5 Dumbbell Exercises To Build Monster Legs
If you want to build an awesome pair of legs, this dumbbell leg workout will put you well in the right direction!Legs are often neglected in the gym because of the effort you’ve got to put into training them
But it’s so important that you do train legs – no matter whether your goals are to build muscle, lose fat and tone up or strengthen your muscles
Goblet Squat
The goblet squat can be a great alternative to squatting with a bar on your back, especially for beginners to learn squat technique properly
Having the weight distributed in front of you causes a different challenge, and will also give your abs a blasting
Movement
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 butt back and down, so your weight is through your heels. Aim to get your butt 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
Sets: 3 – Reps: 8
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
Movement
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 butt 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 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 butt backwards again, and lower the dumbbell back to the floor, still keeping your back straight
Sets: 3 – Reps: 8
Bulgarian Split Squat
Don’t worry too much about what this exercise has got to do with Bulgaria – believe me, you’ll be too focused on the burn in your quads and glutes to do that
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
Movement
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 foo
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
Sets: 3 – Reps: 10-12 per leg
One Leg RDL Romanian/Stiff-Legged Deadlift
Similar to the dumbbell deadlift we’ve just gone through, this single-leg deadlift variation will really grow and strengthen your hamstrings and glutes, with the added challenge of one leg doing all of the hard work
Movement
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
Sets: 3 – Reps: 10-15 per leg
Walking Lunges
By now your legs should be feeling like they’ve done plenty, and to finish them off we’ll do high-rep walking lunges to get a deep burn in your quads and glutes
We’ll hit some different muscle fibres (type 1) than you hit earlier in the workout with the heavier, lower rep exercises (type 2) for a complete leg workout
