Do this leg workout with dumbbells once a week to build strong glutes
This simple routine uses one move done three ways to strengthen all three glute muscles
While I love squats for building powerful legs, there’s another leg exercise I do to target parts of the glutes that squats don’t reach: the lunge.
This highly effective compound move works all your lower-body muscles simultaneously and incorporating three variations into one set makes it an efficient way to do leg day. It’s a sequence I rarely miss, and for good reason.
The forward lunge, lateral (side) lunge and curtsy (reverse and rotational) lunge, together target all three muscles in your glutes:
- Gluteus maximus: the largest muscle covering most of your backside, propelling you forward to run, walk or get up from a chair.
- Gluteus medius: under the gluteus maximus on the outside of your hip, it helps move your thigh outward and stabilize your pelvis.
- Gluteus minimus: the smallest muscle, under the gluteus medius, helping you lift your leg sideways and turn it inward.
Lunges deliver more than just glute strength, too. The side and curtsy lunges activate the ligaments and muscles connecting your core and lower spine. This benefit has been particularly helpful for me since rehabbing my lower spine, following a bulging disc diagnosis a few years ago.
Lastly, this trio can effectively support your lower-body joint health, keeping your hips and ankles mobile and strong. As each step loads your joints in different directions, you’re building more stability and flexibility, too.
How to do the leg workout with dumbbells
This sequence can be adapted in several ways to meet you where you’re at or challenge you further.
You can hold dumbbells by your sides or resting on your shoulders. Alternatively, hold one dumbbell at your chest. You can even get good results using just your bodyweight—just increase or decrease the reps so that your last few reps feel challenging.
If you’re performing the exercises weighted, perform one round with just your bodyweight as a warm-up. Build weight gradually across sets or over a few weeks.
Include this sequence in your weekly workout program with other exercises, or as a standalone exercise snack—I often do it after downing tools, marking the end of a working day before I unwind for the evening.
Perform six to eight reps on each leg for each exercise, and complete two or three sets in total.
1. Forward lunge
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8 each side
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and engage your core.
- Take a big step forward.
- Bend both knees to 90° to lower, keeping your front knee directly over your foot and your chest upright.
- Push through your front foot to return to the starting position.
- If you find keeping your balance a challenge, do all your reps on one side, then switch sides. Otherwise, alternate sides with each rep.
2. Side lunge
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8 each side
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and engage your core.
- Step your right foot out to the right side.
- Bend your right knee and push your hips back to lower as far as is comfortable, keeping your chest upright and your left leg straight.
- Push through your right foot to return to the starting position.
- If you find keeping your balance a challenge, do all your reps on one side, then switch sides. Otherwise, alternate sides with each rep.
3. Curtsy lunge
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8 each side
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and engage your core.
- Step your right foot back and to the left, so it crosses behind your left leg.
- Bend both knees to lower until your right knee is just above the floor, keeping your chest upright.
- Push through your left foot to return to the starting position.
- If you find keeping your balance a challenge, do all your reps on one side, then switch sides. Otherwise, alternate sides with each rep.
