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Build Bigger, Stronger Legs: How To Train Quads, Hamstrings, & Glutes for Performance

Judd Lienhard

128,722 views

Muscles don’t want to grow—you have to force them.
Adaptation is painful and uncomfortable, and nowhere is that more true than with leg training. Quads grow with pain. Glutes and hamstrings grow with high tension. Most lifters miss both.

I’m Judd Lienhard—former Army Ranger, college linebacker, and strength & performance coach for 15+ years. In this episode, I break down why most leg workouts fail—and how to actually build bigger, stronger, more athletic legs.

Too many people make the same mistakes:
Training quads almost exclusively while neglecting hamstrings and glutes
Only doing bilateral lifts (squats, leg press) instead of adding unilateral work (lunges, split squats)
Training legs just once a week—getting wrecked sore and not progressing
Ignoring the frontal plane and smaller muscles that make your legs look and perform like an athlete’s
Stopping sets when they get uncomfortable instead of pushing for adaptation

If you want to build legs that look powerful and perform in the real world—sprinting, jumping, changing direction—you need to train smarter.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
Why unilateral lifts are the most complete leg exercises
How I program quad-focused vs. hinge-focused leg days
The 4 key changes I made in my 30s that finally unlocked leg growth
How to train with enough frequency without wrecking recovery
Why calves rarely grow in the gym—and what athletes do differently
How to bias different quad and hamstring heads for complete development

Stop wasting time on leg workouts that don’t work. Train for size, strength, and performance.

📲 TRAIN WITH ME INSIDE MY APP
MASS Method (Movement, Athleticism, Strength & Speed) is my proven system for building real-world strength and athleticism.
👉 Download my training app here: https://www.juddlienhard.com/

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00:00 – Why most leg workouts don’t work
00:02:15 – The problem with quad-dominant training
00:05:40 – Why unilateral lifts build complete legs
00:09:22 – Structuring quad vs. hinge-focused leg days
00:15:18 – How often should you train legs?
00:18:44 – The missing plane of motion (frontal work for adductors & glutes)
00:22:05 – Intensity: forcing adaptation for growth
00:25:12 – Why hamstrings and glutes need 50% of your training
00:30:50 – The 4 breakthroughs that made my legs grow
00:36:00 – Programming hinges, squats, and auxiliaries
00:42:15 – Calves: why they don’t grow in the gym and what to do instead
00:47:00 – My favorite leg exercises for complete development
00:55:10 – How to bias quad and hamstring heads
01:02:00 – Recap: building bigger, stronger, athletic legs

📲 Follow Judd
Instagram: Instagram: juddlienhard
YouTube: @juddlienhard
Podcast: The Judd Lienhard Podcast on Apple & Spotify
Website [Training & Resistance Bands]: https://www.juddlienhard.com

#LegDay #LegWorkouts #StrengthTraining #Athleticism #Quads #Hamstrings #Glutes #FitnessMotivation #JuddLienhard #MASSMethod

20 Comments

@ironman2326 7 months ago (edited)

I've been lifting for 27 years. I used to think single leg work was a waste of time. Over the years my knee have become more painful with squatting down or going up steps, especially carrying any weight. I've started Bulgarian split squats and walking lunges and my knees feel sooo much better!
Also I switched to 2 leg workouts a week (Thurs and Sun). My legs are no longer fried for 4-5 days.

@K4R3N 1 year ago

25:00 daily jumprope for 10 minutes built up my calves during COVID days.

@LVTHN83 1 year ago

I rarely comment on this type of content but felt compelled. I watch a lot of fitness videos and this one really stood out to me. I tend to skip through time stamps on most creators' vids because they're too busy for me -- the visuals, the voices. Everything about this video was just chill, just right. You just spoke honestly and intentionally in a calm, soothing voice and kept the camera still and unbothered so your words could hit. I could've listened for an hour or more but you did what you came to do in half the time. Sir, I offer you my pen and my subscription.

@JeremyPezzeca 11 months ago

This is one of the best videos on youtube regarding leg training. Ive been training legs for 36 years and it hasnt been until the last 5-6 years did my legs really look well rounded and balanced. I use to squat 500 for 3 and my legs werent that big. When i started doing 315 for 20, the exploded. Now at 52, 225 for 10 is max i go but my legs look the best ever. I love the belt squat. Takes the load off my spine.

@cerveshred 11 months ago

Walking lunges are my favorites. On maybe two months the results has been amazing on years of training, but I think the execution it's the most important thing.

@buddytrent1351 1 year ago

Thanks, brother. There is a niche for older lifters that I don’t think is being filled with quality content. Keep up the good work thank you.

@Larry_B_46 11 months ago

I’m only 8 mins in but I can already tell this guy knows his stuff. I’m 45 and been lifting since I was 18. I’ve only recently began to see noticeable gains in my legs since I started doing single leg lunges and split squats to start out my leg day workouts that I do once per week. Regular squats or the machines don’t fully activate the muscles all muscles like the lunges and split squats.

@trespasstimes 10 months ago

It's all about time under tension to make muscle grow. If you aren't comfortable with being uncomfortable you won't grow. You have to train your brain to be ok with the burn and have the mental discipline to push passed the burn to the point when the endorphins kick in to dull the pain so you can get to another level. I do this by holding a squat or leg extension for minutes at a time with heavy weight. Not a deep squat but a flex stance that is enough to get the quads burning without the tendons being stressed. It burns bad but that's the point.

@jasonkennedy1670 3 weeks ago

Power, Strength, Hypertrophy 👌👌

@texasindy2193 10 months ago

For someone who is just starting to work out. It would have been so much helpful if I was seeing the exercises while you describe them.

@raymondjurado9203 1 year ago

Thanks for all the reminders to do unilateral stuff.

@delliott5524 1 year ago

I've been doing your workouts for the last six months, and my legs have definitely grown, but you're correct about the calves. I love weighted jump rope and do 30-60 minute sessions once a week, maybe three times a month, and my calves are crazy. I get many compliments about my legs, but especially my calf development.

@MSordernature 1 month ago

The biggest calves (literally conversation stopping) I've seen in person was from a guy who was around 80 kilos but used to bike a lot. And he also walked with a pep in his step, kinda lunging forward. I think that leaning forward is key for hiking, rucking, and donkey raises. Also, the fats have most of their weight in front of them.

@demicali-girl1217 1 month ago

I do 100 calf raises and 100 bridges every day.

@learntoswim2777 1 year ago

Man I like this guy he actually makes sense. I am going to start following him and change my training.

@CelticThai 1 year ago

This is wonderful advice. I am on this evolution myself

@charlesanthony7954 1 year ago (edited)

Thanks for another useful nutrient dense rundown. I have been working my tibs along with heaps of calf work since the 70s, unlike most of my peers and it has definitely paid off in my continued movement ability. Plus, in the last several years I started doing 1 leg balancing in the mornings with my eyes closed and arms folded across my chest. I routinely now do 3 minutes on each foot. If I falter early, it's a sign I am not fully recovered, neurologically, from previous work/ exercise. I also now do 60 seconds of deep horse stance rising as high as I can on my toes. With that and the one foot balance I can really feel the lateral calf stabilizers firing plus all the muscles of the feet. I never have to worry about tripping and falling down.

@junichiroyamashita 1 year ago (edited)

I like to see some of my choice confirmed, like opening with Step Ups, unilateral before bilateral, not neglecting hams and glutes, sides and calves.

I was just starting today a leg focused program i have been working on for a while, my version of Super Squat. I call it Kehaya

Day 1 Hip Stretches, before

Step Up
Hip Thrust----> Adductor machine
Squat 20 reps----->Pullover/SA Fly
Leg Extension

Day 2 Calf Stretch

Johnson Calf Raise
Prone Ham Curl---->Abduction
Squat----->Pullover/Fly
Good Morning

Not completely sure about the order in the second. My aim is max growth in size and strenght in all lower body. I saw a video about all the muscles worked by Squat and filled the gaps. I care more about glute and hams than the average guy.

@GregGlaeser-j4u 1 year ago

In the early 20th century the step-up was the most popular leg exercise

@susanswinny588 1 month ago

Thank you for your info.
I find unilateral leg exercises helpful for strengthening but am afraid of making my right hip get the dull ache.
I should practice my split squats tomorrow.
Thank you for the motivation and the voice of experience.