Home Leg Workout: 7 Exercises, Sets, Reps, and How to Progress Each One

This is a reference guide for home leg training — seven exercises with specific sets, reps, and progression paths for each. Use it to build a program or add exercises to an existing routine. All exercises require no equipment; optional additions (resistance bands, loaded backpack) are noted where they help.

Exercise 1: Bodyweight Squat

Muscles: Quads, glutes, hamstrings
How to: Feet shoulder-width, chest up, sit back and down until thighs parallel, drive through heels.
Sets/reps: 3 × 15
Progress to: Pause squat (3 sec at bottom) → Bulgarian split squat → Pistol squat

Exercise 2: Reverse Lunge

Muscles: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, balance
How to: Step backward into lunge, lower rear knee toward floor, return. Alternate legs.
Sets/reps: 3 × 10 per leg
Progress to: Walking lunge → Lateral lunge → Deficit lunge (front foot elevated)

Exercise 3: Glute Bridge

Muscles: Glutes, hamstrings, lower back stabilizers
How to: On your back, feet flat, drive hips up, hold 2 sec, lower.
Sets/reps: 3 × 15
Progress to: Single-leg glute bridge → Hip thrust (shoulders on couch) → Hip thrust with resistance band

Exercise 4: Calf Raise

Muscles: Gastrocnemius, soleus
How to: Rise onto toes, hold 1 sec, lower fully. Use a step for extra range if available.
Sets/reps: 3 × 20
Progress to: Single-leg calf raise → Single-leg with slow tempo (3 sec up, 3 sec down) → Add load

Exercise 5: Step-Up

Muscles: Quads, glutes
How to: Step onto a sturdy chair with one foot, bring the other up, step back down.
Sets/reps: 3 × 10 per leg
Progress to: Higher surface → Add loaded backpack → Single-leg step-down (controlled descent on one leg)

Exercise 6: Nordic Hamstring Curl

Muscles: Hamstrings (best bodyweight hamstring exercise available)
How to: Hook feet under a sofa, kneel upright, lower body to floor by resisting with hamstrings only. Catch with hands. This is very difficult — start with just the lowering phase.
Sets/reps: 3 × 4–5 negatives (lower over 3–4 sec)
Progress to: Lower more slowly → Reduce assistance from hands → Full Nordic curl (pulling back up)

Exercise 7: Wall Sit

Muscles: Quads, glutes (isometric)
How to: Back against wall, thighs parallel to floor, hold position. 90-degree angle at the knee is the target.
Sets/reps: 3 × 30–45 sec
Progress to: Longer duration → Single-leg wall sit → Add resistance band above knees

Building a Weekly Program

Train legs 2–3× per week. A simple structure:

Session A (knee-dominant): Squat + Lunge + Step-up + Calf raise

Session B (hip-dominant): Glute bridge + Nordic curl + Single-leg RDL + Wall sit

Alternate between sessions. When any exercise reaches the top of its rep range easily, progress to the next variation.

Written by

Simple Home Workout Editorial Team

Articles are written and edited by the Simple Home Workout editorial team. Content is researched using established exercise and fitness guidance and edited for clarity, practicality, and home-workout use. This is general educational information, not personalized medical, dietetic, or fitness advice.

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