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10 Best Lower Body Exercises (30-Minute Leg Workout, No Lunges)

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | February 6, 2024

Build strong legs with the 10 best lower body exercises at home. 10 dumbbell strength training exercises combined to build definition in the legs. Grow the hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves and thighs at home in just 30 minutes.

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Quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves: we’ll hit it all in this efficient leg workout.

These are the best lower body exercises you can do at home with a set of dumbbells and an optional resistance band.

And because we receive messages and emails daily about people struggling with lunges hurting their knees — this lower body workout contains all of the best leg exercises without lunges.

These lower body exercises also make a GREAT pregnancy leg workout, especially if you struggle with SPD/pelvic girdle pain and are trying to avoid lunges or single leg exercises.

Add these exercises to your home leg workout to build muscle definition, increase strength, and burn fat.

woman performing wide stance squat or sumo squat with one heavy dumbbell, best lower body exercises

10 Lower Body Exercises

Build lower body strength and muscle definition with this 30-minute lower body workout.

These are the 10 best lower body exercises with weights; no fancy gym equipment or barbell needed.

Add this lower body workout to your home workout plan 1-2 times per week to build and maintain strength in the lower body.

Workout Equipment:

Medium to Heavy Set of Dumbbells. I recommend between 5-30 lbs depending on your fitness level. I used 15 and 20 lb dumbbells in today’s workout. Option to drop weights at any time and do this workout with just your body weight.

Option to add a bench or chair as well as a mini loop resistance band.

Workout Instructions:

Follow along with the guided, 30-Minute Lower Body Workout (No Lunges) on YouTube, led by personal trainer Lindsey Bomgren. 

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • 10 Lower Body Exercises
  • Reps and Timed Intervals (16 reps per exercise in set one and 14 reps per exercise in set two; OR 40 seconds of work for some exercises completed in timed intervals)
  • Repeat All 10 Lower Body Exercises x2 Sets
lower body exercises sumo squat

Prefer to Watch On YouTube?

youtube icon Leg Workout

Workout Outline

  1. Good Morning
  2. Back Squat
  3. Banded Lateral Walks
  4. Alternating Squat Thruster
  5. Goblet Squat
  6. Seated Abductor Pulse
  7. Sumo Squat and Clean Squat
  8. Deadlift and Calf Raise
  9. Hand Switch Lateral Squat
  10. Squat Jacks

10 Best Lower Body Exercises At Home

Good Morning

Targets: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, erector spinae and lower back muscles.

Good morning exercises are a great way to improve your hip-hinging form. A great lower body exercise for beginners to master prior to working on deadlifts.

woman performing good morning exercise holding one weight on her upper back and shoulders

How To Do A Good Morning

  1. Start in a standing position, feet shoulder-width apart, core engaged, hands placed behind your head. Option to add weight by resting one dumbbell, horizontally, on your upper back, neck and shoulders. Holding each head of the dumbbell with one hand.
  2. With a slight bend in your knees, hinge forward at the hips until your torso is parallel to the ground. Core engaged and spine neutral (back flat).
  3. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings (back of the legs) at the bottom of the movement.
  4. Reverse the movement, driving through your heels to stand tall, returning to starting position (torso upright).

Back Squat

Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, quads, lower back and core muscles.

Back squats target more of the posterior chain, or the back of your body (lower back, glutes and hamstrings). Whereas, front squats target more of the anterior chain, or the front of your body (quads and upper back).

woman performing a back squat with weight in the best lower body exercises

How To Do A Back Squat

  1. Start in a standing position, feet hip-width apart or slightly wider, core engaged. Place one dumbbell, horizontally, on your upper back, neck and shoulders. Holding each head of the dumbbell with one hand.
  2. With chest up, 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). Knees push out towards your outer three toes.
  3. Then exhale as you drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes to stand tall and return to the starting position.

Banded Lateral Walks

Targets: Glutes, specifically the gluteus medius (the outer part of your butt used for side-to-side movements), quads, hamstrings, and hip abductors.

A GREAT exercise to build strong and healthy hips and knees.

woman performing banded lateral walks in a pregnancy leg workout

How To Do Banded Lateral Walks

  1. Place a resistance band six inches above your knees. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips to create tension across the band (activating your glutes).
  2. Bend your knees to lower down into a loaded squat position. Weight in heels, chest up.
  3. Hold this loaded squat position as you take one lateral step to your right; stretching the band as far as you can.
  4. Tap your left foot in, bringing it towards your right foot, maintaining a low squat position.
  5. Then, step out with your left leg, maintaining tension across the band before bringing your right leg to the left to meet your outside foot.

Alternating Squat Thrusters

Targets: Legs, glutes, hamstring, quads, hips, shoulders, abs and core.

Squat thrusts can add a cardio element to your leg workouts, increasing your heart rate.

woman performing squat thrusters with weights

How To Do Alternating Squat Thrusters

  1. Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders (front-rack position, overhand grip, palms facing in).
  2. With your weight in your heels, sit your hips back as you lower into a squat, striving for a 90-degree angle between your hips and knees.
  3. Then, drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes to stand tall. As you stand, perform a single arm squat thruster, pressing the dumbbell in your right hand straight overhead.
  4. Bring the weight back down to shoulder height and perform another squat.
  5. This time, as you stand, alternate to perform a squat and single arm thruster on the left arm.

Goblet Squat To Bench

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hips adductors, hip abductors and core.

woman performing a goblet squat to bench in a pregnancy leg workout

How To Do A Goblet Squat To Bench

  1. Start standing about one foot in front of a chair or bench; feet shoulder-width apart. Hold one dumbbell vertically at your chest in a goblet-hold.
  2. Bend your knees and sit your hips back towards the bench (as if sitting down in a chair).
  3. Once your butt reaches the bench, with legs bent at 90 degrees, rest your butt on the bench for a moment. Simultaneously, lift your heels off the ground for a moment.
  4. Then, re-plant your feet on the ground and press through your heels to stand tall, driving your hips forward to return to standing.

Seated Abductor Pulse

Targets: Hip abductor muscles (which includes the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and tensor fasciae latae or TFL).

woman seated on a bench performing abductor pulses with a resistance band

How To Do A Seated Abductor Pulse

  1. Start sitting on a chair or bench, knees bent at 90 degrees, feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place a resistance band about six inches above your knees to increase intensity.
  3. Push your knees out away from your body, stretching the band until you feel your outer glutes and hips working.
  4. Then with control, bring your knees back to starting position before pulsing out again.

Sumo Squat and Clean Squat

Targets: Legs, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors, adductors (inner thighs) and core.

woman performing a sumo squat and clean squat

How To Do A Sumo Squat and Clean Squat

  1. Start in a wide stance, feet outside of hips, heels in and toes pointed out (sumo squat stance). Hold one dumbbell horizontally in your hands between your legs.
  2. Bend your knees to lower down into a sumo squat, pushing your knees out towards your outer three toes as you drop your hips parallel to your knees.
  3. Pause for a moment at the bottom of your sumo squat, then drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes and inner thighs to return to standing.
  4. As you return to standing, ‘clean’ the dumbbell up towards your shoulders. Think about getting under the dumbbell to catch it — this is a dumbbell clean.
  5. Then, lower your hips down to perform another sumo squat, this time holding the dumbbell at your chest.

Deadlift and Calf Raise

Targets: The posterior chain or backside of the body. Specifically targeting the hamstrings, glutes, hips, calves, lower back and core.

woman performing a deadlift and calf raise with dumbbells

How To Do A Deadlift And Calf Raise

  1. Start standing feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your thighs (overhand grip, palms face your body).
  2. Hinge forward at the hips, pushing your hips back as you lower the dumbbells down along the front of your body. You should feel a stretch in the back of your legs (hamstrings). Focus on keeping your back in neutral alignment with your neck and shoulders throughout the entire movement (straight line from head to tailbone). Keep a slight bend in your knees to avoid ‘locking out’ the joint.
  3. Then, drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes as you drive your hips forward to return to standing.
  4. As you stand tall, perform a calf raise; lifting your heels off the ground.
  5. Lower your heels back to the mat to return to the starting position with feet flat on the ground.

Hand Switch Lateral Squats

Targets: Glutes (gluteus medius), quads, hip adductors (inner thighs), hamstrings and core.

woman performing a lateral squat passing the dumbbell from right hand to left hand with each lateral squat

How To Do A Hand Switch Lateral Squat

  1. Start standing, feet wider than shoulder-width (lateral squat stance), with toes facing forward or slightly turned out. Hold one dumbbell in your left hand.
  2. Sit your hips back, bending your right knee while leaving your left leg straight. Think of performing a single leg squat with your right leg while your left leg remains straight. Dumbbell comes to the inside of the right foot; knees and toes are pointing forward.
  3. Then, drive off your right foot to reverse the movement, pushing back to center. As you hit center, switch the dumbbell to your right hand.
  4. Immediately push to the left side, bending your left knee while leaving your right leg straight. This time, think of performing a single leg squat with your left leg while your right leg remains straight.
  5. Repeat alternating the hand switch lateral squat.

Squat Jacks

Targets: Glutes, quads, hamstrings, hips and calves.

Squat jacks are a lower body strength and power exercise that improves hip mobility and cardiovascular endurance.

woman performing squat jacks, bodyweight lower body exercise

How To Do Squat Jacks

  1. Start in a standing position feet hip-width apart, core engaged, shoulders over hips.
  2. “Jack” your feet out wide as you drop your butt down into a wide squat. Aim to bring your hands to touch the ground if that’s available to you.
  3. Explosively stand tall, squeezing your inner thighs as you “jack” your legs back together, and return to standing.
  4. Think, wide at the bottom, narrow at the top.

Modification: Option to make this a low impact leg exercise by omitting the jumping jack and instead performing side-to-side squat tap downs.

Lower Body Exercises FAQs

What Are The Best Exercises For Toning The Legs?

Squat variations (such as the air squat, barbell squat, goblet squat or dumbbell squat) are one of the best leg exercises. Deadlifts, hip thrusts and lunges are also effective compound leg exercises that target multiple muscle groups. You can add leg isolation exercises (or exercises that focus on a specific muscle group, such as glute exercises, quad exercises, hamstring exercises, or inner thigh exercises) to address muscle imbalances or weaknesses.

What Is The Best Lower Body Workout?

When structuring a leg workout, I like to include hip-dominant exercises (deadlifts, RDLs, swings) that target the posterior chain or hamstrings, glutes and low back. I also like to include knee-dominant exercises (squats and lunges) that target the anterior chain or legs, thighs, quads and core. This keeps your workout balanced and ensures you’re hitting all the major muscle groups on the front side and backside of the body.

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