You can effectively pump up your legs and buttocks not only in the gym, but also at home, especially if you have a pair of dumbbells of optimal weight. Dumbbells are a universal equipment with which you can work all the muscles of the body, both comprehensively and in isolation.
In our selection you will find the best exercises with dumbbells for the buttocks, thighs and legs that you can perform in the gym and at home. In addition, at the end of the article there are several ready-made exercise plans depending on your goals.
We recommend watching:
- Leg day for girls: a ready-made plan with dumbbells for the hips and buttocks
- Strength training for legs for men with dumbbells using a superset scheme
Introduction to the topic
Legs make up 30-40% of your body weight, which is why it is so important to keep them in good shape. The development of the legs should be harmonious with the development of the whole body, since weak lower muscles slow down the progression of the upper muscle groups. Pumping the legs helps trigger anabolic processes, which leads to weight gain throughout the entire body.
Any man can accelerate the growth of muscle mass if he pumps up his legs, chest and back. It’s not for nothing that all basic sets of exercises are aimed at working precisely these muscle groups.
Slender legs help girls and women win men's hearts with even greater ease.
Calf raise
- Stand on a slight elevation, take one dumbbell and press it towards you, palm facing inward. Bend one leg slightly and move it back a little.
- Rise up, standing on one toe, and slowly lower down after a short pause.
- Switch legs and repeat the exercise. Make sure that only the calf muscles are involved in the work.
Is it possible to pump up your legs at home?
Most exercises to pump them up can be done at home. This will not make them any less effective. The main thing is to train regularly and follow the correct technique.
You can train your legs using your own weight or using weights. Performing exercises with a load will allow you to quickly gain muscle mass and strength. Dumbbells are universal weights. With their help you can work out almost all muscle groups.
Seated dumbbell press
This is a basic shoulder exercise that works all three parts of the deltoids.
Technique:
- the pelvis, shoulder blades and back of the head are pressed against the back of the bench, the feet are also motionless;
- we squeeze our arms with dumbbells up, the hand and elbow are in one straight line;
- At the top point, we do not fully straighten our arms;
- slowly lower your arms, and as you exhale, push the dumbbells up again.
We perform 1-2 warm-up sets, then 3-4 working sets from 10 to 12 repetitions.
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Techniques and types of exercises with dumbbells
- Squats
- Take dumbbells in your hands and stretch them along your torso.
- Place your feet slightly wider than your shoulders.
- As you inhale, slowly squat down until the back of your thigh is parallel to the floor. Lock in the lower position for a couple of seconds.
- As you exhale, slowly return to the starting position.
You can squat with your feet at different widths. At shoulder width or already, the quadriceps are more heavily loaded. If you place your feet wider than your shoulders and squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then the main load goes to the buttocks.
- Lunges
- Take dumbbells and place your arms along your body. The back is straight throughout the exercise.
- Step forward with your right foot. As you inhale, squat until your right leg is parallel to the floor. The left knee is in weight, and the left toe rests on the floor. The right foot is completely flat on the floor. The size of the step should be such that the projection of the right knee to the floor in the lower position does not extend beyond the foot.
- As you exhale, push off with your front leg and return to the starting position. Then do the same, but the left one is in front and the right one is behind.
- Climbing onto the platform
The exercise simulates climbing stairs with weights. The platform can be replaced with any elevation of 15-25 cm.
Dumbbells along the body. Place one foot on the platform. Then, pushing off with your upper leg, you rise onto the platform. Then repeat the same with the other.
- Plie squats
This exercise tightens the inner thighs, which gives the legs a slender shape. To perform this you only need one dumbbell.
- Place your legs wider than your shoulders, turn your feet outward 45 degrees, and keep your back straight.
- Holding a dumbbell in front between your legs, inhale and squat down to a 90-degree angle at your knees.
- As you exhale, rise to the starting position. In this case, the dumbbell should rise only due to the strength of the legs. Hands only hold her.
- "Deadlift"
- Take dumbbells and place them close to the front of your thighs. The back is straight throughout the entire exercise, and the gaze is directed forward.
- Place your legs hip-width apart, feet pointing forward.
- Lean forward and down. The knees hardly bend. The dumbbells slide along the front of the thigh and the pelvis is pulled back. Having reached the bottom position, when the dumbbells are below your knees, hold for 2-3 seconds to feel the burning sensation in the muscles.
- Smoothly return to the starting position.
- Strengthening your calves
- Feet width apart. Hold dumbbells along your torso.
- Rise up onto your toes and hold for 2-3 seconds. Then return to the starting position.
Details on how to perform the exercises are given in the video below.
Entry-level leg exercises
1) Half squat with emphasis on the wall
This exercise is a great way to build quadriceps strength. It will prepare you for more advanced forms of squats.
Lean your back against the wall and place your feet at a distance of about 30-45 cm from it. Lower yourself into a half-squat position. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor.
Hold this position for as long as possible without placing your hands on your hips.
This is a great drill for basketball players who want to improve their defensive game.
2) Gluteal bridge
If we do not have access to rings and TRX loops, or your level of training does not allow you to perform leg curls with these apparatuses, then such a bridge will help you to perfectly work the muscles of the buttocks and the back of the thighs.
Lie on your back, bend your knees, place your hands on the floor along your body. Tighten the muscles of your buttocks and abdomen, and then, pushing your heels off the floor, lift your torso up.
If you do everything correctly, you will immediately feel the work of the gluteal muscles.
3) Assisted squats
Like I said, EVERYONE of you should be doing squats. But some may need help at first, and that's okay.
As with the pistols, you need to hang rings or a rope in front of you. Holding the apparatus for support, lower yourself into a squat and then rise out of it.
If you find the exercise too easy, pause (2-5 seconds) at the bottom of the exercise to better work your quadriceps.
Summary:
There are a large number of bodyweight exercises designed to strengthen your leg muscles. You must understand the main thing - your legs need to be trained.
Many athletes neglect leg exercises and train mainly the upper body. You shouldn't do that. After all, our legs help us move.
Take care of them and they will take care of you!
Example workout
At home
Before training you need to warm up. To do this, jump rope for 5-7 minutes. It's also good to do 20-30 squats and lunges without a load. Then move on to the strength section.
- Do 3 sets of 11 dumbbell squats.
- Perform lunges - 3 sets of 11 repetitions on each leg.
- Do “Deadlifts” – 3 sets of 10-15 deadlifts.
- Finish the strength section with a calf strengthening exercise, performing 2 sets of 12-17 reps.
- And for dessert, some light stretching.
In the gym
To warm up, run on a treadmill or pedal on an exercise bike for 5-10 minutes.
Some exercises from the power section can be performed with a barbell, since the exercise technique remains virtually unchanged. However, due to its length, the barbell also trains small lateral muscles involved in maintaining balance.
- Perform squats - 3 to 12. If using a barbell, hold it on your shoulders behind your head.
- Do plie squats – 3 sets of 9-11 reps.
- Perform “Deadlift” – 3 sets of 9-11 repetitions.
- Then do 3 sets of 15 lifts on each leg.
- As a cool-down, do stretching or static exercises.
Recommendations for performing the complex
In order to achieve maximum effect, you must adhere to some recommendations for training legs with dumbbells:
- Load calculation. You can calculate the load for yourself using the average number of approaches, which is given in the exercise technique section.
- Load determination criterion. Fitness level, age and health status are the main factors to consider when determining the number of exercises and approaches to perform. You can’t immediately put a lot of stress on your body, especially if you weren’t comfortable with physical activity before or led a sedentary lifestyle!
- Using weights. Never start with heavy weights! The weight of dumbbells should be increased gradually, starting from the minimum. It will be very convenient to do this if you use collapsible dumbbells.
- These exercises can be used both as a complex and as several types of load, which you find most effective.
- You can complete the workout with stretching or static exercises , for example, “Chair against the wall.”
TOP 10 best exercises for legs - the most complete review in RuNet!
Using a special set of exercises with dumbbells, you can pump up your muscles perfectly, and as a bonus, you can also lose extra pounds. Do the exercises with joy and pleasure, then you will be able to achieve your goal faster. Great motivation to use - your efforts will be rewarded with slender legs and toned muscles!
Training Tips
Warm-up
Always warm up before training. This will prepare the muscles, joints and cardiovascular system for the upcoming stress. To do this, you can jump, run or pedal on an exercise bike.
Also, strength exercises performed with your own weight are a good warm-up.
Sets and reps
The number of approaches and repetitions should be chosen based on your level of physical fitness, as well as your training goals.
For beginners, it is better to use light weights and increase the number of repetitions to 15. This will allow you to correctly work out the exercise technique and prevent injuries.
If you already have training experience, then the number of repetitions should be chosen based on the final goal. When training for mass, perform 6-9 repetitions. If you are doing fitness to lose weight or increase endurance, then do 17-25 repetitions.
The number of approaches mainly affects the duration of recovery after training. It is considered optimal to perform 3-4 approaches. However, if your body does not have time to recover for the next workout, then you can reduce them to 2-3.
It is enough to train your legs 1-2 times a week.
Nutrition and sports supplements
You need to eat no later than 2 hours before training. Food should be healthy and nutritious. 30 minutes before training, you can eat something easily digestible, such as a banana.
Some people are unable to gain weight or, conversely, lose extra pounds due to the physiological characteristics of the body. The first type of people is called ectomorphs, and the second is endomorphs. In this case, sports nutrition comes to the rescue.
Ectomorphs are well suited for using gainer and other high-calorie supplements.
Endomorphs should reduce the amount of carbohydrates and fats in their food as much as possible. At the same time, you need to eat a lot of protein foods for muscle growth. A good option would be to take protein shakes.
You also need to consume enough vitamins and minerals in your diet. Their lack reduces muscle growth and prolongs the recovery period after training.
Jumping rope to lose weight in your legs
It is impossible to imagine leg exercises for weight loss without jumping rope. This powerful fat-burning exercise is used to improve leg muscle tone, train coordination and endurance.
It is best to jump rope on a soft, springy surface or in sneakers with springy soles. Beginners are advised to jump for no more than 20-30 seconds. with a break for several approaches. For experienced and trained people, the duration of the approach can be 3 minutes, followed by a rest of 30-60 seconds.
Common mistakes
- One of the common mistakes when training legs is rounding the back, which creates excessive stress on the spinal column. Keep your back straight.
- Also, when squats and lunges, the projection of the knees on the floor should not extend beyond the feet. This leads to damage to the knee joint.
- You should not straighten your legs all the way. The knees should always be slightly bent to absorb the load.
- Avoid sudden jerks. Perform each movement smoothly.
- Don't rush to lift heavy weights. They distort the exercise technique and lead to injuries.
- First practice all movements without weights or with light weights.
That's all for today. Subscribe to articles! A lot of useful information awaits you. Also, be sure to share useful information on social networks.
Exercises to tighten the skin above the knee
The roller above the knee is a deposit of fat reserves, so physical activity should be combined with proper nutrition and maintaining a daily calorie deficit. The goal of such exercises is to lengthen the muscles above the knees, which will make them visually slimmer and more beautiful.
Exercise 1
Starting position: you need to stand sideways to a chair and put one hand on its back and the other on your belt. Legs straight, feet shoulder-width apart.
Raise your straight leg until it is parallel to the floor and bend it at the knee, then straighten it again without lowering it to the floor. It is recommended to do 20 repetitions with each leg.
Exercise 2
Starting position: you need to sit on the floor, both hands behind the body in support, place one leg bent at the knee, raise the other above the floor, pulling the toe towards you. You should swing up and down with a straight leg with a small amplitude. It is recommended to do 25 repetitions with each leg.
Sample program
The above dumbbell leg exercises are suitable for both men and women. Here is a sample home workout program that both men and women can do.
- squat - 3/15;
- Romanian deadlift - 3/15;
- Ab crunches – 4 sets/20.
- Bulgarian squats - 3/15;
- Calf raise - 4/20;
- Warm-up part - jump rope (3-5 minutes);
Four exercises are enough to fully engage your lower body. Perform this program once a week, for example, on Monday. On Wednesday and Friday you can work on your back, chest and shoulder girdle. The training plan or some exercises should be changed every 2 months.
