Dumbbell Only Leg Workout + Exercises for Beginners

Dumbbell Leg Workouts – Introduction

The Best Dumbbell Only Leg Workout Plan for Beginners

Friends don’t let friends skip leg day, or so the popular meme says. 

However, the people who share this meme often then go on to say that you should be doing heavy barbell squats and deadlifts to develop your lower body. 

While there is nothing wrong with barbell squats and deadlifts (they’re actually pretty great!), these exercises can be impractical for some lifters. 

For starters, you’ll need long, heavy, expensive barbells, a squat rack, and plenty of space to perform them safely. 

All of this may be beyond the average home exerciser. 

Thankfully, you can get a great leg workout using nothing but a pair of adjustable dumbbells. 

Why You Need to Train Your Legs 

Many exercisers, especially young men, don’t pay much attention to training their legs. 

Instead, they focus on the glamour muscles, such as the biceps, triceps, and chest. 

Other people avoid leg training because it’s hard, or they think it’s dangerous and causes knee pain. 

The reality is that leg training is very beneficial, and almost everyone should include lower body exercises in their workout plans. 

The benefits of leg training include: 

A more balanced physique

A well-developed upper body paired with underdeveloped legs looks out of balance. 

And while you might think you can disguise skinny legs by wearing long pants, it’s obvious to anyone who knows what to look for that you’ve been skipping leg day. 

So, if you want to look your best and don’t want to wear baggy pants 24/7, it’s time to start training your legs!

Burn more calories 

Your legs make up about 40% of your total muscle mass. 

As such, leg workouts burn a lot of calories. 

Such large muscles demand a lot of oxygen, which is why a set of lunges or squats feels so hard. 

Compared to an upper body workout, leg training burns many more calories, and that can help you lose or manage your weight more easily. 

Increased functionality 

There are very few physically demanding activities that don’t involve your legs. 

Even mainly upper-body movements involve your legs, albeit indirectly. 

For example, a big bench press requires strong legs, as does overhead pressing. 

Even push-ups involve your legs. 

Your legs are your foundation, and the stronger that foundation is, the more physically capable you’ll be. 

Improved athleticism 

Whether you want to run faster, jump higher, kick harder, or perform any other athletic activity, lower-body training is a must. 

Even if you are an endurance athlete, building muscle and strength will improve your performance. 

It’s not enough just to run or cycle for fitness; you need to include lifting in your workouts, too. 

Stronger muscles are more resilient, more fatigue-resistant, and less injury-prone.  

Better knee health 

Contrary to popular opinion, leg training is not necessarily bad for your knees. 

In fact, doing leg exercises will increase joint stability and mobility, enhancing the health of your knees. 

People who exercise also tend to experience less knee pain, even if they have arthritis. 

Providing you warm up thoroughly, don’t train too hard or too often, and perform your exercises with good technique, leg training should do you nothing but good! 

Increased longevity 

If you want to live a long, healthy, productive, independent life, your leg strength matters. 

Weak leg muscles will affect your ability to stand, walk and climb stairs. 

People with frail legs may even struggle to get out of bed without assistance. 

Walking speed and the ability to stand unaided are linked to longevity. 

So, if you want to live as long as possible while remaining active, you must improve and maintain your leg strength. 

Best Dumbbell Leg Exercises – Instructions

Get more from your workout while minimizing your risk of injury by performing all the exercises correctly. 

Follow these step-by-step instructions for safer, more productive workouts. 

#1. Dumbbell goblet squat 

Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip abductors, hip adductors, core. 

While goblet squats are usually done with a kettlebell, they work equally well with a single dumbbell. 

Goblet squats are not only a great way to overload your entire lower body, but they also teach and reinforce good squatting technique. 

How to do it: 

1. Hold a single dumbbell in front of your chest. 
2. It should be vertical, with your palms against the inside of the weight plates. 
3. Tuck your upper arms into your sides, brace your core, and set your shoulders down and back. 
4. Stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly outward. 
5. Bend your knees and squat down until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor. 
6. Keep your chest up, and do not allow your lower back to round. 
7. Drive your feet into the floor and stand back up. 

How to do a dumbbell goblet squat

#2. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift 

Target muscles: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, erector spinae, core. 

Where goblet squats are mostly an anterior leg exercise, Romanian deadlifts work your posterior chain more. 

These are the muscles that drive you forward and hold you up against the unrelenting pull of gravity. 

Training your posterior chain will also give you a better-looking butt! 

How to do it:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet about hip-width apart. 
2. Pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your core. 
3. Bend your knees slightly for balance, but then keep them rigid. 
4. Hinging from your hips, lean forward and lower the weights down the front of your legs. 
5. Do not round your lower back. 
6. Descend as far as your flexibility allows. 
7. Drive your hips forward and then stand back up. 

How to dumbbell Romanian (RDL) deadlift

#3. Dumbbell leg extension 

Target muscles: Quadriceps. 

Before leg extension machines were invented, this is how exercisers isolated their quadriceps. 

While this is undeniably a low-tech exercise, it’s still an effective way to train your quads, especially if you don’t have access to a leg extension machine. 

How to do it: 

1. Sit on a flat exercise bench, box, or chair, so the backs of your knees are against the edge. 
2. Clamp a dumbbell between your feet. 
3. Use a yoga strap to secure the weight in place if required. 
4. Extend your legs until your knees are straight. 
5. Bend your knees to 90 degrees and repeat. 
6. Keep your torso upright throughout. 

#4. Dumbbell leg curl 

Target muscles: Hamstrings. 

This is another low-tech leg exercise. 

Dumbbell leg curls are not quite as effective as their machine counterparts, but they’re one of the only ways to isolate your hamstrings if you don’t have access to a leg curl or cable machine. 

How to do it:

1. Lie on your front with your legs straight and together. 
2. Clamp a dumbbell between your feet. 
3. Use a yoga strap to secure the weight in place if required. 
4. Bend your legs and curl the weight up until your knees are bent to 90 degrees. 
5. Extend your legs and repeat. 

Dumbbell hamstring curls exercise tutorial

#5. Dumbbell lateral lunge 

Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip abductors, hip adductors, core. 

Dumbbell lateral lunges are a total lower-body exercise that emphasizes the outer hips and inner thighs. 

As well as being an excellent strength and conditioning exercise, they’re also great for hip mobility and flexibility. 

Athletes from all sports LOVE lateral lunges!

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet together and a dumbbell in each hand. 
2. Brace your core, and pull your shoulders down and back. 
3. Next, take a large step out to your right and then bend your right knee. 
4. Keeping your left leg straight, lower your hips down as far as your flexibility allows, aiming to get your thigh at least parallel to the floor. 
5. Push off your right leg and bring your feet back together. 
6. Do your next rep to the left. 
7. Alternate sides for the prescribed number of reps. 

Dumbbell lateral lunge demo

#6. Dumbbell tiptoe walk

Target muscles: gastrocnemius, soleus. 

Walking on tiptoes might seem like an unusual exercise, but it’s one of the best ways to develop your calves and increase ankle strength and stability. 

Your quads and glutes will also get a welcome additional workout. 

How to do it:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet together. 
2. Brace your core and pull your shoulders back and down. 
3. Next, rise up onto your tiptoes and then proceed to walk around your training area. 
4. Keep your heels up!
5. Continue for the specified time or until you can no longer elevate your heels. 
6. No space? Just walk on the spot instead. 

Tip toe farmer carries

Dumbbell Only Leg Workout

Creating your workouts on the fly rarely produces the best results. 

So, here is a beginner dumbbell-only lower-body workout to try!

Do the following program 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days, e.g., Monday and Thursday, or Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 

Balance your lower-body training with upper-body workouts to ensure you develop all your muscles equally. 

But, before you begin, warm up with 5-10 minutes of light cardio followed by dynamic mobility and stretching exercises for your hips, knees, and lower back. 

Warming up will make your workouts safer and more effective. 

Finally, adjust the weights so that your muscles fatigue within the prescribed rep range. 

The load is too heavy if you cannot reach the lower end of the scale. 

But, if you can exceed the upper range, the weight is too light. 

Dumbbell only leg workout for maximum growth

Dumbbell Only Leg Workout – Wrapping Up

While exercises like leg presses, squats, and deadlifts are popular and effective, they are not always practical. 

After all, you need heavy, big, expensive equipment to perform them, which may make them impractical for home exercisers. 

Thankfully, there is no need to skip leg day as there are plenty of body weight, resistance band, and dumbbell leg exercises you can do instead. 

So, do this dumbbell-only lower body workout a couple of times a week, and stop skipping leg day! 

While leg training can be demanding, it’s also incredibly rewarding, and the list of benefits is extensive. 

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