Look the training of weightlifting... powerlifting...

Hmm one key is negative reps for calves, we already use the fast twitch smooth muscles all day just walking etc... This was a game changer for me

2 x leg sessions a week without exception.
Start with squats both sessions. First one 5x5, second work up close to 1 rep max and then drop weight and go high volume, I find weights feel lighter and get a great pump.
Lunges heavy one way light lunging back, leg press working up to heaviest set of 10 slow reps, leg extensions 3 sets 15 (toes out squeeze at top) then 4th set a ladder down until failure, should be walking like Bambi by now. Prone curl same ladder on second workout and hip abductor/adductor slow reps. Calf raises to failure on both workouts. Deadlifts on back day will also give your glutes and hamstrings something to think about!

Apart from genetics being key, squats ass to grass (or 90 degrees minimum) should be the mainstay. I haven't seen anyone mention leg extensions. If you want teardrops, leg extensions are a must. Do it properly and you'll be hobbling to your car which is 100 metres away in the car park. Obviously don't neglect your hamstrings, or calves but I find leg extensions make me cry in pain and wobble for at least half hour and walking up and downstairs should be painful 2 days later. Lets not mention getting up from the toilet seat. I sometimes wish I had disability bars in my toilet lol.

Hit hip abductors heavy

My experience differs to a lot in this thread, definitely agree that two leg sessions a week are key though. I seem to get the most development and weight increases from one heavy leg session and one light leg session. Heavy legs on a monday and light legs on a thursday.
Heavy session with a couple warmup sets, stretching and then straight into 5x5 barbell squats. Increasing the weight on the next heavy session time I achieve the full 5x5 sets.
Accessory lifts for this day vary depending on which part of the leg I'm looking to grow more, but I always include adductors, leg extension, hamstring curl and RDL in this session.
Light session starts with barbell squats again, really this session just focuses on high rep ranges to really burn and fatigue every fiber of my legs, Tom Platz style 20-50 rep ranges until I'm on my knees. Accessory lifts again varying on what I'm looking to develop, but still keeping the light weight and higher / slow burn reps.

Catalyst is correct with hip mobility. I incorporated the abductor adductor machines prior to training legs and it’s been game changer as far as increasing flexibility to get deeper in a squat but my workouts are very basic consisting mostly of of squats and lunges while also including leg curls and hamstring curls. I try to hit 200 total squats on moderate days but heavy days my reps are around 100 using a pyramid method escalating reps downward as the weight increases and back upward decreasing weight finishing with 225lbs for 15 reps. That last set is killer. Other days I finish with pauses for light weight for only about 50 reps. Mainly I’m a squatter, I don’t like using machines at all.

Hack squat with Haevy weight and leg extension
Romanian deadlift with heavy weight and leg curl

Just can be growth

Hitting legs 2x/week with a quad dominant day and a hamstring dominant day has made a huge difference for me over the couple years. Recently, I have set the goal to really bring them up so currently to kick off my offseason I am running this:
Day 1: Quads & Biceps - Rep range 6-10
Day 2: Optional Rest or Chest & Back
Day 3: Hamstrings & Shoulders - Rep range 6-10
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Quads & Biceps - Rep range 12-20
Day 6: Hamstrings & Shoulders - Rep Range 12-20
Day 7: Optional Rest or Chest & Triceps

Eating tons of carbs (500-700g) on my leg days. Recovery has been great so far. Running TRT. I am in that wonderful post-cut phase where the nutrient partitioning is insane. Doing this for 6-8 weeks then will switch it up and focus on something else. Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTxLhcqaDTk - he has a part 1 and part 2 with some great info.

If you like what you see, pm me and I can send the program to ya

Hack Squats
Leg Press
Leg Extension
Seated Calf Raise

max weight every time.
toes up.

Here’s my view on leg day. Most people don’t hit legs hard enough, nowhere near hard enough. A solid leg day should have you feeling like you’ve been hit by a bus by the end. I’ve had guys train legs with me and puke 15-20 minutes into the workout. With the volume and weight involved, it should be a killer. To create decent growth, the amount of weight x reps training legs is huge.

Vary up the exercises and the reps. IE one week go volume less weight on squats, weight less volume on presses etc. Good quads are all about squatting. Good squatting also requires developing good hip flexors, so if you have appropriate kit for these, use it. Just remember safety first once you start squatting any significant weight. That lad breaking his neck a couple of weeks back is a reminder to us all.

Don’t neglect your hamstrings. People do this all the time I’m my experience. Curls, (lying / seated), stiff leg deadlifts are a good yet overlooked exercise. Again vary weight / volume.

Calves - volume. Done are born with calves, the rest of us have to truly blast them until they scream to stimulate growth. Volume, volume, volume. Easy to just do a quick bit of half hearted calves at the end. Needs to be better than that to generate growth.

Hope that helps. I’m one of those weirdos that likes leg day. Drop me a line if you need further info etc.

Good luck.

Doughnuts, salt and lethargy.

Your mileage may vary but I’ve seen with legs that more is better.
2 days a week, one quad and one ham/glute day.
Quad day:
Leg press
Quad extension

Ham day:
Hip thrust OR deadlifts/SLDL/RDL
Ham curls

Reps, start at 20, go up from there. Once you’re hitting 50 rep sets up the weight.

Sets, maybe 3-5 per exercise.

I would need to deload maybe every 8-12 weeks on this program. But I was hitting 1000lbs+ for sets of 20+ reps on leg press, 800 pounds on hip thrust.

I really like high reps for legs, I think they respond better but it’s also extremely taxing on the cns to max load for 20, 30, 40 rep sets so other training days will not be as productive.