Dumbbells are perfect for training legs. A dumbbell only leg workout allows for isolation movements meaning we can work each leg individually to avoid muscle imbalances. However, they are also great for performing normal, un-isolated exercises too. Give these exercises a go in your next dumbbell leg workout.
Why Use Dumbbells?
Dumbbells are an incredibly versatile piece of equipment. They come in a vast variety of weights meaning anyone can pick up a dumbbell and start on their fitness journey. There are a countless number of exercises you can perform with dumbbells for any part of the body you would want to build muscle.
Dumbbells are found in all commercial gyms and you should have a wide range of weights to choose from. Dumbbells can also be bought for home use and are not particularly expensive but the cost will add up to achieve the range of weights available at a gym!
Dumbbells allow for a huge number of different positions of working the muscle. It’s important to change the positioning of your muscles when working them in order to target the muscle from every angle. Dumbbells are perfect for this, as some of the exercises in this article will demonstrate.
Key benefits:
- The best solution for avoiding and correcting muscle imbalances
- For beginners, dumbbells are very easy and accessible to use to learn good form to set yourself up in the best way possible
- For home workouts, dumbbells are also one of the best options as they’re small, maneuverable, and easy to store.
Leg Training
The legs as a whole contain a huge number of individual muscles. The three main muscle groups in the legs are the quadriceps, the hamstrings and the calves. However, we cannot overlook the glute muscles too. To ensure we’re targeting all the muscles we need to, a range of exercises need to be used. Dumbbells and their versatility allow us to target all of these muscles effectively. Before we start with the list of exercises, we should understand the anatomy of the legs in some detail. This will allow us to better understand how each of the exercises are targeting the muscles required.
- Quadricep – the quadricep or quad for short is the muscle group that makes up the front of the ‘thigh’ area of the leg. It, as the name suggests, has four individual muscles that come together the make up the muscle group. The rectus femoris runs down the middle of the thigh, the vastus intermedius also runs down the middle of the thigh but underneath the rectus femoris. The vastus medialis and the vastus lateralis run on the inside and outside of the thigh respectively.
- Hamstring – the hamstring is the muscle group that makes up the back of the ‘thigh’ area of the leg. It is made up of three muscles – the biceps femoris which is the largest of the three, it runs through the middle and toward the outside of the thigh. The semimembranosus runs more towards the inside of the leg and the semitendinosus runs through the middle of the thigh too.
- Calf – the calf muscle group is made up of two muscles. The larger of these, the gastrocnemius is the one that you can see beneath the skin and has two heads which form the diamond looking shape. The other muscle, the soleus is a smaller muscle which hides beneath the gastrocnemius.
- Glute – the gluteal muscles or glutes for short comprise of three muscles found in the buttocks. These are the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius and gluteus maximus. The gluteal muscles act on the hip joint, to perform abduction and extension of the thigh and also adduction and internal and external rotation of the thigh.
Quadricep and Glute Movements
We’ll first look at the quadriceps and glutes. As the quadriceps and glutes mainly work together, we will cover the exercises in the same section. The quads contain the most muscles, and therefore we should look to have more exercises that focus on them during our training plan. For muscle growth, look to perform sets in the rep range of 8-15.
Goblet Squat
The goblet squat utilizes one dumbbell and uses both legs during the movement. For this exercise you may need to use a heavier dumbbell to make it more challenging, but start off lighter than you think you can manage and increase the weight if required. This exercise closely mimics a normal squat you may do with a barbell but just involves holding a dumbbell with both hands in front of your chest.
To perform:
- Pickup a dumbbell and place the palm of each hand on the same end of the dumbbell
- Took your arms in so that the top of the dumbbell is below your chin and the rest of the weight runs along your torso
- With your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes pointing slightly outward, perform a squat, focusing on keeping your back straight
- Go as deep as possible into the squat, do not push too far as this can lead to injuries
- Return to the start position to complete a repetition.
Split Squat
The split squat is a unilateral movement meaning we will work each leg individually. Unilateral exercises can help to fix/avoid creating muscle imbalances. The split squat can be performed with a raised leg on an object such as a bench or can be done with the supporting leg on the floor, this is up to you. Having a raised leg can increase the range of motion (ROM) however. You can use either two dumbbells of the same weight or just hold the one with one hand.
To perform:
- Hold the weight(s) and, if doing the raised leg version, stand with your back to the object
- Place the leg you are not working behind you/on the object, your feet should be ~2 feet apart, depending on the length of your legs
- Lower yourself down by bending the working leg until the leg is parallel with the floor, focus on keeping your torso as up right as possible
- Return to the start position to complete a repetition.
Dumbbell Step Up
The dumbbell step up requires a firm object which can be stepped on, such as a bench or stairs. The object should be at around knee level. This is also a unilateral movement which again can help with avoiding muscle imbalances. This exercise involves holding either two dumbbells of the same weight in each hand or one dumbbell in one hand. When performing you can either alternate each leg per rep or perform a whole set with one leg and then another set with the other leg.
To perform:
- Hold the weight(s) and face the object you will be standing on
- Step up onto the object carefully, before stepping back off to return to the start position
- As mentioned, either alternate legs between reps or complete a whole set using one leg.
Glute Bridge
The glute bridge, as the name suggests, puts the majority of the focus onto the gluteal muscles but it also activated the thighs (and hamstrings) too. For this movement you will need to lay on your back so if you have a yoga mat or soft surface, this will be ideal. For this movement you will only require one dumbbell.
To perform:
- Lay on your back with your knees raised, took your heels in toward your bottom as much as possible
- Hold the dumbbell above your stomach, you can rest it on yourself gently
- Lift your bottom off the floor by driving your weight into your heels and focus on squeezing your bottom at the top position
- Return to the start position to complete a repetition.
Hamstring Movements
We’ll now move onto the hamstring movements. Well-developed hamstrings are essential to building big and strong leg muscles. Similar to how the biceps work in the arms to flex the elbow, the hamstrings work to flex the knee whereas the quads extend the knee. For muscle growth, look to perform sets in the rep range of 8-15.
Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
The Romanian Deadlift can be performed with different types of equipment, such as barbells and even resistance bands, however, it’s also a fantastic movement to do when just using dumbbells. As the hips hinge forward, the hamstrings come under tension to stabilize the body. As we then hinge the hips back, the hamstrings pull the body up and this is why this movement is fantastic for activating the hamstrings and growing and strengthening the muscle.
To perform:
- Hold a dumbbell of the same weight in each hand, rotate your wrists inwards so the dumbbells are parallel with your body, your arms should be extended so the weights should be resting against your thighs
- Hinge your hips forward, keeping your back straight and bending your knees slightly, you should feel tension on the hamstrings
- Go as low as possible, you will know when to stop as the tension on the hamstrings won’t get any stronger but you will feel your lower back, you want to avoid this
- Hinge the hips back up and return to the start position, squeeze your glutes at the top and this completes a repetition.
Hamstring Curl
The hamstring curl involves flexing the knee so your feet come back towards your bottom. You will hold a dumbbell securely between both feet. This movement can be performed lying on an object such as a bench if you have this available, but it can be done just as effectively lying on the floor too. If using a bench, you may require another person to help you into the start position.
To perform:
- Lay face down the bench/floor and secure the dumbbell between your feet
- Curl the weight back behind you, bring your feet towards your bottom
- Lower the weight back to the start position to complete a repetition.
Calf Movements
The calves cannot be overlooked when it comes to building big legs. They are the smallest of the three muscles we’re looking at here but are the only ones below the knee. For well developed, aesthetic looking legs, calves need to be paid attention to. The calves respond best to sets of larger repetitions, somewhere in the 20-30 range.
Calf Raise
The standard calf raise is a movement which can be performed almost anywhere. It involves standing up and extending your ankle to lift your heel off the floor. However, we can improve the exercise with dumbbells as it adds extra weight to make the movement more difficult. This movement will place most of the emphasis on the gastrocnemius.
To perform:
- Stand up with a dumbbell in hand, you can stand next to a wall/other object to give you stability if required
- Extend your ankles to lift your heels off the floor so you are standing on your toes
- Lower yourself back to the start position to complete a repetition.
Squatted Calf Raise
To better activate the soleus muscle of the calf, we need to bend the knees so we’re in a deep squat position and then extend our ankles to lift our heels off the floor. Again, this is a movement that can be performed in the same way without dumbbells but adding the extra weight can help us progress. This exercise is best performed with your back against a wall.
To perform:
- Stand with your back against a wall, hold one dumbbell with both hands against your stomach
- Squat down into a deep squat with your toes pointing slightly outward so that your heels are about 6 inches apart
- Extend your ankles to lift your heels off the floor and lower back down to complete a repetition.
Conclusion
That completes this article. Hopefully you have found some new ideas for training legs with just dumbbells. These exercises are great for everyone, whether you’re just starting out or are more experienced.