ALL LEVELS / lower-body strength workout / 25 minutes
Equipment: Smith machine, leg press machine, leg curl & extension machine, hip abduction machine
Some people dread leg day. Others swear by it. But one thing’s for sure: you might skip it, but it never skips you. Lower-body workouts offer benefits beyond strong quads and glutes. They improve your stability, boost your athletic performance, and they also burn more calories than most other workouts. That’s because leg exercises often recruit your entire body, increasing the effort and the energy you use.
This lower-body strength workout was built not to be skipped. It includes 5 exercises, each with 15 reps, performed for 3 sets. Rest for 1 minute between exercises and sets. All combined, this workout will take you 25 minutes to complete.
- Smith machine deadlift
- Leg press
- Seated leg curl
- Leg extension
- Seated hip abduction
Ready to stop skipping leg day? Let’s go!
WORKOUT SETUP
- 5 exercises
- 15 reps
- 3 sets
- 1-min rest between exercises and sets
- Equipment: Smith machine, leg press machine, leg curl & extension machine, hip abduction machine
WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST
3 sets
1 – SMITH MACHINE DEADLIFT
15 reps
- Set the bar just above ankle height. Stand with feet hip-width apart, close to the bar.
- Grip outside your legs, back straight, core tight.
- Lift by driving through your heels and pushing hips forward.
- Squeeze glutes at the top, then lower with control.
- Repeat.
2 – LEG PRESS
15 reps
- Sit on the machine and place your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform.
- Adjust the seat so your knees are at about a 90-degree angle.
- Push the platform away by extending your legs — don’t lock your knees at the top.
- Lower the platform slowly until your knees are just above 90 degrees.
- Repeat.
3 – SEATED LEG CURL
15 reps
- Place the back of your ankles on the curl pad.
- Sit tall, grip the handles, and brace your core.
- Curl the pad down by squeezing your hamstrings.
- Pause at the bottom, then return slowly to the start.
- Control each rep so the weight’s momentum doesn’t do the work for you.
4 – LEG EXTENSION
15 reps
- Sit up straight on the leg extension machine.
- Adjust the pad so it sits on your lower leg, and just above your feet.
- Extend your legs straight out in front of you, using your quads to power the movement.
- Then slowly lower them back to the starting position.
- Repeat.
5 – SEATED HIP ABDUCTION
15 reps
- Sit on the machine with your back flat and legs inside the pads.
- Hold the side handles for support.
- Push your legs outward, squeezing your glutes at the top.
- Return slowly to the starting position.
- Repeat.
Finished this lower-body strength workout? Choose your next challenge below:
- 25-min bicep and tricep workout
- 20-min dumbbell compound workout
- 35-min glutes workout
- 15-min core and oblique workout
- 45-min back strength workout
- 100 reps dumbbell strength workout
- Full-body workout for time
- 30-min shoulder strength workout
- 40-min back strength workout
- 15-min dumbbell EMOM workout
- 25-min pull strength workout
- 35-min superset push strength workout
