang for your buck, and that leads to a bigger calorie burn! Additionally, leg workouts often involve larger muscle groups, which can help boost your calorie burn. The bigger the muscle, the more energy that is required!
2. Barbell leg workouts strengthen and build muscle
If you want stronger and bigger legs, compound movements and exercises such as barbell leg workouts are the way to go! The benefits compound as well. The more you work out your legs, the better you will perform in other gym workouts, like deadlifting, lunging, and box jumping.
3. Barbell leg workouts improve cardiovascular performance
Cardiovascular health is described as the function of both your heart and lungs and how well they perform when under pressure. Having a good cardiovascular system is important for both day-to-day tasks and helping you with other areas of resistance training.
4. Barbell leg workouts build core strength
You may be wondering what core has to do with leg day. Surprisingly, many leg and lower-body exercises demand core strength. Barbell leg workouts are a great way to incorporate your core while mainly targeting your legs. Building a solid core is crucial in many aspects of life!
5. Barbell leg workouts help you avoid injury
The more you neglect your lower half muscles, the more injury prone you will be. Barbell leg workouts help you build strength and improve mobility, which are both important in preventing injury. Strong muscles and bones mean that you have a more stable foundation. Strong legs are also vital for weight-bearing and resistance exercises, which support bone, heart, and overall health as you age.
10 Barbell Leg Workouts
Barbell Back Squat
The barbell back squat is one of the most popular barbell leg workouts in the gym. It challenges some of the biggest muscles in the body, promotes muscle growth, and builds strength. Barbell back squats work the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and lower back muscles. Although it is a lower body exercise, the upper body and core are involved and will work to improve your mobility, stability, and coordination.
Barbell Back Squat Instructions:
- Choose a barbell that you can lift over your head to position on your back. If using a squat rack, set the barbell so it sits just below your shoulders and place the safety pins just below where the barbell would rest at the bottom of your squat.
- Duck under the bar and stand so that the bar rests on your traps (high bar) or below your shoulders (low bar). Pull your shoulders back and grip the bar with both hands, extend your legs, stand tall to grab the bar, and take a few steps back.
- Adopt your preferred squat stance and be sure your toes are pointed out slightly. Brace your core and begin to simultaneously push your hips and bend your knees. Make sure you’re pushing your knees outward to ensure they don’t cave in!
- Squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor and pause for a second.
- As you begin to stand up, keep your chest high, squeeze your glutes, and allow your knees to straighten.
- At the end of each repetition, your shoulders should be directly over your hips. Repeat.
Barbell Front Squat
The front squat strengthens the legs and hips – particularly your quads and glutes. Similar to the barbell back squat, the barbell front squat targets your quads, but to a greater degree. During a front squat, you hold the barbell in front of your shoulders rather than behind.
Barbell Front Squat Instructions:
- In the squat rack, set the bar up to be mid shoulder height and bend your knees so the hips are under the bar. The bar should be under your chin.
- Make sure your thumbs are facing outside of your shoulders; this will be your grip on the bar.
- Pull your elbows out and forward under the bar and keep your legs straight. Unrack the bar and take a couple small steps back.
- Lock your core and keep your chest straightened with your elbows in line with your shoulders.
- Keep the barbell over your mid foot and perform a squat with your thighs parallel.
- Push yourself up and return to a standing position. Repeat.
Barbell Split Squat
The barbell split squat is a popular unilateral movement that athletes uses to increase their levels of muscle mass and strength and reduce injuries. These barbell leg workouts particularly target the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles. Barbell split squats can enhance core strength and stability because they activate muscles throughout your upper and lower abs.
Barbell Split Squat Instructions:
- Unrack the barbell and take a few steps back.
- Place one foot firmly in front of you, roughly 1-2 feet. Drop your rear foot slightly behind you and allow your knee to bend towards the floor into an almost kneeling position.
- As you begin squatting, allow the front foot to stay flat onto the floor, with your front knee bent over your toes. Make sure your torso is upright!
- At the deepest part of the split squat, the front knee should be pointed in the direction of the front toes.
- When coming up, focus on staying balanced between your feet and keeping your torso upright. Repeat.
Barbell Reverse Lunge
The barbell reverse lunge is a challenging unilateral squat movement. This exercise builds strength in the legs and improves stability, balance, and core strength. Since these barbell leg workouts are a compound exercise, you’re building cohesive and unilateral strength throughout your entire legs.
Barbell Reverse Lunge Instructions:
- First, get under the bar and make sure you’re gripping it with an overhand grip. Be sure your back is straight, and your feet are about hip width apart.
- To begin the lunge, take a step back with your left leg. This will place the majority of the weight on your right leg. Be sure you’re stepping back enough that your left knee is behind your right heel when it touches the ground.
- Bend down until your back knee touches the ground and your front knee is at a 90-degree angle.
- Stand back up, making sure to drive the weight with your front leg and the ball of your foot.
- As you’re standing up, bring your back leg up to its starting position. Repeat with the other leg.
Barbell Hip Thrust
A barbell hip thrust helps build glute muscles and also works other leg muscles. It is defined by lifting your lower back and torso with your knees bent and upper body resting on a bench. These barbell leg workouts help build your glutes and muscles, improve your hip flexor muscles, and work your entire lower body. Building strong glutes will also have a positive carryover into your other exercises including squat and deadlift variations.
Barbell Hip Thrust Instructions:
- Place a loaded barbell parallel to a bench.
- Sit on the floor with your back up against the bench. Roll the barbell over your hips until it rests in the crease of your hips.
- With your upper back on the bench, lift your hips slightly off the ground. Your upper arms should rest against the bench. The weight on your feet should be evenly distributed among each foot and should be in stable positions. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the entire movement. All repetitions should begin from this position.
- To begin the upward movement, squeeze your glutes and push your feet into the ground.
- Continue squeezing your glutes as you push your hips upward to achieve full hip extension. Keep your core engaged and shins vertical. Pause for 2-3 seconds at the top.
- To begin the downward movement, move your hips to the starting position and allow your chest to follow your hips. Keep your chin tucked, maintain tension on your glutes, and keep your core engaged. Repeat.
Barbell Good Morning
The barbell good morning is a hip hinge exercise which strengthens several muscles including the glutes, hamstrings, adductor magnus, and spinal erectors. This exercise is the perfect way to improve leg, hip, and back strength.
Barbell Good Morning Instructions:
- Hold the barbell in both hands, just outside of shoulder width. Duck under the bar and rest it on the soft part of your upper back.
- Stand up to unrack the bar and take a few steps back.
- Position your stance, about shoulder width-wide, with toes pointing forward, and knees slightly bent.
- Take a deep breath into your stomach and push your hips back. You should aim to get your torso to a 45-90 degree angle.
- Pause before returning to the starting position, thrusting your hips forward, squeezing your glutes and hamstrings. Repeat.
Barbell Rack Pull
While traditional deadlifts are performed from the floor and require more range of motion, rack pulls utilize a power rack to elevate the starting position. This makes it slightly easier and allows lifters to overload the lockout portion of the deadlift. Barbell rack pulls can increase pulling and grip strength, reduce injury risk, and promotes muscle development.
Barbell Rack Pull Instructions:
- Start by setting the rack supports to the proper height, which is commonly just below or above the knees.
- Place the barbell on the rack supports and load the desired amount of weight on each side.
- Step up to the barbell, stand shoulder-width apart, and slightly bend your knees and hips.
- Grasp the bar slightly wider than shoulder width, with a doublehand or alternating grip.
- Before lifting the barbell, pull the slack out of your positioning by tightening your lats and loading your hamstrings by slightly pushing against the floor.
- In a smooth movement, lift the barbell up until your hips are fully extended. Make sure not to overextend your back at the top!
- While keeping slight tension on the bar, return to the starting position. Repeat.
Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Unlike traditional deadlifts that start from the ground, Romanian deadlifts begin with weight at hip height. These barbell leg workouts emphasize the hamstring and glutes and are excellent for targeting specific muscle groups with precision. Incorporating Romanian deadlifts into a regular strength training regimen becomes more than just a means of building muscle; it becomes a strategic investment in overall lower body health, athletic prowess, and injury prevention.
Barbell Romanian Instructions:
- Stand with your feet hip-to-shoulder width apart and feet pointing forward. Perform a deadlift to get the bar off the floor and position the barbell over the midfoot.
- As you grab the bar, tighten your entire back. Lock the shoulder blades back and position your shins as vertically as possible. Balance the weight evenly over the feet.
- Lift the bar while extending the knees and maintaining torso position. Keep the bar close to the body at all times. Maintain a slight bend in your knees. Continue to hinge your torso forward until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
- Push your hips to the bar. As you move through the second half of the exercise, dig your les into the ground, pull your chest up, and squeeze your glutes to bring your hips back to the bar to return to your upright position. Repeat.
Sumo Deadlift
The sumo deadlift is a more technical lift compared to the others. These barbell leg workouts build serious lower-body strength and works multiple muscle groups at once. The sumo deadlift variation targets the quads, glutes, inner thighs, and hamstrings while also engaging the core. They are an excellent exercise for improving hip mobility, flexibility, and overall strength. The sumo also places less stress on the lower back and knees, making it a great option for people with these types of injuries.
Sumo Deadlift Instructions:
- Start by placing your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and point your toes at a 45-degree angle.
- Bend down and grip the barbell with your hands placed inside your knees. This avoids rounding your upper back.
- Lift the barbell so that it rests on your thighs.
- Take a deep breath in and brace your core.
- Reverse the movement by hinging at the hips and bending your knees until the barbell is back on your thighs. Return to the starting position and repeat.
- Once the barbell reaches the floor, drive through your heals and hips to stand up tall. As you stand up, exhale and squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement. Repeat.
Barbell Standing Calf Raise
The barbell standing calf raise mainly targets your calves, but you’ll also feel benefits in your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. These barbell leg workouts can help strengthen your back as well as your entire posterior chain. In addition to building strength and muscle mass, the standing barbell calf raise can help improve your balance and stability. This is because you are required to maintain a stationary position while performing the exercise.
Barbell Standing Calf Raise Instructions:
- To begin, set the bar on a rack that best fits your height. Once the bar is loaded, step up under the bar and place the bar on the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck).
- Hold on to the bar using both arms and lift it off the rack by pushing with your legs and straightening your torso at the same time.
- Step away from the rack and position your legs using a shoulder width medium stance with your toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up the whole time and knees slightly bent. This will be your starting position.
- As you breathe out, raise your heels by extending your ankles as high as possible and flexing your calf. Ensure that the knee is stationary at all times! Hold this position for a couple seconds before going back down.
- Transition slowly to the starting position as you breathe in by lowering your heels. Repeat.
Try out our Ultimate Barbell Leg Workouts today!
Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or have been working your legs for years, we’ve got you covered! There are many barbell leg workouts to choose from. Feel the blood pumping through your veins with our 10 ultimate barbell leg exercises and reap the many benefits!
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