People often assume that the only way to build strength is by using gym machines or heavy barbells. But you can increase muscle mass in your legs using dumbbells—whether that's using the racks in a gym or a pair of adjustable dumbbells at home.
Strength and Pilates coach Courtney Fisher recently shared a workout that shows how to use dumbbells to effectively train your glutes, hips, hamstrings and calves. There are also unilateral (single-leg) exercises in the routine which are great for people who like running and hiking, where your body continuously needs to be stable and balanced on one leg.
How to do Courtney Fisher's lower-body workout
Fisher shares the rep counts for each move in the video, but you should adjust the weight you use to make sure you can complete every rep with good form.
For the Romanian deadlift and reverse lunge, you can opt for heavier dumbbells as the muscles these exercises target are large and can handle more load.
For the inner thigh lift and the fire hydrant, you might need a lighter dumbbell or try these exercises with just your bodyweight.
Aim to complete three sets of each exercise.
This is a great routine to do regularly. Aim to increase the difficulty of each exercise each time you repeat the workout, whether that's adding another rep to each set or increasing the weight you use. If you increase the weight after a few weeks of increasing the reps, go back to the original rep count and start again at the heavier weight.
This technique of gradually increasing the difficulty over time is called progressive overload and it's one of the most effective techniques for seeing results from any type of resistance training.
Pair this legs workout with this dumbbell upper-body workout for a two-workouts-a-week training plan.
Shop adjustable dumbbells
To train with weights at home, we recommend a pair of adjustable dumbbells, which have different weight settings so you can pick an appropriate weight for the exercise, as well as increase the difficulty as you get stronger. Here are tried-and-tested top three picks, or read more about the best adjustable dumbbells.
