Movement efficiency is an often overlooked aspect of weight training. Exercise selection can make or break progress unless workouts are well-planned and consistent. Muscles can grow beyond 40 weekly exercise sets, but intensity, technique, and other factors also drive growth. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)
What if you have limited time or ways to stimulate large muscles like the glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, and core? Former Women’s Physique Olympia champion Dana Linn Bailey shared the three leg exercises she suggests should never be skipped.
3 Leg Exercises You Should Never Skip
- Barbell Pause Squat: 4 x 6-8
- Barbell Romanian Deadlift: 4 x 10-12
- Walking Lunges
Bailey’s Elite Squatting Trick
Squats are often the most accessible, efficient, and user-friendly compound lift.
The squat is the greatest movement to get the most activity out of your leg.
—Dana Linn Bailey
Bailey performed low-bar squats with heels slightly elevated on weight plates to achieve greater loading and depth. (6)(7) “I can get way deeper,” she explained.
The torso leans forward during low-bar squats, increasing strength output and glute engagement. Heel elevation compensates for limited ankle mobility and promotes more knee flexion and quad activation.
Bailey’s secret squat sauce is looking at the ground during squats, a trick inspired by powerlifter Richard Hawthorne.
I couldn’t go below parallel, but I could when I put my head down.
—Dana Linn Bailey
Bailey’s improved squat depth could be explained by a shift in her center of gravity and a change in body mechanics.
Tighter Glutes & Thicker Hamstrings
Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) emphasize the hamstring and glute stretch with the legs relatively straight during a hip hinge. Data suggests heavily loaded eccentrics bias growth slightly more than concentric contractions.
Walking Lunges vs. Bulgarian Split Squats
Bailey is among the many elite athletes in the fitness space who praise walking lunges. Hypertrophy educator Jeff Nippard claims lunges are a top-tier glute exercise. They complement RDLs by allowing for greater unilateral loading than squats and deadlifts.
Walking lunges work quads, hamstrings, and glutes at the same time; it’s phenomenal.
—Dana Linn Bailey
Bailey debated Bulgarian split squats (BSS) versus lunges. Unlike the latter, BSS provide constant tension and may be easier to load. Both variations have their advantages, and Bailey includes both on leg days.
More Bodybuilding Content
- Wesley Vissers Needs to Build His Legs; Here’s How He’s Balancing His Physique
- New Study Dissects Which Is Better: Preacher vs. Incline Biceps Curls
- Chris Bumstead’s Injury Philosophy During Upper Body Training
References
- Remmert, S., et al. (2025). Is There Too Much Volume in One Workout? Meta-Regressions of the Effects of Per‑Session Resistance Training Volume on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength. SportRχiv Preprint #460.
- Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 4;16(24):4897. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16244897. PMID: 31817252; PMCID: PMC6950543.
- Robinson ZP, Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Refalo MC, Jukic I, Steele J, Zourdos MC. Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship Between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Series of Meta-Regressions. Sports Med. 2024 Sep;54(9):2209-2231. doi: 10.1007/s40279-024-02069-2. Epub 2024 Jul 6. PMID: 38970765.
- Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, Little JP, Cochran AJ, Hector AJ, Cashaback JG, Gibala MJ, Potvin JR, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012 Jan 15;590(2):351-62. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200. Epub 2011 Nov 21. PMID: 22106173; PMCID: PMC3285070.
- Maeo S, Wu Y, Huang M, Sakurai H, Kusagawa Y, Sugiyama T, Kanehisa H, Isaka T. Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023 Jul;23(7):1240-1250. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35819335.
- Kojic F, Ranisavljev I, Obradovic M, Mandic D, Pelemis V, Paloc M, Duric S. Does Back Squat Exercise Lead to Regional Hypertrophy among Quadriceps Femoris Muscles? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 4;19(23):16226. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192316226. PMID: 36498298; PMCID: PMC9737272.
- Glassbrook DJ, Brown SR, Helms ER, Duncan S, Storey AG. The High-Bar and Low-Bar Back-Squats: A Biomechanical Analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Jul;33 Suppl 1:S1-S18. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001836. PMID: 28195975.
Featured image: @danalinnbailey on Instagram
