Written by Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine

Friends don’t let friends skip leg day. But, sometimes, lack of time means that even the most encouraging friends can’t stop you from missing this crucial workout. And as many bodybuilders only train their legs once a week, that single skipped workout can mean that your legs go workout-free for two weeks or more.

Is it any wonder that so many bodybuilders have such underdeveloped legs when they only train their quads, hamstrings, and calves a couple of times a month?

Needless to say, building big, muscular legs is hard work. But, as well as training with plenty of energy-sapping intensity, you need to hit your legs regularly and consistently if you want them to grow. Ideally, you should train your legs twice a week, not just once.

While lack of time IS a legitimate barrier to training, it’s one you must overcome if you want to build legs you can be proud of. That’s because, unlike many of your upper body muscles, your legs aren’t indirectly involved in your other workouts.

Your biceps are trained when you work your back, and your triceps and deltoids get a workout when you hit your chest. Your legs are not so lucky.

So, rather than skip leg day entirely, take our 30-minute leg workout for a spin. It might be short, but it’s intense enough to maintain your gains and may even trigger new muscle growth.

This workout is designed to build your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves in 30-minutes. It attacks your lower body from multiple angles by using some new and unusual twists on the classic leg-building exercises.

Do this workout once or twice a week as part of a body part split routine. If you do it twice, make sure you train your legs on non-consecutive days, e.g., Monday and Thursday, to allow time for rest and recovery.

Of course, before you hit the weights, you must spend a few minutes warming up and preparing your body for what you’re about to do. This will help make your workout more productive and could lower your risk of injury, too.

So, start with a few minutes of easy cardio followed by some dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for the muscles you’re about to train. Finally, do a couple of light sets of the first exercise of the workout to ensure you’re 100% ready to go.

All warmed up? Then let’s do it!

Exercises 2a and 2b are to be performed as a superset. Do a set of leg curls and then, without resting, immediately do a set of dumbbell Romanian deadlifts. Rest for the prescribed time and then repeat the pairing for the specified number of supersets. Exercises 6a and 6b are also to be done this way.

There are two ways to do any exercise – the right way and the wrong way. The right way is safe and effective, while the wrong way isn’t! So, when in doubt, use less weight, focus on your technique, and remember that injuries are often avoidable if you train with good form and appropriate weights.

Squats are the king of lower body exercises and work your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps pretty equally. In fact, if you are REALLY short on time, just do some squats, and skip the other exercises in this workout!

That said, paused squats keep your muscles under tension for longer, making them better for building muscle. The twist here is that the length of each pause decreases as your set progresses.

While your hamstrings ARE involved in squats, they need more direct attention if you want to develop them fully. Leg curls isolate your hammies and also pre-fatigue your muscles for the exercise you are about to do next – Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts. Drag your dumbbells over to the leg curl machine to keep your transitions as short as possible.

Romanian deadlifts are usually done with a barbell but may work better with dumbbells. Dumbbells allow you to keep the weight next to your legs, which takes some stress off your lower back. Of course, if you prefer the barbell version, you are free to do it instead.

Reverse lunges are an excellent quads, glutes, and hamstring exercise. But, your range of motion is limited by the floor. This variation increases the range of motion to improve muscle engagement and raise exercise intensity. Use dumbbells to make this exercise even more challenging, but don’t go too heavy because a little weight goes a long way!

Most bodybuilders are familiar with 21s and use them for biceps curls. However, this popular training method can be adapted to almost every strength training exercise to make it more intense, including leg extensions. Using 21s for leg extensions will leave your quads pumped and burning. Feel free to dial up the intensity another couple of notches by wearing blood flow restriction cuffs.

You can’t have a leg workout without training your calves. They might be the smallest of your leg muscles, but they’re also one of the most visible. Paired with squat jumps, standing calf raises are an excellent muscle builder that works your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, which are your upper and lower calf, respectively.

Squat jumps are typically seen as a quads exercise, which they are. But, as well as working your thighs, this move also hits your calves, especially when you focus on driving off the balls of your feet. You’ll definitely feel your calves working after having just done a set of standing calf raises.

You need more than dreams and good intentions to build muscular legs. Instead, you must get your butt in the gym and push yourself as hard as possible. Not just once or twice a month, but each and every week for years at a time. Two leg workouts a week will yield even better results…

Missing workouts will soon put the brakes on your progress. But unless you have unlimited time, even the most dedicated bodybuilder will be forced to skip the occasional training session. Life has a way of undoing our best intentions.

Avoid this problem by doing shorter workouts whenever time is against you. A 30-minute less-than-perfect workout will always be better than not training at all, and you’ll be amazed at how effective short workouts can be when you push yourself.

Really can’t find time to make it to the gym? Then try our home leg workout instead.

Patrick Dale is an ex-British Royal Marine, gym owner, and fitness qualifications tutor and assessor. In addition, Patrick is a freelance writer who has authored three fitness and exercise books, dozens of e-books, thousands of articles, and several fitness videos. He’s not just an armchair fitness expert; Patrick practices what he preaches! He has competed at a high level in numerous sports, including rugby, triathlon, rock climbing, trampolining, powerlifting, and, most recently, stand up paddleboarding. When not lecturing, training, researching, or writing, Patrick is busy enjoying the sunny climate of Cyprus, where he has lived for the last 20-years.

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