30 Minute Dumbbell Leg Workout – Best Free Weight Exercises For Your Legs

• Goblet Squats
• Side Lunges
• Calf Raises
• Thrusters
• Single Leg Deadlift

Keep reading for a step-by-step guide with pictures, videos, and descriptions of each of these exercises.

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Of all the home gym equipment that I own, I consider my dumbbells to be the most valuable.

I love their versatility – shoulders, arms, core, legs, etc. can all be worked with this simple equipment. 

Given the popularity of our “Dumbbell / Free Weight Arms“ workout, it makes total sense to follow that up with a great “Dumbbell / Free Weight Legs” workout.

Below you’ll find my top 5 favorite dumbbell exercises to carve, sculpt, and ultimately Tone and Tighten the lower extremities.

Because you can’t spell legendary without leg day.

To build a strong lower body, you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment and weights. You can do many moves right at home that will strengthen your legs. 

Strong legs are important throughout your whole life for all sorts of day-to-day activities from helping you walk up a long flight of stairs, to carrying moving boxes. Many leg exercises can be performed without weights. You can tone your legs with simple and effective bodyweight exercises.

It’s usually recommended to start some of these exercises without weights first to learn proper technique and form. Try squats, lunges, calf raises, and the other exercises listed in this work out, then add the weight.

The best part is that you can pretty much do this workout anywhere, with or without weights.

A healthy diet is an important component to getting strong and fit. In order to build muscle, you need to focus on a few key nutrients to keep your bones and muscles strong and healthy. 

If you want stronger legs, you should focus on nutrients that keep your bones as well as your muscles healthy.

Strong bones require calcium and vitamin D. You can get calcium and vitamin D from eating dairy products such as yogurt and milk, dark leafy greens like spinach, fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, and other foods such as nuts, legumes, and seeds.

Your muscles also need proper nutrition in order to be strong. You need to eat enough protein, especially on days that you work out. You need about 10-35% of your daily calories coming from protein.

Protein helps you to feel full, repairs and builds healthy lean muscle tissue, and helps with many important body processes. Your body can’t store protein so you need to consume it a few times throughout the day.

Get your protein from sources like lean meats, beans, nuts, low-fat dairy. Aim for about 15-20 grams of protein per meal and snack and you should be getting plenty of protein to meet your needs. 

• Grab a kettlebell or dumbbell and hold it out in front with both hands at chest level, palms facing up.
• Stand in a wide stance with your legs a little wider than your shoulders to hit the quads and adductors. 
• Squat down like you are sitting- bend at the hips and knees to lower down. Keep your knees above your toes.
• Lower until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
• Straighten and stand up.

Side lunges

Side lunges are great to sculpt the Ab / Adductors, thighs, and glutes.

• Stand on the ground or with your heels hanging off the edge of a stair or step.
• Raise and lower your heels to feel the burn in your calves.
• Hold your dumbbells while doing these calf raises to add some much-needed resistance.

20 reps and on to thrusters 

• Bend your elbows and hold your dumbbells at shoulder level, palms facing forward.  
• Go into a deep squat, keeping your knees above your toes and bringing your thighs parallel to the floor.
• As you come to upright standing, press the weights up and over your head. 

• Stand on your left foot with the weight in your right hand. 
• Keep your back straight and bend forward as you take your right leg straight back behind you. 
• Use the muscles in your butt and hamstrings to pull yourself back to upright.

 

By Jared Beckstrand