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SplitStrong 35 (Strength Plan)

35-Minute Legs and Glutes Workout (SplitStrong 35, DAY 3)

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | July 4, 2021

Build muscle in your legs and butt with this dumbbell Legs and Glutes Workout At Home! Do these 12 leg exercises that strengthen the glutes — from squats and lunges, to deadlifts and glute bridges. A 35-minute leg and butt workout routine for all fitness levels.

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This is DAY 3 of our SplitStrong 35 Workout Program.

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It’s LEG DAY! With an extra emphasis on your BUTT (AKA your gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in your body).

This workout has 12 of my favorite lower body exercises that will strengthen and build your glutes!

goblet squat to build muscle in legs and butt at home

Legs and Glutes Workout FAQs

What Are The Best Exercises To Do At Home For Stronger Glutes?

Some of the best exercises to build your glutes are: goblet squat, glute bridge (or frog pump, glute bridge variation), walking lunges, single-leg deadlift and weighted side lunge. These are just a handful of the leg exercises you’ll do in this butt workout with weights. This is a true lower body burnout, hitting every leg muscle: glutes, quads, hamstrings, thighs, and calves.

How Can You Strengthen Your Legs And Butt At Home?

When you think about strengthening your glutes, you probably think about deadlifts with a heavy barbell. You can achieve strong glutes at home with just a set of dumbbells using all the exercises listed above!

Lunge with heel lift | Leg and Butt Workout

35-Minute Legs and Glutes Workout (SplitStrong 35, Day 3)

Build your legs and butt with these 12 glute focused exercises.

This glute workout super-sets the best butt exercises (like squats, deadlifts and lunges) with ‘burnout moves.’

Go straight from lower body strength exercises into squat holds, dumbbell swings, power lunges and frog pumps. It’s a spicy leg day!

Workout Equipment:

A medium-to-heavy set of dumbbells.

I recommend 10-30 lbs depending on your fitness level. I’m using 15 and 20 lb dumbbells in this workout video. The last 2-3 reps of each exercise should feel challenging to complete; that means you chose the right weights.

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I’m using 15 and 20 lb dumbbells in this legs and butt workout.
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Woman performing a goblet squat hold in a Leg and Glute Workout

Workout Instructions:

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

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • 3 Circuits (2-3 dumbbell strength exercises per circuit and 1-2 “burnout” leg exercises per circuit)
  • Timed Intervals (40 seconds of work per exercise, 20 seconds rest)
  • Repeat Each Circuit x2 Sets
  • Workout Includes 5-Minute Mobility Warm-Up and 5-Minute Cool Down Stretching
Build a Bigger Butt with 5 Leg Day Exercises!

Workout Outline

CIRCUIT ONE: Squats
STRENGTH
1. 1.5 Goblet Squat
2. Uneven Dumbbell Squat
3. Pivot Squat
BURNOUT
1. Squat Thruster with Lateral Walk
2. 5-Second Squat Hold and 1/2 Burpee

CIRCUIT TWO: Deadlifts and Lunges
STRENGTH
1. Deadlift and Calf Raise
2. Reverse Lunge and Calf Raise, R
3. Reverse Lunge and Calf Raise, L
BURNOUT
1. Alternating Hand Dumbbell Swings
2. Power Lunge and Calf Raise

CIRCUIT THREE: Sumo Squats and Lateral Lunges
STRENGTH
1. Lateral Lunge
2. Sumo Squat
BURNOUT
1. Frog Pumps

woman performing a goblet squat | Leg and Butt Workout

Prefer to Watch On YouTube?

youtube icon Legs and Glutes

7 Best Leg and Butt Exercises

Note: If you only have access to lighter dumbbells you can perform all of the single dumbbell exercises below with two lighter dumbbells (held between your legs or in a front racked position at your shoulders). 

1.5 Goblet Squat

Targets: The glutes and quads. Holding a weight at the chest also increases core activation.

how to do a goblet squat | leg and butt workout

How To Do A 1.5 Goblet Squat

  1. Start standing feet shoulder-width distance apart or slightly wider than shoulder-width. Hold a single dumbbell at chest level.
  2. Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel to your knees. Driving your knees out toward your pinky toes.
  3. Drive through your heels to stand 3/4 of the way back up, then lower back down to the bottom of your squat.
  4. Then drive through your heels to stand all the way back up; reaching full hip extension at the top. Returning to the starting position.

Uneven Dumbbell Squat

Targets: The glutes and quads. Holding a weight on one side of the body makes the load ‘uneven’ which requires additional core strength.

how to do uneven squats for legs and butt

How To Do An Uneven Squat

  1. Begin in neutral standing position, feet shoulder-width distance apart. Hold one dumbbell in your right hand at your side.
  2. With chest up, lower down into a squat, pushing your hips back and down until your hips align with your knees (knees bent at 90 degrees). Drive knees out toward your pinky toes.
  3. Then drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes as you stand tall to return to the starting position. As you return to standing, use the momentum from your hips to “curl” the dumbbell up to your right shoulder.
  4. Then sit back into a squat with the dumbbell “front racked” on the right shoulder.
  5. Again drive through your heels to stand tall.
  6. Lower the dumbbell back down to starting position at your right side and repeat this movement pattern.
  7. Switch sides for the second set, holding the dumbbell in your left hand.

Pivot Squat (Or Transverse Squat)

Targets: The glutes (outer gluteus medius), quads (including the VMO, the small teardrop-shaped muscle group that helps move the knee joint and stabilizes the kneecap) and core.

how to do a Transverse Squat or Pivot Squat

How To Do A Transverse Squat Or Pivot Squat

  1. Begin in neutral standing position, feet shoulder-width distance apart. Hold a single dumbbell at chest level.
  2. With chest up, lower down into a squat, pushing your hips back and down until your hips align with your knees (knees bent at 90 degrees). Driving knees out toward your pinky toes.
  3. Then drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes as you stand tall to return to the starting position.
  4. Once standing, lift your right foot off the mat, step your right foot 45 degrees behind you, “pivoting” through your left foot. Moving from the sagittal plane into the transverse plane of motion.
  5. Lower down into a squat, then drive through your heels to return to standing.
  6. Once standing with full hip extension, step your right foot back to meet your left foot (in the sagittal plane); in the starting position.
  7. Switch sides for the second set, lifting your left foot off the mat.

Deadlift And Calf Raise 

Targets: The posterior chain or backside of the body. Specifically targeting the hamstrings, glutes, hips and calves.

how to do a deadlift with calf raise

How To Do A Deadlift With Calf Raise

  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, to return to the starting position.

Reverse Lunge And Calf Raise

Targets: The legs, glutes, quads, calves, inner thighs (adductors) and outer thighs (abductors).

how to do a reverse lunge with calf raise

How To Do A Reverse Lunge With Calf Raise

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
  2. Step your right foot back and lower your back right knee down towards the mat into a reverse lunge. Aiming for a 90-degree bend in your front left knee.
  3. Hold at the bottom of your lunge. Then lift your front, left heel off the ground performing a calf raise.
  4. Return your left heel to the ground, then drive through your left foot to stand tall as you step your right foot forward to meet your left foot; returning to the starting position.
  5. Switch sides for the second set, stepping your left foot back to lunge.

Modification: Omit the calf raise at the bottom and just perform step back lunges.

Lateral Lunge

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, outer thighs and glutes (gluteus medius and abductors) and inner thighs.

how to do a lateral lunge or side lunge

How To Do A Lateral Lunge Or Side Lunge

  1. Start standing, feet hip-width apart holding one dumbbell at your chest.
  2. Take a large step to the right with your right leg as you sit 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 pointing forward.
  3. Then, drive off your right foot to reverse the movement, standing back up to the starting position (as you pull your inner thighs together).
  4. Switch sides for the second set, taking a large step to the left.

Sumo Squat

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, hips, outer thighs and glutes (gluteus medius and abductors) and inner thighs.

how to do a sumo squat

How To Do A Sumo Squat

  1. Stand with feet wider than hips, heels in and toes pointed out (sumo squat stance). Hold one dumbbell at your chest (or two 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.

SplitStrong 35 Free 2-Week Workout Program

A 2-week, FULL BODY workout plan with new workout videos DAILY — a 5 day workout split, 35-minutes a day, 5-days a week.

If you liked this leg and butt workout (day three of the SplitStrong 35 workout plan); download the full training plan.

Free Workout Program for Women | SplitStrong 35 program description graphicFree Workout Program for Women | SplitStrong 35 program description graphic

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12 comments

  1. I was sore for a couple of days after doing this workout which I take as a compliment. Like even hard to walk, go up stairs, etc. hopefully the more I do this the less sore I’ll get. Thank you

    • Nice work Chanel, this is a tough leg day workout and you must have went heavy on the weights. Nice work. Rest up and you nailed it. We highly suggest repeating these SplitStrong Workouts! Keep up the good work! -Lindsey

  2. This workout was next level! Possibly the most calories I’ve ever burnt in a strength workout. And I know my legs will be wobbling tomorrow!! Huge thank you for making all of this available for free!!

  3. Currently 28 weeks pregnant with my 2nd and so thankful for these challenging and efficient workouts! And they’re FREE?! Mind. Blown. Thank you, Lindsey!

  5. I love the top you’re wearing in this workout! Where is it from?
    Thanks for all you do!

  6. My husband and I started your SplitStrong program on Monday. I can honestly say my whole body is sore today, but in a good way. The best part is my husband, who is not usually a fan of workout videos, loves yours!

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