At-Home Leg Workout (30 Minutes With Dumbbells)

How to Do a Banded Squat

1. Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Place a resistance band 6 inches above your knees. Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides, palms facing in towards your body.
2. Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer toes.
3. Drive through your heels to stand tall, returning to a standing position.

How to Do a Staggered Deadlift

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Place a resistance band 6 inches above your knees. Hold a pair of dumbbells at your hips, palms facing in towards your body.
2. Stagger your feet, so your right leg is slightly in front of your left foot. Kickstand your back left foot, left heel floating off the ground. Keep 80% of your weight in your front foot, 20% in your back left toe. Increase the intensity by floating the back foot, performing a single-leg deadlift. 
3. Maintain a staggered stance as you hinge at the hips. Push your hips back towards the wall behind you as you glide the dumbbells down the front of your legs. Keep your core tight and engaged.
4. Drive through your front right heel to push your hips forward, pulling the dumbbells back up towards your hips as you stand tall.

How to Do a Split Lunge

1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, slight bend in your knees and core engaged. Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides, palms facing in towards your body.
2. Find a split lunge stance by stepping your left foot back, right leg forward.
3. Drop the left knee down to the mat on a slow and controlled 2-count, finding a reverse lunge position, aiming for 90-degree angles in each knee.
4. Drive through the front right heel to stand tall on a 1-count.

How to Do a Curtsy Lunge

1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides.
2. Step your left leg back into a curtsy lunge (left knee should meet right calf as your left knee lowers towards the mat). Lower your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the floor.
3. Squeeze your right glute to reverse the movement, stepping your left foot back to center and standing tall.

How to Do a Sumo Squat

1. Stand with feet wider than hips, heels in and toes pointed out (sumo squat stance). Hold a pair of dumbbells between your legs.
2. Bend your knees to lower down into a sumo squat, pushing your knees out towards your pinky toes as you drop your hips parallel to your knees.
3. Drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes and pulling your inner thighs together to stand tall.

How to Do a Lateral Squat

1. Start with your feet wider than your hips (think a wide squat stance). Your knees and toes are either pointing forward or your toes are just slightly turned out away from your body. Hold one dumbbell at your chest in a goblet squat hold.
2. Shift your weight into your left heel as you push your hips back, bending your left knee while leaving your right leg straight. Think of performing a single leg squat with your left leg while your right leg remains straight.
3. Drive through your left foot to reverse the movement, pushing you back to center.
4. Repeat, this time shifting your weight into your right heel as you push your hips back, bending your right knee while leaving your left leg straight.

How to Do a Lateral Squat Walk

1. Place a 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). Hold one dumbbell horizontally at your chest.
2. Bend your knees to lower down into a squat position. Keep your weight in your heels and your chest up.
3. Hold this loaded squat position as you take a lateral step to your right. Stretch the band as far as you can with each step.
4. After you take a step to the right, drive through your heels to stand tall.
5. Lower back into a loaded squat position and take a second lateral step to your right.
6. After completing 2 lateral steps to the right, reverse the movement by taking 2 lateral steps to the left.

How to Do a Banded Squat Jack

1. Place a resistance band 6 inches above your knees. Start in an athletic stance or loaded squat position with your feet shoulder-width distance apart and a slight bend in your knees. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand in front of you.
2. With your chest upright and your core engaged, “jack” your feet out into a wide squat or sumo squat stance (feet are now wider than your shoulders). As you jack your feet out, lower the dumbbell towards the ground.
3. Land softly in a low squat, tapping the head of the dumbbell to the ground if you can.
4. Then transfer the dumbbell to your opposite (right) hand as you “jack” your feet into a narrow stance. Feet are hip-width apart as you stand tall, pulling the dumbbell up and in line with your hips.
5. Repeat, transferring the dumbbell to the opposite hand each time you perform a squat jack.

Modification: Omit the jump and step in and out instead. You can also make this a bodyweight exercise, omitting the dumbbell transfer.

How to Do a Dumbbell Glute Bridge

1. Place a resistance band 6 inches above your knees. Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees and your feet flat on the ground. Hold a dumbbell across your hips, resting the dumbbell on your hip bones.
2. Press through your heels to raise your hips off the ground until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line. Squeeze your glutes hard and keep your abs drawn in so you don’t overextend your back during the exercise.
3. Lower your hips back down to a hovering position and repeat. Keep constant tension on the band throughout this movement.

Modification: Create less resistance by omitting the dumbbell or the resistance band.