Robust, highly effective legs are the results of extra than simply fundamental power workout routines like squats and deadlifts. Improve your leg day routine with these 9 leg exercise workout routines with dumbbells. Every circuit features a power coaching train, stability train and energy train – leading to a really complete leg day whether or not you’re coaching at house or within the gymnasium.
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If you would like legs that may really carry out outdoors of a gymnasium setting, you might want to be including stability and energy workout routines to your leg day routine.
Day two of our 2-Week Perform 20 Dumbbell Workout Plan combines a few of my favourite strength training leg day exercises with explosive energy and steadiness workout routines.
The inspiration of performance-based coaching is about a lot extra than simply our potential to carry heavy weights. It additionally measures our potential to:
- Keep stability (stabilization and steadiness)
- Generate power (power coaching)
- Produce explosive energy (plyometrics)
This impressed the format of right this moment’s efficient leg exercise routine. Every circuit features a stability train, power coaching train and energy train; leading to a whole lower body workout that builds true, useful power.

The Final Leg Day Exercise Routine
Construct complete decrease physique power with this athletic leg day exercise: power, stability and energy.
I like to recommend warming up with hip mobility exercises to enhance vary of movement and make your squats and lunges simpler.
I counsel doing this leg exercise as soon as per week as a part of a well-rounded workout routine.
Exercise Gear:
Medium-to-heavy set of dumbbells. We’re utilizing 15-25 lbs. Non-obligatory long loop resistance band (low cost code: NML).
Exercise Directions:
Observe together with the guided Strength and Stability Leg Workout on YouTube, led by licensed private coach and health teacher, Lindsey Bomgren.
Your Exercise Appears to be like Like This:
- 3 Circuits (3 decrease physique workout routines per circuit)
- Timed Intervals (for the soundness and energy workout routines, carry out 30 seconds of labor, then relaxation 15 seconds. For the power coaching workout routines, carry out 40 seconds of labor, then relaxation for 15 seconds. Full as many repetitions as you may within the timed interval)
- Repeat Every Circuit x2 Units
How To Design A Leg Exercise At House
CIRCUIT ONE:
- Stability: Single Leg Squat
- Power: Dumbbell Squat
- Energy: Dumbbell Squat Soar with Retraction
CIRCUIT TWO:
- Stability: Single Leg Lunge
- Power: Break up Lunge
- Energy: Curtsy Lunge and Dumbbell Swing
CIRCUIT THREE:
- Stability: Single Leg Deadlift
- Power: Deadlift and Calf Increase
- Energy: Dumbbell Ski Swing
9 Leg Exercise Workouts for Robust Legs
1. Single Leg Squat
Targets: Quads, glutes, calves, core and hips.

How To Do Single Leg Squats
- Begin standing, ft shoulder-width distance aside, knees barely bent, core engaged. Maintain a dumbbell in your proper hand between your legs.
- Shift your weight into your left foot, hovering your proper foot off the bottom. Take into consideration maintaining your ankles shut collectively.
- Slowly and with management, push your hips again behind you, decreasing down right into a squat place. Left knee bending to 90 levels, proper foot floating off the ground.
- Drive by your left heel to face tall, squeezing your glutes as you come back to the beginning place.
2. Dumbbell Squat
Targets: Legs, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, hips and core.

How To Do Dumbbell Squats
- Begin standing ft shoulder-width distance aside, knees barely bent, holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Possibility to carry one dumbbell vertically at your chest, performing a goblet squat.
- Decrease down right into a squat place, decreasing your hips down parallel along with your knees. Drive your knees out towards your outer three toes.
- Drive by your heels to face tall, returning to a standing place.
3. Dumbbell Squat Soar with Retraction
Targets: Legs, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, hips and core.

How To Do Dumbbell Squat Jumps with Retraction
- Begin standing ft shoulder-width distance aside knees barely bent, holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides.
- Decrease down right into a squat place, decreasing your hips down parallel along with your knees. Drive your knees out towards your outer three toes.
- Then, explosively drive by your heels, utilizing the ability in your legs to carry your heels off the bottom, performing a squat bounce.
- Land softly with bent knees, instantly decreasing your hips and bending each knees to carry out one other squat.
- Press by your heels to face tall, returning to the beginning place.
- Proceed this sample, alternating one squat with one squat bounce.
4. Single Leg Lunge
Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, calves and core.

How To Do Single Leg Lunges
- Stand with ft hip-distance aside, holding a dumbbell in your proper hand. Anchor your proper hand to a secure object (stair railings or a sturdy chair work nice).
- Bend your left knee, floating your left leg off the ground. Left knee is bent at 90 levels and in step with your proper knee.
- With management, bend your proper knee, decreasing your again left knee all the way down to faucet the bottom behind you. Intention for 90-degree angle bends in each knees, proper thigh parallel to the ground.
- Press by your entrance proper heel to drive up, returning to the beginning place.
Observe, when you don’t have one thing to carry onto or brace your self in opposition to you can all the time place your rear foot on a bench or chair and carry out a Bulgarian cut up squat.
5. Break up Lunge
Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings and core.

How To Do Break up Lunges
- Begin standing ft hip-width aside holding one dumbbell in every hand at your sides.
- Step your proper leg again right into a lunge place. Think about your ft are on practice tracks – entrance left foot planted on the mat and again proper toes on the mat. Ft keep planted on this place all through the whole motion.
- Decrease your again proper knee in direction of the mat till your entrance thigh is parallel to the mat. Each knees bent at 90 levels. Shoulders stay stacked over hips.
- Then drive up by your entrance heel to face tall, returning to the highest of the motion.
6. Curtsy Lunge and Dumbbell Swing
Targets: Primarily the quads and glutes, but additionally engages the gluteus medius (outer butt and thigh muscle tissue), internal thighs and core.

How To Do Curtsy Lunges and Dumbbell Swings
- Stand with ft hip-distance aside, holding a dumbbell in your left hand outdoors your left foot.
- Step your proper leg again right into a curtsy lunge, interested by lining up your proper knee along with your left calf. Decrease your hips till each knees attain a 90-degree angle, entrance thigh parallel to the ground.
- Then squeeze your left glute, driving your hips ahead as you convey your proper leg in step with your left leg, standing tall.
- As you stand, use the ability out of your hips to drive the dumbbell up, maintaining your left arm lengthy as you swing the burden as much as shoulder top in entrance of your left shoulder.
7. Single Leg Deadlift
Targets: The posterior chain (bottom of physique) — glutes, hamstrings, decrease again and core muscle tissue.

How To Do Single Leg Deadlifts
- Begin standing in entrance of a wall, ft shoulder-width aside, knees barely bent. Maintain a dumbbell in every hand outdoors your thighs.
- Shift your weight to your proper foot, then plant the only real of your left foot on the wall behind you. Left knee must be bent to about 90 levels, hips even and dealing with ahead.
- Hinge ahead on the hips, pushing your hips again in direction of the wall behind you as you decrease the dumbbells down the entrance of your physique. It’s best to really feel a stretch behind your legs (hamstrings).
- Then, drive your hips ahead, standing tall and returning to the beginning place.
8. Deadlift and Calf Increase
Targets: The posterior chain or bottom of the physique. Particularly concentrating on the hamstrings, glutes, hips and calves.

How To Do Deadlifts and Calf Raises
- Begin standing ft hip-width aside and knees barely bent. Maintain a dumbbell in every hand in entrance of your physique (overhand grip, palms face your physique).
- Hinge ahead on the hips, pushing your hips again as you decrease the dumbbells down alongside the entrance of your physique. It’s best to really feel a stretch behind your legs (hamstrings). Give attention to maintaining your again in impartial alignment along with your neck and shoulders all through the whole motion. Hold a slight bend in your knees to keep away from ‘locking out’ the joint.
- Drive by your heels to push your hips ahead; squeezing your glutes as you come back to a standing place.
- As soon as standing, carry your heels off the mat, transferring your weight to the balls of your ft (toes), performing a calf increase.
- Decrease your heels again to the mat with management, returning to the beginning place.
- Proceed this sample, alternating one deadlift with one calf increase.
9. Dumbbell Ski Swing
Targets: Hips, glutes, hamstrings, decrease again and core.

How To Do Dumbbell Ski Swings
- Stand with ft hip-distance aside, core engaged and comfortable bend in your knees. Maintain a dumbbell in every hand outdoors your thighs.
- Hinge on the hips, urgent your glutes again behind you. Hold your arms lengthy, dumbbells swinging again in direction of your hips.
- Then, drive by your heels to face tall, pushing your hips ahead as you squeeze your glutes to swing the weights as much as shoulder top (full hip extension on the high). Suppose lengthy, unfastened arms (your arms are only a automobile for shifting the dumbbells, your hips and glutes generate the ability to maneuver the burden).
FAQs
I don’t suggest skipping leg day, even if in case you have “unhealthy knees”. To change workouts for bad knees, give attention to low affect workout routines like glute bridges, step-ups, Romanian deadlifts, wall sits, and isometric holds. These lunge and squat alternatives construct leg power whereas decreasing knee pressure.
You don’t want a full gymnasium of specialised gear like barbells or squat racks to see leg good points. A few of the greatest, simplest leg workout routines require only a set of dumbbells. Attempt taking part in with time-under-tension or vary of movement to make at house leg workout routines tougher as you progress.
This all is dependent upon your targets and what number of days per week you’re power coaching. If you happen to can dedicate at some point per week to legs, that’s nice. If you’re cut up coaching 5 days per week, you would possibly be capable of dedicate two days per week to decrease physique.

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