Squats Got Ya Bored? 5 Ways To Seriously UPGRADE Your Home Gym LEG DAY

I’m a big fan of leg day. Something about those big weights and nasty pumps calls to me. The unfortunate part is that in a home gym, you can struggle to have enough equipment that isn’t just squats and deadlifts on repeat. You can grab a quality specialty bar, mix things up with squat variations, but most of that is just the same thing over and over. Plus, constantly loading heavy weights on your back can lead to burn out and injuries. So today we are going to take a look at a few options that let you expand your leg day routine at home outside of just squats.

The key here is that everything needs to be space friendly. So this won’t be a deep dive on the best commercial leg curl machine. This is going to be a look at attachments, multi-functional pieces, and ways to take advantage of items you already own to upgrade your leg day in your home gym.

Freak Athlete Hyper Pro & Leg Developer

Freak Athlete recently moved from their Nordic Hyper GHD to the Hyper Pro. This came with some upgrades to a number of areas, but also included a new Leg Developer attachment. It is compatible with BOTH the Nordic Hyper GHD and the Hyper Pro, so if you own one or the other, you can still beef up your leg day with the new Leg Developer.

If you aren’t familiar with the Hyper Pro, let’s do a quick run down.

You have a Nordic Curl Bench that includes Back Extensions, Glute-Ham Raises, some reverse hyper type functionality, a Hip Thrust pad which doubles for Bulgarian Split Squats, and a few more odds and ends. From a leg day perspective, the Hyper Pro on its own hammers the back side nicely. You’ve got five glutes and hamstring movement options, alongside the bulgarians for some quad development. By the way, the Nordics and GHR functionality have angle adjustments as well, so whether you are banging out reps or need some help, they got you.

The Leg Developer adds in Leg Curls and Leg Extensions. So now we have an additional hamstring movement, paired with one of the staple quad builders. I owned the Nordic Hyper GHD and we loved it. Myself, my wife, and my daughter used it regularly. We were able to help test the Leg Developer before launch, ensuring that it would be up to par for some heavy lifters. And we are now working our way through the Hyper Pro for a full review soon.

The quick and dirty is, this thing rocks. And it definitely has an argument for being a staple in a home gym. It stores away easily, it is friendly for athletes of a LOT of different shapes and sizes, and it is fairly easy to use.

Bells of Steel Buzzsaw Bench

If you are looking for a new adjustable bench, Bells of Steel offers a few options that can do some cool things, namely include Leg Curls and Leg Extensions. The Bells of Steel Buzzsaw Bench clocks in at under $600 WITH the attachment, which means it costs less than most high end benches and does even more. 8 adjustable angles, with a 1000lb weight capacity, and the ability to store vertically, and you’ve got a banger for a home gym.

Crandall Fitness Sissy Squat

This one is a little different, but worth a look. Crandall Fitness is the OG in the home gym world, with over 20 years of at home lifting experience. That experience is primarily centered around bodybuilding endeavours and athletic development with his kids. So anything they make, must fit into that realm. The CF Sissy Squat is a perfect example.

First, it takes up almost no space. This thing could be stored away against a wall, on a shelf, under a bed, or anywhere you’ve got just a few feet of space. Second, it unlocks one of the nastiest quad builders known to man, the Sissy Squat. An exercise that a lot of people will be able to perform with no extra load, making it a fantastic option after a heavy squat session.

This comes in at well under $300, making it a very affordable piece. Now, it is essentially a single exercise option. You COULD use the pads for some split squats and other tomfoolery, but probably not the best experience. The key here is a great exercise, with low load needs, at an affordable price and limited footprint.

Strength Warehouse USA

If you want to REALLY step up your leg day, Strength Warehouse USA has a stupid amount of options. We are talking a dozen calf machines, lots of leg presses, and even some small form factor leverage squat pieces. These are headlined by the brand Body Solid, and have actually been a common choice for winners of the past several Garage Gym Competition gift cards from Strength Warehouse USA. The Leg Press includes a Hack Squat option, the leg extension includes leg curls, and their leverage squat can be used to trained calfs as well. So each of these is a dual purpose piece.

But the big ones are going to be the All-In-One options. These do some awesome things, and the vast majority include a leg developer option. Sometimes you even get multiple angles to do leg curls with. Keep an eye on the weight and resistance ratio, as some of these can be pretty light on the load. But of course you could add a Gym Pin and be good to go.

Prime Fitness Smart Arm Attachment

This one is last on our list, because as of right now, it still isn’t actually available for order. Prime has been teasing us with a leg developer attachment concept for their Shorty Bench for some time now. That morphed into something very different, but with a HUGE amount of options and awesomeness. It is now called the Prime Fitness Smart Arm Attachment. Not only will you get leg curls and leg extensions, but you’ll likely get biceps and triceps and a few more creative options as well. Right now, we just have to settle for some Instagram Clips to show us what they are working with.

When this releases and we have more information, I’ll update this article.