30-Minute Leg Workout At-Home with Dumbbells

Legs, Glutes, Quads and Hamstrings — hit them ALL in this 30-Minute Leg Workout At Home! This instructional workout video guides you through 14 of the best leg exercises you can do at home with a set of dumbbells. A complete lower body burnout.

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It’s no secret we love leg day around here. Our at-home leg workouts are some of the top workouts on our site.

What are the best leg workouts at home?

We rounded up our 5 BEST Leg Workouts At Home in this post.

Of course this 30-Minute Leg Workout At Home made the list because it includes 14 of the best leg exercises for women (to mention a few):

1. Squats
2. Lunges
3. Deadlifts
4. Sumo Squats
5. Glute Bridges

And you don’t need access to a squat rack or fancy gym equipment to do these lower body exercises.

Do this 30-Minute Leg Workout At Home with dumbbells to strength your lower body — from legs and glutes, to thighs and hamstrings.

30-Minute Leg Workout At Home

This 30-Minute Leg Workout supersets lower body strength exercises to build strong legs at home!

Each leg circuit includes two lower body strength exercises x 2 sets, followed by a 30-second power move to raise your heart rate.

The result, a complete lower body burnout (legs on 🔥).

Equipment:

Medium-to-heavy set of dumbbells. Option to add a light/medium mini loop resistance band (affiliate). 

I suggest anywhere from 10-25 lbs. I’m using 15 lb dumbbells in this workout video. Note, you have the option to drop weights at any time and perform these leg exercises with just your bodyweight.

These are the mini loop resistance bands I have. Get a discount on these resistance bands (affiliate) using code: NML

Instructions:

Follow along with the guided Leg Workout At Home with Dumbbells at the top of this post.  I’ll provide form cues and motivation for all 14 lower body exercises.

Here’s the leg workout outline:

• 4 circuits
• Each circuit contains two strength training exercises, which we’ll repeat x2 sets. THEN we’ll close out the circuit with one power burnout exercise (think goblet squat jumps).
• You’ll perform 12-16 reps per strength exercise, and 30 seconds per power exercise.

14 Best Leg Exercises for Women

CIRCUIT ONE: SQUATS + DEADLIFTS 

1. Front Rack Squat x 12 reps
2. Staggered Deadlift  x 16 reps (8 reps per leg)
   X 2 sets
3. Power Move: 2 Count Goblet Squat Jack x 30 seconds

CIRCUIT TWO: LUNGES

1. Reverse Lunge x 16 reps (8 reps per leg)
2. Low Lunge + Rear Leg Lift x 8 reps per leg
   X 2 sets
3. Power Move: Weighted Lunge Jumps x 30 seconds

CIRCUIT THREE: RESISTANCE BAND SQUATS 

1. Dumbbell Front Squat + Resistance Band Side Leg Lift x 12 reps (6 reps per leg)
2. Resistance Band Squat Walk x 8 reps
   X 2 sets
3. Power Move: Squat Jump Front/Back + Dumbbell Pick Up x 30 seconds

CIRCUIT FOUR: SUMO DEADLIFTS + SQUATS 

1. Sumo Squat + Sumo Deadlift x 12 reps
2. Sumo Squat + Lunge x 16 reps (8 reps per leg)
   X 2 sets
3. Power Move: Dumbbell Swing x 30 seconds

BONUS FINISHER: GLUTE BRIDGES

1. Dumbbell Glute Bridge with Resistance Band Abduction x 16 reps
2. Dumbbell Glute Bridge Hold + Pulse x 30 seconds

Leg Workouts At Home With Dumbbells

1. Front Rack Squat with Dumbbells

Targets: Glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core.

How to do a Front Rack Squat with Dumbbells:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead or slightly angled out away from the body.
2. “Front Rack” your dumbbells at shoulder height. Placing the back head of each dumbbell on your shoulders; elbows up and pointing straight ahead (think elbows in line with shoulders).
3. With your weight in your heels, sit your hips back. Lowering your hips down until they are parallel with your knees bent at 90 degree angle.
4. Then drive through your heels to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes to stand tall.

Modifications: Perform a back squat placing one dumbbells horizontally across your neck (one head of the dumbbell resting on each shoulder). Or hold both dumbbells at your sides. Alternatively, you can drop the dumbbells and perform bodyweight squats.

2. Staggered Deadlift with Dumbbells

Targets: Hamstrings, glutes, hips, lats and traps. The staggered stance places and extra emphasis on the hamstrings, glutes and hips of the front leg.

How to do a Staggered Deadlift with Dumbbells: 

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hold one dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body.
2. Stagger your feet, so your right leg is approximately one foot-length in front of your left foot. Kickstand your back left foot, left heel floating off the ground.
3. Keep 80% of your weight in your front right foot, 20% in your back left toe.
4. With legs straight, hinge at your hips to lower your torso as you slide the dumbbells down your legs. Think about pushing your hips towards the wall behind you.
5. Hinge until you feel a stretch in the back of your front right leg (range of motion will be different for everyone). Then drive through your front right heel to stand up straight; returning to the starting position.
6. Complete 8 reps on the right leg, then switch sides, completing 8 reps on the left leg.

3. Reverse Lunge with Dumbbells

Targets: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, and hips.

If reverse lunges hurt your knees, try performing a split squat (demonstrated in this lower body dumbbell workout, exercise 6).

How to do a Reverse Lunge with Dumbbells:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hold one dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
2. 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.
3. Then squeeze your left leg glute, driving your back, right leg forward as you stand up.
4. Repeat, stepping back with your left leg, then driving through your right glute to stand up.

4. Low Lunge + Rear Leg Lift

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads and hamstrings.

How to do a Low Lunge + Rear Leg Lift:

1. Start in a low lunge position, right leg forward, left leg back; both knees bent at 90 degree angles. Option to rest your hands on the heads of your dumbbells for balance support.
2. Engage your front right glute as you stand up, balancing on your right leg. While simultaneously, squeezing your butt to lift your back left leg into the air (performing a rear leg lift).
3. With control, return your left leg to the ground and lower back down to a low lunge position.

5. Dumbbell Front Squat + Side Leg Lift (optional resistance band)

Targets: Glutes, quads, and core; and the side leg lift places an extra emphasis on the hips and abductors (outer glute/hip muscles).

How to do a Dumbbell Front Squat + Side Leg Lift:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead or slightly angled out away from the body. Optional resistance band placed about 6 inches above your ankles (around the calf/shin area).
2. “Front Rack” your dumbbells at shoulder height. Placing the back head of each dumbbell on your shoulders; elbows up and pointing straight ahead (think elbows in line with shoulders).
3. With your weight in your heels, sit your hips back. Lowering your hips down until they are parallel with your knees bent at 90 degree angle.
4. Then drive through your heels to stand, squeezing your glutes to stand tall.
5. With your core engaged, transfer your weight into your left leg as you lift your right leg out the side.
6. Lower your right leg back to the ground with control to return to the starting position. Then repeat steps 1-4 (front squat) and perform a side leg lift on the left leg. Continue this squat and alternating side leg lift pattern.

6. Lateral Resistance Band Walk + Squat

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hips, abductors and core.

How to do a Lateral Resistance Band Walk + Squat:

1. Place an optional resistance band around your calf/shin area (above 6 inches above your ankle joint).
2. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips to create tension across the band (activating your glutes). Hold one dumbbell at your chest.
3. Bend your knees to lower down into a squat position. Dropping your hips down, weight in heels, chest up.
4. Hold this loaded squat position, as you take two wide lateral steps to your right; stretching the band as far as you can with each step.
5. After two steps to the right, drive through your heels to stand tall.
6. Lower back into a loaded squat position, and take two wide lateral steps to your left. Repeat this pattern.

7. Sumo Squat + Sumo Deadlift

Targets: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, hips, and inner thighs (or adductors).

How to do a Sumo Squat + Sumo Deadlift with Dumbbells:

1. Stand with feet wider than hips, heels in and toes pointed out (sumo squat stance). Hold one dumbbell in each hand 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. Hold at the bottom of your sumo squat, then push your hips up and rotate your toes to be parallel (facing forward).
4. Squeeze your glutes and inner thighs as you pull the dumbbells up your thighs (like you’re doing a deadlift) to stand tall.
5. At the top of your deadlift, slightly rotate toes out to find the top of your sumo squat stance. Repeat.

8. Sumo Squat + Lunge

Targets: Quads, glutes, hips and adductors (inner thigh muscles).

How to do a Sumo Squat + Lunge:

1. Stand with feet wider than hips, heels in and toes pointed out (sumo squat stance). Hold one dumbbell at your chest.
2. Bend your knees to lower down into a sumo squat, pushing knees out towards your pinky toes. Think about  trying to stay as low as possible through this entire movement.
3. Rotate your hips to the right as you drop your back left knee into a lunge position, both knees bent at 90 degrees and your front right leg parallel to the ground. Toes pivot to follow hips.
4. Push through your front right foot to stand and pivot your hips back to center; returning to a low sumo squat position.
5. Then rotate your hips to the left and repeat this lunge, sumo squat pattern.

How often should women train legs?

I suggest strength training or hitting the weights at least three days per week to maximize muscle growth.

Of these three days, I would recommend two of them incorporate lower body strength training exercises. 

If you want a more structured training schedule, try one of our free home workout plans. These plans train legs 1-3 days a week.

Why are leg workouts harder (than arm workouts)?

Your legs are the LARGEST muscle group in your body. Thus, exercises like squats and deadlifts recruit A LOT of muscles.

The more muscles that are working, the harder the exercise will be. Making leg day one of the hardest workouts. 

Pin this 30-Minute Leg Workout At Home

More of The Best Leg Workouts At Home:

• 30-Minute Leg Day Workout for Women
• 30-Minute Lower Body Workout (No Jumping + No Repeats)
• 10 Best Glute Activation Exercises
• 45-Minute Dumbbell Leg Workout

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