The BEST Powerlifting Leg Workout for Women

An optimal powerlifting workout split 

I'm sure you're familiar with what powerlifting is, but in case you aren't, powerlifting is a strength sport that is based on three major compound lifts: the back squat, bench press, and deadlift. In powerlifting, the goal is to get as strong as possible in each of those lifts. Check out the post below for more in depth info on the sport of powerlifting itself!

RELATED POST: The Ultimate Guide to Powerlifting for Beginners

So, when it comes to actual workouts, you should first ask yourself, "Am I a beginner lifter new to squat, bench, and deadlift? Or have I been at this for a while?" Your answer will largely determine the best powerlifting workout split for you.

Beginner lifters

If you're completely new to weight training or even fairly new to squatting, benching, and deadlifting, I suggest you begin by doing SBD (squat, bench, deadlift) days. By doing so, you'll become much more familiar and comfortable with each of the movements. 

Side note: please learn and implement proper powerlifting form for all lifts from the very beginning. Never be afraid to ask a trainer or someone who knows what they're doing for advice. Learning proper form will save you so much time and heartache down the line.

HOWEVER, I don't think deadlifting three times a week is necessary or even a good idea in certain cases. You can get rid of deadlifts on the middle day and replace them with a similar accessory such as Romanian deadlifts.

If you do an SBD powerlifting workout plan, you should lift three times a week, maybe four if you add in an extra accessory day. Try to space out the SBD days with a day of rest in between. 

Intermediate lifters

On the other hand, if you're very comfortable and familiar with SBD, you can try doing an upper/lower body powerlifting split. 

For me this looks like...

Monday: primary squat & secondary deadlift

Tuesday: primary bench + accessories

Wednesday: REST (mobility)

Thursday: primary deadlift & secondary squat

Friday: secondary bench + accessories

The difference between primary and secondary is this: primary days are typically done at a higher intensity. Therefore, you usually touch higher weights during primary days. Secondary days are generally more volume focused, and they're meant to supplement primary days.

So, if you are an intermediate or even an advanced lifter and follow this split, you'll have two lower body workouts per week.

Best powerlifting leg workout exercises

Specificity is key in powerlifting. In a nutshell, the law of specificity means your main focus should be on the lifts you want to make stronger: the squat, bench press, and deadlift. With that said, your lower body workouts should be focused around the back squat and deadlift.

Besides the "big three," you can do a few lower body accessories, but I would keep them to a minimum. One to three accessories per powerlifting workout is ideal. The accessories you choose should somewhat correspond to the lifts you do that day and whether or not they're primary or secondary.

For example, on my primary squat days I typically have accessories that target my quads. On my primary deadlift days, I do accessories that target my glutes and hamstrings.

Some awesome lower body accessory exercises include Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, leg press, lunges, and hip thrusts. Notice how all of these are compound exercises. Especially when you're just starting out, you don't need to push your focus on isolation exercises. 

Although, isolation exercises definitely have their place down the line when you're most advanced and need higher volume to gain strength.

How many reps and sets?

A general rule of thumb, especially for beginners, is to keep your SBD rep ranges at 1-6 per set. Because you should keep your reps per set on the lower end, your sets should be done at a heavy weight that challenges you.

Obviously "heavy" is subjective, but in order to get stronger, you need to do fewer reps with heavier weight. You'll make WAY more strength progress doing 3x5s with heavy weight than you would doing 3x10s with medium weight. Three sets per exercise is a good starting point. 

As a powerlifter, you'll also want to consider rest time between sets. You should be taking three to five minutes of rest between sets because you're lifting heavy and need time to recuperate before the next set. 

Keep in mind that it's also good to change up your rep ranges throughout the week. Here is an example of a week's worth of lower body workouts following an upper/lower split:

Monday (primary squat, secondary deadlift):

4x4 back squat

3x6 deadlift

3x8e lunges

Thursday (primary deadlift, secondary squat):

4x4 deadlift

3x6 back squats

3x8 RDLs

Here's an awesome powerlifting training program pdf that is based on three SBD days. The best part is that it's completely free to download! 

This program follows a simple linear progression model–it's exactly what I did when I started powerlifting. And trust me, I made some amazing strength gains! 

The takeaway

A great powerlifting leg workout doesn't need to be anything fancy or complicated; in fact, simple is often better when it comes down to it.

Put most of your focus on SBD, keep accessories to a minimum, and you should be on your way to some crazy strength gains!