8 Barbell Leg Exercises to Strengthen Your Legs

While barbells are traditionally used for lifting to work arms and chest, they are also great for legs. Barbell leg exercises not only strengthen and tone, depending on how creative you get, you may no longer need to use the same old leg machines! This timeless and classic fitness equipment could become your new best-friend to help you reach your fitness goals.  

Note: If you’re a beginner or need to strengthen your legs, use the barbell without any weights.  As you improve, or if you’re already advanced, add additional weight so you can increase the intensity.   

Stiff Legged Deadlifts 

Muscles Worked:  Hamstrings, back, glutes, and abdominal muscles. 

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart holding the barbell in your lowered arms in front of you.  
2. Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back flat, and keeping your head looking up. 
3. Lock your knees and stop going down when you feel your hamstrings fully stretched. 

You can make this more difficult by doing this on a single leg. 

Good Mornings 

Muscles Worked:  Hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors, back, and scapular stabilizers. 

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and place the barbell on your shoulders. 
2. Bend forward at the waist until your chest is almost parallel to the floor with your knees slightly bent. 
3. Slowly push your hips forward to go back to the starting position. 

Walking Lunges 

Muscles Worked: Quads, glutes, and core. 

1. Stand with your feet shoulder apart with a barbell across your upper back. 
2. Step forward with your right leg.  Drop your left knee till it nearly touches the ground. 
3. Push through the heel of your right foot to raise yourself back up. 
4. Step forward with your left foot repeating the lunge on your right leg. 

Standing Calf Raise 

Muscles Worked:  Calves 

1. Place a block or two barbell weights on floor. 
2. Place a barbell across your back and step up on the block, so you are on the balls of your feet. 
3. Slowly lift your heels up and then lower them back to the floor. 

Glute Bridges

Muscles Worked:  Hamstrings, glutes, abs, and adductors. 

1. Begin seated on the floor with a barbell over your legs.  Roll the bar so that it is directly above your hips, and lay down flat on the floor. 

1. Driving through your heels, lift your hips up and extend as far as possible. 

Front Barbell Squat 

Muscles Worked:  Quads, hamstrings, calves, back, abs, glutes, and adductors. 

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.  Place the barbell on the front of your shoulders and cross your arms over the bar to hold it in place (or use an underhand grip). 
2. Bend your knees and lower into a squat. 
3. Slowly stand back up without locking your knees. 

Barbell Squats 

Muscles Worked:  Quads, calves, hamstrings, and glutes. 

1. Stand up straight while holding a barbell behind you with a shoulder width grip with the palms of your hands facing back. 
2. Squat until your upper thighs are parallel to the floor. 
3. Push up with your heels till you are standing back up. 

Front-Grip Reverse Barbell Lunges 

Muscles Worked:  Quads, abs, glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors. 

1. Place your hands under the barbell with your palms facing up gripping the bar like you would for a reverse curl. 
2. Step backwards with your left foot. 
3. Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the floor.  (Don’t let your left knee touch the floor). 
4. Push back up to the starting position. 

These barbell leg exercises are hard to beat!  A strong lower body is important for your overall health and fitness, so be sure to never skip a leg day! 

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