Whenever I come back to these types of posts of my favorite things, they tend to change a lot.
As I try new things, learn new things, and experience things from other coaches, ideas change drastically.
So I want to lay out my top 5 favorite leg exercises today, as in what things I have been gravitating towards recently for myself and my clients over other things.
Let’s hop right in!
#1: Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats (RFE SS)
One of the most hated and most loved exercises for anyone who works out their legs. They are hard, but that just means they force you to work through them.
I like these for a list of reasons. First off, the variations that are associated with them are endless (which will be a theme with most of this list). We can change the loading, where the load is, range of motion, tempo, speed, etc..
We use these split squats for hard and heavy work (4-6 reps) and even for higher rep “pump” work (8-20 reps)
Away from that we can use bands and chains to try and move FAST, or we can hangout at the bottom and do isometrics.
The possibilities go on but these are the main ways we tend to use them at the moment. Away from all of this, I really love these for the motion. When the back leg is elevated the hip and front leg is exposed.
This is going to make sure your mobility and strength are ready to move through the full motion and if not there is work that will need to be done to get there.
Some of my favorite variations:
Deficit RFE SS
Kettlebell Rack RFE SS
1 ½ RFE SS
Contralateral RFE SS
Safety Squat Bar RFE SS
Dynamic Banded RFE SS
#2: Trap Bar Deadlift
Now moving to a hip dominant movement, at the moment, this is very high on the list.
Yet again, one of the reasons is because of how many variations can come into play. Away from that, this type of hip dominant movement just feels very natural for most people.
If I had 10 people deadlift a straight bar from the floor and then deadlift a trap bar from the floor. The majority would handle the trap bar MUCH better.
The way the bar is set up forces our body in a slightly more upright position compared to a straight bar, for most of us this is a positive. For myself and the people I work with, we don’t “need” to use any certain piece of equipment or exercise.
Our goals are based on things we want to see and do, not on exercises. So when we can find things that match better with how we move and feel, that’s what we are going with.
Some of my favorite variations:
Trap bar deadlift
Low handle trap bar deadlift
B-Stance trap bar deadlift
Trap bar Romanian deadlift
Heels elevated trap bar deadlift
#3: Goblet Squat (or front loaded squat)
Squats are a main piece of just about every program I write. With the many variations of squats, I have found myself gravitating toward squats where you hold the weight instead of resting on your shoulders.
This can be for a few different reasons but the main two are—> Less pressure on the spine (in most cases) and the lack of shoulder mobility.
Now for shoulder mobility you can eliminate that limitation by using specialty barbells like a safety squat bar or a cambered bar where they are much easier to grab onto. But most people have trouble reaching their arms back behind their body to grab a barbell.
Even away from that, holding the weight is a less intimidating exercise than a barbell squat and people usually move much better when they are confident in what they are doing.
With less technical breakdown, less load on the spine, and no need to stress the shoulder joint these I would have to say these types of squats have made the cut over barbell squats.
Now, this does not mean we never use a barbell for squats. I had someone do barbell squats this morning. But there are prerequisites that need to be met before we throw some weight on the bar and squat It.
Some of my favorite “goblet” squat variations:
Goblet squat
Kettlebell front rack squat
Lateral step down squat
Goblet box squat
Heels elevated squat
#4: Hamstring Curl
I need to make this one a little more broad because the type of equipment you have available plays a big role. The one thing I will say about a hamstring curl exercise is that I gravitate toward exercise that use gravity vs. machine type hamstring curls.
More or less because in the machine you do not need to stabilize anything, the motion is set on a track and you just have to complete It. Again, this doesn’t mean I don’t use them but for the sake of a top 5 list, machines will not be making an appearance.
I have found a lot of people with some major weaknesses not just on the backsides of their body but especially when It comes to knee flexion (leg curling). Your hamstrings are a big strong muscle for the most part.
You can work them through the hip OR through the knee. The trap bar deadlift variations will work those muscles more through the hip, these exercises will work them through the knee.
Now, I left this as a more open ended exercise choice because like I said, equipment matters. At my home gym I actually use a hamstring curl machine because I don’t have a stability ball, GHD, or slide disks.
When I go into the gym, we have all of those things with the addition of a rower, bands, and just more space to carry hamstring curl exercises out.
Here is my list of some of my favorite hamstring curl exercises:
Slide disk hamstring curls
Rower hamstring curls
Glute ham raise
Seated band hamstring curls
Slide board body hamstring curls
Stability ball hamstring curls
#5: Lateral Lunge
This is new for me. Over the past year lateral lunges have made a big splash in my own program and an even bigger appearance in client’s programs.
I did not feel strongly about the exercise before that because I never really learned the benefits/carry-overs and never did them in my own training.
After a good few months doing a lateral lunge in every lower body workout, they have become a main aspect of most programs I write up (depending on the person’s ability).
Moving in that plane of motion is very different for some people, which is why It is so important. We want our body to be strong everywhere. So when use lateral motion we are going to use muscles that we wouldn’t normally use in a split squat or a deadlift.
Think about the muscles of the inner leg or the outside of the hip. Most of the leg exercises that I did for years were straight up and straight down, never side to side. I can’t stress It enough how much of an impact these exercises have had on not just my own training but client’s training as well.
I have seen better movement, less hip pain, less inner hip tightness, less low back pain, and more resiliency with activities outside of the gym.
Here are some of my favorite lateral lunge variations:
Cossack squat
Walking lateral lunge
Slide disk side lunge
Stay low Cossack squats
Lateral sled drag (I know, not a lunge, but these are great)
In a world where skipping leg workouts is a standard practice, find some enjoyment in doing the things that are going to make a difference.
Push yourself doing the things you need more work on, but do them in a way that is safe and can be progressed upon.
In good health,
Jeff
