Leg-Destroying Dumbbell Workout | Top 8 Dumbbell Exercises for Legs

If you want to build awesome strength in your legs, this dumbbell leg workout will put you on the right path! Legs are often neglected in the gym because of the effort you’ve got to put into training them. It’s important that you train your legs – no matter whether your goals are to build muscle, lose fat and tone up or strengthen your muscles.

This dumbbell leg workout will help you to build strong legs which can contribute to much more than a good look. Ensuring a strong set of legs, including your glutes will ensure a solid foundation for an athletic physique and more efficient performance in sports as well as being key in strength and conditioning and reduction of injury.

• Goblet Squat
• Dumbbell Deadlift
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Leg Romanian Deadlift
• Walking Lunges
• Glute Bridges
• Calf Raises
• Dumbbell Overhead Lunge

1. Goblet Squat

The goblet squat can be a great alternative to squatting with a bar on your back, especially for beginners to learn the squat technique properly. Having the weight distributed in front of you causes a different challenge, and will also target your abs.

Technique

• Hold the dumbbell with your palms facing up (hence the ‘goblet’ part of the name), with your feet around shoulder-width apart and your chest forwards, shoulders back.
• Keeping a straight back, bend your knees and move your bum back and down, so your weight is through your heels. Aim to get your bum as close to the ground as possible.
• Keep your chest facing forward.
• Tense your abs and push back up through your heels to your starting position.

2. Dumbbell Deadlift

There are so many different variations of the deadlift, but they all have one thing in common – they’re all more than just a leg exercise. They’ll fry your hamstrings and glutes, as well as your core and upper back. Talk about effective!

Technique

• Place a dumbbell on its end and stand with your feet either side of it, about shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your knees and this time push your bum back to the wall behind you, instead of down (as in the squat). You should feel a slight pull in your hamstrings (on the back of your upper leg).
• Keeping a straight back, with your chest forwards, and shoulders back, reach for the dumbbell with straight arms.
• With the dumbbell in your hands, tense your abs and stand up straight, by driving your hips forwards and squeeze your glutes.
• Bend your knees and move your bum backwards again, and lower the dumbbell back to the floor, still keeping your back straight.

3. Bulgarian Split Squat

Single-leg exercises can arguably be tougher than two-legged exercises if you do them right. Balance can be an issue initially, but you’ll perfect it with practice.

Technique

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your back to a bench. Place your back foot on the bench. Depending on your ankle mobility, you might prefer to have your toe in contact with the bench, instead of your ankle – find what works best for you.
• Alternatively, you can hold one heavier dumbbell in the opposite hand to your front leg (i.e. if your left foot is forward, hold the dumbbell in your right hand, and vice versa).
• Lean forward at a 45-degree angle (this forward lean increases how hard your glutes work, in comparison to standing upright), and put all of your weight on the heel of your front foot.
• Bend your front knee and lower yourself down to the ground – under control – using the front leg as a brake against gravity.
• Push back up through your heel to the starting position.
• Make sure all of the work is being done by your front leg, and that you’re not using your back leg to help.

Tip: If you need to strip this back, take your foot off the bench and perform a standard split squat.

4. Leg Romanian Deadlift

Similar to the dumbbell deadlift we’ve just gone through, this single-leg deadlift variation will grow and strengthen your hamstrings and glutes, with the added challenge of one leg doing all of the hard work.

Technique

• Stand on one leg (starting on your weaker leg), and hold one relatively heavy dumbbell in the opposite hand to your standing leg.
• Alternatively, you can hold one lighter dumbbell in each hand.
• Bend the knee of your standing leg slightly, and lean forward (you’ll feel a slight pull in your hamstrings, on the back of your standing leg). Lean forward until your body is parallel with the floor, and bring your non-standing leg up behind you.
• Stand back upright, pushing through the heel of your standing leg, driving your hips forward.

Tip: You can make this easier by placing your rear foot slightly offset to the working leg and performing the movement with additional support.

5. Walking Lunges

We’ll hit some different muscle fibres (type 1) than earlier in the workout with the heavier, lower rep exercises (type 2) for a complete leg workout.