Weight training at home has become something many of us are presently doing because of Covid-19. This is especially true here in Michigan, where it doesn’t look like we’ll start reopening until the end of May, if not even later. This being the case, I’ll continue doing what I can at home with the little equipment I have.
Legs may seem like an easy workout day to skip. It can be hard to get the motivation going to train legs at home. I only have some dumbbells to work with too, so most exercises I do for legs are going to be for high reps. This doesn’t make life any easier as well, as high reps on legs can be very tough to get through.
Home Leg Exercises
With two 30 pounds to work with at this time, it can be difficult to actually do any heavy leg training at home. However, some excellent leg exercises don’t require much weight to be very effective. The main ones I like to do are jump squats and lunges. Goblet squats are also great for working legs with a medium weight dumbbell.
Jump Squat Supersets
I never did jump squats before quarantine as they seem like they might be hard on the knees. However, with only a 30 pound dumbbell in each hand, I gave them a try. The explosiveness it takes to jump up on each rep taxes the quadriceps so much quicker than just doing regular squats. Just go from rep to rep very fluidly without locking the legs out to avoid injury.
As with the exercises I do during my home workouts I like to continue my sets due to not using very much weight. I start by repping out on weighted jump squats before taking a very short rest before continuing. After a few sets like this, I can only do a few reps. I then put down my dumbbells and do body weight jump squats. After this, the superset can be continued with regular body weight squats or even goblet squats with a dumbbell.
Lunges
Dumbbell leg workouts done at home should definitely include lunges. They are just such a great exercise for the legs that can be done with or without weight. You’ll definitely feel these in your quads. You can do either walking lunges or standing lunges with your bodyweight or a dumbbell in each hand. To max out intensity, try short rests or dropping your dumbbells if you’re using them.
Hitting the Hamstrings
No dumbbell leg workouts will be complete without training the hamstring muscles. Deadlifts are the main exercise you may do at the gym for them, and you can do them at home with dumbbells too. The downside is that you may have to do a ton of reps to even feel anything. To get the most out of them, try stiff legged deadlifts with a dumbbell in each hand, making sure to get a nice stretch in the hamstrings and flexing them at the top of each rep.
Leg curls are a well known exercise for the hamstrings, and you can try versions of them at home. If you can lie on something face down, you can always try putting a light dumbbell between your ankles for leg curls. Another option is to lie face down with your ankles under something strong enough to keep your weight down as you use your hamstrings to lift your body up.
Calf Training at Home
You can quite easily emulate calf exercises you normally do at the gym at home. You can use a stair step, or something else to put your toes on, to do standing calf raises. It’s a good idea to just put a dumbbell in one hand while the other is bracing you for stability. I also like to do one calf at a time, repping out then going to the other side. Seated calf raises can also be done by putting some weight on your thighs while sitting.
One of my favorite exercises to do at home for the calves is jump roping. This often overlooked exercise is great for cardio and will get your calves burning. You can start with very short jump rope sessions, working your way up as you get better at it.
Putting it All Together
Even without much weight, you can really hit your legs hard with home workouts. Short rests between sets, drop sets and supersets will have your leg muscles screaming before you know it. Get as much out of every set as you can and you won’t have to do a ton of them. Also be sure to take enough days off between home leg workouts to avoid burning out.