EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Upper Leg Exercises

Work your quadriceps, hamstrings, and adductors with upper leg exercises that build strength, power, and lower-body performance.

15 Best Upper Leg Exercises

Recommended by Nurudeen Tijani (Bodybuilder and Pain Relief Fitness Coach)

I’ve been lifting weights for over 10 years, and I’ve personally performed every exercise below to build strength and transform my body. You can see my results. The recommended upper leg exercises below work—and you can find full instructions and video demonstrations in the JEFIT Exercise Library.

Squats: A foundational lower-body exercise where you bend your knees and hips to lower your body, working the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core.
Lunges: A single-leg exercise where you step forward or backward, bending both knees to engage the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. This is one of my favorites.
Leg Press: Performed on a leg press machine, you push a weighted platform away from your body using your legs, targeting the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
Bulgarian Split Squats: A single-leg squat variation where your rear foot is elevated on a bench, emphasizing the quads and glutes of the front leg.
Deadlifts: A compound movement where you lift a barbell from the ground by hinging at the hips, engaging the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
Step-Ups: A lower-body exercise where you step onto a bench or platform, engaging the quads and glutes as you lift your body.
Leg Curls: Performed on a leg curl machine, this exercise targets the hamstrings by curling the legs toward the body against resistance.
Leg Extensions: A machine exercise focusing on the quadriceps by extending the legs against resistance while seated.
Sumo Squats: A squat variation performed with a wide stance, targeting the inner thighs (adductors) and glutes.
Walking Lunges: A dynamic lunge variation where you take steps forward into lunges, engaging the lower body muscles throughout the movement.
Front Squats: A squat variation where the barbell is held in front of the shoulders, emphasizing the quads and upper back. This is another favorite upper leg exercise.
Hack Squats: A squat variation performed on a hack squat machine, where you push against a weighted platform while your back is supported, focusing on the quads and glutes.
Glute Bridges: Lying on your back with knees bent, you lift your hips towards the ceiling, engaging the glutes and hamstrings.
Single-Leg Deadlifts: A unilateral exercise where you hinge at the hips while balancing on one leg, targeting the hamstrings, glutes, and improving balance.
Thigh Abductor Machine: A machine exercise that isolates the outer thigh and glute muscles by pushing against resistance with the legs apart.

Helpful Tip: Do you feel knee pain when doing upper leg exercises?

Discover TitaniumPhysique — a self-treatment program athletes use to eliminate weight training injuries, with a 98% user satisfaction rate.

Disclaimer: (1) Fitness results vary by individual effort, as such, individual results may vary; (2) We use Microsoft Clarity on our website to ensure you have the best possible browsing experience. Our privacy policy has more details.