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30-Minute Quad + Glute Workout (Build, Day 7)

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | July 11, 2024

Build strong legs at home with this quad and glute workout. This workout takes classic dumbbell leg exercises and increases the time under tension to build strength and burn more calories. Strong glutes and quads are essential for overall lower body strength and functional movements, such as walking, running and jumping.

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This is DAY SEVEN of our Build 30 Program.

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Build lower body strength at home with this quad and glute workout.

Day seven of our 2-Week Build 30 Program is another leg day. This time, we’re focusing on the glutes and quads.

This workout combines variations some of my favorite glute exercises and quad exercises. In many of these exercises, we’re increasing the time under tension to make this workout efficient and effective.

We’ll repeat each circuit three times to maximize muscle-building. Reach for your heavy weights – the glutes and quads are large lower body muscles.

two women performing a curtsy lunge with dumbbells in a quad and glute workout

30-Minute Quad and Glute Workout (Build, Day 7)

Build strong glutes and quads with these dumbbell lower body exercises.

We’re varying classic dumbbell leg exercises by increasing the time under tension to burn out the glutes and quads in just 30 minutes.

I suggest doing this leg workout once a week as part of a well-rounded workout routine.

Workout Equipment:

A medium-to-heavy pair of dumbbells. I suggest anywhere from 10-30 lbs. We’re using 15-20 lb dumbbells in this workout. Option to add heel wedges and a box/bench/chair.

Workout Instructions:

Follow along with the guided Quad and Glute Workout on YouTube, led by certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, Lindsey Bomgren. 

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • Begin with Rep Challenge (complete 30 frog jumps)
  • 2 Giant Sets (4 exercises per set)
  • Timed Intervals (30 seconds of work, 15 seconds rest; complete as many repetitions as you can in the timed interval)
  • Repeat Each Circuit x3 Sets
  • 3-Minute Ladder Burnout To Finish
two women performing a lateral lunge with dumbbells in a quad and glute workout

Prefer to Watch On YouTube?

youtube icon Leg Workout

Workout Outline

30 Rep Challenge: Frog Jumps

GIANT SET ONE:
1. Triple Tension Heel Elevated Squat
2. Bulgarian Split Squat
3. Heel Elevated Curtsy Lunge to Staggered Lunge to Curtsy Lunge
4. Heel Elevated Lateral Squat

GIANT SET TWO: 
1. Step Ups
2. Sumo Deadlift and Clean Squat
3. Single Leg Squat and Lateral Lunge
4. 1.5 Single Leg Hip Thrust

LADDER:
Power: Squat and Squat Jump
Isometric Hold: Wall Sit

6 Best Dumbbell Quad Exercises and Glute Exercises

Triple Tension Heel Elevated Squat

Targets: Legs, quads, glutes, hamstrings, inner thighs (hip adductors), chest and core.

Raising your heels allows you to get deeper range of motion in your squat. The triple tension variation increases the intensity of the move.

two women performing heel elevated goblet squats under triple tension in a quads and glutes workout

How To Do A Triple Tension Heel Elevated Squat

  1. Place a set of dumbbells or heel wedges on the ground behind your feet. Stand with your feet hip width apart, placing your heels on the bar of each dumbbell or on the heel wedge. Hold one dumbbell vertically at your chest like you would during a goblet squat. Engage your core.
  2. Inhale as you bend your knees and sit your hips back (as if sitting down in a chair). Aim for 90 degree bends at each knee, focusing on pushing your knees out (not letting them cave in). Keep your torso in an upright position.
  3. Exhale as you press through your heels to stand halfway up.
  4. Then, bend your knees and sit your hips back, finding the bottom of the squat.
  5. Exhale as you press through your heels to stand three quarters of the way up, keeping constant tension on the legs and quads. Note that you’ll never stand all the way up in this variation.

Modification: Option to perform this move with feet flat on the floor if heels raised isn’t comfortable for you.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Targets: Legs, glutes, quadriceps muscles, hip flexors, hamstrings and core.

Also called Bulgarian Lunges, or Rear Foot Elevated Lunges, this challenging split squat exercise is an excellent way to build quad strength. Lean forward to shift the emphasis to the glutes, or keep your torso upright to maintain focus on the quads.

two women performing bulgarian lunges or split lunges with dumbbells in a glutes and quads workout

How To Do Bulgarian Split Squats

  1. Kneel in front of your bench or chair, then place your left foot behind you on a chair or bench, shoelaces down. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand.
  2. Step your right foot forward (it will vary for everyone, but a little over a foot in front of your bench). Your front thigh will be parallel to the floor. This is the bottom of your movement. In this variation, you’ll hold at the bottom of the movement for a two-count.
  3. Drive through your front right heel, squeezing your right glute to stand tall. Feel your front quad and glute engage to power the movement.
  4. With control, bend your knee to lower down back to the starting position (back left knee should lower down close to the ground), to make your front thigh parallel with the ground. Shoulders remain stacked over hips throughout the movement. Again, hold at the bottom of the movement for a two-count, increasing the time under tension.

Modification: Perform split squats from a standing position instead of elevating your back foot.

Heel Elevated Curtsy Lunge to Staggered Lunge to Curtsy Lunge

Targets: Legs, quads (thighs) and gluteus maximus (butt), hip flexors and core.

Elevating the heel puts more emphasis on the quad. Increased time under tension puts more work into the glutes and quads throughout the movement.

two women performing a curtsy lunge to reverse lunge to curtsy lunge in a glutes and quads workout

How To Do A Curtsy Lunge to Staggered Lunge to Curtsy Lunge

  1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, holding one dumbbell in your left hand. Option to elevate your right heel by stepping onto a heel wedge.
  2. Step your left leg back into a curtsy lunge (left knee should meet right calf), left knee lowers towards the mat. Lower your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the floor.
  3. Then squeeze your right glute as though you were going to stand tall, but rather than coming up to standing, step the left leg back into a standard reverse lunge position. Again, lowering your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the ground.
  4. Squeeze your right glute as you step your left leg back into a curtsy lunge position for a second time. Keep constant tension on the right leg and glute throughout the entire movement, never standing tall as you switch from curtsy lunge to staggered lunge and back to curtsy lunge.
  5. After the second curtsy lunge, squeeze your right glute, driving your back, left leg forward as you stand tall. That’s one rep.

Modification: Perform this move with the right foot flat on the floor if raising the heel isn’t comfortable for you.

Heel Elevated Lateral Squat

Targets: Gluteus medius (outer glute that controls hip movement and side-to-side movements), quads, inner thighs (or hip adductors), hamstrings and calves.

two women performing heel elevated lateral squats in a quad and glute workout at home

How To Do A Heel Elevated Lateral Squat

  1. Start with your feet wider than your hips (think a wide squat stance), with your knees and toes pointing forward. Or toes just slightly turned out away from your body. Option to elevate your right heel by stepping onto a heel wedge.
  2. Hold one dumbbell at your chest like you would during a goblet squat (vertically so dumbbell is touching your collarbone and sternum), elbows tucked in.
  3. Shift your weight into your right heel 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.
  4. Then, drive through your right foot to reverse the movement, pushing you back up to center.

Modification: Perform this move with the right foot flat on the floor if raising the heel isn’t comfortable for you.

Step Ups

Targets: Quads and all three parts of the glutes — the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus.

Step-ups are also great for improving knee stabilization.

one woman performing step ups and one woman performing a lunge and knee drive as a modification

How To Do Step Ups

  1. Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, core tight and engaged. Option to hold a dumbbell vertically at your chest (goblet hold) or racked horizontally on your back.
  2. Step your right foot up onto a bench or chair, planting your right heel firmly on the surface.
  3. Using the muscle in your right quad (rather than momentum from your left leg), press through your right heel to stand tall.
  4. With control, slowly lower your left foot down to touch the ground, returning to starting position. In this variation, we’re increasing the time under tension by lowering down to the ground on a three-count.

Modification: The lower the step, the less intense this exercise is. The bottom step of a staircase is a great place to start. If you don’t have a step available, perform a reverse lunge with a knee drive.

Sumo Deadlift and Clean Squat

Targets: Legs, hamstrings, hips, glutes, quads, outer glutes, inner thighs (hip adductors), abs and core.

two women performing sumo deadlifts and sumo cleans in a quad and glute workout with dumbbells

How To Do A Sumo Deadlift and Clean Squat

  1. Stand with feet wider than hips, heels in and toes pointed out (sumo squat stance). Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Perform a sumo deadlift. With a soft bend in the knees, hinge at your hips to bring your torso parallel to the ground; lowering the dumbbells along the front side of your body.
  3. In this variation, set the dumbbells on the ground for a moment, then pick them back up.
  4. Drive through your heels to stand up, returning to the starting position.
  5. As you press your hips forward to stand up, “clean” the dumbbells up towards your shoulders.
  6. Hold this front rack position as you 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.
  7. Drive through the heels to stand up, returning to the starting position and repeat this sequence.

Modification: Omit setting the dumbbells on the ground and omit the dumbbell clean.

Quad and Glute Workout FAQs

Should You Train Glutes And Quads Together?

It’s common to train the glutes and hamstrings together because both make up your posterior chain (backside of the body). Whereas the quads are part of the anterior chain (frontside of the body). However, training the quads and glutes together is functional because many lower body exercises require you to recruit muscles in both your anterior and posterior chains.

What Are The Best Exercises To Work The Glutes And Quads?

Squats and lunges are some of the best lower body exercises you can do to target the glutes and quads. That said, I recommend including a variety of lower body exercises to challenge your strength and muscular endurance. Step ups, lunges, and hip thrusts or glute bridges are also effective exercises to target the glutes and quads.

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If you liked this quad and glute workout at home, download the FREE, 2-Week Workout Plan.

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2 comments

  1. Great job making it through that work out for us! You are an incredible coach and so incredibly tough! You had me laughing at the end!

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