3 Best Beginner Leg Workouts: Turn Your Chicken Legs Into Tree Trunks

Leg workouts are the most skipped workouts in a resistance training routine. It’s almost as if most lifters think that leg workouts are optional. So many lifters have such polarizing views about leg workouts because they had a shaky start with lower-body training. 

Many beginners try to do too much too soon in their leg workouts; it gives them suboptimal results and increases their risk of injury. One of the most common mistakes a beginner lifter can make is to incorporate advanced exercisers, such as the Bulgarian split squat and the Jefferson squat, in their training regimen. Although these exercises look dope and can help induce hypertrophy, these lifts are best left to advanced trainers. 

Starting the leg workouts on the right foot will set you on the correct trajectory toward your fitness goals. An effective beginner leg workout will help you drill the basic movements and make you look forward to your lower body workouts every week. 

In this article, we go over the three best beginner leg workouts to unlock new strength and muscle gains. We also cover the advantages of performing leg workouts as a beginner and the tips to get the best bang for your buck. 

Best Beginner Leg Workouts

This article contains three beginner-friendly workouts that will help you build bigger wheels.

But why three and not one, you ask?

A complete beginner should always begin with a bodyweight workout and stick to it for four to eight weeks. The first workout in this article will be a bodyweight workout to help you master the basic movements. The third workout introduces additional resistance to the mix.

What about the second workout? That’s a surprise!

The first workout will help you develop the necessary muscle mobility and strength to perform the exercises using weights with a full range of movement.

Although the bodyweight beginner leg workout might sound boring, it is a must for newbie lifters as it will help you build the necessary bone, tendon, ligament, and muscle strength to support weights for the more advanced workouts.

Bodyweight Beginner Leg Workout

Beginners must begin their lower body training journey with compound (multi-joint) exercises as it helps ignite strength and muscle gains while improving overall functionality, which boosts their physical performance in everyday tasks. 

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Air Squat	3	12-15
Step-Up	3	12-15
Lateral Lunge	3	12-15
Glute Bridge	3	12-15
Stability Ball Leg Curl	3	12-15
Standing Calf Raise	3	12-15

Here is how to perform each exercise with the correct form:

Air Squat

The squat is the king of leg exercises and should be a part of each lower-body training session. It helps develop strength and muscle mass, improve balance and mobility, and build a solid core. There are enough squat variations to keep your workouts interesting. 

Steps:

1. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance. 
2. Turn your toes outward slightly for a more comfortable ankle position. 
3. Hold your hands in front of your chest throughout the exercise. 
4. Push your hips back and down to lower yourself into a deep squat. 
5. Pause at the bottom. 
6. Explode back to the starting position while driving through your heels. 
7. Repeat for recommended reps. 

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Pro Tip: Maintain the natural curvature of your spine throughout the movement. Avoid bending forward, as it will strain your lower back. 

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Check out our complete air squat guide here!

Step-Up

The step-up is a lunge variation. It is a potent booty builder and will help improve your mobility as it involves moving through a more extensive range of motion than the conventional lunge. 

Steps:

1. Stand tall, facing an elevated platform, such as a flat bench or a plyo box. The height of the box should be at least 20 inches. 
2. Lift your right foot off the floor and plant it on the elevated platform. 
3. Drive through the right foot to lift your left leg off the floor. Place your left foot beside your right foot. 
4. Return to the starting position. 
5. Start with your left foot for the next rep. 
6. Alternate between sides for the recommended reps.

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Pro Tip: Avoid using your rear leg to push yourself off the floor. Further, keep an upright torso throughout the exercise. 

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Check out our complete step-up guide here!

Lateral Lunge

The lateral lunge is one of the most overlooked lower body movements. It is excellent for improving your hip mobility. The lateral lunge will boost your performance in leg exercises, especially those that require a wide stance, such as the sumo squat and deadlift.

Steps:

1. Stand erect with a hip-width stance. 
2. Hold your hands in front of your chest.
3. Take a big step to your right while keeping your left foot planted on the floor. 
4. Bend your right knee to lower yourself toward the floor. Your right thigh should at least be parallel to the floor at the bottom. 
5. Forcefully push off from your foot to return to the starting position.
6. Repeat on the left side. 
7. Alternate between sides for the recommended reps. 

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Pro Tip: As you gain more experience, you can achieve more depth by lifting the toes of the planted foot off the floor. 

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Check out our complete lateral lunge guide here!

Glute Bridge

This exercise targets your glutes and hamstrings. The glute bridge might look inconsequential but will leave you with a muscle-ripping pump. 

Steps:

1. Lie on the floor on your back. Your arms should be at your sides. 
2. Bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the floor. 
3. Lift your hips toward the ceiling. Your body, from knees to head, should be in a straight line at the top. 
4. Pause and contract your glutes at the top. 
5. Slowly return to the starting position. 
6. Repeat for recommended reps.

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Pro Tip: Place the soles of your feet together for a greater emphasis on the outside of your glutes. 

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Check out our complete glute bridge guide here!

Stability Ball Leg Curl

The stability ball leg curl will smoke your hamstrings. This exercise also requires decent core strength to perform correctly. 

Steps:

1. Lie supine on the floor with your feet on top of an exercise ball.
2. When your legs are extended, your ankles should be on top of the ball. This will be your starting position.
3. Raise your hips off the floor, keeping your weight on your shoulder blades and feet.
4. Bend your knees to bring the ball as close to your butt as possible. 
5. Pause and contract your hams at the top. 
6. Return to the starting position.

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Pro Tip: You could start with a heavy wall ball if doing this exercise using an exercise ball feels too difficult.

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Standing Calf Raise

Calves are often overlooked in a bodyweight training regimen. However, this is no ordinary training program. 

Steps:

1. Place your toes on the edge of an elevated object, such as an aerobic step. 
2. Place your hands on a wall for stability. 
3. Lower your heels as close to the floor as possible. 
4. Lift your heels as high as possible. 
5. Pause and contract your calves at the top. 
6. Slowly return to the starting position.

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Pro Tip: Imagine getting on your toes like a ballerina at the top of the movement for optimal gastrocnemius muscle stimulation. 

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Check out our complete standing calf raise guide here!

Bodyweight HIIT Leg Workout For Beginners

Beginners can ramp up the intensity of the bodyweight leg workouts using the HIIT (high-intensity interval training) protocol. HIIT workouts involve short bursts of intense activity followed by periods of rest or lower-intensity exercise. Besides helping build muscle mass and strength, HIIT workouts can improve cardiovascular health, increase metabolic rate, and promote weight loss. Furthermore, since this type of workout takes less time to complete than conventional workouts, it is more suitable for people on a tight schedule. [1]

We’ll program the bodyweight beginner leg workout exercises into a HIIT format. Perform three rounds of the following circuit. Do each exercise for 45 seconds. You are allowed a 15-second rest after each exercise and a two-minute rest after finishing each round. This workout will take you 21.25 minutes to complete. 

Exercise	Time	Rest (in seconds)
Air Squat	45	15
Step-Up	45	15
Lateral Lunge	45	15
Glute Bridge	45	15
Stability Ball Leg Curl	45	15
Standing Calf Raise	45	120

Weighted Beginner Leg Workout

The weighted beginner leg workout includes basic lower body exercises; these will help add size and strength to your wheels. 

After doing the bodyweight leg workout for four to eight weeks, you can switch to the weighted beginner leg workout. It includes a balance of compound and isolation exercises to ignite new growth. Use a weight that allows you to reach muscle failure in the 8-12 rep range to boost muscle hypertrophy. Also, limit your rest duration between sets to 60-120 seconds to keep your training intensity high. [2]

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Squat	3	8-12
Walking Lunge	3	8-12
Leg Press	3	8-12
Leg Extension	3	8-12
Leg Curl	3	8-12
Seated Calf Raise	3	8-12

Below is the form breakdown of each exercise:

Barbell Squat 

The barbell back squat is a variation of the air squat and involves holding a bar across your shoulders while performing the lift. 

Steps:

1. Stand erect with a hip-width stance with a barbell placed across your shoulders. 
2. Keeping an upright torso, lower yourself into a squat by pushing your hips back and down. 
3. Lower toward the floor until your thighs at least break parallel. 
4. Explode back to the starting position.

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Pro Tip: Keep your core and glutes braced throughout the exercise for better balance and stability. 

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Check out our complete barbell squat guide here!

Walking Lunge 

The barbell walking lunge is more challenging than the forward or reverse lunge as it demands greater balance and core stabilizer engagement. 

Steps:

1. Stand upright with a barbell placed across your shoulders. 
2. Step forward with your right foot. 
3. Lower until your left knee touches the floor and your right thigh is parallel to the floor. 
4. Bring your left foot next to your right foot. 
5. Alternate between sides for recommended reps.

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Pro Tip: Use a weight that you can handle comfortably. You can switch to dumbbells if you’re having difficulty maintaining your balance with a barbell. 

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Check out our complete walking lunge guide here!

Leg Press

The leg press is one of the most abused training equipment. Most lifters load more weights onto the machine than they can handle and end up moving the sled only a few inches. Ensure you follow a full range of motion for optimal muscle stimulation. 

Steps:

1. Load an appropriate weight onto the leg press machine. 
2. Take a seat on the machine while maintaining the natural curvature of your spine. 
3. Plant your feet shoulder-width apart on the foot platform.
4. Unrack the sled and unhook the safety bars. 
5. Slowly lower the sled until your thighs are a few inches away from your chest. 
6. Extend your legs while driving through your whole foot. 
7. Avoid locking out your knees at the top. 
8. Repeat for recommended reps.

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Pro Tip: Use different foot positions to target your legs from different angles. A wider-than-shoulder-width stance targets your inner thighs, whereas a narrow foot placement targets your quad sweeps. 

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Check out our complete leg press guide here!

Leg Extension

The leg extension is a staple in most leg workouts. It is an isolation exercise that focuses on your quads.

Steps:

1. Sit on the leg extension machine and place your ankles behind the foot pad. 
2. While keeping your hips glued to the seat, extend your knees so your legs are in a straight line. 
3. Pause and contract your quads at the top. 
4. Slowly return to the starting position. 
5. Repeat for reps.

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Pro Tip: Train to failure on this exercise to achieve a quad-ripping pump. 

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Check out our complete leg extension guide here!

Leg Curl

Similar to how the machine preacher curl targets the biceps, the leg curl targets and strengthens the hamstrings.

Steps:

1. Lay face down on the machine. 
2. The ankle pad should be just above the back of your ankles.
3. Squeeze your hamstrings and curl the weight. The pad should touch your hips at the top of the movement. 
4. Pause and contract your hams at the top. 
5. Slowly return to the starting position. 
6. Repeat for reps.

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Pro Tip: Keep your toes pointed during this exercise for better hamstring isolation. 

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Check out our complete leg curl guide here!

Seated Calf Raise

While the standing calf raises stimulate the gastrocnemius muscle, the seated calf raise works the soleus muscle. 

Steps:

1. Sit on the calf raise machine. Place your toes on the foot platform and the bottom of your quads under the thigh pads. 
2. Unrack the machine and lower your heels as close to the floor as possible. 
3. Raise your heels as high as possible. 
4. Contract your calves at the top. 

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Pro Tip: Calves can be a stubborn muscle group to develop. Increase your training volume by doing more sets and reps if you have lagging lower legs. 

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Check out our complete seated calf raise guide here!

Benefits of Beginner Leg Workout

Here are the advantages of doing the beginner leg workout:

1. Builds Strength and Muscle Mass: These beginner leg workouts will help you pack on muscle mass and strength. It will also improve your overall physique symmetry and balance. 
2. Helps Builds a Solid Foundation: Leg workouts can help build a solid foundation by increasing your overall strength, improving your posture, and boosting your athletic performance. 
3. Improves Balance and Stability: Lower body exercises, especially unilateral movements like the lunge, can improve your balance and stability. It will also strengthen your stabilizer muscles. 
4. Boosts Functionality: Most exercises in beginner leg workouts are compound movements that will improve your overall functionality and make you perform better in daily activities. 
5. Burns More Calories: Leg workouts involve training half your body in a single workout, which results in greater calorie burning than training other smaller muscle groups. 
6. Develops a Strong Mindset: Leg workouts demand more grit and determination than any other muscle group. Going hard and heavy in leg workouts will help you develop a killer mindset. 

Tips To Consider During a Beginner Leg Workout

Use the following tips to make the most of your lower body training sessions:

1. Warm-Up: Spending 5-10 minutes warming up will improve your mobility and flexibility and lower your injury risk. 
2. Cool Down: Stretching after a leg workout is an excellent way to kickstart your recovery process. 
3. Mobility: You must have decent overall mobility to perform leg workouts. Poor mobility will limit your range of motion and make achieving depth in exercises like the squat and leg press uncomfortable. 
4. Progressive Overload: You must consistently challenge your muscles by increasing your training intensity and volume to ensure constant growth and limit the risk of hitting a plateau. Increase the weights, number of sets, reps, and exercises, or reduce the rest between sets to progressively overload your muscles. You could also use advanced training techniques like super sets and drop sets to achieve this feat. 
5. Diet and Recovery: Whether you are training to build muscle mass or strength, you must follow a macro-focused diet and sleep for at least seven to eight hours each night to speed up your recovery and get the best bang for your buck. 

Wrapping Up

The three beginner leg workouts detailed in this article are an excellent starting point for those looking to build strength and size in their lower bodies. These will also help boost your overall functionality, improve your balance and stability, burn more calories, and develop a killer mindset. 

You must start slowly and gradually increase the intensity and duration of the workouts. Seek expert help to nail down your training form and limit your risk of injury. Finally, back up the beginner leg workouts with balanced diet and recovery programs to unlock stellar gains. Best of luck!

References

1. Ito S. High-intensity interval training for health benefits and care of cardiac diseases – The key to an efficient exercise protocol. World J Cardiol. 2019 Jul 26;11(7):171-188. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v11.i7.171. PMID: 31565193; PMCID: PMC6763680.
2. Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 4;16(24):4897. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16244897. PMID: 31817252; PMCID: PMC6950543.