Best Dumbbell Leg Workouts for Women [6 week plan]

So, here is the thing. The most effective leg workouts do not involve time-consuming pointless exercises, as we mostly see from fitness influencers on social media.

Not every leg exercise that you see on social media is beneficial for defining leg muscles or sculpting the butt.

Most of the exercises we usually see are either impractical or just don’t engage the right muscles as intended.

Other workouts you might like:

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• Ultimate 30 day leg challenge that works like crazy
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• 7 Day Gym Workout Plan for Women by Suzy {FREE PDF}

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Best Dumbbell Leg Workouts for Women

The best dumbbell leg workouts to tone your legs and tighten your butt include compound exercises like deadlifts, squats, glute bridges, sumo squats, lunges, and hip thrusts.

Deadlifts with dumbells

When it comes to the ultimate leg workout, deadlifts reign supreme. Depending on what is available to you, you can perform deadlifts with dumbbells or a barbell.

For deadlifts, you will need a set of dumbbells.

[A] Holding a pair of dumbbells, stand straight, feet hip-width apart, slight bend in the knees, and shoulders rolled back.

[B] Engage your core and bend at the hips while maintaining a neutral back. The weights (dumbbells or barbells) must be in line with your shoulder and not away from your body.

[C] Slowly lower your torso and the dumbbells as low as you possibly can without compromising your form.  

[D] Slowly straighten back up to the starting position and squeeze your butt. Do not rush through the movement and never lift more weight than you can handle as you might hurt your back!

Do not round your back as you lower the weight. Always remember to keep your back in line with your head and hips throughout the movement.

Remember also to start with the lowest weight until you master the proper form to avoid hurting your back.

Single-leg deadlifts with dumbells

[A] Stand with your knees slightly bent and feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.

[B] Engage your core and lift your left leg and extend it behind you. While maintaining a neutral spine, slowly lower your torso until you feel the tension in the hamstrings on the leg you are standing.

[C] Squeeze your butt as you slowly straighten up to starting position. Complete all the reps for one leg before switching to the other leg.

Dumbbell squats

You will need a pair of dumbbells for this leg workout.

If you are new to squatting or your knees wobble when you squat, you should practice squatting without any weights in front of a mirror until it looks and feels right.

[A] Stand up straight dumbbells at your side. The feet should be firmly planted and shoulder-width apart.

[B]Contract abs and slowly lower your hips as if you are about to sit in a chair. It would help if you hinged at the hips and not the knees and always maintained a neutral back.

[C] Lower yourself until your quads are parallel to the ground. For a deep squat, your quads can go beyond parallel.

[D] Maintain the same pace to push yourself up using the glutes.

Sumo (plie) squats with dumbells

[A] Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width, feet and toes pointed out, holding a dumbbell close to your chest.

[B] Keeping your back straight, tighten your abs and squat down as far as you can go without compromising your form.

[C]Pause and return to the starting position.

Lunges with dumbbells

[A] Stand straight, feet hip-width apart, knees soft, holding dumbbells in each hand. 

[B] Take a big step forward with your right leg, and lower your front and back leg at about a 90-degree angle. Your front knee should not go over your toes, and your back should be straight.

[C] Step back to the starting position and repeat the movement. Change legs to complete the set.

Side lunges with dumbbells

[A] Stand with feet hip-width apart, core engaged.

[B] Make a wide sidestep using the right leg and bend the right knee, while keeping the left leg straight and soft knee.

[C] Make sure the knee does not go over the ankle and toes on the bent leg. Step back to the starting position and repeat. Switch legs to complete the set.

Once comfortable with bodyweight side lunges, you can add weight by popping dumbbells on your shoulders or letting them hang in front of your body.

Glute bridges with dumbbells

Glute bridges and hip thrusts specifically target the glutes and hamstrings, although core muscles are also activated during the exercise.

If you are new to these glute exercises, start with glute bridges, and once you are confidently hitting the correct muscles, you can place a dumbbell on your hips.

[A] Lie flat on your back, hips shoulder-width apart, and arms spread out or close to your body for stability.

[B] Plant your feet firmly on the ground and align the heels of your feet with your butt and place a dumbbell on your hips.

[C] Pop your hips up as high as you can and squeeze your butt at the top.

[D] Slowly lower your hips back to the floor and repeat.

Hip Thrusts with dumbbells

[A] Sit on the floor at the edge of a bench or aerobic step.

[B] Extend your legs and place a dumbbell on your hips. (For a comfortable hip thrust, place a squatting pad or towel on the part of your hips where the dumbbell will sit).

[C] Plant your feet on the ground and bring your feet close to your booty.

[D] Place your elbows on the bench and scoot only your upper back (shoulders) on the bench.

 [E] Tuck your chin into your chest so that you are looking straight ahead and not up.

[F] Place your arms on the dumbbell for support, and thrust your hips up while squeezing your glutes. Thrust back down and repeat. Always push the weight through your heels as you thrust your hips up, and take care not to hyperextend your spine during this exercise.

Donkey kicks

If you have a saggy bum, donkey kicks are that simple leg workout that will help lift your lower buttocks.

Donkey kicks work to sculpt your glutes, hamstrings, and core. The best thing is they require none to very minimal equipment and not much effort.

You can add resistance to donkey kicks by using ankle weights.

[A] Get on all fours, keeping your hands underneath your shoulders and knees directly below your hips.

[B] While keeping a straight back and abs tight, lift one leg at a 90-degree angle and kick your foot towards the ceiling.

[C] Pause for one or two seconds and the top and then lower your leg down to the starting position and repeat. Switch sides to complete the set.

Dumbell Leg Workout for Women

 Weeks 1 and 2 are quite easy, and you can do them with or without weights, depending on your fitness level.

Weeks 3 and 4 are moderate, and 5 and 6 are where you will constantly feel the burn and come out with a sculpted butt and incredibly toned legs.

Aim to do this leg workout plan at least three times a week.

Dynamic warm-up

Use this warm-up to start your workouts.

• 15 jumping jacks
• 30 lateral leg swings (15 on each side)
• 30-sec butt kicks
• 30 sec high knees
• 15-sec hip circles
• 15-sec knee circles
• 15 jumping jacks

Weeks 1 and 2

You should rest for 30 seconds between each set.

For example- Squats 10 reps x 3 sets means that you should do 10 squats and rest for 30 seconds, another 10 squats and 30 seconds rest, and the last 10 squats and 1-minute rest before moving to the next set of exercises.

• Deadlifts 10 reps x 3 sets
• Dumbbell squats 10 reps x 3 sets
• Glute bridge 10 reps x 3 sets
• Lunges 10 reps x 3 sets
• Donkey kicks 10 reps x 3 sets

Weeks 3 and 4

Use the dynamic warm-up from weeks 1 and 2.

• Jumping squats 10 reps x 3 sets
• Lunges 12 reps x 3 sets
• Sumo squats 12 reps x 3 sets
• Glute bridges 12 reps x 3 sets
• Deadlifts 12 reps x 3 sets
• Hip thrusts 12 reps x 3 sets
• Side lunges 12 reps x 3 sets
• Dumbbell squats 12 reps x 3 sets

Weeks 5 and 6

Use the dynamic warm-up from weeks 1 and 2.

• Jumping squats 12 reps x 3 sets
• Lunges 12 reps x 4 sets
• Sumo squats 12 reps x 4 sets
• Single-leg deadlifts 12×4
• Glute bridges 12 reps x 4 sets
• Deadlifts 12 reps x 4 sets
• Hip thrusts 12 reps x 4 sets
• Dumbbell squats 12 reps x 4 sets
• Side lunges 12 reps x 4 sets
• Jumping squats 10 reps x 2 sets