Quad and Hamstring Workout Plan (3 Day)
Quad-dominant squats and step-ups balanced against hinge and hamstring work, three dumbbell sessions a week. Compounds first, accessories after.
Routines
Day 1 — Quad Emphasis
Front squat strength, machine volume, and step variations to target quads while keeping balance work.
Day 2 — Hamstring & Hinge Focus
Hinge strength and hamstring isolation with unilateral RDLs and posterior chain accessories.
Day 3 — Balanced Strength & Unilateral Control
High-bar squats with sumo deadlift, split squats, and multi-directional step work for symmetry.
About this plan
Three sessions a week that split the legs by function: one quad-dominant day, one hamstring-dominant day, and one that covers both.
Day one is quads — front squats at four sets of five, hack squats, step-ups, goblet split squats, leg extensions and lateral step-ups. Day two is hamstrings — Romanian deadlifts at four sets of six, dumbbell Romanians, single-leg deadlifts, Nordic curls, lying leg curls and kettlebell work. Day three brings them together with high-bar squats, sumo deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats, rear lunges and step-ups.
The reason for splitting them is that the hamstrings have two jobs and most leg training only trains one. They bend the knee, which is what a leg curl does, and they extend the hip, which is what a Romanian deadlift does. A plan with squats and leg curls covers the knee bend and misses the hip extension entirely — which is where the hamstring is most often injured, at speed, at length.
The Nordic curl on day two is the hardest exercise in the whole catalogue for most people. Kneel, have someone hold your ankles or hook them under something solid, and lower your torso to the floor as slowly as you can. Three sets of six is ambitious; three sets of three lowered over four seconds is a better starting point.
The front squat opening day one keeps the torso upright and puts the quads under a longer range than a back squat does. It also punishes a rounded upper back, which is useful feedback.
Leave at least a day between day two and day three. Romanian deadlifts and squats on consecutive days is how people find out how sore hamstrings can get.
Train this plan in the app
LoadMuscle carries all 3 routines with a demo for every exercise, and logs your sets as you go, so next session you can see what to beat. Free on iPhone and Android.
Want something built around your own schedule and equipment instead? Try the free workout planner.
