6 Best Lower Body Barbell Exercises for Stronger Legs

Barbell exercises for stronger legs can help you develop a strong set of quads, hamstrings, and calves.

It’s not enough to just know about such exercises. When you begin to understand an exercise, you will be able to engage the proper muscle groups and develop strength and muscle endurance.

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Barbell Exercises for Stronger Legs

The following are six barbell exercises for stronger legs you should incorporate into your workout routine to make your legs stronger:

1) Barbell Squat

Barbell squats are the most commo barbell exercise for stronger legs. Squats are the king of leg exercises, so it’s a wise decision to add them to your workout routine.

Barbell squats primarily work on the quads, but there's some impact on the calves and glutes too. To ensure you’re engaging the quads, push through with your heels when you’re moving yourself back up. That should allow you to use the quads as the pushing force for the exercise as opposed to using any other muscle group.

You can find a complete guide for squats here.

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2) Front Squat

Front squats are a variation of barbell squats, but in this case, you place the barbell on your shoulder as opposed to placing it behind the neck. The principles of front squats are the same as back squats, but you may want to lower the weight during front squats.

It’s important to use a moderate weight that will allow you to keep your balance during the exercise. The idea behind that is to protect yourself from injury, especially to the spine and joints.

You can find a guide for front squats here.

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3) Barbell Lunge

Lunges are another common barbell exercise for stronger legs.

You can choose to do walking lunges or standing lunges. When you swap dumbbells for barbell lunges, you can’t keep it beside your legs for exercise. To do barbell lunges, place the barbell behind your neck before you proceed to do lunges.

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4) Stiff-legged Barbell Deadlift

Barbell deadlifts are important to strengthen the entire lower body, especially the hamstrings and lower back.

Stiff-legged deadlifts focus on strengthening the hamstrings, as that’s the engaging muscle group. However, you need to keep your back straight during the exercise, and keep the pressure on the hamstrings.

You can find a guide for barbell deadlifts here.

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5) Good Morning

This barbell exercises is for the hamstrings and lower back.

To do this exercise, place the barbell behind your back; find your balance, and ensure to have stable footing.

Bend forward from your hips with the barbell on your neck, and keep moving until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings. Once you feel that, engage the hamstrings to push your upper body back to its starting position.

You can find a complete guide for barbell good morning here.

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6) Seated Calf Raise

Barbell exercise for stronger legs shouldn’t ignore the calves. They're an important part of your overall appearance, and you need to have symmetrically developed muscle groups.

To do seated calves using a barbell, sit on a bench; place a barbell on your thighs, and keep your toes on an elevated platform. Rack the barbell with weights (ask someone for help, if needed). Lower your heels till you feel a stretch in the calves, and push the weight back using your toes as support.

It’s easier to do this barbell exercise if you’re using a Smith machine, but free weights work as well.

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Bottom Line

Barbell exercise will not be useful if you’re not putting in reps, sets, and modifying the way you’re working out as you become stronger. You need to add both volume and intensity to your routine for optimal results.

Moreover, you should also follow a diet that allows you to consume a sufficient amount of protein to enable the muscles to rebuild themselves thicker and stronger.