8 effective leg exercises with dumbbell

Leg exercises with dumbbell

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We want slim and toned legs! Because trained legs look sexy. Especially in shorts, dresses and tight pants. Grab your dumbbell and start training now. We have the most effective dumbbell leg exercises for you.

You finally want to fit into your jeans again and put on shorts without feeling uncomfortable? You are unhappy with your legs?

It's not just you! Many women describe their legs as a problem zone. They feel their thighs are too thick and wish they had toned and slim legs.

They should not be too muscular, but beautifully defined.

We'll transform our flabby thighs into beautifully lean and defined legs with dumbbell leg exercises. You don't even need a gym for this. These exercises are also suitable for the living room.

And if you train regularly, you will start to see results after the first few weeks.

Let's declare war on flabby and thick legs!

Is it important to exercise legs?

We say: yes. Your legs not only carry you through life, but as the largest muscle group in your body, they also have a lot of workout potential.

You're already burning calories as you walk, but this effect can be increased with targeted muscle training.

Leg training creates stress in your body, which positively influences the release of growth hormones.

In addition, the afterburn effect on the legs is also very high, because after the workout the body has a lot to do to repair the muscle mass. And this while you are already sitting comfortably on the sofa.

Because, if your leg muscles is well trained, the muscles burn more calories not only immediately after exercise, but also overall.

So through targeted leg training, you'll manage to improve your Increase basal metabolic rate, which is ideal when dieting.

But that's not all: while you train your legs, your stomach is also trained. And who does not want a toned stomach? :)

So treat yourself to a workout from toes to hips. Your legs deserve it. After all, they carry you through life.

What should I pay attention to when doing leg exercises with dumbbells?

Dumbbell exercises are just great. You can easily train posture, stability, back health and important deep muscles from home.

However, you also have to consider a few things here.

1. choose the right weight for your dumbbell leg exercises

The right weight is the be-all and end-all for a successful dumbbell workout.

As a beginner you should start with about 2-4 kilos. Depending on the exercise. Advanced users can use dumbbells with 5-8 kilos.

How many sets for the legs?

As a beginner, start with two sets per exercise. Later you can increase to three sets.

Each exercise is repeated 15 times. After the 15 repetitions, there is a 60-second rest and then the next set follows.

You've chosen the right weight if you can still complete the last repetition flawlessly.

If the movement is no longer technically correct, reach for lighter dumbbells.

2. warm up before the dumbbell leg exercises

Never forget to warm up. Before you start with the exercises, you should warm up for 5-10 minutes. This will get your circulation going and prevent injuries.

3. pay attention to a proper execution

Check that you are doing the exercises correctly. The muscles must be kept under constant tension during the exercises. You should not put down the dumbbells between repetitions of a set.

In addition, you should not fully extend your legs at the point of inversion. This protects the joints and maintains the load on the muscles.

A mirror or a training partner, especially in the beginning, can be very helpful to control the execution.

Use fewer weights rather than exercising in a messy, joint-straining manner.

4. give your muscles new stimuli

Of course, it's pointless to train with the same weights for years. After some time, your muscles need new stimuli to make progress.

If you do more than 15 reps with your current weight, you should increase the next workout for that weight.

Now you can start again with two sets of 15 repetitions.

If you can do less than 9 reps, then you have increased the weight too much.

8 effective leg exercises with dumbbell

Enough talk! Let's finally get started with the workout! You don't have to do all the exercises in a workout at once. It's enough if you start with 5 exercises of two sets each.

Goblet Squat for slim legs

Squat with dumbbell

  • Start in an upright stance. The legs are shoulder width apart.
  • Take a dumbbell with both hands.
  • Go down with your butt until your legs form a 90 degree angle.
  • The knees should not protrude above the tips of the toes. The upper body remains straight.
  • Push yourself back up.
  • 2 sets of 15 repetitions.

Dumbbell deadlift

Leg exercise with dumbbell deadlift

  • Stand about shoulder width with the dumbbells in your hands.
  • Push your butt back and bend forward in a controlled manner.
  • Keep your legs as straight as possible.
  • Attention: The back remains straight and your arms stretched.
  • Straighten up again.
  • Perform 2 sets of 15 repetitions each.

Train legs with lunges

Lunge with dumbbell

  • Take a dumbbell in each hand.
  • Hold it next to your body with your arms outstretched.
  • Start position is an upright stance. Legs hip width.
  • Now take a big step forward. At the same time, lower the back knee toward the floor. But do not put it down!
  • Let float nicely 3-4 cm above the mat. :) Pay attention to the front knee! Breathe calmly to keep the balance.
  • The buttocks and legs are tense. And with the muscle strength from the heel you push yourself back to the starting position.

Leg exercises with dumbbell: Glute Hip Bridges

Bridge with dumbbell

  • Lie on your back.
  • Place your feet flat on the floor and bend your knees.
  • Hold the dumbbell with both hands and position it on your pelvis.
  • Tighten your buttocks and lift your hips upward. Hold the tension here briefly.
  • Come back to the starting position.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Bulgarian Split Squat

  • Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your back to a chair or the sofa.
  • Put your left leg on a chair/table. Don't put it down, but put it on properly, then you can keep your balance better.
  • Take a large step forward and place the right leg on the floor slightly wider than stride length. The toes point forward.
  • The dumbbells hang down.
  • Both knees point forward and the back is straight.
  • Now slowly bend the front knee.
  • The leg should form a 90° angle.
  • Your upper body remains upright.
  • The back leg almost touches the floor during the movement.
  • Then go back to the starting position.

Calf raise with dumbbell

Calf raise with dumbbell

  • Take two dumbbells and stand with your feet on a small rise or at the end of a step.
  • Now push yourself with full force from your calves, with your feet up.
  • Repeat the exercise 15 times and do two sets.

Leg curl as a leg exercise with dumbbells

Leg exercises with dumbbell

  • Lie flat on the floor with your stomach.
  • Clamp a dumbbell between your feet.
  • The legs are close together and almost stretched out.
  • The soles of your feet point upward and your hands are bent under your head.
  • Now guide the dumbbell slowly and in a controlled manner by bending your knee joints upward and then toward your buttocks.
  • Make sure the dumbbell does not slip out of your feet and the movement is only from your lower legs.
  • The hips remain on the floor and the movement is performed without momentum.
  • Slowly return the dumbbell to the starting position.

Romanian deadlift

Exercises for the legs with dumbbell

  • Stand on one leg.
  • You hold the dumbbell in the hand opposite the standing leg.
  • Bend the knee of the supporting leg slightly.
  • Lean forward until your body is parallel to the floor.
  • Bring the non-standing leg up behind.
  • Come back slowly and stand up straight again.

Muscle building: How often should you train the legs?

How often and how long you should train your legs depends largely on your training goals and your training plan.

Basically, you should do leg exercises at least once a week.

Of course, you can also increase to twice a week to build proper leg muscle.

But again, listen to your body's signals!

If you feel sore and tired, give your legs a break for a day or two before starting dumbbell leg exercises again.

Can I specifically lose fat on the legs?

Unfortunately, it is not really possible to lose fat in certain places. The body decides for itself from where it takes the fat.

If you want to lose weight on your legs, you need to rely on a mix of strength and endurance training.

Strength exercises are those that build muscle. You build endurance with running, cycling, swimming or fast walks.

But don't throw in the towel now! Leg exercises with dumbbells have a lot of advantages and positively influence the fat loss of the entire body.

If you boost fat burning in total, then your legs will also become slimmer.

To be able to lose weight on the legs, you need a plan: That means for you first of all to fight excess fat pads on the whole body. This works very well with endurance training or HIIT exercises.

The more calories you burn while building muscle, the faster you'll notice it in your legs.

It's important to build a solid habit and not skip your workouts.

In addition, diet also plays a big role if you want to lose weight on your legs.

Our conclusion

To get slim and toned legs, you don't have to join a gym. You can do leg exercises with dumbbells at home in your living room. The exercises are super effective and help you build muscle.

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