HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT EXERCISES FOR MONSTER LEGS

Let’s face it… there’s nothing more ridiculous than a guy with a well-developed upper body—massive arms and pecs—only for you to look down and see legs that look like they belong on a turkey.

And I say ‘a guy,’ not ‘a person,’ because you rarely see this issue with women. In fact, women often dedicate more time to training their lower body—something men could definitely learn from!

If you’re looking to build stronger, bigger legs, or need a more methodical approach toward how to program better for your clients with the goal of lower body hypertrophy, keep reading.

In this article, you’ll learn how to choose the right exercises for monster legs, while better understanding the nuances involved with WHY you’re making the choices you’re making.

Context is Key

As I’ve said before, context is everything. What may be excellent advice for one person could be mediocre for another. When it comes to building an impressive set of legs, you need to consider individual context—this affects the exercises you choose, their variations, placement in the workout, and weekly frequency.

Training the upper body, like the pecs, is often more straightforward. But when it comes to the lower body, you’re dealing with a larger, more diverse group of muscles, each requiring focused attention for effective development:

Quadriceps
Hamstrings
Calves
Adductors
Glutes

Additionally, each of these muscles can be broken down into smaller sections or heads, which can be specifically targeted through different variations or movement planes.

For example, the gluteus maximus is tensioned during hip extension exercises, while the gluteus medius is more engaged during hip abduction.

Similarly, the rectus femoris—a head of the quadriceps that crosses both the knee and hip joints—receives less activation in compound lifts like squats and requires knee-flexion isolation movements like leg extensions to grow.(1) 

We’re talking about the biggest and strongest muscles in the body, capable of handling some serious weight. But let’s be real—most people don’t have the intestinal fortitude to put in the effort it takes to truly build them.

That’s why you see so many gym-goers walking around with upper bodies like superheroes and legs like toothpicks.

Building monster legs demands consistent, grueling work—there’s no shortcut for that.

ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT TRAINING AND WANT A CAREER IN THE FIELD?

YES, I WANT TO BECOME A PERSONAL TRAINER

Beginner vs. Intermediate Clients

If your client is relatively new to training, it’s best not to overcomplicate things with advanced lower body lifts just yet. The focus should be on mastering the basic movement patterns and gradually earning the right to increase load and progress to more complex exercises over time. 

Mai from Rehab-U has written an excellent article speaking exactly about this. 

The key lower body movement patterns to focus on include:

Hip hinge
Squat
Split-squat/lunge
Step-up
Knee-flexion
Hip abduction

Once a solid foundation is created, they will be more able to maximize muscle tension potential. 

In other words, the ability to properly load your muscles while deloading your joints, as well as maintaining an optimal line of tension through a stable and well-supported frame, will be your ticket toward building muscle optimally while avoiding pain and injuries.

Why am I mentioning injuries?

It’s simple: if you’re injured, you can’t train—or at best, you’ll be severely limited in what you can do. And if you’re not training, you’re not building muscle. You don’t need a research study to tell you that!

For intermediate and advanced clients who already have a solid foundation and greater self-awareness, it’s ideal to prioritize load and maximize muscle tension as the primary driver of progress.

It’s at this point that we have set the stage for the main point of the article, which is:

Which exercises offer the highest potential for muscle hypertrophy in regard to the lower body?

We can evaluate each exercise by scoring them based on several key factors.

1. Is the lift safe to perform?
2. Does the exercise allow the muscle(s) to work through a complete ROM? (2)
3. Does the exercise provide a well-distributed tension curve?
4. Is progressive overload simple and possible?
5. Does the lift generate an acceptable balance between central and local fatigue?

Generally speaking, if you choose the bulk of your exercises based on those that score high in these 5 questions, you will be well on your way toward creating an effective program suitable for muscle hypertrophy.

Let’s look at an example of a less-than-ideal training session, based off of exercises that do not score well in the above questions.

A) Conventional deadlifts

• Generates high amounts of central fatigue, especially if trained close to failure.
• Lacks specificity in regard to what muscles are targeted.

B) Swiss Ball Leg Curl 

• Zero loadability.

C) Alternating Step-Ups

• Lacking complete range of motion.
• Alternating reps unnecessarily prolong the set, requiring more reps to approach failure.

D) Bosu-Ball Squat

• This has become a meme, but the obvious reason is that it is unsafe and a terrible choice for building muscle, pointe finale. 

E) Quadruped Plate Hip Abduction

• Tension is mostly present toward the shortened range.

This being said, I want to make it clear that there are situations where using these exercises may in fact still be an acceptable idea, if you’re able to back it up with logic and reasoning.

I am specifically trying to demonstrate that exercise selection should have a more methodical approach that TRENDS in the direction that favors positive scores based off of the 5 factors mentioned above.

Therefore, a better alternative may be:

A) Kneeling Leg Curl 2-3 x 8 3010

B) Donkey Calf Raise 2-3 x 6 2210

C) Reverse-Band Hack Squat – Narrow Stance 2-3 x 8 3010

D) Leg Press – Mid/Wide Stance 2-3 x 10 2110

E) Incline Back Extension 2-3 x 12 2011

This exercise selection ensures that the muscles can be properly tensioned through a complete range of motion. Some of the exercises such as the leg press and hack squat allow for high levels of stability even if it IS given by external means (the back support pads). The reverse-band setup for the hack squat allows for more appropriate tension throughout the entire rep. As you approach the top 1/3rd of the lift, where you are strongest, the bands release tension and so more of the total weight can be felt.

In many cases, when working with clients of various backgrounds and histories, there are often imbalances that must be addressed first. This leads me to my next point:

Point #2: What muscles are in need of extra attention?

For instance, if your client has a significant strength imbalance in their left glute, a weak core and bracing ability, combined with muscle tightness and joint limitations in their hips, these issues will likely show up during movements like squats or deadlifts, leading to compensations and an increased risk of injury. 

In this case, the goal needs to be adjusted slightly. While you can still aim for muscle hypertrophy, it’s smarter to prioritize unilateral exercises to balance strength between both sides and correct the imbalance.

Similarly, If your client’s quads are more developed than their hamstrings or calves, it makes sense to shift focus toward the underdeveloped muscles. This approach helps create balance and ensures all muscle groups are progressing in harmony.

In this case, exercise selection will favor exercises that properly tension those muscles, and ideally will have them placed significantly earlier in the training program such as at the very start. This is often referred to as a specialization phase.

In this specific case, you can structure the day as follows:

A1) Seated Leg Curl
A2) Leg Press Calf Raise
B) Squat
C1) Step-Up
C2) Back Extension

The idea is to target your client’s weaknesses at the beginning of the training session, when they’re fresh and have the most energy. This way, with minimal central fatigue, they can fully engage the muscles that need the most attention without the risk of reduced muscle recruitment later in the workout.

Central Fatigue: Nervous system-driven fatigue that affects the brain’s ability to send effective signals to the muscles, resulting in a reduced capacity for powerful muscle contractions.

On the other hand, if your assessment reveals that your client is practically perfect—no pain, no injuries, excellent technique, great body awareness, and balanced strength and muscle development both upper and lower (dream client, right?)—then you can take a more balanced and varied approach to exercise selection, and choose exercises that score well on the 5 factors mentioned in the earlier part of this article.

When it comes to building monster legs, it’s not just about picking any exercise—it’s about making smarter, thoughtful choices. Focus on exercises that allow for a full range of motion, distribute tension evenly, and are safe and manageable for your client to perform correctly. By being strategic in your selection, you’ll ensure better results while minimizing the risk of injury, leading to better long-term progress.