Leg workout with dumbbells

With just a pair of dumbbells, you can have a complete leg workout at home. Read this detailed guide to know more.

Say leg workout, and the first image that leaps to anyone’s mind is of a barbell and a squat rack, or a leg press machine. Gyms generally have a bunch of equipment that can be used to target leg muscles, like leg extension for quads muscle and leg curl for hamstrings. But, is it possible to train all the leg muscles at home? Definitely, yes! You just need a pair of dumbbells and you can plan a complete lower body workout.

Let’s see what all exercises we can do at home and which all muscles they target.

Dumbbell Squat

It’s a compound workout and a great replacement for barbell squat. You don’t need a squat rack to perform this, so it can be comfortably done at home. 

Muscles Targeted –

• Quadriceps
• Gluteus Maximus
• Hamstrings
• Abdomen

How to do It –

• • Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides and stand with a shoulder-width stance. You can either hold the dumbbells on your side like a suitcase or can lift and rest them on the shoulders.
  • Take a deep breath and brace the abdominal muscles.
  • Start bending your knees with your butts pointing backwards. Don’t lean forward.
  • Go down to a point where the thighs are parallel to the floor. Don’t lift your heels.
  • Press your heels into the ground to straighten your knees and stand back to the starting position. Then, repeat the process.

Dumbbell Lunges

It is a good movement for the leg muscles and the muscles of the buttocks. It requires more balancing, compared to a Squats workout. So, stay focussed during the entire workout. 

Muscles Targeted –

• Quadriceps
• Gluteus Maximus
• Hamstrings
• Abdomen

How to do it –

• Hold a pair of dumbbells by your side and stand straight, shoulder relaxed, and look forward.
• Feet should be less than shoulder-width apart.
• Take a deep breath and step forward with any leg and start bending your knee until the front thigh is almost parallel to the floor and the back knee is almost close to the floor.
• Don’t lean forward and don’t bend your back.
• Come back to the starting position and repeat the same steps with your other leg.

 Goblet Squats

It targets all the major muscles of the lower body. It’s also a good functional movement that simulates the regular day-to-day movement like picking something from the floor.

Muscles Targeted –

• Quadriceps
• Gluteus Maximus
• Hamstrings
• Abdomen

How to Do It – 

• Stand tall with the feet shoulder-width apart.
• Hold the dumbbell in the front with palms facing up. Keep the dumbbell at upper chest level.
• Take a deep breath and brace the abdominal muscles
• Start bending your knees with your butts pointing backward. Don’t lean forward.
• Go down to a point where the thighs are parallel to the floor. Don’t lift your heels.
• Press your heels into the ground to straighten your knees and stand back to the starting position, and then repeat the process.

Dumbbell Sumo Squats

This variation of squats adds more resistance to adductors muscles and strengthens inner thighs and hip flexors. 

Muscles Targeted –

• Gluteus Maximus
• Hamstrings
• Inner Quadriceps
• Abdomen

How to Do It – 

• Hold a pair of dumbbells at your shoulder level or a single dumbbell in the front.
• Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and rotate the hips outwards.
• Take a deep breath and brace the abdominal muscles.
• Start bending your knees with your butts pointing backward. Don’t lean forward.
• Go down to a point where the thighs are parallel to the floor. Don’t lift your heels.
• Press your heels into the ground to straighten your knees and stand back to the starting position, and then repeat the process.

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Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats

Being a single-leg, unilateral squat, it focuses a lot on the quadriceps. It also needs a lot of balancing and coordination which also helps strengthen the core.

Muscles Targeted –

• Gluteus Maximus
• Hamstrings
• Quadriceps
• Abdomen
• Calves
• Spinal Erectors

How to Do It –

• Stand almost one to two feet away from a bench or a chair. Stand tall, look forward, and keep the shoulders relaxed with the feet shoulder-width apart.
• Put your one foot on the bench or the chair. Either you can place the top of your foot on the bench, aligning the ankle joint with the bench, or flex your ankle and find a comfortable spot with the ball of your foot and toes. 
• Put your other foot in front at a secure and comfortable spot.
• Take a deep breath and engage your core. Stand straight with the chest high, looking forward.
• Start bending your front foot knee by keeping your knee in line with your toes. Lower down until the thighs are parallel to the ground.
• Press back to the standing position by pushing back through your front foot. Complete the reps and then repeat the same steps with the other leg. That will be one complete set.

Weighted Step-up

It’s a unilateral movement that helps strengthen each leg individually. It also improves balance and coordination.

Muscles Targeted –

• Quadriceps
• Gluteus Maximus
• Hamstrings

How to Do It – 

• Hold the dumbbells in your hand and stand hip-width apart in front of a bench or a wooden box (adjusted at a height that allows a 90-degree angle between hamstring and calf muscle).
• Step up on the box with your right foot, pressing through the heel to straighten your leg.
• Bring the left foot also on the box and stand straight in an upright position.
• Bend your right knee and bring the left foot back to the ground.
• Then repeat the same steps with the left foot and that will be counted as one rep.

Dumbbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift

It helps majorly focus on the hamstring muscle, and also improves performance in endurance sports like running, jumping, and skipping by strengthening the lower back and glutes.

Muscles Targeted –

• Hamstrings
• Gluteus Maximus
• Erector Spinae

How to Do It –

• Hold the dumbbells in the front with the palms facing towards your thighs and stand shoulder-width apart.
• Take a deep breath and engage your core, keep your chest high, shoulders relaxed, and look straight.
• Bend your knees slightly and slowly bend over at the waist, push your hips back and bring the dumbbells over your feet until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
• Keep your back neutral and core tight.
• Now, contract your hamstrings and glutes, and come back to the starting position. 
• Keep your core engaged all the time and repeat the steps for the desired number of reps.

Cossack Squats

It’s a unilateral movement that works on one leg at a time. Unlike other movements of a leg workout, this is done by moving the leg laterally (side to side movement). Apart from strength and hypertrophy, it helps to improve ankle and hip mobility and increases the flexibility in the inner thigh and hamstrings.

Muscles Targeted –

• Hamstrings
• Gluteus Maximus
• Quadriceps
• Adductor Magnus (Inner Thigh Muscle)
• Abdomen
• Calves

How to Do It –

• Hold a single dumbbell in front of your chest with the palms facing up. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width (approx. 2 times) and flare your feet slightly outwards.
• Start shifting your weight on one foot and bend your knees, moving downward.
• Simultaneously, point the toes of the opposite leg towards the roof, keeping the leg straight.
• Don’t lean forward or bend your back.
• Go as far down as your flexibility allows (preferably close to the floor).
• Push through the floor and come back to the starting position and repeat the steps on the opposite side. This will be counted as one rep.

 Dumbbell Glute Bridges

It’s comparatively a simple but very effective movement to strengthen the posterior chain and, specifically, glute muscles. As glutes are a secondary muscle for many compound lifts, this workout subsequently helps to improve the performance in squats and deadlifts. 

Muscles Targeted –

• Gluteus Maximus
• Hamstrings
• Abdomen
• Erector Spinae

How to do it –

• Lie down on a mat with your face towards the roof. Hold a dumbbell firmly and place it on top of your abdomen.
• Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor (make sure the feet are underneath the knees and not in the front).
• Raise your glutes to the roof and contract your abs. Raise your hips to a level that your body forms one straight line from knees to shoulders
• Hold this position for one or two seconds, and then slowly come down to the starting position.
• Repeat the same steps for the desired number of reps.

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Dumbbell Calf Raises

Calf raises help to activate two muscles that together form calf muscles – gastrocnemius and soleus. They help with ankle flexion and extension, running, and jumping. As calf muscles become stronger, there is decreased risk of foot and ankle injuries. Also, it helps improve performance while running and jumping.

Muscles Targeted-

• Gastrocnemius
• Soleus

How to Do It-

• Hold dumbbells at your side and stand in front of raised surface like a staircase or a wooden plank.
• Place your feet on the raised surface while keeping your heels close to the ground.
• Raise your heels off the ground slowly and squeeze your calf muscles at the top position.
• Hold this position for two to three seconds and then come back to the starting position in a controlled manner.
• Repeat the movement for the desired number of reps.

As you can see, it is possible to have a successful leg workout at home. Follow these exercises to train all the leg muscles easily at home.

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Author: Dr Aakash Bansal (INFS Faculty)