The legs contain the largest muscles in your body — train them hard and burn more calories than any other muscle group! This 48-min dumbbell leg day builds trunks of steel. Squats, lunges, deadlifts and more. You\'ll look good in those jeans.
Stretch! Spend at least 10 minutes stretching out those legs. You\'ll thank yourself tomorrow. Well done!
About this workout
48-Min Dumbbell Leg Day Muscle & Tone Workout is a free 48 min workout plan with 9 illustrated exercises for your legs and rehab. Follow the workout online, save it to your WorkoutLabs Fit account or download it as a printable PDF.
Tap any exercise in the workout to see the muscles worked, clear exercise illustrations and step-by-step instructions. Each workout includes sets, reps, rest times and notes so you can follow the plan without guessing.
You'll need dumbbells for this workout. Tap any exercise to see form instructions and possible substitutions if a piece of equipment isn't available.
How long does the 48-Min Dumbbell Leg Day Muscle & Tone Workout take?
The full workout takes about 48 minutes, covering 9 exercises with prescribed sets, reps and rest periods. Using the built-in timers and auto-advance keeps you on pace from start to finish.
Is this workout suitable for my fitness level?
This is an intermediate workout, best suited to people with some training experience. Beginners can still follow it by reducing the weight, doing fewer sets or resting longer between sets – each exercise includes illustrated form instructions.
What muscles does this workout target?
This routine primarily works your calves, quadriceps, glutes & hip flexors, hamstrings. Tap any exercise in the workout to see a muscle diagram showing exactly which primary and secondary muscles it activates.
How often should I do this workout?
For gain muscle, get toned, aim to do this workout 2–3 times per week with at least one rest day between sessions. Progress by gradually adding weight or reps, and pair it with workouts for other muscle groups during the week.
Can I download or save this workout?
Yes – you can download this workout as a free printable PDF using the download button, or save it to a free WorkoutLabs Fit account to follow it on your phone, customize the exercises and track your progress.
The legs contain the largest muscles in your body — train them hard and burn more calories than any other muscle group! This 48-min dumbbell leg day builds trunks of steel. Squats, lunges, deadlifts and more. You\'ll look good in those jeans.
Auto-advanceStart exercises automatically after a 5-second delay
Keep your hands at your sides or hold on to a wall for balance.
Bring your feet to be hip distance apart.
Focusing the tension in your calf muscles, slowly raise yourself up on to the balls of your feet.
Pause at the top of the movement and slowly return to the starting position.
Primary muscle group(s):
Calves
Stand up straight with your hands at your sides.
Keep your back straight and your core tight.
Forcefully press off the ground with the balls of both feet.
Launch into the air and land softly on the balls of your feet.
Focus the tension in the calf muscles, NOT the quadriceps.
Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Abs, Calves, Hamstrings, Shoulders
Stand with your feet together, arms fully extended with your hands by your sides. This is the start position.
Bend your knees slightly then straighten and push through the balls of your feet while straightening your your knees to jump up spreading your legs to wider than hip width apart.
As you do so, raise both arms out and up in a smooth arc until your hands meet above your head.
As you return to the ground, bring your feet together and your hands back to your sides with your arms fully extended.
Continue without pause for the desired amount of time or repetitions.
This exercise can be performed as a timed exercise, completing as many reps as possible in a set time or, in sets with a fixed number of repetitions per set. To increase intensity, bend your arms slightly as you raise them to engage your biceps and triceps and squeezing them during each rep.
Place your feet at shoulder width apart while keeping your chest up and your abdominals braced.
Begin the movement by swinging your arms up towards your shoulders. At the same time, bend at the knees and drive your hips back like you’re sitting in a chair.
Once your upper thighs are parallel with the ground, pause, then drive your hips forward to return to the starting position.
Stand tall with a tight core and make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart. Bring your hands together for balance.
Step directly to the left, leaving your right foot in place. Bend the left knee and pause once the upper left thigh is parallel to the ground. Your right leg should be completely straight.
Contract the hamstring muscle then push off the ground to return to the starting position. Repeat on the right side. Alternate this movement.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Hamstrings
Stand with your feet in a wide stance, with your toes slightly pointed outwards – like a sumo wrestler. Hold your hands together in front of your chest.
Keeping your back straight, lower your body towards the ground by bending your knees.
As you reach a fully squatting position (legs are bent at a 90-degree angle), hold the pose for 1 second before driving your feet into the floor and slowly push your body back up to the starting position.
For a bonus, tense your glutes at the top of the movement.
Primary muscle group(s):
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Calves, Glutes & Hip Flexors
Stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart and place your hands on your hips. This is the start position.
Step forward with either leg in a long stride. Keep your other foot in place behind you.
Bend your knees as you do this so your body is lowered towards the ground. Keep your back straight throughout the movement.
Continue down until your front knee is just above the ground. (Your front leg should be bent 90 degrees at the knee)
Hold for a count of one.
Push down through your front heel and extend both knees to return to the start position.
Pause then repeat with your other leg. When you have lunged with both legs, that is one repetition.
Repeat.
Try to keep your hands on your hips at all times, using your obliques to keep your balance.
Place an exercise step or something similar on the floor in front of you. It should be two or three inches high.
Holding a dumbbell in each hand, place your toes and the balls of your feet on the step. Make sure the arches of your feet are not on the step and your heels are on the floor.
Raise your heels as high as possible by pushing through the balls of your feet and toes while extending your ankles. Hold for a count of one.
Return to the starting position by bending your ankles until you feel a stretch in your calves.
Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Calves, Hamstrings
Sit down on a leg press machine and place your legs on the platform directly in front of you at shoulder width.
Lower the safety bars holding the weighted platform and press the platform all the way up until your legs are fully extended in front of you bot do NOT lock your knees. Your torso and legs should be at a 90degree angle to each other. This is the start position.
Inhaling, slowly lower the platform until your upper and lower legs form a 90-degree angle. Pause for a count of one,
Return to the starting position by pushing through the heels of your feet, engaging your quadriceps. Exhale as you do so.
Repeat.
After completing the desired number of repetitions, make sure you lock the safety pins of the machine before alighting.
Always check to make sure that when you re-rack the weight the platform is securely locked.
Primary muscle group(s):
Calves
Sitting on a calf raise machine, position your upper thighs under the top pad. The pad should be resting just above your knees.
Place the balls of your feet on the foot plate.
Keeping the balls of your feet in position, lower your heels as far as possible.
Slowly raise your heels as if standing on your toes. Continue as far as possible until you feel a stretch in your lower calves. Hold for a count of one.
Slowly lower your heels back to the starting position and repeat.
If the machine isn't equipped with foot plates, you can use barbell plates placed under the machine to increase your range of motion. Don't
Primary muscle group(s):
Calves
Secondary:
Abs
Set up two weight plates on the ground next to each other. Position a loaded barbell across your trap muscles. Step on to the weight plates with the balls of your feet.
With a tight core and flat back, raise yourself up with your feet only. Pause at the top of the raise.
Slowly lower yourself down but do not touch the ground. Raise yourself back up.
Stand up straight with a tight core and flat back.
Position your feet wider than shoulder-width. Your toes should be facing out diagonally.
Holding a dumbbell with both hands in front of you, look straight ahead and bend at the knees while driving your hips backward. Your knees should be following your toes in a diagonal line.
Complete this wide stance squat by having your thighs come parallel with the ground.
Pause and slowly return to the starting position without locking your knees.
Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Abs, Calves, Glutes & Hip Flexors, Hamstrings
Set a barbell on a rack at your shoulder height.
Step under the bar and rest the back of your shoulders against the bar. Do not put the bar on your neck.
Hold on to the bar using an overhand grip so that your palms are facing forward.
Lift the barbell off the rack by pushing up with your legs while straightening your torso.
Step away from the rack and position your legs in a wider than shoulder width position and with your toes slightly pointed out.
Keep your head up and look straight ahead at all times, as looking down will put you off balance.
Ensure your back is straight. This is the start position.
As you inhale, slowly lower the bar by bending your knees while keeping a straight posture with your head up.
Continue down until the angle between you upper legs and calves is slightly less than 90-degrees . As a guide, the front of your knees should be in line with your toes. Do not allow your knees to extend out beyond your toes.
Hold for a count of one.
As you exhale, raise the bar back to the start position, by pushing through your heels as you straighten your legs.
Pause for a count of one.
Repeat.
This is an exercise which carries some risk. If you have back issues, substitute this exercise for the dumbbell squat or leg press instead. Never slouch your back forward as this can cause back injury. This exercise is best performed inside a squat rack for safety purposes.
Primary muscle group(s):
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Calves, Glutes & Hip Flexors, Hamstrings, Lower Back
With your feet shoulder-width apart, stand with dumbbells as your sides with your palms facing each other.
Keeping your back straight and facing forward, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Pause for one second.
Pushing up from your heels, raise back up to starting position and repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Calves, Hamstrings
Sit down on a leg press machine and place your legs on the platform directly in front of you at shoulder width.
Lower the safety bars holding the weighted platform and press the platform all the way up until your legs are fully extended in front of you bot do NOT lock your knees. Your torso and legs should be at a 90degree angle to each other. This is the start position.
Inhaling, slowly lower the platform until your upper and lower legs form a 90-degree angle. Pause for a count of one,
Return to the starting position by pushing through the heels of your feet, engaging your quadriceps. Exhale as you do so.
Repeat.
After completing the desired number of repetitions, make sure you lock the safety pins of the machine before alighting.
Always check to make sure that when you re-rack the weight the platform is securely locked.
Holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides, stand tall with your chest up and abdominals contracted. Begin the movement by stepping forward with the left foot.
Drop the back right knee towards the floor and keep the left knee bent. Drive yourself up and take a step forward with your right foot.
The left knee will go towards the floor and you’ll bend the right knee. Continue this back and forth pattern. Be sure to keep the abdominals braced during the entire movement.
Primary muscle group(s):
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Calves, Glutes & Hip Flexors, Hamstrings, Lower Back
With your feet shoulder-width apart, stand with dumbbells as your sides with your palms facing each other.
Keeping your back straight and facing forward, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Pause for one second.
Pushing up from your heels, raise back up to starting position and repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Hamstrings, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Calves, Glutes & Hip Flexors
Place a bench in front of you. Hold a pair of dumbbells and stand facing the bench. Brace your core and keep your gaze straight ahead.
Bring your right knee up and step up on to the bench. Placing all of the effort in your right leg, bring your body up into a standing position on the bench.
Slowly lower yourself to the starting position and switch legs.
Primary muscle group(s):
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Abs, Calves, Hamstrings
Stand up straight while holding two dumbbells. Maintain a tight core and flat back as you carefully place your right foot on top of a bench behind you with toes facing down.
Bend at the front knee as you drop the back knee, maintaining perfect form. Front knee should not go over the toes.
Allow your thigh to come to parallel with the floor.
Pause then slowly return to the starting position without locking out your knee.
Stand with your feet together, arms fully extended with your hands by your sides. This is the start position.
Bend your knees slightly then straighten and push through the balls of your feet while straightening your your knees to jump up spreading your legs to wider than hip width apart.
As you do so, raise both arms out and up in a smooth arc until your hands meet above your head.
As you return to the ground, bring your feet together and your hands back to your sides with your arms fully extended.
Continue without pause for the desired amount of time or repetitions.
This exercise can be performed as a timed exercise, completing as many reps as possible in a set time or, in sets with a fixed number of repetitions per set. To increase intensity, bend your arms slightly as you raise them to engage your biceps and triceps and squeezing them during each rep.
Place your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend at the knees while driving your hips back.
Keep your chest up and your core tight.
Remain in a squat stance as you forcefully push off the ground, jumping to the right side.
Check your form then repeat, jumping to the other side.
Keep alternating between sides.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Abs, Calves, Hamstrings
Stand with your feet hip width apart. Your toes should be pointing straight ahead or only slightly outward.
Cross your arms in front of your body, place your hands behind your head or at the sides of your head.
Keep your weight on your heels and bend your knees while lowering your hips towards the ground as if you are sitting down on a chair.
Keep your back straight at all times.
Continue until you feel a slight stretch in your quadriceps. Do not let your knees extend out beyond the level of your toes.
Pause for a count of one.
In an explosive movement, drive down through your heels pushing yourself up of the floor with your quads.
At the same time extend our arms out above you.
Land with your knees slightly bent to absorb the impact.
Repeat
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Secondary:
Abs, Calves, Hamstrings
Begin by standing tall with a straight back and tight core. Slightly bend the knees and push the hips back. Bring the hands up and keep the chest up. Feet should be shoulder-width apart.
Jump and launch yourself forward. Swing your arms back and use the momentum.
Land in a squat position. Knees are bent and hips are back. Return to starting position and repeat.
Begin by standing tall with a tight core and looking straight ahead. Keep your chest up as you step forward with your right foot into a lunge position.
Lower the left knee to the ground. Extend the right knee forward.
Clasp your hands together and push them straight overhead. You’ll primarily feel the stretch in your hamstrings and hip flexors. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds then switch sides.
Workout done!
Exercises done
of 9
Total time
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