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Legs, Back and Biceps Workout (30-Minute Pyramid)

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | November 22, 2024

Build muscle at home with this challenging pyramid workout. This legs, back and biceps HIIT workout will challenge your muscular endurance and raise your heart rate at home. Build muscle in the legs, back and biceps in under 30 minutes using just a set of dumbbells.

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Challenge your muscular and cardio endurance with this legs, back and biceps workout at home.

This 30-minute workout combines dumbbell exercises to challenge three different muscle groups in one efficient HIIT workout!

I love to train the legs and back together because they’re two big, powerful muscle groups. They work together to perform many of our daily movements: squatting, lifting, bending and pulling.

I added biceps to this workout too, because the back and biceps often work together as the two pull muscles in your upper body.

This workout is full of efficient, compound exercises. And our fan-favorite pyramid format will raise your heart rate and challenge your cardio endurance.

woman performing a single arm back row in a full body workout at home

Legs, Back and Biceps Workout for Endurance

Build muscle and increase cardiovascular endurance with this pyramid workout! This workout targets the legs, back and biceps in under 30 minutes.

A total body workout comprised of compound exercises, combined in the challenging and effective pyramid workout format.

Add this full body workout routine to your home workout plan 1-2 days per week to build strength and increase endurance.

Workout Equipment:

Medium-to-heavy set of dumbbells. 

I recommend between 8-20 lbs. I’m using 12 and 15 lb dumbbells.

Workout Instructions:

Follow along with the guided Legs, Back and Biceps Workout on YouTube, led by certified personal trainer, Lindsey Bomgren. 

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • 6 Exercises for the Legs, Back and Biceps
  • Timed Intervals (30 seconds of work, 30 seconds rest; complete as many repetitions as you can in the timed interval)
  • Pyramid Format (we’ll add on moves as we work “up” the pyramid, and then drop off moves as we work our way back “down” the pyramid)

A Pyramid Format Looks Like This: 

  • Set 1: Perform move 1 for 30 seconds (as many reps as you can), followed by 30 seconds of rest.
  • Set 2: Perform move 1 for 30 seconds and then move 2 for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest.
  • Set 3: Perform move 1 for 30 seconds, and then move 2 for 30 seconds, and then  move 3 for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest.

Continue this stack-on, pyramid format until you complete moves 1 through 6. Then you have the option to go back down the pyramid in reverse order, dropping off move 1, then move 2, then move 3 and so on.

Trainer Tip: Pyramid workouts are challenging tests of endurance. Follow along with the workout modifier for options to scale each move, or decrease the weights as you start to fatigue.

Woman performing a Clean Squat with Dumbbells | back and biceps workout

Prefer to Watch On YouTube?

youtube icon Pyramid Workout

Workout Outline

  1. Single Arm Back Row and Clean Squat
  2. Flip Grip Dumbbell Curl
  3. Reverse Lunge and Squat Jump
  4. 2 Reverse Grip Rows and 2 Bicep Curls
  5. Lateral Squat Hops
  6. Plank and Row

6 Legs, Back and Bicep Exercises with Dumbbells

Single Arm Back Row And Clean Squat

Targets: The single arm dumbbell row works the lats (largest muscle in your back) and bicep muscles in the upper body. The clean squat is a powerful lower body exercise that targets the hamstring, hips, glutes, quads and core.

A complex legs, back and biceps exercise that will raise your heart rate too.

two women performing single arm back rows and clean squats with dumbbells

How To Do A Single Arm Back Row And Clean Squat

  1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in towards each other.
  2. Hinge forward at the hips until your body is in a straight line, neck in line with your spine, flat back, and belly button pulled back towards your spine.
  3. Perform a single arm row on the right, then a single arm row on the left. Pull the weights back towards your hips (think of pulling from your elbow versus your wrist). Stop once your elbows are in line with your rib cage, making a straight line from shoulder to elbow. Hold at the top for a moment squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  4. Then drive your hips forward, standing tall and propelling the dumbbells up towards your shoulders (this is the ‘clean’ portion of the clean squat). Note, your heels might pop off the mat as you use your momentum to “clean” the dumbbells up to shoulder level. Thinking about “getting under” the dumbbells.
  5. With both dumbbells front racked on your shoulders, lower your hips down parallel to your knees to complete the squat.
  6. Stand tall to return to the starting position and repeat this movement.

Modification: Omit the clean and perform a standard squat, holding the dumbbells at your sides.

Flip Grip Dumbbell Curl

Targets: Both the short head and long head of the biceps (upper arms), the brachialis (mid-arm) and brachioradialis (forearm).

two women performing flip grip bicep curls with dumbbells

How To Do A Flip Grip Bicep Curl

  1. Start with feet under hips, core engaged. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing outward (underhand grip or supine curl).
  2. Keeping your elbows locked by your sides, squeeze your bicep muscle to curl the weights up to shoulder-height.
  3. At the top of the movement, rotate your hands so palms face in towards each other (dumbbell hammer curl). With control, slowly lower the dumbbells down to your sides.
  4. At the bottom of your movement, flip your grip so palms face out again. Return to the starting position and repeat this movement.

Reverse Lunge And Squat Jump

Targets: The legs — glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves and core.

This lower body HIIT exercise will also raise your heart rate.

two women performing reverse lunge and squats with dumbbells

How To Do A Reverse Lunge And Squat Jump

  1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart. Hold a single dumbbell at your chest, or hold one dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
  2. Step your right leg back into a reverse lunge, dropping your right knee down towards the ground as you lower your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the floor.
  3. Then squeeze your left leg glute, driving your right leg forward as you stand up.
  4. With both feet hip-distance apart, lower down into a squat, pushing your hips back and down until your hips align with your knees (making a 90-degree angle with your hips and knees).
  5. Then explosively stand tall, jumping off the ground as you drive your hips forward. Land softly with bent knees.

Modification: Perform a standard squat holding the dumbbells at your sides.

2 Reverse Grip Rows And 2 Bicep Curls

Targets: The reverse grip back row targets the lower back and upper back muscles, specifically the latissimus dorsi (lats) and rhomboids. The bicep muscles (biceps brachii) are also targeted in the bicep curls.

two women performing reverse grip rows and bicep curls, back and biceps workout

How To Do Reverse Grip Dumbbell Rows And Bicep Curls

  1. Start with feet under hips, core engaged. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing outward (underhand grip or supine curl).
  2. Keeping your elbows locked by your sides, curl the weights up towards your shoulders. Perform two supine bicep curls.
  3. Then bend forward, hinging at the hips until your body is in a straight line, neck in line with your spine, flat back, and belly button pulled back towards your spine.
  4. With the dumbbells facing out, away from your body (reverse grip), pull the weights back towards your hips as you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Stop once your elbows are in line with your rib cage, making a straight line from shoulder to elbow.
  5. Control the dumbbells back down to the starting position. Performing two reverse grip back rows.

Lateral Squat Hops

Targets: Legs — glutes, quads, inner thighs, outer thighs, calves and core.

This exercise will increase your heart rate and have your legs (specifically your quads) on fire.

two women performing lateral squat hops or side to side squats

How To Do Lateral Squat Hops

  1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, or a little wider. Hold one dumbbell horizontally at your chest, or front rack two dumbbells at your shoulders.
  2. Engage your core and lower your hips down to the bottom of a squat. Maintain this loaded squat stance as you push off your right leg to jump laterally to the left.
  3. Land softly in the loaded squat position and laterally jump back to the right (push off your left leg to jump laterally to the right).

Modification: Make this low impact be performing side-to-side squats, stepping to the right and left rather than jumping to the right and left.

Plank And Row

Targets: The entire body. This is a true full body exercise that emphasizes the core, back and shoulders.

two women performing a plank and row, back and biceps workout at home

How To Do A Plank And Row (Or Renegade Row)

  1. Start in a high plank position with one hand on each dumbbell, palms facing each other.
  2. From this plank position, pull one dumbbell back towards your hip, elbow up towards the ceiling; focus on keeping both hips square to the ground as you perform the dumbbell row.
  3. Lower the dumbbell back to the ground slow and controlled. Perform two rows on the right arm, then repeat two rows on the left arm.

Modification: Drop to your knees for a modified plank while you perform the rows. Or perform the rows while standing in a bent over position.

FAQs

Can You Train Legs, Back And Biceps On The Same Day?

Yes! Training the back and biceps together is common in an upper body workout. The back and biceps are your “pull” muscles, so they’re often trained together. Adding the legs to a back and biceps workout makes for an effective and functional full body training session.

Does It Make Sense To Train Legs And Back Together?

Supporting the posterior chain or the backside of the body decreases your risk for injury and makes it easier to perform everyday activities. Your back and legs are the two largest muscle groups in the body, so training them together maximizes muscle building and calorie burn. Training the legs and back together also strengthens the core.

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8 comments

  1. Thanks so much for sharing these awesome tips. Visiting your blog has really inspired me to begin working out again, it’s been over 3 years I did a serious workout session LOL

    Reply

  2. 24 weeks pregnant with my second, and LOVED this workout! Thank you for this gold. Also- I’ve got to know where your top is from!

    Reply
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