
A leg day for home. Hold a dumbbell in each hand where shown, or use bodyweight until the movement feels natural.
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The workout at a glance
About 30 minutes. Warm up first with three minutes of marching on the spot and arm circles.
| Exercise | Sets and repetitions | Main muscles |
|---|---|---|
| Bodyweight squat | 2 x 15 | quadriceps |
| Plié dumbbell squat | 3 x 10 | quadriceps |
| Dumbbell lunges | 3 x 8 each leg | quadriceps |
| Stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift | 3 x 10 | hamstrings |
| Single leg glute bridge | 2 x 10 each leg | glutes |
| Glute kickback | 2 x 12 each leg | glutes |
How to do each exercise
Bodyweight squat
Works: quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings. Equipment: body only.

- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. You can place your hands behind your head. This will be your starting position.
- Begin the movement by flexing your knees and hips, sitting back with your hips.
- Continue down to full depth if you are able,and quickly reverse the motion until you return to the starting position. As you squat, keep your head and chest up and push your knees out.
How much: 2 sets of 15
Plié dumbbell squat
Works: quadriceps, abdominals, calves. Equipment: dumbbell.

- Hold a dumbbell at the base with both hands and stand straight up. Move your legs so that they are wider than shoulder width apart from each other with your knees slightly bent.
- Your toes should be facing out. Note: Your arms should be stationary while performing the exercise. This is the starting position.
- Slowly bend the knees and lower your legs until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Make sure to inhale as this is the eccentric part of the exercise.
- Press mainly with the heel of the foot to bring the body back to the starting position while exhaling.
How much: 3 sets of 10
Dumbbell lunges
Works: quadriceps, calves, glutes. Equipment: dumbbell.

- Stand with your torso upright holding two dumbbells in your hands by your sides. This will be your starting position.
- Step forward with your right leg around 2 feet or so from the foot being left stationary behind and lower your upper body down, while keeping the torso upright and maintaining balance. Inhale as you go down. Note: As in the other exercises, do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down, as this will put undue stress on the knee joint. Make sure that you keep your front shin perpendicular to the ground.
- Using mainly the heel of your foot, push up and go back to the starting position as you exhale.
- Repeat the movement for the recommended amount of repetitions and then perform with the left leg.
How much: 3 sets of 8 each leg
Stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift
Works: hamstrings, glutes, lower back. Equipment: dumbbell.

- Grasp a couple of dumbbells holding them by your side at arm's length.
- Stand with your torso straight and your legs spaced using a shoulder width or narrower stance. The knees should be slightly bent. This is your starting position.
- Keeping the knees stationary, lower the dumbbells to over the top of your feet by bending at the waist while keeping your back straight. Keep moving forward as if you were going to pick something from the floor until you feel a stretch on the hamstrings. Exhale as you perform this movement
- Start bringing your torso up straight again by extending your hips and waist until you are back at the starting position. Inhale as you perform this movement.
How much: 3 sets of 10
Single leg glute bridge
Works: glutes, hamstrings. Equipment: body only.

- Lay on the floor with your feet flat and knees bent.
- Raise one leg off of the ground, pulling the knee to your chest. This will be your starting position.
- Execute the movement by driving through the heel, extending your hip upward and raising your glutes off of the ground.
- Extend as far as possible, pause and then return to the starting position.
How much: 2 sets of 10 each leg
Glute kickback
Works: glutes, hamstrings. Equipment: body only.

- Kneel on the floor or an exercise mat and bend at the waist with your arms extended in front of you (perpendicular to the torso) in order to get into a kneeling push-up position but with the arms spaced at shoulder width. Your head should be looking forward and the bend of the knees should create a 90-degree angle between the hamstrings and the calves. This will be your starting position.
- As you exhale, lift up your right leg until the hamstrings are in line with the back while maintaining the 90-degree angle bend. Contract the glutes throughout this movement and hold the contraction at the top for a second. Tip: At the end of the movement the upper leg should be parallel to the floor while the calf should be perpendicular to it.
- Go back to the initial position as you inhale and now repeat with the left leg.
- Continue to alternate legs until all of the recommended repetitions have been performed.
How much: 2 sets of 12 each leg
How to progress
When you can finish every set with two repetitions to spare, in two sessions in a row, make it harder: add a little weight, add a set, or slow the lowering phase to three seconds. Change one thing at a time.