You can effectively pump up your legs and buttocks not only in the gym, but also at home, especially if you have a pair of dumbbells of optimal weight. Dumbbells are a universal equipment with which you can work all the muscles of the body, both comprehensively and in isolation.
In our selection you will find the best exercises with dumbbells for the buttocks, thighs and legs that you can perform in the gym and at home. In addition, at the end of the article there are several ready-made exercise plans depending on your goals.
We recommend watching:
- Leg day for girls: a ready-made plan with dumbbells for the hips and buttocks
- Strength training for legs for men with dumbbells using a superset scheme
Regular squats
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Starting position: standing, feet approximately shoulder-width apart, arms with dumbbells lowered along the body.
Do some deep squats. Keep your back straight. Make sure that at the lowest point your knees do not go out to the sides, but are above your toes.
Top 7 exercises for the buttocks with dumbbells
The buttocks are a group that is represented by three muscles: the gluteus maximus (the largest muscle in the body), the gluteus medius and the gluteus minimus. Understanding the general structure and performing exercises for the butt with dumbbells is enough to see impressive results in just a few months. But for rapid progression, you should choose only the most effective movements, the benefits of which are undeniable.
Lunges
This exercise, in addition to putting a tremendous load on the buttocks, will also help create massive, strong and athletic thighs by working the quadriceps.
Technique:
- Take dumbbells and hold them with your arms down.
- Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart.
- Take a wide step forward (the length of the step should be such that in the bottom position there is a right angle at the knee of the leading leg).
- At the same time, bend the knee of the supporting limb, transferring the center of gravity to the front leg.
- At the lowest point, you cannot lower your knee to the floor until it touches; maintain a distance of 2-3 cm.
- With a powerful movement, push your body back and up, returning to the starting position.
There are many variations of lunges. To pump up your butt at home with dumbbells and achieve quick results, use different techniques, alternating them from workout to workout.
Forward bends (good morning)
The movement simultaneously works the buttocks and back muscles (extensors), which will help improve your posture. It is important to consider that in this exercise the main role is played not by the weight of the weight, but by the slow speed of execution and the correct technique.
- Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your elbows and place the dumbbells so that one side of the apparatus is adjacent to the deltoids.
- Slowly and in a controlled manner, begin to lean forward, keeping your back straight. In the exercise, movement occurs only in the hip joint.
- Bend as low as possible until you can keep your back straight and not bend your knees.
- Take a minimal pause and slowly return to the starting position.
It is important to remember that in this exercise with dumbbells we are working our butt, not our back, so focus the load on your glutes.
Plie squats with dumbbell
One of the most popular movements, which is deservedly popular in working out the buttocks. It also actively involves the muscles of the thighs (especially the inner part).
Technique:
- Stand straight, feet slightly wider than shoulder level, toes turned out to the sides as much as possible (up to 90 degrees).
- The back is straight, the dumbbell is held with both hands at hip level.
- Slowly bend your knees while performing a squat while maintaining a straight back, trying not to let the dumbbell hit the floor.
- After a short pause, get up at a moderate pace, returning to the starting position.
Read more about the plie exercise →
Romanian deadlift
A powerful exercise that is essential for developing muscle mass and strength in the buttocks and hamstrings. Also affects the extensor muscles of the back. This exercise for the buttocks with dumbbells is performed with the same technique as in the version with a barbell. The only difference is that you will have to retract your shoulder blades more to keep your back straight.
Technique:
- Stand straight, with your feet slightly narrower than shoulder level.
- Hold dumbbells in your free hands at hip level.
- Slowly lean forward, paralleling your pelvis back. The back is level throughout the entire movement phase.
- Bend as far as you can (feeling a strong stretch in your hamstrings), then slowly return to the starting position.
Read more about the Romanian deadlift technique →
Squats
The most popular movement for developing the entire lower body, with an emphasis on the glutes and quadriceps. To pump up your butt with dumbbells, use the following option:
- Stand straight with your feet at shoulder level. The toes are turned to the sides at an angle of 30-45 degrees. Hands with dumbbells are bent at the elbow and pressed tightly to the front deltoids.
- Slowly squat down, bending your knees. Push your pelvis back to keep your back straight.
- Sit as low as possible, then pause for 0.5-1 second and return to the starting position with a moderately fast movement.
Read more about squats for buttocks →
Gluteal Bridge
This is an exercise where you should try to lift as much weight as possible. The bridge is considered one of the main tools for creating pronounced roundness and increasing the strength of the buttocks.
Technique:
- Lie on the floor with your feet flat on the floor. The knees are bent, the pelvis lies on the floor.
- Place the dumbbells on your thighs and hold them with your hands.
- With a powerful movement, lift your pelvis up until your body forms a straight line from knee to shoulder.
- Slowly lower your pelvis down, returning to the starting position.
Learn more about the glute bridge exercise →
Exercise "Pendulum"
This movement is similar to the Romanian deadlift and good morning. It allows you to focus specifically on the gluteal muscles, but only with the correct technique.
- Stand straight (on the floor or step platform), take a dumbbell in your right hand. The back is straight.
- Begin to slowly lean forward while moving your left leg back.
- Bend over until your back leg and body are in line, parallel to the floor.
- Slowly bring your back leg back while straightening your back.
Tuesday (219-403 kcal, 39 minutes)
Quite an easy day, the muscles didn’t really react to the load.
1. Cardio warm-up for the whole body. 5-minute warm-up workout (Total Body Warm Up Cardio – 5 Minute Warm Up Workout). 15-35 kcal, 5 minutes.
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2. High-intensity interval cardio training "Burning belly fat." HIIT with body weight (Belly Fat Burner HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training Workout with No Equipment). 112-224 kcal, 16 minutes.
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The workout is awesome, if only I could do it with all the jumps! But, unfortunately, it didn’t work out because of my leg.
3. Workout for the buttocks and thighs: buttocks, calves, inner and outer thigh muscles (Butt and Thigh Workout – Glutes, Calves, Outer and Inner Thigh Workout). 72-112 kcal, 11 minutes.
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Both easy and at the same time difficult workout. Shown without dumbbells, but I still did some exercises with additional free weight. A killer exercise is the wall squat.
4. Quick Yoga Cool Down and Stretch – Cool Down Stretches. 20-32 kcal, 5 minutes.
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Fat burning home workout with your body
How to burn fat and boost endorphin levels with a simple three-set home workout.
This home workout for the whole body will greatly speed up your metabolism and stimulate the release of endorphin, the hormone of joy and pleasure.
Here you can forget about dumbbells and weights, since here they are completely optional. To effectively burn calories, you don't need anything other than your own body.
This workout breaks down six different movements into upper and lower body exercises. Both categories have three exercises that are performed at once, one after the other, as one big set. We perform the first “triple set” three times, resting only when necessary, and then proceed to the second large set and also perform it three times.
Your goal should be a slight burning sensation and fatigue in your muscles, as well as an increase in your heart rate. As a result, the maximum amount of fat will be burned and more endorphins will be released. This process will continue even after the end of the workout.
1A) Jump squats, 15 reps without rest
Adding a jump makes the regular squat not only a good muscle-building movement, but also an excellent cardio exercise for burning fat. Keeping your back straight, squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor and your glutes are level with your knees (A), then jump up (B). We land softly and proceed to the next repetition.
1B) Squat jumping jacks, 20 reps without rest
This exercise is simple, but at the same time very intense. By doing it, you will become more agile and lose excess weight faster. First we do a wide-legged squat (A). Now we bring our legs together as quickly as possible (B), and then immediately raise them back to a wide position. Expect your legs to be very sore by the end of the 20th rep.
1C) Crab walk, 30 seconds, 30 seconds rest
This exercise is not easy. To maintain muscle balance here you will have to work very hard. First, we sit on the floor, keeping our hands behind our backs and our legs in front of us. Now lift your hips (A) and move forward (B). After half a minute of performing this exercise, we rest for 30 seconds, after which we again proceed to the first exercise - squats with jumps.
2A) Push-ups with clap, 10 repetitions without rest
This improved version of the classic exercise will leave you tired. From a push-up position, lower your chest until it almost touches the floor (A). Then we push off, but unlike a regular push-up, we lift both hands off the floor, do a clap (B), and then immediately proceed to the next repetition. If you clap your hands while your hands are in the air, the effect of the exercise will be even better.
2B) Shadowboxing, 30 seconds without rest
To get in good physical shape, you don’t have to become a professional boxer - you just need to imitate the fighting technique. To perform this exercise, we take a fighting position. Making slight bends in different directions and sometimes squatting a little, we perform lateral and direct blows with our fists. The type of strikes is entirely up to you, but remember - try to make the exercise as intense as possible, and therefore effective.
2C) Worm exercise, 10 reps, 30 seconds rest
From a standing position, lower your torso. Now begin to walk forward on your hands (A), keeping your legs straight, until you are in a push-up position (B). We do the same movement in reverse in order to return to the starting position. This was one repeat. Now we rest for 30 seconds before starting the next exercise - sharp push-ups.
You can follow this training plan or just create your own, but the most important thing is to try to become healthier and stronger, mentally and physically. To achieve this goal, use proper nutrition and exercise.
- https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/05000/HIGH_INTENSITY_CIRCUIT_TRAINING_USING_BODY_WEIGHT_.5.aspx
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27329807
- https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a756325/10-best-bodyweight-exercises-for-men/
- https://www.menshealth.com/uk/workouts/a31928125/bodyweight-home-workout-cardio/
Read further:
An effective workout program for men to lose weight in the gym
The best sets of exercises for losing weight for girls in the gym
Exercises to strengthen your back and spine at home without exercise equipment!
21-Day Workout and Nutrition Program for Cutting
The best exercises for training legs for mass
The benefits and harms of squats with dumbbells
If you're not yet sure whether to add squats to your workout, consider their benefits:
- Effectively help with excess weight. Using the techniques described, we say goodbye to fat by increasing muscle mass. Squats will help you quickly form an attractive figure, even if you are overweight.
- They have pleasant side effects. It’s not for nothing that squats are included in the warm-up of track and field athletes. They will significantly increase your overall flexibility and speed.
- Helps cope with back pain. As we mentioned above, some exercises involve the back muscles. This improves posture and helps cope with pain when walking for a long time (the main thing is not to get carried away).
- Improve blood circulation. Thanks to better functioning of blood vessels in the pelvic area, you can normalize metabolism, tighten the skin and improve its general condition.
- Reduce the risk of injury. It is very difficult to stretch or damage reinforced tissue. The muscles become not only strong, but also flexible.
- Very comfortably. You can exercise at home or in the gym.
With the correct technique, suitable weighting material and the absence of contraindications, squats cannot harm your body.
Note! Unsuitable (too heavy) dumbbells can lead to knee problems. Track and field athletes, football players and bodybuilders often encounter such troubles. The latter is helped to relieve the load by special protection - chondroprotectors. You won't need them unless you want to build a lot of muscle mass.
Problems can also start if you make mistakes in the exercises. We will talk about them later.
How to select loads?
Before considering programs and exercises for working the buttocks, you need to decide what weight will be used during the exercises. It will come as a shock to many, but the dumbbells and barbells used to shape the buttocks should significantly exceed women's expectations of the maximum weight they can lift. Why? Everything is very simple - this is a very powerful muscle group, which is actually responsible for holding the entire body (from 50 kilograms) throughout the day, and in order to shock them, proportional loads are needed.
Particularly effective for women are exercises for the buttocks with dumbbells with heavy weights, which are needed to sufficiently work the buttocks, reduce the percentage of fat and increase muscle mass. In particular, squats, lunges and a farmer's walk with wide strides are performed with a weight of at least 20 kilograms. But for many, this turns out to be quite a strong overload and the body cannot cope. What to do in this case? Unfortunately, with all the desire to work exclusively on the gluteal leg, as in any other case, you will need to spend a preparatory month, and perhaps more than one, after which the body will get used to working with iron.
The preparation month looks like this:
- training at least 3 times a week,
- working with basic exercises (pull-ups, push-ups, squats), with moderate weights (empty bar) to master the technique.
- use of block simulators,
- active training of the lumbar region with massive hyperextensions with a barbell plate.
Don’t worry, during this month you won’t turn into Schwarzenegger; moreover, external changes in your figure will be almost unnoticeable, but in the future, when working with heavy weights during squats and lunges, they won’t become an opportunity to get a lower back injury, sprain, or overtraining of the body. If you are looking for good and effective exercises for the buttocks with dumbbells at home, then similar training with deadlifts, squats and push-ups can be done at home.
My comments on this workout for legs and buttocks at home
I never cease to be amazed at how Janelia manages to talk while doing exercises! Even without this, it is difficult to perform them at that rhythm, even with a lighter weight of dumbbells. But experience and constantly working muscles, of course, are a plus here.
Why did I choose this particular activity?
I think you all read the title on the video. Yes, you can perform completely different exercises, while the gluteal muscles will not be involved or involved minimally. And sometimes you want to work out all parts of the body.
In addition, the butt is always connected to the legs. I don’t know why, but it is a good load on the legs that gives me the feeling of a complete workout and complete moral satisfaction from it.
Well, the third point is that I like this fitness trainer’s material and its presentation. Otherwise, sometimes you turn it on and realize that you can’t listen to this nonsense or look at the antics. Nothing about Janelia and her training irritates me, on the contrary. You can’t do anything without the human factor
