If You Want Legs Like Florence Pugh, Do These 5 Exercises

Florence Pugh is known for her powerhouse performances, but her strong, sculpted legs have become just as iconic. As she gears up for her next big role in Thunderbolts, set to release in May 2025, Florence Pugh continues showcasing her fitness dedication. Whether preparing for action-packed fight scenes or confidently walking the red carpet, her training keeps her strong, agile, and camera-ready.

For physically demanding roles in Black Widow and Thunderbolts, Florence Pugh has followed intense training that combines strength training, functional movements, and endurance work. She's also known to mix in alternative workouts like dancing and kickboxing, which help her stay quick on her feet for combat sequences while keeping training fun and engaging.

As a certified strength and conditioning specialist, I designed this workout to mirror the principles of Pugh's action-movie training, ensuring you build the same kind of strength, definition, and endurance that helps her excel in physically demanding roles.

The 5 Best Exercises for Strong, Sculpted Legs

To build legs that are both strong, athletic, and defined like Pugh's, you need a mix of compound movements for strength, unilateral exercises for stability, and posterior chain work for power—all of which are covered in the five exercises below. Squats and deadlifts build lower-body strength, while Bulgarian split squats enhance single-leg control and endurance. Glute bridges reinforce posterior chain activation, which is key for explosive power, and the heel-elevated squat shifts the focus onto the quads for balanced development.

1. Goblet Squats

Goblet squats are great for building lower-body strength while reinforcing good squat mechanics. They target the quads, hamstrings, and glutes while challenging core stability.

How to Do It:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest level with both hands.
2. Keep your elbows tucked in and your chest lifted to prevent rounding your back.
3. Brace your core and begin lowering into a squat by pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
4. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the ground, keeping your weight evenly distributed through your feet.
5. Press through your heels to stand back up, extending your hips at the top.

Pro Tip: Focus on controlled reps with a slight pause at the bottom to maximize muscle engagement. Avoid letting your knees cave inward by actively pushing them outward.

2. Heel-Elevated Smith Machine Squats

Elevating your heels shifts the emphasis toward the quads, making this variation ideal for developing stronger thighs. The Smith machine provides stability, allowing for more controlled reps.

How to Do It:

1. Place weight plates or a slant board under your heels to create a slight elevation.
2. Position yourself under the Smith machine bar, resting it across your upper traps.
3. Adjust your stance so your feet are slightly in front of you.
4. Unrack the bar by slightly twisting the handles and brace your core.
5. Lower yourself into a deep squat, keeping your torso upright and maintaining tension in your quads.
6. Depending on your mobility, descend until your thighs are parallel or lower.
7. Press through your heels to return to standing, fully extending your knees and hips.

Pro Tip: Use a slow eccentric (lowering) phase to increase muscle activation. Keep the reps smooth and controlled rather than bouncing out of the bottom.

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3. Bulgarian Split Squats

This unilateral movement builds single-leg strength and stability while emphasizing the quads and glutes. It is one of the most effective exercises for lower-body development.

How to Do It:

1. Stand a few feet in front of a bench, facing away from it.
2. Place the top of one foot on the bench behind you.
3. Hold dumbbells at your sides or place your hands on your hips for balance.
4. Engage your core and begin lowering your back knee toward the ground, keeping your front knee aligned over your foot.
5. Lower until your front thigh is parallel to the floor or below, ensuring a deep stretch.
6. Push through your front heel to return to standing without letting your back leg do too much work.

Pro Tip: Keep your torso slightly leaned forward to engage the glutes more. If balance is an issue, start with bodyweight before progressing to added resistance.

4. Glute Bridges

Strong glutes contribute to powerful legs. Glute bridges activate the posterior chain and improve lower-body strength and endurance.

How to Do It:

1. Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, and knees bent. Position your feet so they are a few inches away from your glutes.
2. Press your lower back into the floor and engage your core.
3. Drive through your heels to lift your hips toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes at the top.
4. Hold for a second at the peak of the movement before lowering back down with control.

Pro Tip: Place a barbell or resistance band across your hips to increase intensity. Avoid arching your lower back by keeping your core engaged throughout the movement.

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5. Romanian Deadlifts

This hip-hinge movement targets the hamstrings and glutes while reinforcing proper lifting mechanics.

How to Do It:

1. Hold a barbell or a pair of dumbbells in front of your thighs with an overhand grip.
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
3. Keep a slight bend in your knees and engage your core.
4. Hinge at the hips by pushing them back while lowering the weights along the front of your legs. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement.
5. Lower the weights until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, stopping when your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
6. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to return to standing.

Pro Tip: Keep the weights close to your body and avoid rounding your back. A slow, controlled lowering phase (about three seconds) will maximize muscle tension.

Example Lower-Body Workout

Try this workout to develop stronger, more defined legs. Perform 3 to 4 rounds, adjusting weight and reps based on your fitness level.

1. Goblet Squats: 3 sets of 12 reps
2. Heel-Elevated Smith Machine Squats: 3 sets of 10 reps
3. Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets of 8 reps per leg
4. Glute Bridges: 3 sets of 15 reps
5. Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets of 10 reps

For added intensity, finish with a bodyweight burnout round. Complete 20 bodyweight squats, 15 reverse lunges per leg, and 30 seconds of jump squats.

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How to Add These Movements to Your Routine for Maximum Results

You need the right combination of rep ranges, resistance, and recovery to build muscle and definition like Florence Pugh. Strength training should be progressive, with gradual increases in weight or reps over time.

For muscle growth (hypertrophy):

• Aim for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per exercise.
• Use a weight that challenges you while maintaining proper form.
• Rest periods should be between 60 and 90 seconds

For strength and power:

• Perform 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps per movement.
• For strength, use heavier weights.
• Power workouts should use lightweights at a fast speed.
• Rest for 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

For endurance and tone:

• Perform 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
• Use light to moderate loads.
• Rest periods should be kept between 30 and 60 seconds to maintain intensity.

Incorporate these exercises into your leg days, two to three times weekly. Add activities like kickboxing, cycling, or dance-based workouts to complement your training, just like Florence Pugh does. These activities improve agility and cardiovascular fitness while keeping workouts fun and engaging.