8 Best Leg Workouts With Dumbbells For Lower Body

When you are tracking gains, it’s easy to overlook the legs. The best leg workouts with dumbbells will help you strengthen your lower-body muscles, boost your athletic performance, and improve your metabolism. Dumbbells are probably not at the forefront of your mind.

Lifting heavy weights is a must if you want to develop significant strength and muscle. In many upper-body exercises, your legs are surprisingly active, giving you a lot of force and stability. Should you consider larger muscles to be upper or lower, your goal in the gym should be to lift more weight and exert more effort.

Building solid legs will boost your metabolism and help you burn calories because your legs include the most significant muscular groups in your body. Leg workouts with dumbbells are the best exercise for your legs to build them most muscular. Here, we discuss the best leg exercises with dumbbells that give you excellent results.

8 Best Leg Workouts With Dumbbells

Finish your leg muscle day and do these exercises to strengthen your legs. Use these training routines to enhance your legs and make them appear more muscular. Look at the top eight leg workouts with dumbbells that give outstanding results. The following are the critical dumbbell exercises that will be performed:

1. Goblet squat
2. Bulgarian split squat
3. Calf raise
4. Reverse lunge with dumbbells
5. Dumbbell deadlifts
6. Dumbbell hip thrusts
7. Curtsy lunge
8. Dumbbell, step up

1. Goblet squat

The goblet squat is a variation that works your glutes and leg muscles. Once you have perfected your form, you can use a heavier dumbbell to increase the intensity. Start with a lighter dumbbell. It is one of the best leg workouts with dumbbells to add to your routine.

How to do it:

• Step into a standing position with your body pointed slightly outward and your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Using both hands, hold one dumbbell at chest height.
• Squat lower by bracing your core, pushing your hips back, and bending your knees. Your back should remain flat the entire time. Go as low as you can in the squat.
• Push yourself back to the beginning position using your heels after holding the low squat for five to ten seconds.

2. Bulgarian split squat

The Bulgarian split squat will blow up your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, accelerating the growth of your muscles. Exercises using just one leg help to balance growth, enhance coordination, and develop power. Also, it includes the top list of leg workouts with dumbbells.

How to do it:

• Stand facing away from the step, bench, or strong chair, about half a stride away.
• Step onto the seat with one foot behind you so the top of the footrests are there. 
• Bend your front knee and lower back into a squat-like stance while keeping your torso straight and your front foot pointed ahead. 
• Return to the starting position by pushing up through the glutes of your front foot. Proceed to the opposite side.

3. Calf raise

Dumbbell calf raises the targeted muscles in the calf, enhances ankle stability, and guards against injury. Calf raises are essential because they improve leg function. Also, it is an excellent exercise that gives you strength and stability.

How to do it:

• Take a position facing an elevated surface, such as a weight plate or exercise step. Your heels should stay on the ground as you place your toes and the balls of your feet on the stage. The steps shouldn’t be in contact with your foot arches. 
• Dumbbells should be held at your sides in each hand. It is where you are supposed to start.
• To get your heels as high off the ground as you can, squeeze your calves and push into the balls of your feet. 
• After holding for a count of one, return to your starting position gradually. Your calves ought to feel stretched.

4. Reverse lunge with dumbbells

Dumbbell reverse lunges will tone your quads, hamstrings, and glutes while reducing knee joint stress compared to regular lunges. Additionally, it tests and improves coordination and balance. It also included the best leg workouts with dumbbells.

How to do it:

• Start with your feet slightly apart and your chest raised. You should have two dumbbells by your sides in each hand.
• Take a single-leg step back while bending your knees. It would be best to touch the ground virtually with your back knee. You’ll have your front knee over your foot.
• Push off with your rear leg, tighten your glutes, and stand back up. Continue on the opposite side.

5. Dumbbell deadlifts

Dumbbell deadlifts are one of the best leg workouts with dumbbells. They incorporate this beginner-friendly workout into their programs. The risk of injury from dumbbell deadlifts is smaller than that of barbell deadlifts. Once your form is excellent, you can progress to heavier weights from lesser ones.

How to do it:

• Place your feet hip-width apart and bend your knees slightly to begin standing. With your hands toward your thighs, hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades and push your hips back, maintaining a neutral spine.
• Dumbbells should be lowered in front of your shins. Do not lower your hips any farther after they pass your knees.
• Return to the starting position by extending your hips and knees, clenching your glutes, and pushing through your heels. 

6. Dumbbell hip thrusts

The hip thrusts with dumbbells help to strengthen your posterior chain, which runs along your back. With these adaptable exercises, you may adjust the weight of your dumbbells and even perform one-legged hip thrusts for increased intensity, making them suitable for people of all fitness levels. For this workout, you will need a solid bench and one dumbbell. This variation is also included in the leg workouts with dumbbells.

How to do it:

• Position yourself on the floor with your back facing the bench, knees bent, and feet hip-width apart. Place the dumbbell on your lap.
• The more you focus on your glutes, the closer your feet are to your butt. Moving your feet away from your buttocks will help you build more muscular legs, especially your hamstrings. 
• Raise your hips while contracting your glutes and forcing through your heels. Throughout the exercise, maintain a neutral posture with a straight back.
• At the top of the exercise, when your upper body is parallel to the floor, pause and tighten your glutes, releasing your buttocks toward the ground gradually.

7. Curtsy lunge

The curtsy lunge enhances your lower body and balance by combining the standard lunge’s strengthening with a lateral movement. This variety is included at the top of the list of leg workouts with dumbbells, and you must add this to your workout routines.

How to do it:

• Place your feet shoulder-width apart and start standing. With your arms at your sides and your chest elevated, grasp a dumbbell in each hand.
• Maintain an upright posture and tense your abdominal muscles. As you walk back and forth with your left foot, imitating a curtsy, shift your weight to your right foot.
• Push through your heel to bring your right leg back to the starting position, and place your left foot back in the starting position. Continue on the opposite side.

8. Dumbbell step up

This workout will improve hip mobility and balance while working your hamstrings, quads, and glutes. The dumbbell step-up variation is one of the best leg workouts with dumbbells and boosts your leg muscles.

How to do it:

• Place your knee at a 90-degree angle when you step on a bench, box, or other stable surface from behind. Pose each hand with a dumbbell.
• Set your right foot down on the ground and straighten it. Then, bring your left foot up to a standing posture. 
• Step back onto the floor with your right foot first, then your left.

People Also Ask

Can dumbbells be used alone to build legs?

Yes, dumbbells can help you build muscle in your legs. There was never a recommendation to limit your exercise to barbell squats. They are favored because a barbell makes it simple to add more weight. It’s okay, though, if you don’t have a barbell.

What are the advantages of using leg workouts with dumbbells?

Workouts for the legs using dumbbells have several advantages. These exercises improve overall strength in the lower body and target particular muscle groups like the calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps. They also help burn calories and enhance stability and balance, which results in a more toned body.

How can I get my thighs bigger?

Squats, lunges, and calf raises are excellent at-home workouts for building muscle in your legs. Leg presses are a great way to tone your thighs if you belong to a gym. In addition, diet is crucial, so focus on eating enough vegetables and protein and steer clear of junk food, fatty foods, and high-fiber items.

Are leg workouts with dumbbells suitable for beginners?

Yes, beginners can modify leg workouts with dumbbells. Before moving on to larger weights, start with lesser weights to develop a feel for the exercises and concentrate on perfecting form. For newbies, seeking advice from a trainer or fitness expert can be helpful.

What’s the importance of warm-ups and cool-downs for leg workouts with dumbbells?

It’s essential to properly warm up your muscles and joints before beginning a leg workout with dumbbells. It may involve low-impact aerobic activities, dynamic stretches, or lower-body mobility exercises. Cooling down with static stretches is one way to reduce muscle tension and prevent stiffness after a workout.

Conclusion

A great way to increase lower-body strength and muscular development is to include leg training with dumbbells in your fitness regimen. Leg workouts with dumbbells aren’t just for regular gym members; newbies are also catered to. Novices can build muscle and confidence by progressively moving toward larger weights, starting with lesser weights and concentrating on form.

Dumbbell leg workouts are a great starting point for any fitness journey, regardless of your goals: increasing general lower body muscle mass, toning, or strengthening existing muscle. Use them sparingly for the best effects, gradually build up to a higher intensity, and combine them with a well-balanced diet.