7-Day Leg Day Workout Routine With Free PDF

Leg day is a crucial element of every fitness regimen. It’s your chance to build power and sculpt the muscles in your lower body, like your quads, hamstrings, and calves. Strong legs don’t just enhance your athletic abilities; they also contribute to overall strength and stability. And let’s be real – who doesn’t crave beautifully toned and shapely legs?

Get ready to unleash the power within and carve out those enviable lower body curves with our 7-day leg day workout routine!

Key Takeaways

• The leg day routine focuses on exercises that target the lower body muscles, like squats, lunges, leg press, and leg curls.
• Leg exercises build strength, promote muscle growth, stabilize the core, burn calories, improve movement, and reduce injury risk.
• Gradually increase the intensity, engage muscles, add plyometrics, rest, and prioritize nutrition for a balanced routine with compound movements.
• The top four leg exercises for strong legs are squats, lunges, leg presses, and leg curls.
• You will find a 7-day leg day workout routine pdf, and a beginner and advanced leg day workout plan in this article.

What Is A Leg Day Workout?

A leg day workout is one that emphasizes exercises to specifically work the muscles in your lower body, training and strengthening your legs. These exercises can encompass squats, lunges, leg presses, and leg curls.

While some individuals opt for a once-a-week leg-day workout, others integrate leg-focused exercises more regularly into their fitness routines. Some people even combine leg workouts with push/pull sessions, forming what’s known as a push/pull/legs workout (PPL).

Benefits of Leg Exercise

Leg exercises offer a wide range of benefits that extend beyond just building strong and muscular legs. Here are some key benefits of incorporating leg exercises into your workout routine:

Strength and Power

Leg exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, and leg presses, help to develop strength and power in the lower body. This is essential for functional movements, athletic performance, and overall physical capability.

Muscle Growth

Working the large muscle groups in your legs, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, can lead to significant muscle hypertrophy. This not only enhances the appearance of your lower body but also contributes to an overall increase in muscle mass.

Core Stabilization

Many leg exercises require core stabilization to maintain balance and form. As a result, it can indirectly strengthen the core muscles, contributing to better posture and stability.

Injury Prevention

Strengthening the muscles around the hips, knees, and ankles through leg exercises can help prevent injuries by improving joint stability and reducing the risk of imbalances and weaknesses.

Muscles Worked in a Leg Workout

A leg workout targets several major muscle groups in the lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Squats, lunges, and leg presses primarily engage the quadriceps, which are the muscles on the front of the thigh responsible for knee extension. Additionally, these exercises also recruit the gluteal muscles, particularly the gluteus maximus, which is the largest muscle in the buttocks and plays a key role in hip extension.

The next muscle group that is targeted are the hamstrings, the muscles on the back of the thigh that help with knee flexion and hip extension, with exercises like lunges and leg curls. Finally, exercises like calf raises focus on the calf muscles and the soleus, which helps with moving the foot downwards.

Together, these exercises provide a comprehensive leg workout that strengthens and tones the entire lower body.

7-Day Leg Day Workout PDF

Here’s an example of a 7-day leg workout split to help you target and develop your lower body leg muscles more:

Day 1: Quadriceps Focus

Barbell Back Squats: 4 sets x 8-10 reps

Leg Press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Walking Lunges: 3 sets x 12-15 steps per leg

Leg Extensions: 3 sets x 12-15 reps

Calf Raises: 4 sets x 15-20 reps

Day 2: Hamstrings & Glutes Focus

Romanian Deadlifts: 4 sets x 8-10 reps

Hip Thrusts: 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Leg Curls: 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets x 10-12 reps per leg

Standing Calf Raises: 4 sets x 15-20 reps

Day 3: Rest or Active Recovery

Day 4: Plyometrics and Functional Exercises

Box Jumps: 4 sets x 8-10 reps

Kettlebell Swings: 3 sets x 12-15 reps

Step-Ups: 3 sets x 10-12 reps per leg

Sled Push or Medicine Ball Slams: 3 sets x 40-50 feet or 12-15 slams

Seated Calf Raises: 4 sets x 15-20 reps

Day 5: Quadriceps Volume

Front Squats: 4 sets x 8-10 reps

Hack Squats: 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Leg Press (Feet High and Narrow): 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Walking Lunges with Dumbbells: 3 sets x 12-15 steps per leg

Calf Raise Machine: 4 sets x 15-20 reps

Day 6: Glutes, Hamstrings, and Calves Hypertrophy

Sumo Deadlifts: 4 sets x 8-10 reps

Cable Pull-Throughs: 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets x 10-12 reps per leg

Glute-Ham Raises: 3 sets x 8-10 reps

Seated Calf Raises: 4 sets x 15-20 reps

Day 7: Rest

This 7-day leg workout split targets various muscle groups within the legs to ensure comprehensive development. Remember to adjust the exercises, sets, and reps based on your fitness level and individual goals while prioritizing proper form and adequate recovery. You can also try some other bodyweight exercises and squat variations. Integrate progressive overload and consider consulting a fitness professional for personalized guidance.

Download 7 Day Leg Workout PDF

The 4 Best Leg Exercises

To sculpt strong and shapely legs, you want to include these four exercises in your workout routine.

Squats

As one of the most fundamental and effective leg exercises, squats target a wide range of muscles. they not only promote muscle growth and strength in stronger leg muscles but also contribute to overall lower-body stability and functional movement.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
2. Engage your core muscles and keep your chest up as you lower your body by bending your knees and hips.
3. Descend into a squat position until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below.
4. Keep your knees aligned with your toes and avoid letting them collapse inward.
5. Press through your heels to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top.
6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Lunges

Lunges offer a dynamic approach to engaging the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes while also challenging your balance and core stability. Whether you’re performing forward lunges, reverse lunges, or lateral lunges, this exercise helps build strength, coordination, and flexibility in the lower body.

How to do it:

1. Start by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Step forward with your left leg, keeping your torso upright and core engaged.
3. Lower your body until both knees are bent at 90-degree angles, with your left knee positioned directly above your left ankle. Your right knee should hover just above the ground.
4. Push through your left heel to return to the starting position.
5. Repeat on the other side, stepping forward with your right leg.
6. Continue alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions

Leg press

The leg press machine provides a controlled environment for targeting the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes with added resistance, allowing for maximal muscle engagement and growth.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the leg press machine with your back flat against the pad and your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform.
2. Adjust the seat so that your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle when your feet are placed on the platform.
3. Push the platform away by extending your knees and hips until your legs are almost fully extended, but without locking your knees.
4. Slowly lower the platform back down to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Lying Leg Curls

Focusing specifically on the hamstrings, leg curls can be performed using a machine or with a resistance band. By isolating the hamstrings, this exercise helps to improve muscle balance and reduce the risk of injury, making it a valuable addition to any leg workout routine.

How to do it:

1. Start by lying face down on the leg curl machine with your legs fully extended and your ankles positioned under the roller pads.
2. If needed, grasp the handles for stability and keep your hips pressed into the bench.
3. Contract your hamstring muscles to bend your knees and pull the roller pads towards your glutes.
4. Hold the peak contraction for a moment, then slowly lower the roller pads back to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Leg Day Workout Routine For Beginners

A well-rounded leg day workout routine for beginners should target all major muscle groups in the lower body while incorporating a variety of exercises to promote strength, muscular endurance, and stability. Here’s a sample leg day workout routine for beginners:

• Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of light cardiovascular activity
• Squats: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Lunges: 3 sets of 10 reps per leg
• Leg Press:3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Leg Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Calf Raises: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
• Cool-down and Stretching: 5-10 minutes

Remember to start with lighter weights and focus on proper form and technique before gradually increasing the resistance.

Leg Day Workout Routine For Advanced

For an advanced leg day workout routine, it’s important to incorporate a variety of challenging exercises to stimulate muscle growth, strength, and overall lower body development. Here’s a sample advanced leg day workout routine:

• Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of light cardiovascular activity
• Barbell Back Squats: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
• Romanian Deadlifts: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
• Walking Lunges with Dumbbells: 3 sets of 12-15 steps per leg
• Leg Press: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
• Single-Leg Calf Raises: 3 sets of 15-20 reps per leg
• Plyometric Box Jumps: 3 sets of 8-10 box jumps
• Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets of 8-10 reps per leg
• Cool-down and Stretching: 5-10 minutes

This advanced leg day workout routine is designed to challenge the lower body using compound movements, heavy resistance, and explosive exercises. It’s important to prioritize proper form and technique and to be mindful of your fitness level and recovery capacity.

How Many Calories Does A Leg Workout Burn?

Leg workouts burn calories based on factors like duration, intensity, body weight, and fitness level. While they may not burn as many calories as cardio, they contribute to long-term calorie expenditure through muscle repair and growth.

A 30-minute moderate to high-intensity leg workout can burn an estimated amount of 150 to 300 calories. Incorporating HIIT or plyometric exercises can also help to increase calorie burn.

Besides that, leg workouts help to build muscles which will then raise basal metabolic rate. Resulting in more calories even at rest. However, if you would like more accurate calorie estimates, consider using a fitness tracker or heart rate monitor during your workout.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you should include at least a day of leg day training as it is essential for developing strong and functional muscles in the lower body. By doing targeted exercises and ensuring optimal nutrition, you are sure to reap the maximum benefits of leg workouts!