Build strong, defined legs with this quick, 10-Minute Leg Workout at home! Five lower body exercises with weights (and an optional booty band) targeting the legs, glutes, hamstrings, thighs, calves and quads. This ultimate leg workout brings a whole new meaning to training legs in just 10-minutes.
The 10-minute leg workout with weights that brought Rachel and I to our knees. Don’t be fooled by how quick this lower body routine is; it’s a sneaky lower body burnout!
Leg day is one of my favorite training days. The lower body contains so many big, powerful muscle groups and I love the challenge of picking of heavy weights to train legs.
No need for a fancy gym, barbell, bench or squat rack – you can do this 10-minute leg workout at home using just a set of dumbbells (and an optional mini loop resistance band).
What Exercises Should I Include in Leg Workouts?
There are some lower body exercises that are tried and true, and classics for a reason, including:
Squats
Lunges
Deadlifts (Hip Hinges)
Glute Bridges (Hip Thrusts)
These classic leg exercises can be broken into dozens of variations, including:
Squat Variations:Narrow Squats, Sumo Squats, Goblet Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats
Deadlift Variations: Classic Deadlifts, Romanian Deadlifts, Single-Leg Deadlifts
Glute Bridge Variations: Single Leg Bridges, Frog Pumps
This leg workout includes a combination of classic leg exercises with a few accessory variations to target the target lower body muscles.
How I Personally Program a Leg Day Workout:
When I’m creating leg workouts, there are a few things I try to include in every lower body training session:
Exercises that target all your major lower body muscle groups: glutes, quads, hamstrings, abductor and adductor complex and calves.
Exercises that move your body through different planes of motion: sagittal, frontal and transverse planes of motion.
Exercises that engage the core: uneven load or load transfer exercises and single leg exercises, or unilateral training (training one side of the body at a time).
Multifunctional exercises that increase strength, stability, mobility and range of motion while avoiding injury.
And this 10-minute leg workout checks all four boxes!
Are Leg Workouts Cardio?
This all depends on the:
Leg exercise you’re doing.
Rest time you’re allowing between sets.
Repetitions you’re completing and weights you’re lifting.
The legs are a big, powerful muscle group.
That means in general, working your legs will require more oxygen being pushed to the muscles which will in turn push your heart rate into the cardio zone.
I would consider today’s 10-minute leg workout strength training AND cardio.
We’re using resistance training (weights) to build strength in the lower body and moving quickly through reps, with limited rest time between exercises. So this leg workout is naturally going to raise your heart rate too.
10-Minute Leg Workout
When you’re short on time, but still want a challenging lower body burnout – THIS is the leg workout for you!
It combines five of the best leg exercises designed to fatigue every major muscle in your lower body, engage your core, AND make you sweat. These are big, complex leg exercises.
You can do this as a stand-alone 10-minute leg workout, or add it to your lower body training day as a burnout or leg day finisher.
Place an optional resistance band 6 inches above your knees.
Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand at your sides (overhand grip, palms facing in).
Hinge at the hips, pressing your butt back towards the wall behind you. As your hips go back, the dumbbells in your hands swing past your hips, arms extended long.
Then press through your heels to stand tall, using the power in your hips, glutes and hamstrings to swing the dumbbells up to shoulder height.
“Catch” the dumbbells at your shoulders, holding them in a front racked position.
Sit your hips back as you lower into a squat, striving for a 90 degree angle between your hips and knees.
Then, drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes to stand tall and return to the starting position.
As you stand, perform a squat thruster, pressing both dumbbells overhead.
This is one rep.
Modification: If front racking the weights causes lower back pain, just perform standard squats with the dumbbells at your sides. Option to perform a squat and calf raise.
2. Lunge, Stagger, Lunge, Stand
Targets: Legs, glutes, quads (top of the thighs), hamstrings and core.
Note, you’re specifically working the front leg in this exercise.
How to do a Lunge, Stagger, Lunge, Stand:
Place an optional resistance band 6 inches above your knees.
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides (palms facing in).
Transfer the weight into your right foot. Then step your left leg back into a reverse lunge, dropping your left knee down towards the ground as you lower your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the floor.
Hold this low lunge position as you step your back, left foot forward into a staggered stance. Feet are still hip-width apart with 80% of your weight in your front right foot, and 20% of the weight in your back left toe.
Then step your left leg back into a full reverse lunge again, dropping your left knee down towards the ground.
Then drive through your front, right heel and glute to return to a standing position.
Modification: Omit the “stagger lunge” at the bottom and perform standard reverse lunges on each leg.
3. Curtsy Lunge + Lateral Lunge
Targets: Mainly the quads and glutes, but also engages the gluteus medius (outer butt and thigh muscles), inner thighs and core.
How to do a Curtsy Lunge + Lateral Lunge:
Stand with feet hip-distance apart, holding one dumbbell in your right hand.
Step your right leg back into a curtsy lunge (right knee should meet left calf), right knee lowers towards the mat. Lower your hips until both knees reach a 90 degree angle, front thigh parallel to the floor.
Then squeeze your left glute, driving your back, right leg forward as you stand up. As you stand, step your right leg out to the side as you push your hips back, bending your right knee while leaving your left leg straight. Think of performing a single leg squat with your right leg while your left leg remains straight. Knees and toes are pointing forward.
Then, drive off your right foot to reverse the movement, exploding back up to center and stepping your right leg back into a curtsy lunge.
Repeat this curtsy lunge to lateral lunge movement on the right leg; then switch sides for the second set.
4. Lateral Squat Walk + 2 Lunges
Targets: Gluteus medius (the outer part of your butt used for side-to-side movements), quads, hamstrings, hip adductors and abductors and core.
How to do a Lateral Squat Walk + 2 Lunges:
Place an optional resistance band 6 inches above your knees.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips to create tension across the band (activating your glutes). Option to hold one dumbbell at your chest.
Bend your knees to lower down into a loaded squat position. Weight in heels, chest up.
Hold this loaded squat position, as you take one lateral step to your right; stretching the band as far as you can.
After a step to the right, step your right leg back into a reverse lunge, dropping your right knee down towards the ground as you lower your hips until both knees reach a 90 degree angle, front thigh parallel to the floor.
Step your right leg back in to meet your left leg, maintaining a loaded squat position.
Then, switch sides stepping your left leg back into a reverse lunge.
Return to the loaded squat position and then step laterally to your left, stretching the band as far as you can.
Repeat two reverse lunges (one on each leg).
Modification: Option to omit the reverse lunges and just perform lateral side-to-side squats with or without a resistance band.
Squat jacks are a lower-body power and strength exercise; great for improving hip mobility andcardiovascular endurance.
How to do a Squat Jack:
Place an optional resistance band 6 inches above your knees. Option to hold one dumbbell at your chest.
Start in an athletic stance or loaded squat position, with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
With your chest upright and your core engaged, “jack” your feet out into a wide squat (stretching the band so your feet are wider than your shoulders).
Land softly in a low squat, touching the ground with your fingertips if you can.
Then “jack” your feet in, hip-width distance apart and stand tall. Drive your arms overhead like you would in a regular jumping jack.
Modification: Follow Rachel on the left; omit the resistance band and make this low impact exercise by stepping one foot out at a time rather than jumping or “jacking” the legs.
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