Best Lower Body Exercise

Anth Bailes, IFBB Pro
Has to be the deadlift! From the start of the movement, you hit the calves, quads, hams, and even glutes as you go up. Midway, you bring into play the forearms and biceps. At the top of the movement, you hit the lower and mid back, and if you squeeze the shoulder blades and lean back at the top, upper back and traps get stimulation. Deadlifts will also create an overall anabolic effect on the body, stimulating GH and testosterone.

Eric Broser, Top Trainer
Deadlifts! Nothing engages more of the body’s musculature in a single rep than a deadlift. When it comes to building overall size, mass, and power, strict heavy deadlifting will deliver like no other! From start to finish, the deadlift strongly engages and activates the calves, quads, hams, glutes, hips, erectors, forearms, biceps, lats, and mid/upper traps! Deadlifts give you more bang for your buck than any other exercise!

Corey Swiergosz, National Physique Competitor
I’d say the barbell back squat, because to complete a rep, you literally contract your entire body, activating every muscle. Since a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle, increasing the power in your legs will help power all your lifts, thus adding more mass. Five sets of 5 reps is great for beginner to intermediate lifters. Advanced lifters can stimulate gains by activating further muscle fatigue with 15 to 20 reps.

John Romano, Bodybuilding Journalist
What makes my favourite mass-building exercise my favourite is the same for any musclehead; it’s the one at which I’m the best. For me, that would be the exercise where you wrap your hand around a fork and lift it to your mouth. For building mass, the best exercise of all is supersets of fork lifting with chewing, resting three hours between sets. It eclipses every rep of every set you do in the gym, regardless of how heavy you go.