9 Leg Workout Exercises At Home

How To Do Single Leg Squats

1. Start standing, feet shoulder-width distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand between your legs.
2. Shift your weight into your left foot, hovering your right foot off the ground. Think about keeping your ankles close together.
3. Slowly and with control, push your hips back behind you, lowering down into a squat position. Left knee bending to 90 degrees, right foot floating off the floor.
4. Drive through your left heel to stand tall, squeezing your glutes as you return to the starting position.

How To Do Dumbbell Squats

1. Start standing feet shoulder-width distance apart, knees slightly bent, holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Option to hold one dumbbell vertically at your chest, performing a goblet squat.
2. Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer three toes.
3. Drive through your heels to stand tall, returning to a standing position.

How To Do Dumbbell Squat Jumps with Retraction

1. Start standing feet shoulder-width distance apart knees slightly bent, holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides.
2. Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer three toes.
3. Then, explosively drive through your heels, using the power in your legs to lift your heels off the ground, performing a squat jump.
4. Land softly with bent knees, immediately lowering your hips and bending both knees to perform another squat.
5. Press through your heels to stand tall, returning to the starting position.
6. Continue this pattern, alternating one squat with one squat jump.

How To Do Single Leg Lunges

1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, holding a dumbbell in your right hand. Anchor your right hand to a stable object (stair railings or a sturdy chair work great).
2. Bend your left knee, floating your left leg off the floor. Left knee is bent at 90 degrees and in line with your right knee.
3. With control, bend your right knee, lowering your back left knee down to tap the ground behind you. Aim for 90-degree angle bends in both knees, right thigh parallel to the floor.
4. Press through your front right heel to drive up, returning to the starting position.

Note, if you don’t have something to hold onto or brace yourself against you could always place your rear foot on a bench or chair and perform a Bulgarian split squat.

How To Do Split Lunges

1. Start standing feet hip-width apart holding one dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
2. Step your right leg back into a lunge position. Imagine your feet are on train tracks – front left foot planted on the mat and back right toes on the mat. Feet stay planted in this position throughout the entire movement.
3. Lower your back right knee towards the mat until your front thigh is parallel to the mat. Both knees bent at 90 degrees. Shoulders remain stacked over hips.
4. Then drive up through your front heel to stand tall, returning to the top of the movement.

How To Do Curtsy Lunges and Dumbbell Swings

1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, holding a dumbbell in your left hand outside your left foot.
2. Step your right leg back into a curtsy lunge, thinking about lining up your right knee with your left calf. Lower your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the floor.
3. Then squeeze your left glute, driving your hips forward as you bring your right leg in line with your left leg, standing tall.
4. As you stand, use the power from your hips to drive the dumbbell up, keeping your left arm long as you swing the weight up to shoulder height in front of your left shoulder.

How To Do Single Leg Deadlifts

1. Start standing in front of a wall, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand outside your thighs.
2. Shift your weight to your right foot, then plant the sole of your left foot on the wall behind you. Left knee should be bent to about 90 degrees, hips even and facing forward.
3. Hinge forward at the hips, pushing your hips back towards the wall behind you as you lower the dumbbells down the front of your body. You should feel a stretch in the back of your legs (hamstrings).
4. Then, drive your hips forward, standing tall and returning to the starting position.

How To Do Deadlifts and Calf Raises

1. Start standing feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your body (overhand grip, palms face your body).
2. Hinge forward at the hips, pushing your hips back as you lower the dumbbells down along the front of your body. You should feel a stretch in the back of your legs (hamstrings). Focus on keeping your back in neutral alignment with your neck and shoulders throughout the entire movement. Keep a slight bend in your knees to avoid ‘locking out’ the joint.
3. Drive through your heels to push your hips forward; squeezing your glutes as you return to a standing position.
4. Once standing, lift your heels off the mat, transferring your weight to the balls of your feet (toes), performing a calf raise.
5. Lower your heels back to the mat with control, returning to the starting position.
6. Continue this pattern, alternating one deadlift with one calf raise.

How To Do Dumbbell Ski Swings

1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, core engaged and soft bend in your knees. Hold a dumbbell in each hand outside your thighs.
2. Hinge at the hips, pressing your glutes back behind you. Keep your arms long, dumbbells swinging back towards your hips.
3. Then, drive through your heels to stand tall, pushing your hips forward as you squeeze your glutes to swing the weights up to shoulder height (full hip extension at the top). Think long, loose arms (your arms are just a vehicle for moving the dumbbells, your hips and glutes generate the power to move the weight).