Squats are the hardest leg movement, hence they're king. They train all lower-body muscles and increase muscle-building hormones.
Putting the bar in front of you alters your squat drastically. Front squats favor quadriceps over glutes and hams, so you'll lose weight.
Snatches and power cleans are unmatched for improving leaping power for sports or squat strength, but they need focus and technique.
Correctly regarded whole-body workouts, deadlift variants target the posterior chain. But study shows that they target the quadriceps as well as the hamstrings and glutes, particularly if you pull with a broader or sumo-style stance.
Split squats, especially rear-foot-elevated or "Bulgarian" ones, are leg-destroying when done well. EMG research reveals that 4 sets of Bulgarians at your 10-rep max activate the quads like back squats.
The hormone increase from machine-based leg workouts is inferior to free weights. That's no excuse to skip them! It merely means perform them later in your leg exercise when you're tired.
Lunges, like all the other activities, include hip and knee extension, stimulating the thighs and glutes. Another benefit: They may be done with dumbbells, barbells, or body weight for greater repetitions.