The Pareto principle (aka the “80/20 rule”) states that, in a given area, roughly 80% of your results are accomplished by 20% of your efforts. If we were applying this to leg training, then squats, lunges, stepups, and deadlifts would fall into the 20% of exercises producing 80% of your lower-body gains (more or less). All those leg extensions and leg curls are fine, but they’re likely not your true thigh-developing linchpins.
What you’ll find here is a Pareto-inspired Level Up leg workout that builds off its Straight Up counterpart by providing a bit more bang for the buck—variations of lunges, squats, stepups, and deadlifts, and nothing else. Consider this your 80/20 leg day. If you’ve got time later in the week (and aren’t crushed by this workout), then knock yourself out with leg presses, leg curls, and the inner/outer thigh machine.
Check out both workouts below, and try the Level Up routine for serious leg gains.
The Level Up Difference: Stepups
Perform stepups with either dumbbells or a barbell; when in doubt, go with dumbbells, as they’re a slightly safer option. Plant your foot on the bench or box, heel first, not the ball of the foot.
The Level Up Difference: Reverse Lunge
While comparable, these are more dynamic than split squats. When doing reverse lunges, drive up through the heel of the front foot—as if you were doing a single-leg squat—and minimize the push off from the back leg.
The Level Up Difference: Goblet Squat
Think of goblet squats as a modified version of a front squat. Keep your torso upright and maintain a tight core, and keep the dumbbell up against your body so it doesn’t pull you forward.
