By Will Duru, BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, Award winning Personal Trainer with over 10 years of experience in strength training
Your legs are strong enough. Your upper body is not.
This is one of the most frustrating problems I see with women in the gym. You want to train your legs hard. You want to build your glutes and quads. But every exercise seems to require your arms, back, or grip to hold the weight.
Squats require you to support a barbell on your upper back. Lunges need you to hold dumbbells at your sides. Romanian deadlifts demand grip strength to hold the bar. Split squats have you clutching dumbbells until your forearms burn.
Your legs could do more. But your upper body gives out first.
I have worked with dozens of women who faced this exact problem. The solution is not to accept weaker leg training. The solution is to work around your upper body limitations using smarter exercise choices, equipment modifications, and grip aids.
This guide shows you exactly how to do it.
Why This Problem Is So Common in Women
Women typically have less upper body strength relative to their lower body compared to men. This is simple physiology. Women tend to carry more muscle mass in their lower body while men carry more in their upper body.
This means that for many women, the legs are capable of handling significantly more weight than the arms, back, or grip can support.
Common scenarios I see:
- You can squat 60kg but struggle to hold a 40kg barbell in position because your upper back fatigues
- Your glutes could handle heavier Romanian deadlifts but your grip fails after 8 reps
- Split squats with 12kg dumbbells burn your forearms before your legs feel challenged
- Goblet squats are limited by how long you can hold the dumbbell against your chest
This is not a weakness. It is a mismatch between what your legs can do and what your upper body can support. The good news is that there are many ways to work around it.
Machine Exercises That Remove Upper Body Demands
The simplest solution is to use machines that support the weight for you. These exercises let your legs work to their full potential without your upper body being the limiting factor.
Leg Press
The leg press is the ultimate upper body free leg exercise. You sit in the machine, place your feet on the platform, and push. Your arms do nothing except hold the safety handles.
Why it works for you:
- Zero grip requirement
- No upper back fatigue
- No core stability demands
- You can load your legs as heavy as they can handle
How to perform it:
- Sit in the machine with your back flat against the pad
- Place feet shoulder width apart on the platform
- Release the safety catches
- Lower the weight by bending your knees towards your chest
- Push through your heels to extend your legs
- Do not lock your knees completely at the top
Recommended sets and reps:
Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest |
4 | 12, 10, 10, 8 | 90 seconds | |
Strength | 4 | 8, 6, 6, 6 | 120 seconds |
The leg press can handle very heavy weight. Women who struggle with 40kg squats often leg press 100kg or more once the upper body is removed from the equation.
Hack Squat Machine
The hack squat provides a squat pattern without requiring you to support a barbell. Your shoulders rest against pads and your back is supported by the machine.
Why it works for you:
- Shoulder pads hold the weight, not your arms
- Back is fully supported
- No balance requirements
- Targets quads intensely
How to perform it:
- Stand on the platform with shoulders under the pads
- Feet shoulder width apart, slightly forward on the platform
- Release the safety handles
- Lower by bending your knees until thighs are parallel or below
- Push through your feet to stand back up
Recommended sets and reps:
Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest |
Muscle building | 4 | 10, 10, 8, 8 | 90 seconds |
Strength | 4 | 8, 6, 6, 6 | 120 seconds |
Leg Extension
Leg extensions isolate your quadriceps completely. You sit in a machine and extend your legs against a pad. Your upper body does nothing.
Why it works for you:
- Complete isolation of quads
- Zero upper body involvement
- Great for pre exhausting legs before compounds
- Excellent for finishing leg workouts
How to perform it:
- Adjust the machine so your knees align with the pivot point
- Place ankles behind the lower pad
- Extend your legs until straight
- Lower with control
- Do not swing or use momentum
Recommended sets and reps:
Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest |
Muscle building | 3 | 15, 12, 12 | 60 seconds |
Pre exhaust | 2 | 20, 20 | 45 seconds |
Leg Curl (Lying or Seated)
Leg curls isolate your hamstrings. Whether lying face down or seated, your upper body simply rests while your legs do the work.
Why it works for you:
- Complete hamstring isolation
- No grip or arm involvement
- Can go heavy without upper body limitation
- Balances quad dominant training
How to perform it (lying):
- Lie face down on the machine
- Place ankles under the pad
- Curl your heels towards your glutes
- Squeeze at the top
- Lower with control
Recommended sets and reps:
Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest |
Muscle building | 3 | 12, 10, 10 | 60 seconds |
Strength | 3 | 10, 8, 8 | 90 seconds |
Hip Thrust Machine
Many gyms now have dedicated hip thrust machines. These eliminate the need to set up a barbell and hold it in position.
Why it works for you:
- No barbell to balance
- No pad to hold in place
- Direct glute loading
- Easy to load heavy
If your gym has one, use it. If not, see the section below on how to make barbell hip thrusts work.
Cable Kickbacks and Pull Throughs
Cable machines let you train glutes and hamstrings with minimal upper body involvement.
Cable kickback:
- Attach ankle strap
- Hold the frame lightly for balance only
- Kick leg back against resistance
- Focuses on glutes
Cable pull through:
- Stand facing away from cable
- Reach between legs to grab rope attachment
- Hinge at hips and stand up using glutes and hamstrings
- Grip is minimal, mostly glute and hamstring work
Equipment That Helps Your Grip
When you cannot avoid holding weight, grip aids can extend how long you can hold on.
Lifting Straps
Lifting straps wrap around your wrist and then around the bar. They transfer the load from your fingers to your wrist, dramatically reducing grip demands.
Best for:
- Romanian deadlifts
- Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts
- Barbell rows (which also train legs isometrically)
- Any pulling movement where grip fails first
How to use them:
- Slip your hand through the loop so the strap hangs from your wrist
- Wrap the loose end around the bar
- Grip the bar with the strap wrapped underneath your hand
- The strap now holds the weight, not just your fingers
Straps let many women add 10 to 20kg to their Romanian deadlifts instantly because grip is no longer the limiting factor.
Lifting Chalk
Chalk dries your hands and increases friction between your skin and the bar. This improves grip without any wrapping or straps.
Best for:
- Moderate grip improvement
- When you want to train grip but need a little help
- Hot or humid gyms where hands get sweaty
- Any barbell or dumbbell work
How to use it:
- Apply to palms and fingers before your set
- Rub hands together to distribute
- Reapply between heavy sets
- Liquid chalk is less messy and allowed in more gyms
Chalk typically adds a few reps before grip failure. Straps add many more. Use chalk for lighter work and straps for your heaviest sets.
Versa Gripps or Similar Products
Versa Gripps are a hybrid between straps and gloves. They wrap quickly and release easily while providing excellent grip support.
Advantages:
- Faster to use than traditional straps
- More secure than chalk alone
- Easy to release between sets
- Durable and long lasting
These are more expensive than basic straps but many women find them worth the investment for convenience.
Modified Free Weight Exercises
Sometimes you want or need to use free weights. Here are modifications that reduce upper body demands.
Barbell Hip Thrust with Pad
The barbell hip thrust is the best glute exercise but requires holding a barbell across your hips.
How to reduce upper body involvement:
- Use a thick barbell pad to reduce discomfort
- Rest your upper back on a bench so you do not need to support yourself
- Let the weight rest in your hip crease, hands are just for guidance
- Your arms do not lift the weight, they only keep it from rolling
Once set up correctly, your arms do almost nothing during the movement itself.
Smith Machine Squats
The Smith machine guides the bar on a fixed path. This removes the need to balance and reduces upper back demands.
Why it works:
- Bar is supported by the machine
- Less upper back strength needed
- Can focus entirely on leg drive
- Safety catches allow you to fail safely
The Smith machine is not identical to free squats but it lets you load your legs when barbell squats are limited by upper body fatigue.
Goblet Squat with Squat Wedge
If goblet squats are limited by how long you can hold the dumbbell, try elevating your heels on a squat wedge. This allows a more upright torso, reducing how far forward the weight pulls.
Why it works:
- More upright position reduces arm fatigue
- Weight stays closer to your centre of mass
- Less strain on holding position
- Can often use heavier weight
Belt Squat
If your gym has a belt squat machine, this is perfect for your situation. The weight hangs from a belt around your hips. Your upper body does nothing except stay upright.
Why it works:
- Zero upper body loading
- No grip requirement
- No spinal compression
- Pure leg training
Belt squats are becoming more common in commercial gyms. Ask your gym if they have one.
Sample Leg Workout for Women with Upper Body Limitations
Here is a complete leg workout designed to maximally challenge your legs while minimising upper body demands.
Warm Up
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Bodyweight squat | 2 | 15 |
| Leg swing (front to back) | 1 | 10 each leg |
| Leg swing (side to side) | 1 | 10 each leg |
Main Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg Press | 4 | 12, 10, 10, 8 | 90 seconds | Go heavy, no upper body limit |
| Hack Squat or Smith Machine Squat | 3 | 10, 10, 8 | 90 seconds | Focus on depth |
| Romanian Deadlift with Straps | 3 | 10, 10, 8 | 90 seconds | Straps eliminate grip limit |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 15, 12, 12 | 60 seconds | Squeeze at top |
| Lying Leg Curl | 3 | 12, 10, 10 | 60 seconds | Control the negative |
| Hip Thrust (machine or barbell) | 3 | 12, 10, 10 | 60 seconds | Pause at top |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 15, 15, 12 | 45 seconds | Full range of motion |
This workout hits quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves without your upper body being the weak link.
How to Progress When Upper Body Is Limiting
Even with these modifications, you should still work on improving your upper body strength over time. Here is how to approach it.
Short Term: Work Around It
Use the machine exercises and grip aids to train your legs hard now. Do not let upper body limitations hold back your leg development.
Medium Term: Build Upper Body Alongside
Include upper body training in your programme. As your back, shoulders, and grip get stronger, more exercise options open up.
Grip specific exercises:
- Farmer carries (start light)
- Dead hangs from a pull up bar
- Plate pinches
- Wrist curls
Upper back exercises:
- Seated rows
- Lat pulldowns
- Face pulls
- Reverse flyes
Long Term: Reintroduce Free Weight Compounds
As your upper body catches up, gradually add back the exercises that were previously limited. You might find that barbell squats and dumbbell lunges become viable options.
This is a process. It takes months
Tracking Your Progress
Use the 12REPS app to track all your leg workouts. The app shows your previous weights and reps for each exercise so you can see progress over time.
Because you are using different exercises than a standard programme, tracking becomes even more important. You need to know that your leg press is increasing, your hack squat is progressing, and your leg curls are getting stronger.
The app also includes video demonstrations for every exercise mentioned in this guide. If you are unsure how to perform a movement, watch the demonstration before your set.
Common Questions
Will machines build muscle as well as free weights?
Yes. Muscle growth depends on progressive overload and mechanical tension, not whether the weight is a barbell or a machine. Machines can build just as much muscle when used correctly.
Should I feel embarrassed using straps?
Absolutely not. Straps are a tool. Professional powerlifters and bodybuilders use them regularly. They allow you to train your target muscles harder. That is their purpose.
Will my grip ever catch up to my legs?
For most women, there will always be some gap because of how muscle is distributed. But your grip can improve significantly with direct training. The gap will narrow even if it never fully closes.
Can I build glutes without hip thrusts?
Yes. Leg press with feet high on the platform, cable pull throughs, cable kickbacks, and Romanian deadlifts all build glutes effectively. Hip thrusts are excellent but not the only option.
What if my gym does not have these machines?
Work with what you have. Most gyms have at least a leg press and leg curl. If not, focus on the grip aids (straps, chalk) to make free weight exercises more accessible.
References
- Schoenfeld, B.J. et al. (2021). Resistance Training Recommendations to Maximize Muscle Hypertrophy in an Athletic Population. Strength and Conditioning Journal. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33867777/
- Krings, B.M. et al. (2016). Effects of Grip Width on the Myoelectric Activity of the Prime Movers During the Flat Barbell Bench Press. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26840437/
- Vigotsky, A.D. et al. (2015). Effects of load on good morning kinematics and EMG activity. PeerJ. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26339555/
Related Articles on just12reps.com
Article | Description | Link |
Glute Focused Strength Training for Women | Build strong glutes with targeted exercises. | |
Complete Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training | Start your journey with proper fundamentals. | |
Best Weightlifting App for Women | Find the right app for your training. | |
Strength Training for Petite Women | Training designed for smaller frames. | |
The Science of Progressive Overload | Understand how to keep making gains. |
About the Author: Will Duru holds a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science and is an award-winning personal trainer with over 10 years of experience. He has helped dozens of women overcome upper-body limitations to build strong, powerful legs. Will created the 12REPS app to provide exercise alternatives and video demonstrations for every situation.
