Only five exercises in this dumbbell leg workout for beginners and geared toward helping moms get strong. This leg day workout can be done at home or in the gym- wherever you have access to weights.
This workout for leg strength focuses on the basic exercises moms should be strong in to help them strengthen, tone, and play with kids easier. Master these leg exercises and slowly start building up your lower body strength!
Training using external resistance is an ideal way to build up strength and ability while at the same time changing your body shape (actually, resistance training has a lot of benefits outside of looks too!).
This dumbbell workout for beginners was designed to focus on building strength in the legs and specifically the posterior chain.
When it comes to resistance training (read more about how to get started lifting, as a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist I'm a firm believer in knowing why you're performing the exercises in your program and how they're benefiting you.
While random workouts can be fun, they can also be detrimental to the bigger picture.
The Leg Day Workout
This beginner lower body workout only contains five dumbbell leg exercises. Not only does this keep the workout time-effective but it also gives you a chance to really master the exercises.
These leg exercises are extremely basic and part of the core foundation of getting strong and leaner.
Hack: you'll stall your results if you don't make muscle engagement and activation a priority. Don't just go through the motions.
This workout for beginners is meant to challenge your legs, fatigue you, and make you stronger.
| Dumbbell Front Squat | 3 sets x8 reps |
| Rest | 30 seconds |
| Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift | 3 sets x 10 reps |
| Dumbbell Reverse Lunge | 3 sets x8 reps/leg |
| Rest | 45 seconds |
| Dumbbell Step Ups | 2 sets x8 reps/leg |
| Dumbbell Glute Bridge | 2 sets x15 reps |
| Rest | 45 seconds |
How To Perform It
The goal isn't to fly through it with light weights. The goal is challenging dumbbells, proper form, and true muscle engagement.
So instead of just going through the motions, slow it down, pause and really feel your legs working. Try to challenge yourself with the weights, especially on the front squat as it's your main exercise for this dumbbell workout.
- Begin by performing eight repetitions of the front squat. Rest for 45-60s and perform another eight reps. Do this a total of four times.
- Then, perform ten repetitions of the Romanian deadlift, immediately followed by 8 repetitions of the lunges (no rest between them).
- Rest for one minute and repeat the combo for a total of three rounds. Finally, perform eight repetitions of the step ups immediately followed by fifteen of the glute bridges.
- Take a 45s rest and repeat for a total of twice through.
Dumbbell Front Squats
As moms, and any human, we squat, a lot. So it only makes sense to improve the movement, develop it, and become strong in it.
Dumbbell front squats are a great way to load the legs from above and force you to develop strength lower in your range.
Not only are squats beyond functional but the stronger you are in the exercise the easier the movement is in your day-to-day life.
To Perform:
- Stand with the dumbbells in your hands resting on your shoulders, knees soft, and feet shoulder-width apart.
- Slowly start to sink into your squat keeping the chest up slightly and driving the knees out.
- Go as low as you can with good form then reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Learning to hip hinge is crucial for moms as well as everyone else. This movement helps prevent back pain by ensuring proper lifting technique. It also targets your hamstrings which aid in both hip extension and knee flexion.
In order to keep your body in balance, you want to make sure the back of the body is just as strong as the front.
Once mastered, this leg exercise will be one of the most important ones in strengthening your back.
To Perform:
- Stand with the dumbbells resting your hands and on your thighs.
- Knees slightly bent, feet shoulder width, and back flat as you hinge from the hips.
- Push your hips backward keeping the back flat as you lower the dumbbells toward the floor.
- Pause when you feel a stretch in the hamstrings and reverse the movement to get back to the starting position.
Dumbbell Lunges
Lunges are an amazing way to target the legs as a whole but depending on your position you can emphasize one area of the legs over the other.
If you want to work more of your bum and back of the legs, then hinge forward slightly with the torso when performing the lunge. If you want to work on your quadriceps or front of the legs, remain more upright.
To perform:
- Stand upright, chest lifted, on the step while holding dumbbells on your hands at your side.
- Step the left foot back and begin bringing the knee down towards the floor as you hinge the upper body forward slightly.
- Pause at the bottom and then reverse the movement and pull up your body with the right leg (don't push off the left foot!), extending the hips back into a standing position.
Dumbbell Step Ups
High step-ups target the back of the leg but they also mimic a deep squat position in the decent which makes them a great exercise to help with range of motion and train the legs unilaterally.
When done in a controlled manner, dumbbell step-ups hit the legs hard.
To perform:
- Place the right foot onto a high step making sure the heel is fully on.
- Lean forward and pull the body up onto the bench into a standing position with the right foot.
- Hinge from the hips, bend the knee and slowly lower the left leg back to the ground.
Dumbbell Glute Bridge
Just about everyone should be performing some variation of the glute bridge. I've written multiple times on why the glutes are so important for day to day life, how they help prevent back pain, and oh so much more (read why and how to target them at home).
Glutes are one of my favorite body parts to train as they keep your body strong and your legs and bum look great!
- Lying on your back, bend your knees and bring your heels close to your bum. Feet shoulder width apart roughly. Place the dumbbell on your hips.
- Push through your heels and lift your hips by squeezing the glutes. Do not excessively arch the lower back.
- Pause at the top for maximum glute squeeze before releasing the tension and bring the hips back to the starting position.
For this workout you're going to need some equipment (check out the best pieces of home workout equipment for beginners)! I snag a lot of my equipment from Pro Source and if you use code "mamabearfit" you'll save fifteen percent on the best price on the site...win!
Post Workout Tips
Don't forget that you may be a little sore after today's lower body workout especially if you're not used to direct leg workout.
To ease muscle soreness:
- Fuel up! Make sure you have a great post-workout smoothie on hand
- Move your body: sitting for long periods after leg day makes the muscles sorer
- Use some muscle rub as needed (this homemade muscle rub is my favorite!) as you still want to be able to chase kids tomorrow 😉
Want to step up your results? Check out this 5 day workout routine for women!
Frequently Asked Questions About Leg Workouts For Beginners
Of course! So long as you have access to a variety of dumbbells at home this beginner leg workout can be done anywhere.
To tone and sculpt your legs you'll want to build up the muscles in them. And strength training with dumbbells is a great way to do that. Make sure to focus on heavier weights and lower repetitions and not always working to total failure. Instead, focus on form, performance, and engagement to give you the best results.
This beginner leg workout can be done up to twice per week making sure that you have at least 1-2 days of rest between workout days. Pair it with an upper body workout to develop a well-rounded fitness routine.
Mastering dumbbell leg exercises like a dumbbell squat, dumbbell lunge, romanian deadlift, and glute bridge or hip thrust are crucial to strengthening the leg muscles.
Other Wicked Fitness Tips You'll Love
- Glute training 101: everything you need to know
- 10 different styles of lunges
- Squat variations you need to try
- How to start strength training as a beginner
- Wickedly fun plank variations
- Exercises for a stronger core
- How to master push ups in four steps
- 6 week fat loss workout plan
- Metabolic finishers
- Follow along home workouts
- Fitness tips for results
This quick but effective beginner leg day workout is the first step in strong, lean legs.
If you want to stay fit and healthy, learning to train with dumbbells is a great way to do it. Boost your strength and your performance with this lower body workout.
Shelby aka Mama Bear
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