Top 10 Lower-Body Garage Gym Dumbbell Lifts!
10 Essential Lower Body Dumbbell Exercises
Dumbbell workouts are an excellent way to strengthen your lower body! They require minimal equipment, and you can do these workouts anywhere! These exercises will allow you to target muscle groups in your lower body. This article highlights 10 of my favorite go-to lower-body dumbbell exercises. These exercises are perfect for building strength, building muscles, increasing metabolism, and achieving your overall fitness goals.
Dumbbell workouts like this are ideal for at-home workouts, at the gym, in the park, and in your garage. Dumbbells' versatility makes them extremely powerful movements to master.
I have been lifting for over a decade, and during that decade, I have gone from living 5 minutes from a gym to living close to 1 hour away from the closest gym. My access to equipment fluctuated immensely, but the one piece of equipment I always had was dumbells.
For many people, leg days are hard to commit to, and when you lose access to your typical equipment, that just gives you one extra excuse to skip leg day. Don't skip leg day. If you master these lower-body dumbbell exercises, you will always be able to get in a leg day, even if you can't get to a squat rack.
1. Dumbbell Goblet Squat
Goblet squats are a foundational movement that strengthens your quads, glutes, and core in the same exercise. This movement improves hip mobility and balance. It is excellent for functionality and allows decent strength gain and muscle tonality.
How to do a dumbbell goblet squat:
- Grab a single dumbbell that you feel like you can hold with flexed arms and that will provide adequate weight for your squat.
- The starting position is standing.
- Hold the dumbbell vertically, close to your chest, and with both hands around the top weight plate.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lower your body into a squat position, and keep your chest lifted during the movement.
- Use your legs to push your body back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for as many reps and sets as necessary
2. Dumbbell Deadlift
This exercise targets your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Just like the barbell deadlift, this exercise is fantastic for increasing strength, and not just in the gym; this exercise will give you strength that will be useful in day-to-day life.
How to do a dumbbell deadlift:
- Grab dumbbells that you will be able to hold for an extended period but also that are heavy enough to build lower-body strength.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, and your hands should be near the front of your hips.
- Hinge at the hips and lower the dumbbells toward the floor, keeping your back flat.
- Continue lowering with your back in a neutral position until you reach the end position.
- Engage your glutes to return to the standing position, and keep your back flat on the way up, too.
3. Bulgarian Split Squat
Although this is a seemingly more complex movement than a simple squat, it is still entirely doable for most people. The benefit of the Bulgarian split squat is the ability to focus on one leg at a time, improving balance, stability, and unilateral strength.
How to do the Bulgarian split squat:
- Grab a bench, chair, or any type of elevated structure
- Grab two dumbbells that are light enough for you to maintain balance while also providing enough resistance for your legs
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your side, hold them in a neutral grip
- Position one foot on a bench behind you; you should be in a sort of lunging position
- Lower your body by bending the knee of the leg on the ground, and continue until your front thigh is parallel to the floor
- Push through your front heel to return to the starting position
4. Dumbbell Step-Up
The dumbbell step-up is another unilateral movement that targets one leg at a time. It builds strength in your glutes, hamstrings, and quads while simultaneously building coordination and balance. This movement is a textbook combination of form and function.
How to do a dumbbell step-up:
- Grab a bench, chair, curb, or any elevated surface (that is stable and able to hold heavyweight)
- Grab two dumbbells of equal weight that will provide challenging resistance but are also light enough for you to maintain control during the movement
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand in the neutral grip position with your arms at your side
- Stand in front of a sturdy bench or platform
- Step one foot onto the bench, driving through your foot and leg to lift your body onto the platform
- Use your stepping leg to lift yourself; do not jump off the leg that is still on the floor
- Step back down from the platform using the same leg you stepped up with to lower yourself down in a controlled manner
- Repeat using your other side; this is a two-part lift
5. Dumbbell Lateral Lunge
Working the frontal axis will help build muscular balance and ward off any unwanted injuries. Lateral lunges work your inner and outer thighs, glutes, and quads, improving your lateral movement and balance.
How to do a dumbbell lateral lunge:
- Grab one dumbbell that will provide enough resistance while also light enough to hold with bent arms for around 1 minute
- Hold the dumbbell in both hands at chest height, and hold the dumbbell vertically using the top weight plate
- Step horizontally to one side, bending your knee and lowering your hips
- Keep a neutral spine
- One foot should be planted and kept straight, only pivoting at the ankle while the other is bending at the knee
- After your bending leg's thigh is parallel to the ground, use that leg to push back to the starting position
- Repeat using the other leg. This is a two-part movement
6. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Much like the dumbbell deadlift this exercise will work the backside of your lower-body. The main difference with this variation of the deadlift is that it is designed to place extra emphasis on your hamstrings and glutes.
How to do a dumbbell Romanian deadlift:
- Grab two dumbbells that are heavy yet light enough for you to maintain proper form the entire lift
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms hanging down in front of you
- Keep your knees slightly bent, less bent than the standard deadlift
- Hinge at your hips, lowering the dumbbells down your legs
- Continue until the dumbbells are about halfway between your knees and ankles
- Squeeze your glutes to return to the standing position
- Maintain a neutral spine during the duration of the lift
- Do not jerk or use momentum, this needs to be a controlled movement the entire time
7. Dumbbell Glute Bridge
Another fantastic exercise for isolating and strengthening the glutes is the dumbbell glute bridge. Whether you want to increase the size of your butt or if you want to build strength and power for your movements this exercise is a must do.
How to do a dumbbell glute bridge:
- Grab a single dumbbell, one that is enough weight to be challenging resistance but also light enough for you to feel comfortable with is laying on your hips
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
- Place a dumbbell across your hips and hold it in place
- Squeeze your glutes to lift your hips, until your back and legs form a straight line
- Lower your hips back down to the starting position, in a SLOW and CONTROLLED manner
- Repeat the previous steps for the remainder to the reps in the set
8. Dumbbell Sumo Squat
This variation of the dumbbell squat targets the inner thighs and glutes while engaging the core. Dumbbell sumo squats are fantastic for building lower-body power.
How to do a dumbbell sumo squat:
- Grab one dumbbell that is heavy enough to provide good resistance but also light enough for you to maintain control
- Hold the dumbbell with both hands with the weight hanging between your legs
- Hold the dumbbell from the top weight plate
- Start standing with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart
- Point your toes outward at a 45 degree angle
- Slowly lower into a squat position until you reach a 90 degree angle with your legs
- Push through your legs and feet to stand back up
9. Dumbbell Calf Raise
The dumbbell calf raise builds strength and definition in your calves, which helps to improve overall lower-body strength and athleticism. Activities like jumping and running rely heavily on the calf muscles.
How to do a dumbbell calf raise:
- Grab two dumbbells that provide good resistance but that are light enough to be held at your side for an extended period of time
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with the dumbbells at your side
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Rise onto your toes and hold briefly
- Lower back down in a controlled manner until your feet are flat on the ground
10. Dumbbell Reverse Lunge
One of my personal favorite exercises to strengthen and improve balance is the dumbbell reverse lunge. This exercise will work the quads, glutes, and hamstrings while also improving balance and athleticism.
How to do a dumbbell reverse lunge:
- Grab two dumbbells that provide decent resistance but that are light enough where you can maintain control easily
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, at your side and with a neutral grip
- Start standing feet shoulder width apart
- Step one foot backward into a lunge, not too far, this should feel natural
- Lower your back knee toward the floor, keeping your front knee aligned with your ankle
- Lower until your back knee is near the floor and your front leg is at a 90 degree angle
- Push through your front foot to return to the standing position
- Repeat using the opposite leg, this is a two-part lift
Tips for Success
- Choose a dumbbell weight that is heavy enough to challenge your lower body but light enough to allow you to maintain proper form.
- Do not use momentum in these lifts; everything should be done in a controlled manner.
- Dumbbells have more free motion than most other forms of weights, which is powerful, but with great power comes great responsibility.
- Warm up before your workout and cool down afterward.
- Add these exercises to your regular workout routine to master the dumbbell and add benefits such as balance and stability to your lifts.
- Lower-body workouts tend to be felt more the day after you lift so make sure you are focusing on eating muscle building foods.
Efficacy of dumbbells for lower-body workouts
Dumbbell workouts offer versatility, which makes them great for targeting lower-body muscle groups. These exercises improve muscle mass and body symmetry and enhance stability, tonality, and strength. Whether your fitness goal is to build muscle, increase athletic performance, increase your body's functionality, or build a big booty, adding these dumbbell exercises to your routine will be a worthwhile endeavor in your fitness journey.