There are numerous reasons why experienced sportsmen opt for a dumbbell leg workout rather than exercising with free weights. Whether you don’t have enough space for your sports activities or you need a more universal approach to your sessions, the best dumbbell leg workout may bring you positive results when it comes to building your leg muscles.
With this tool, you can work on multiple muscles simultaneously, which will drastically save your time and effort. Whether you are going to improve your hamstrings, glutes, quads, or calves, you can quickly accomplish your body goals when incorporating a men’s dumbbell leg workout into your everyday routine. Keep reading to get a deeper insight into the matter.
Why Is Dumbbell Leg Workout Bodybuilding Essential?
Your legs do a lot more than just holding your weight. Well-trained legs are essential for numerous fitness activities, whether you are a lifter, a running marathon participant, or you just frequently walk upstairs. The dumbbell leg workout routine is highly effective for those who consider the gym their second home. Once you are going to work with the upper-body lifts, you will need to have strong legs and hip joints. This will give you better stability so that you can experiment with weights and go harder.
Another bragging point of a dumbbell leg workout is the improved balance in the lower part of your body. It can prevent occasional injuries during your gym sessions and negative aftermath in the form of lower backaches. Once you fire up your legs, you can decrease your fat and build a mass, which can considerably boost your self-worth and motivate you for new achievements. By training a lower part of your body, you will get an opportunity to warm up your metabolism which will result in not only strong legs but also a healthy and athletic body.
Dumbbell Leg Workout Men—What Muscles Will Work?
Before you are going to do a heavy dumbbell leg workout, it would be great to focus on an anatomical aspect. This basic knowledge is essential for you to better understand which muscles will work to properly balance the weight and achieve the necessary results.
- Quadriceps is a group of muscles that refer to hip flexors and knee extensors. They are responsible for your leg movements, even chaotic ones, so you need to take special caution when training your quads.
- Hamstrings. In the gym, few people pay attention to the hamstrings. However, they are very important for creating a slim figure and active healthy movement in everyday life. Pay attention to these muscles during your barbell and dumbbell leg workout if you are going to participate in a running competition.
- Abductors. These muscles are located on the lateral thigh and are responsible for pulling the legs outward when they contract. Abductors don’t require special training. All you need is to learn how to stabilize to let these muscles in tune.
- Adductors. Although it is not that large, this bundle of muscles is the most powerful. It works when a person wants to stabilize a knee and turn them in and out. These muscles are activated each time you perform leg movements. That is why each dumbbell leg workout for men pays great attention to adductors.
6 Dumbbell Leg Workout Exercises to Try
If you are an inspiring weight lifter or athlete or you just want to improve your body, the exercises below will certainly come in handy. By the way, you can increase your chances of getting a fit body once trying arm workouts for triceps, biceps, and forearms. Whether you are going to try a gym or home dumbbell leg workout, these workouts will help you start out effectively. However, you should still remember the safety since improper use of this tool may result in negative consequences and even injuries. Moreover, it is still advisable to have a professional by your side to do the exercises right.
1.Bulgarian Split Squat
This exercise is useful to train hamstrings, quads, and glutes. Your body will get rid of the excess fat and start growing these muscles. Moreover, you can drastically enhance your sense of stabilization and balance. Follow these steps to do the lower body dumbbell leg workout with a high level of efficacy.
- Stand at a short distance with your back from the bench. Don’t forget to pick up dumbbells.
- Put one foot back, throwing it on the bench. The knee of the back leg should not be straight.
- Position the supporting foot under the knee. Hands with dumbbells are freely lowered along the body on the sides.
- Once you let the pelvis down, the knees bend. The knee of the active leg should not go forward beyond the toe.
- Extend your supporting leg once you return to the initial position.
- Remove the back foot from the bench and change position to the other side.
2.Goblet Squat
If you want to engage the whole body in the killer dumbbell leg workout, this exercise will certainly come in handy. Aside from contributing to your coordination, you can boost your endurance. So, feel free to follow these steps.
- The first thing you need to pay attention to is the width of the legs. The most common mistake people make is when aspiring athletes place their feet too narrowly.
- Position your feet shoulder-width apart. Socks should be slightly turned to the sides. This setting of the legs is anatomically comfortable when doing squats. When performing the exercise, the knees should move in the direction of the feet.
- When squatting with a barbell, the knees should not go forward the toes. Do not put weight on the front of the foot. Concentrate the main support on the heels. The main thing is that during the exercise there should be no discomfort and, even more so, pain in the knees.
- Create a natural curve in the lower back. Keep the back as vertical as possible, you can not lean forward. Pull the pelvis back.
- In the initial position (standing), the athlete takes a breath, then slowly lowers to the lower point of the amplitude, and with an exhalation returns to the starting position.
3. Lateral Lunge
Both enthusiasts and experienced gym attendees like this dumbbell leg workout for the hips and buttocks. There are variations of this exercise, adapted for beginners and advanced athletes. Unlike the classic ones, lateral lunges allow you to additionally work out the inner surface of the thigh and the gluteus medius muscles.
Position your feet shoulder-width apart and keep doing the best dumbbell leg workout routine.
- Slightly spread your feet to the sides and straighten your back. You can bend your elbows in front of your chest, place your palms on your belt, or stretch them along your torso — choose the option that suits you best. Don’t forget to engage your press to stimulate the whole body.
- As you breathe in, take a wide step with your left foot to the side. Aside from bending the knee, try to put the foot more downward. After that, proceed with repositioning the center of gravity to the working leg, and squatting to a right angle at the knee. Try to keep your back straight. The professional allows only a slight lean forward. Let the other leg be completely straight and extended to the side.
- As you breathe out, straighten your knee and return to the initial position. You should feel pressure in the buttocks and quadra.
4. Reverse Lunge
This is a first-class dumbbell leg workout at home that allows you to warm up all muscle groups in the lower part of your body. Moreover, the knee joints aren’t that activated in this exercise which helps you avoid accidental injuries. The guidelines below will allow you to make the most out of your sporting activity.
- Put the feet together and keep a dumbbell in both of your hands. This will be your starting position.
- Proceed with stepping back with your left leg being active. Try to stand on the balls of their feet for increased agility. Keep in mind that the knee should decline straight under the hip to form a 90-degree angle.
- Don’t rush but lift yourself up by stretching your knees and hips and go back to the position you’ve started the exercise.
- Change your legs and follow the same instructions.
5.Single-leg deadlifts
Consider single-leg deadlifts as a 30 minute dumbbell leg workout. It allows you to drastically pump the muscles of the buttocks and back of the thighs without using a very heavy barbell.
Aside from enhancing your strength, you can also stretch the muscles of the back of the thighs and boost your flexibility.
- Take dumbbells in your hands and stand up straight. Move your right leg back 30 cm and rest your toe on the floor. Shift your weight onto your left leg slightly bending it at the knee.
- Perform smooth forward bends, slightly turning your left leg at the knee. Avoid putting pressure on the knee. Instead, you will need to feel the stretch in the back of your left thigh as you tilt over. Once you lift your torso, you will train the muscles of the back of the left thigh and left buttock.
- The leg stretched back serves only as a support to keep a balance. The main weight of the body is on the leg extended forward.
- After completing the exercise with one leg being activated, you can alter the position of the legs and perform the same number of inclines.
6. Deadlift with Dumbbells
The dumbbell deadlift is a very unusual and rarely used exercise. Also, it is an excellent dumbbell leg workout for mass. It develops the muscles of the legs (quadriceps, hamstrings) and buttocks. Also, you can considerably strengthen the back, develop flexibility, and pump up the muscles of the arms and shoulders. In this case, it is necessary to use significant weight, so this exercise is hardly suitable for beginners.
- Take dumbbells in your hands and stand up straight. Position your legs quite wide between your feet. With the significant weight of dumbbells, it is worth using special straps.
- Start your exercise by pulling the pelvis back. Next, gently bend your knees, and tilt your torso forward. Decline into a squat and let the dumbbells touch the floor.
- Straighten your knees and return to a standing position by performing all the movements in reverse order.
- Your feet should be close to each other since otherwise, it will be necessary to strongly spread the heavy dumbbells to the sides when moving down.
Final Word
If you are all about jazzing up your leg day, a full dumbbell leg workout is just what you need. Follow all the recommendations below and don’t forget about safety during heavy sports activities. Don’t start from heavyweights and consider approaching a certified trainer if you’ve just started out. The most important thing during the dumbbell leg workout for beginners is to listen to your body and keep your knees safe to avoid injuries.