How many reps for building mass on legs?

[Jack0204]

Hello! How many sets are needed for building bigger legs?

High or low reps?

[-Lucifer]

Use both, high and low reps for best results (5,8,10,12).

[Xeledon]

some people like high rep squats, like 20 or so. i hate these....

anything above 5 should be fine.

[k9pit]

Different people respond to different things. You'll no doubt get answers all over the place on this subject.
Low rep leg training never did much for my quads or hams.

I keep things in the 8-20 rep range.
8-15 for Back Squats, RDLs, Lunges
10+ for Machine moves (Leg Press, Hacks, Curls, Extensions). I typically shoot for 12s on the Hack and 15-20 on the Leg Press.
I won't speak to calves until I'm satisfied with progress consistently enough to...

sets vary. I typically do 10-12 worksets in a given workout
Somedays I'll do 5 sets of Leg Press, 5 sets of Hacks, and 2 sets of Leg Curls -quad focus day
Somedays I'll do 4 sets of Squats (three 8-12s, one 15 rep set), 2 sets of RDLs, 1 long set of Walking Lunges, 2 sets of seated Leg Curls -ham focus day


I still do some low rep training from time to time, but it's mainly to prime my body (gain strength) for handling these weights at higher rep ranges.

[DJAuto]

Use both, high and low reps for best results (5,8,10,12).

This...a combination is great.

[IDrinkBloodLOL]

IMO, high reps. Very high reps, even extreme reps.

[VoxExMachina]

Use a range of reps.

The more important factor is progression.

[mackro]

I am generally doing 6-15 reps on most lifts, but I like to go higher(20-30) on walking lunges and leg extensions. This allows me to go light enough to go deep into sets, get great contraction, and great pump. I stay in lower rep ranges on squats, SLDLs, and other major pressing movements to overload my legs.

[JJinSS]

I do Barbell squats, high bar or low bar w/e u prefer. For barbell squats depending on what your goals are, i would go 3x5 for faster progression/strength/and bulky mass. I would do 3x10 for bodybuilding. But trust me... your 3x5 weight will drop 50 lbs atleast or more when u try 3x10...

As for the Leg press stick with 3x10 or 3x12. or even more sets of 10.

When i do a seated quad extentsion, i feel it alot in my inner quad, which i dislike and don't want. Also my quads are so fried from squat and Leg press i find these pointless and most of the time i get a cramp when i try to squeeze at the top position in the seated quad ext. So i never do em...

I Deadlift on back days, but it is great for the hamstrings. Squats also work hamstrings. But i also do lying hamstirng curls. i like lying better than seated. Feels more natural... more squeeze... more ROM... just better... and i do 3x10.

than calves. calves i just do em till failure. Till i cry. till i walk like i got ****ed up the butt. That was a good leg day. Than i gotta bike home... because im in college and i don't have a car... i can't even lock my legs out to coast on the bike. Both feet are just shaking trying to stabilize.

[Jasonk282]

exactly 1,456,789,367,006

[Juicetin]

I read somewhere that scientists have researched that it is between 6 - 12 reps that are best for gaining muscle.

I usually stick to that in my workouts, it is going okay.

[matjusm]

A lot of people here have advocated high reps and for gaining mass that is probably better, however I've got an example of the contrary.

First off I'd like to say that I train for Olympic weightlifting so my workout is very different from a bodybuilding one, however that doesn't mean that I can't still achieve bodybuilding goals.
Over the summer (about 3 months) I put on about 8kg (plus another 3kg from about January to June) and a lot of it seems to have gone to my legs as I can noticeable feel how pants and shorts have gotten noticeably tighter around my thighs. I wish I'd have taken some precise before and after measurements for a true scientific record of results but oh well.

I squatted 4x a week, 2 heavy and 2 light days, 2 front squat and 2 back squat sessions. On the heavy days I never went above 3 reps in the front squat and 5 reps in the back squat (unless it was a warmup set but that hardly counts). On my light days I did 3x6 paused squats (I sit down to full depth, stay there for 1-2 seconds and come up). I also did 3x8 deficit pulls and good mornings, each once a week. This was of course on top of all the Olympic lifting I did (which were mostly 1-3 reps per set) and plyometrics/sprints.

Long story short: I did very low rep work but put on quite a bit of mass. I'm in no way advocating this for someone purely interested in bodybuilding type goals, I'm just saying that high reps aren't the only way to build muscle.
But even more importantly, make sure you eat a lot. Legs are big and to increase their diameter, you have to put on a lot of weight.

[XADO]

I'll say my squat routine, witch is probably the same rep scheme as other leg exercises....

1x10 warm-up at 20%RM
1x5 warm-up at 50%RM
1x5 warm-up at 75%RM

2x10 95%RM
2x? at a bigger weight than last time
2x20 at 50-70%RM ( If i have a spotter, i try for 70%, somehow a safety + always helps me to push miself into uncounciousness better than if nobody is there to assist you).....That on squats, on others i use rest-pause of 5 seconds and continue....

So it's low-high reps...