6 exercises20 setsabout 50 mina pair of dumbbells and a bench
A complete lower body session: a squat for the quads and glutes, a hinge for the hamstrings, single-leg work to even out the two sides, and calves to finish.
Dumbbells make each side carry its own weight, so a stronger arm or leg cannot cover for the other, and they travel through a longer range than a bar allows.
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The workout
Goblet Squat4 × 8Hold one dumbbell against your chest. Sit straight down between your knees and keep your chest tall.2 min rest
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift3 × 10Dumbbells close to your legs. Hinge at the hips with a flat back to mid-shin, then squeeze your glutes to stand.90 s rest
Bulgarian Split Squat3 × 10 per sideBack foot on a bench or chair. Drop straight down until the front thigh is parallel to the floor.90 s rest
Walking Lunge3 × 12 per sideLong steps, back knee almost to the floor, torso upright. Push off the front heel into the next step.60 s rest
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift3 × 12 per sideHinge forward on one leg while the other reaches straight back. Keep your hips level.60 s rest
Standing Calf Raise4 × 15Balls of your feet on a step. Drop your heels all the way, rise as high as you can and pause.60 s rest
Muscles worked
FrontBack
Glutes16
Quads10
Hamstrings9
Adductors5
Calves4
Lower back3
Abs2
Sets per muscle. A muscle that only assists in an exercise counts half.
How to run it
Before the first exercise, do two lighter sets of it: one at about half your working weight and one at three quarters. Rest for the time shown next to each exercise; the heavy lifts at the top need more than the smaller ones at the end.
Aim to finish each set with one or two reps left in you. If every set reaches its target easily, the session is too light. Dumbbells go up in big steps. When the next pair is too heavy, add a rep to every set first, and move up once you are two or three reps over the target.
Once or twice a week. In a push, pull, legs rotation it is the third day; in an upper and lower split it alternates with the upper body session.
In myreplog
It is already set up. These 6 exercises arrive in your account as a program, with the sets and reps above.
Tap, do not type. Set your weights the first time, then mark each set done as you finish it.
Records count themselves. From your second session, a lift that beats your best is marked as a personal record on the spot.
See what you trained. The session ends with this muscle map, drawn from the sets you actually did.
Logging is free for good. The first 14 days also include Pro, where a coach reviews each session and suggests the weights for the next one. No card needed.
Questions
How long does this leg day workout take?
About 50 minutes. That is 20 working sets with the rests listed next to each exercise, plus five minutes to warm up.
What muscles does it work?
Mostly the glutes, quads and hamstrings. The adductors, calves, lower back and abs assist. The map on this page shades each muscle by the number of sets that reach it.
What equipment do I need?
A pair of dumbbells and a bench.
How long should leg day take?
Around an hour including warm-up sets. Legs are the largest muscles you have, so the rests between heavy sets need to be longer than on an arm day.
Why are my legs so sore after leg day?
Squats and lunges load the muscle while it lengthens, which is what causes soreness, and the leg muscles are large. It fades as the session becomes familiar, usually within two or three weeks.