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This 4 Move Accessory Routine Is Hands Down the Best Way to Grow Massive, Sweeping Thighs

By Kelsey Kryger Men's Journal

Updated June 11, 2026 4:24 PM

It's no secret that building a massive chest, back, and arms is more fun than training legs. But a balanced physique requires serious lower-body work. Most guys stick to the basics (squats and Romanian deadlifts ), and while those foundational moves are crucial for functional strength, they aren't the whole story. If you want to maximize hypertrophy and carve out underutilized areas like the thighs, adding targeted accessory lifts to your routine is the ultimate game-changer.

"The biggest mistake people make when training their thighs is ignoring the size of the different muscles," says Casey Lee, trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and owner of Purposeful Strength. "For example, the seated hip abduction machine is crazy popular in the gym; however, those muscles are relatively small when compared to the larger muscles of the quads and even hamstrings. This doesn't mean you don't train them, it just means that the ratio of how many movements you do needs to be lower."

If your goal is to build a bulletproof set of thighs, Lee shared a few exercises to get the job done. Try them out below.

Muscles in the Thigh

Your thighs contain different muscles on the front, back, and inside of your legs. The quads at the front are the biggest muscles, with the vastus medialis, also known as the "tear drop muscle," being the most aesthetic. The back of the thigh is where the hamstrings live. Training the hamstrings is important for rounding out the shape of your legs, improving performance in sports and recreational activities, and building strength for bigger, compound lifts like squats and deadlifts.

"The inner thigh muscles are what people will ask me about the most," Lee says. "This is the adductor group, which is smaller and much harder to train since its role in the body is more supportive than primary. I tell my clients that the quads and hamstrings do a lot of the work, and the adductors and abductors are tagging along at the party."

Thigh Workout

The exercises below work great as a complementary routine to the rest of your usual leg day workout with squats and deadlifts. Train the big muscles first (quads and hamstrings), then work down to the smaller muscles, like the abductors and adductors. Try doing the following exercises twice a week for the best results.

How to Do Seated Leg Extensions

Seated leg extensions are one of the most popular machines in the gym. But if you want to increase the volume (and thus, challenge) of this classic exercise, Lee suggests performing "marathon sets," performing one leg at a time and alternating every 5 to 8 reps. By alternating legs and getting a tiny bit of rest for each, you can eke out more total work for bigger gains.

Sit on a leg extension machine with your back supported and shins tucked behind the padded bar.
Extend your legs until they're straight, squeezing your quads at the top.
Lower back to the start under control.
Perform 3 to 5 sets of 8 to 12 reps.

How to Do Pulsing Split Squats

"This pulsing variation is incredibly practical as a movement to help train deceleration, but also targets the rectus femoris muscle, which sits flat on top of your thigh," Lee says.

Start in a split stance with one foot forward and one back.
Lower into a lunge until your back knee is close to the ground.
Pulse up and down in a short, controlled range without fully standing up between reps.
Perform 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps per leg.

How to Do Lying Hamstring Curls

Training the hamstrings from an extended hip position translates well to sport and also makes you earn each rep.

Lie face down on a leg curl machine with the padded bar just above your heels.
Curl your heels toward your glutes by bending your knees, squeeze your hamstrings at the top.
Lower back down.
Perform 3 to 5 sets of 8 to 12 reps.

How to Do Slideboard Lateral Lunges

"The slideboard lateral lunge is the best-kept secret in training a strong and aesthetic leg," Lee says. "By putting your foot on the slide board and working it in and out, you're almost dragging the foot inward towards your body, which applies resistance directly to the adductor muscle. Training it from a standing position forces the opposite glute and abductors to stabilize and work in an isometric way."

Stand sideways on a slideboard with one foot on a sliding pad.
Push your sliding leg out to the side while bending the opposite knee, lowering into a side lunge.
Push through the bent leg to return to standing.
Perform 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps on each leg.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Fitness section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 3:13 PM.