Know exactly what to do at the gym with this leg day gym workout that uses progressive overload to build leaner, stronger, and more toned legs and glutes. A short 4 exercise leg workout that’s simple but effective.

Build a Leaner Lower Body at the Gym

I love the convenience of working out at home and the time it frees up from not having to drive and walk all over the gym.

But at least once a week I hit the gym for a heavy leg day workout to work on big lifts that I’m not able to do at home with just dumbbells. The heavy weights challenge my lower body in a totally different way than I’m able to do at home and this kind of training was the basis of my bikini competition prep.

Progressive Overload for Leaner Legs

To change your body, you must challenge and stimulate it in new ways. No, that doesn’t mean you have to do constantly do different workouts in a futile attempts to “confuse” your muscles. 

What it means is that you need to challenge your body with heavier loads. In fact, you probably shouldn’t constantly change your workouts. By continuing with the same exercises in your workouts for at least a few weeks, you’re able to get the form down and increase your weights (or get a few more reps) week after week.

 If you’re always changing your workouts, you don’t have time to perfect your form or progress your weights. And if you’re not progressively overloading your muscles to stimulate growth, you’re not progressing your body.

Most females are so worried about getting big and bulky muscles that they stick to the same little 5 or 10 pound weights and rarely (if ever increase the weights for fear of getting big. 

But really, challenging the muscles and stimulating hypertrophy, or muscle growth, is what gives ladies that “toned” muscular look. And more muscle also means a higher resting metabolism and more fat burn!

How to Progressively Overload

1. Add more weight. This is the most obvious way to implement progressive overload. Once you’ve mastered your current weight with perfect form and adequate range of motion, increase the weight load to keep challenging your muscles.

2. Add more reps. Challenge yourself to add an extra rep or two with your current weight when you start approaching the upper end of your target rep range. This is a good way to test yourself to see if you’re ready to increase the weight. Make sure you can maintain your form, always use the safety rails if applicable for the exercise, or ask someone to spot you to prevent injury.

3. Add another set. An extra set will improve muscle endurance and completely fatigue the muscle. Make sure you allow at least 60-90 seconds of rest between sets. to allow the muscle and energy producers time to recover 

4. Train more frequently. Working the muscle group more than once a week will challenge the muscles more frequently. Just be careful with this one to avoid overtraining and always allow sufficient rest periods (at least 2-3 days) to allow the muscle to fully recover.

Don’t Shy Away From the Weight Room

But sometimes the problem is knowing what to do when you go to the gym. The free weight area is probably packed full of big, muscular athletes, which can be really intimidating! And the fear of embarrassment by using the weight machines wrong is enough to make you turn around and walk out of the weight training area.

 But don’t banish yourself to the cardio area for endless hours of running on the treadmill or using the elliptical! The best way to change your body is resistance training, so I’m going to walk you through one of my favorite and most effective heavy leg gym workouts.

Strong glutes can also improve posture, which will help you stand taller and prevent the forward tilt of your hips that pushes your stomach out. Just by improving your posture, you’ll create the illusion of a taller and slimmer physique.

Aren’t Sure What to Do at the Gym?

But sometimes the problem is knowing what to do when you go to the gym. This is the number one reason friends and readers tell me they don’t utilize gyms (even more than inconvenience!). They’re not sure what to do, how to use the machines, or how to program a workout.

The free weight area is usually probably packed full of big, muscular athletes, which can be really intimidating! And the fear of embarrassment by using the weight machines wrong is enough to make you turn around and walk out of the weight training area.

But don’t banish yourself to the cardio area for endless hours of running on the treadmill or using the elliptical! The best way to change your body is resistance training, so I’m going to walk you through one of my favorite and most effective heavy leg gym workouts.

Leg Day Gym Workout

Do this simple but effective leg and glute workouts at least once a week. If you choose to do it twice, make sure you have at least 3 days of rest between leg days. During your first workout, concentrate on getting your form right and use full range of motion. Establish your baseline weight load by choosing a weight you can do in the 10-12 rep range with good form.

If you choose a weight and realize it’s too light within the first few reps, stop and add more weight. If you get all the way to 12 reps and feel like you can do more, do more! Just increase weight for the next set until you reach the 10-12 rep range. Likewise, if it’s too heavy and you can’t reach 10 reps, decrease the weight for the next set.

Each week, concentrate on progressing your weight to challenge your body to improve and prevent plateaus.

The Workout

• Warm up before starting workout with light cardio (walk, elliptical, stairclimber) for 5 minutes. Then warm up with weights for 2 sets 10 squats at 50% weight.
• Rest for 1 minute between sets.
• Complete all sets of one exercise before moving onto the next exercise.
• Challenge yourself with the weight while maintaining good form.
• Always use all safety rails and follow the manufacturer instructions and warnings on equipment.

1. Barbell Squats

• Place the bar on the rack just below shoulder level. Load the bar with equal weight on each side and secure with the locks.
• Step under the barbell and position it on your traps/back of your shoulders (below the neck, not on the neck).
• Grip the barbell with both hands then lift the bar off the rack, step back from the rack and position your legs shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly outwards.
• Squat by bending at the knees and hips while keeping your head and chest as upright as possible. Ensure that your feet stay flat on the floor without your knees caving in. Continue squatting down until your thighs are parallel to the floor or as far as your flexibility allows.
• Rise from the squat by pushing through heels of your feet, straightening your legs again and returning to the starting position.

2. Barbell Bulgarian Split Squats

• Load the barbell the same way you did for the squat, but decrease the weight (about 50-75%) as this is a single-leg exercise.
• Carefully extend one leg behind and plant your toes on a sturdy step or bench. Keep THE supporting leg straight.
• Lower your hips down and back as you bend your front knee to descend into a single-leg squat, using the leg on the bench for balance. Lower until your front thigh is parallel to the ground. Return to the starting position by pushing through the front heel to extend the knee and hip
•  Rest for at least 30 seconds before switching to the other leg (one set = one set of left + one set of right).

3. Seated Leg (Hamstring) Curls

• Sit on the leg curl machine with your back against the back support pad (adjust the lever if needed).
• Place the back of lower leg on top of padded lever and secure the lap pad against your thighs, just above the knees. Adjust the lever so your legs are straight out in front of you and hold onto the handles on the machine.
• Flex your knees and pull the machine lever as far as possible toward the back of your thighs while keeping your torso stationary at all times.
• Slowly return to the starting position in a controlled manner without letting the weight stack drop.

4. Barbell Hip Thrusts

• Make sure you use a bench or box (with padding like a folded yoga mat) that won’t move as you brace against it. You can use a bench pushed against a power cage like I’m doing or use the end of a bench press. 
• Carefully move the barbell to the floor and load with at least 35 lb or 45 lb weight plates (25s are too short and you probably won’t be able to squeeze yourself under the bar).
• Begin by padding a barbell (I love this barbell pad for all squats and hip thrusts) to prevent it from digging into your hips when you thrust.
• Place your upper back (low on the shoulder blades) on your bench with your barbell across your hips (you may need to scoot your back up after you lift the barbell).
• Keep your feet planted firmly on the ground then drive your hips upward using your glutes (you’ll also feel it in your core and quads). Make sure your knees are over your ankles when your hips are extended.
• Hold for a moment at the top then lower to your starting position.

What’s your favorite kind of workout? Are you more of a gym rat, a home workout queen, or a mix of both?!