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Lower Body Workouts – The Best Science-Based Exercises

for Growth
28 Comments / Workouts / By Jeremy Ethier

If you’re looking for lower body exercises that adds more size and symmetry to your lower body muscles, then you need to read this article.

This article is a continuation of my “upper body workout” post where I discuss how to best set up your
upper body workouts. In this article however, we’ll cover how to set up your lower body workouts based
on current scienti c literature and our understanding of muscles.

The Main Workout Goal

The main goal of the exercises should be to train your lower body muscles in a balanced manner. This
not only makes your lower body look more aesthetic and proportional, but it also greatly decreases
your risk of injury.
So how do we do this? Well in this workout, we do this by adequately training the following muscles: the
quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Different Muscles Trained

These are the main muscles that will contribute to the “aesthetic” of your lower body – and each muscle
should be strengthened and grown in proportion to the others. But in order to accomplish this, we need
to pick the right exercises.

The Optimal Lower Body Workout

Exercise 1 – Barbell Back Squats (Quadriceps Emphasis)

When it comes to quadriceps development, squats are going to be your best bet. Although squats will
heavily involve the glutes as well and will de nitely contribute to their growth, they have been
repeatedly shown in numerous studies to elicit very high quadriceps activation when compared to
other exercises.

And given that squats are an exercise that can be easily and effectively overloaded with weight, I’d
highly suggest including them in your workout.

As for whether to perform back squats or front squats, I’d suggest using back squats on one of your
lower body days and then perform front squats on your other day. Another option is to rotate between
them overtime if you only perform one lower body day per week.

This is because although research shows that overall quadriceps activation is very similar between the
front and back squats, research also shows that front squats may better activate certain quadriceps
muscles that aren’t as well activated during the back squat.

For example, this table from a study from the journal of strength and conditioning research shows that
certain quadricep muscles like the vastus lateralis and the rectus femoris are less activated during the
back squat and moreso in the front squat.

Muscle Activation & Biomechanical Analysis

Thus, for more balanced and full quadriceps development, it’s probably a good idea to incorporate both
the back and front squat in your weekly routine.

Exercise 2 – Romanian Deadlifts (Hamstrings/Glutes Emphasis)

This next exercise is a variation of the traditional deadlift. Although the muscles worked will be quite
similar between the two variations, Romanian deadlifts will put more emphasis on the hamstrings and
glutes. This is because the knees are kept relatively straighter throughout the movement.

One 2014 study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared hamstring activity
in 4 different hamstring exercises – Romanian deadlifts, leg curls, glute ham raises, and good mornings.

Of the 4 exercises, Romanian Deadlifts and glute ham raises came out on top. Since Romanian deadlifts
allow greater weight to be lifted and are easier to progressively overload overtime, I’d highly
recommend including them in your lower body workout to strengthen the posterior chain.

And in terms of form, you want to perform them similar to how you would a traditional deadlift but
instead keep your legs relatively straight throughout each rep. This is done by pushing the hips back and
keeping your lower back straight as you lower the weight.

Romanian Deadlift Pointers

How low you go will depend on your mobility, but generally aim for below your knees and then contract
your hamstrings and glutes to push the hips forward as you bring the weight back up.

Exercise 3 – Bulgarian Split Squats (Quads/Hams/Glutes Emphasis)

As shown in my leg workout article, the Bulgarian split squat is something I think everyone should
incorporate somewhere in their routine. They do a great job of hitting all the major leg muscles but with
more emphasis placed on the posterior chain.

One 2010 study from the Journal of Sport Rehab found that the Bulgarian split squat more heavily
involves the hamstrings and glutes than the back squat. In addition, one 2016 study by Speirs and
colleagues suggests that the Bulgarian split squat may be just as effective at increasing back squat
strength as the back squat itself – while placing less strain on the lower back!

Therefore, it’s clear that the Bulgarian split squat is a great complimentary exercise to use with squats
for both muscle and strength development.

And the fact that it’s a unilateral exercise (meaning just one leg is worked at a time) helps prevent
muscle imbalances from developing which is likely to happen if you only stick to bilateral exercises like
the squat and deadlift for example.

Another important thing I want to mention regarding this exercise is foot placement.

One 2014 study from the Journal of Applied Biomechanics showed that a longer step length, such that
the shin is vertical, makes the split squat more hip-dominant meaning that more emphasis is placed on
the hamstrings and glutes.

Bulgarian Split Squats Shorter Length

Whereas a shorter step length makes the split squat more knee-dominant, meaning that more emphasis
is placed on the quadriceps.

Bulgarian Split Squats Longer Length

So you can apply this information in your workout by either taking a longer step if you want to target
more of your hamstrings and glutes, or take a shorter step if you instead want to put more emphasis on
your quads.

Exercise 4 – Glute Ham Raise (hamstring emphasis)

This last exercise is something I’m personally a big fan of (and the literature seems to be as well)! It will
put the most emphasis on the hamstrings but will also involve other posterior muscles like the glutes
and lower back.

Now we already know glute ham raises are great at activating the hamstrings when compared to other
hamstring exercises based on the results of the 2014 EMG study I mentioned earlier.

What this study also illustrates is that glute ham raises compliment Romanian deadlifts very well in
terms of hamstring development. They found that although activation of one of the hamstring muscles
(the long head of the biceps femoris) was maximized in both exercises, activation of the other two
hamstring muscles was not. They were activated the highest concentrically (the way up) during the glute-
ham raise and highest eccentrically (the way down) during the Romanian deadlift.

Simply meaning that it would be a good idea to include both in your routine.

This idea is further supported by a 2015 study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning research.
The researchers found that activation of the upper hamstrings can be maximized with hip dominant
exercises (e.g. Romanian deadlift), whereas activation of the lower hamstrings seems to be maximized
with more knee-dominant exercises.
 Glute Ham Raise Muscles

This makes sense since the short head of the biceps femoris only crosses over the knee joint, and
therefore can only be trained through knee exion.

Therefore, including both a hip-dominant hamstring exercise like the Romanian deadlift AND a more
knee-dominant exercise like the glute ham raise is recommended. This not only helps with balanced
development of the hamstrings, but also contributes to injury prevention (especially in athletes).

Instagram Tutorial

And in terms of form, check out this tutorial I made via Instagram. I’d also appreciate it if you gave me a
follow on there!

 
 View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jayethierfit (@jeremyethier) on Apr 7, 2018 at 9:57am PDT

Now for those who don’t have a glute ham raise machine available at your gym, one knee-dominant
alternative I’d recommend are leg curls on a stability ball. Additional alternatives are listed in the PDF
mentioned at the end of this article.

Sample Lower Body Workout

So to sum up the video, here’s what your workout could look like:

Barbell Back Squat: 3-5 sets of 6-8 reps

Romanian Deadlift: 2-4 sets of 8-10 reps

Bulgarian Split Squat: 2-4 sets of 6-10 reps

 Glute Ham Raise: 2-4 sets of 8-12 reps

Standing Single Leg Calf Raise: 2-4 sets of 6-10 reps

Seated Calf Raise: 2-4 sets of 10-15 reps

I’d also advise adding in one or two calf exercises as well. I’ll be covering calves in more detail in a future
article. Beginner lifters should probably stick to the lower end of the volume recommendations.
Whereas more intermediate lifters should probably stick to the higher end of the volume
recommendations.

YouTube Video On The Workout

The Best Science-Based Lower Bo…

Bo…

Free PDF Download

And as I’ve done with my upper workout video, I’ve compiled all of this information into an easy to
follow free PDF so that you guys can have it when you’re at the gym. It shows you the full workout, how
to set up two lower body days per week, exercise tips with visuals, a progression scheme to use, and
more. To get a copy of this, simply follow this link!

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions down below. And give me a follow
on Instagram , Facebook , and Youtube where I’ll be posting informative content on a more regular
basis. Cheers!
 

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28 thoughts on “Lower Body Workouts – The Best Science-Based Exercises for Growth”

ABEL
APRIL 11, 2018 AT 4:31 PM

can i perform traditional deadlifts on one of my lower body workouts

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
APRIL 12, 2018 AT 5:42 AM

Yes, it’s something I recommend in the PDF.

Reply

MIKE
APRIL 13, 2018 AT 2:03 PM

Jeremy, thank you so much for your efforts. Your upper lower split helps me a lot.
I just had one question, with which exercise i will train my lower back ? The deadlifts are just for
the hamstrings and the glutes, right ?

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
APRIL 15, 2018 AT 5:29 PM

The deadlifts will hit the lower back, as well as the glute ham raises.

Reply
 HATEM
APRIL 14, 2018 AT 11:34 AM

I have disc prolapse .. I am stable now .. But When I do bodyweight squat, i nd it challenging and
my lower back gives me pain.

My question:
Is it possible to drop the barbell squat (for safety and avoiding pain) without losing the
hypertrophy bene ts?
Do I need to Adjust something in the workout routine?

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
APRIL 15, 2018 AT 5:32 PM

Yes, but another compound movement should replace it like the leg press, hack squat, etc.

Reply

JAMES FLUCKER
APRIL 14, 2018 AT 8:35 PM

Hi Jeremy
Just starting to train with weights again after 3yrs of doing nothing just wanting advice of what
training split can you recommend for me
I’m 52yrs old male
Kind Regards Jimmy Flucker
Dundee Scotland UK

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
APRIL 15, 2018 AT 5:32 PM

Start with the upper/lower workouts I have listed and ease your way into them in terms of
volume/intensity.

Reply
 KAYLA
APRIL 15, 2018 AT 2:40 PM

Your blog has been a fantastic learning tool for me and I love all the research backed evidence you
provide. Thanks for providing such quality information and the free PDFs! I really enjoy your
content!

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
APRIL 15, 2018 AT 5:32 PM

Great to hear! Thanks!

Reply

HAARITH
APRIL 30, 2018 AT 8:09 AM

Hello Jeremy, you are totally awesome and sel ess to he soo helpful. Your info is so helpful you
cant imagine how much. As a male I want to lose my butt and obviously I dont want my butt to
grow but I know how vital the weighted squats are. So does squatting make them grow bigger or
removes inches? Really confused with all the con icting information.

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
MAY 3, 2018 AT 2:39 AM

Thank you! Squatting will help grow your butt. If you want to grow your legs without growing
your butt, it’s very dif cult to do but leg press would be a better option

Reply

DAN
MAY 3, 2018 AT 3:10 PM

Hey jeremy!

You wrote in your PDF that it’d be a good idea to include rack pulls above the knee to one of my
upper workouts if I want to do only Romanian Deadlifts in my routine. Will this affect my recovery
much? Also, what set x rep scheme should I use for the rack pulls?

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
MAY 6, 2018 AT 4:42 AM

It shouldn’t as long as you’re managing volume. For rack pulls, I’d suggest 3-4 reps for 6-8 reps
(heavy weight).

Reply

IDO
MAY 13, 2018 AT 3:27 PM

Hey Jeremy!
I am a little confused with calorie de cit. what is it about the incoming energy is smaller than the
energy out? for example: i eat 2000 calories in a day, then i spent 2500 energy from the gym and
cardio, so i de cit the calories 500, is it like that?

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
MAY 14, 2018 AT 5:30 PM

Yes, just like that.

Reply

DJOLLE
MAY 17, 2018 AT 2:18 PM

Lower split #1:(with number of sets and reps the same as yours)
1.Barbell Back squats
2.Romanian deadlift
3.Weighted hip trust
4.Standin single leg calf raise
Seated calf raises
Lower split#2:
1.Barbell/Dumbell front squats -3sets×12-15reps
2.Bulgarian split squats
2-4 sets×8-10reps
3.Glute ham raise/Leg curls
2-4 sets×8-12 reps
***Third exercise optional
4.Single leg calf raises 2sets×8-10
Standing calf raises 2×20reps
Want to hear your thoughts on this schedule??

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
MAY 21, 2018 AT 12:26 AM

Looks pretty good to me!

Reply

LOUIS
MAY 17, 2018 AT 2:44 PM

Do you know of any body weight exercises to increase Quad strength but with minimal knee
stress?

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
MAY 21, 2018 AT 12:27 AM

Front squats and split squats or reverse lunges all target the quads with less stress on the knee
compared to other exercises.

Reply

GEORGE
MAY 29, 2018 AT 12:20 PM

Hi Jeremy,
I have tried receiving the PDF from the link but no success. I have used 2 email addresses as well
but I still haven’t received it.
Can you forward to my email address shown below?

Thank you.

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
JUNE 10, 2018 AT 11:39 PM

Done!

Reply

JAKE
JUNE 26, 2018 AT 9:59 PM

What excercises would you recommend to improve someone’s vertical

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
JULY 8, 2018 AT 1:52 AM

Explosive squats, and just getting stronger with the squat in general.

Reply

RYAN
JUNE 28, 2018 AT 11:02 AM

Hi Jeremy,

I have tried receiving the PDF from the link but no success. I have used 2 email addresses as well
but I still haven’t received it.
Can you forward to my email address shown below?

Thank you.

Reply
 JASWANT
JULY 15, 2018 AT 2:37 PM

Jeremy the mails are not coming through. I clicked on the link to send PDF. The form says success
fully sent but mail is not coming through. pls check.
Regards.

Reply

JEREMY ETHIER
JULY 17, 2018 AT 5:22 PM

It should be sent now. Sorry about that.

Reply

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