About this workout
Strong legs and glutes are the centerpiece of an athletic female physique, and building them takes more than endless squats. This six week plan trains the lower body three ways: a glute-focused day, a quad-focused day, and a hamstring and posterior day, so every part of your legs develops in balance. You train legs three days a week with enough volume to grow them and a clear progression so you actually see change.
Who This Program Is For
- You have some training experience and want to specialize on your lower body for six weeks.
- You can train three days a week and recover from frequent leg work.
- You want shapely, strong glutes, quads and hamstrings.
Who this is NOT for: beginners, who should build a base with a full-body plan before specializing. Start with the 4 Week Beginner Gym Workout Plan for Women.
It is also not for anyone with a knee or hip issue that squatting and lunging aggravate. Get it checked first.
What You'll Need
- A barbell, rack, dumbbells, cables and leg machines.
- A hip thrust setup or a bench to brace against.
- A notebook or app.
The Program
Train three days with rest between, for example Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Drive through your whole foot, control the lowering phase, and squeeze the working muscle at the top of every rep. Progress by reps then weight.
| Day 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Glute Focus | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Hip Thrust (Weighted Hip Extension) | 4 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Romanian Deadlift | 4 | 10 | 90 sec |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 | 10 each leg | 90 sec |
| Cable Kickbacks (One Legged Kickback) | 3 | 15 each leg | 45 sec |
| Standing Calf Raise | 4 | 12-15 | 45 sec |
| Day 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Quad Focus | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Barbell Squat | 4 | 8-10 | 2 min |
| Leg Press | 4 | 12-15 | 90 sec |
| Walking Lunge | 3 | 12 each leg | 90 sec |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 15 | 45 sec |
| Glute Bridge | 3 | 20 | 45 sec |
| Day 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamstring and Posterior | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Sumo Deadlift | 4 | 8-10 | 2 min |
| Barbell Good Morning | 3 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Lying Leg Curl | 4 | 12 | 60 sec |
| Dumbbell Reverse Lunge | 3 | 10 each leg | 90 sec |
| Seated Calf Raise | 4 | 15 | 45 sec |
How to Progress
Six weeks, three two-week phases.
Weeks 1-2. Set your working weights and nail your technique, especially the hip hinge on the deadlifts and good mornings.
Weeks 3-4. Add reps within each range, then weight when you top out. Focus on the mind-muscle connection to the glutes and hamstrings.
Weeks 5-6. Push the last set of each exercise close to failure and add load where you can. Slow the lowering phase for more tension. Take a couple of easy days after week 6.
Warm-Up and Recovery Notes
Warm up the hips and legs: five minutes of light cardio, some band walks and bodyweight squats, then a lighter set of your first exercise.
Three leg days a week is a lot of lower-body work, so take the rest days seriously and keep your hinge technique clean on the deadlifts to protect your lower back.
Recovery is the same as any muscle-building plan: seven or more hours of sleep, enough protein, and enough food.
Nutrition and Supplementation
Growing your legs and glutes needs protein and enough food. Eat at maintenance or a slight surplus with 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.
Worth taking: protein powder, creatine monohydrate at 5 grams a day, and a daily multivitamin.
FAQ
Will heavy squats make my legs too big? No. They build strong, shapely legs and glutes. Building genuinely large legs takes years of dedicated eating and training.
My glutes do not feel the hip thrusts. Slow down, pause and squeeze hard at the top for a second, and make sure you are pushing through your heels. The squeeze is the point.
Three leg days feels like a lot. It is focused work for six weeks, which is why it is a specialization block, not a forever plan. The variety across the three days keeps it from overworking any one part.
Questions and results
Ask a coach
Running this program? Tell us what week you are on and how the progression is going. A coach answers every question here.