Strong legs are the key to enhancing athletic performance and maintaining fluidity throughout your everyday movements. Think about it – we use our legs every single day in so many different ways.
Not only that but exercising your legs produces cortisol, a hormone that helps your body fight stress. It also increases your fat metabolism – who wouldn’t want to reap these benefits?
Instead of going to the gym without a plan, we’ve put together six exercises we’d like to consider the best functional dumbbell leg workout for mass.
What Increases Leg Mass?
Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and leg presses are favored for their effectiveness in building leg mass. However, if you're doing these exercises and not achieving your desired results, there could be an overlooked element.
The number of repetitions you perform plays a significant role in mass building in any body part. If the aim is to build leg strength, a lower repetition range (around 6 reps per set) would be necessary because it involves lifting heavier weights. But for mass development, it's more effective to decrease the weight to a point where you can manage 8 to 12 reps, resulting in increased muscle size.
Therefore, it's advised to use a weight that lets you do at least 8 reps, but not more than 12. Additionally, it's important to take rest periods of around 1 to 2 minutes when working out for leg mass.
Warm-Up Exercises
Before performing these leg exercises with dumbbells, warming up is essential to increase body temperature and stimulate blood flow to the muscles. Follow the functional warm-up below to prepare your entire body for this functional dumbbell leg workout.
Perform each exercise for 1 minute.
- Jumping jacks: Jump to spread your legs wide and bring your hands overhead.
- Standing toe touch stretch: Bend at the hips and touch your toes with your fingertips to the point of mild discomfort.
- Quad stretch: Grab your ankle behind you, bending one knee. Keep your knee pointing straight down.
- Frog squats: Place your feet wider than your shoulders and turn them facing out, lowering into a deep squat. Push your elbows to the inside of your knees and touch your palms in a prayer position. Lift your hips up and drive your knees back using a hinge movement.
- Arm stretches: Bring one arm across your chest in front of you and hold it with the other arm.
Functional Dumbbell Leg Workout for Mass
These leg exercises are tailored to be performed with dumbbells, however, with a versatile tool like the YBell, you can execute different versions of the exercise by modifying your grip on the YBell to alter weight distribution.
Switching grips with the YBell is equivalent to changing equipment, giving it the capacity to assist you with your dumbbell leg workouts and act as a kettlebell, double-grip medicine ball, and push-up stand for all your other training requirements.
Here we present six exceptional dumbbell leg exercises for mass that will not only chisel your arms but also fortify your core.
This is the functional fitness equipment we recommend you use for the exercises below:
1. Dumbbell Hammer Curl Squat Press
The dumbbell hammer curl squat press is a highly functional dumbbell leg exercise that will target your glutes, quads, and hamstrings, while also testing your upper body strength.
Recommended Sets: 3 to 4
Recommended Reps: 8 to 12
Equipment Used: YBells used as dumbbells
How To Perform:
- Hold a YBell in each hand by its center handle, using it as a dumbbell. Standing with your feet hip-width apart, rotate your wrists so that your palms face towards your body. Curl the YBells up onto your shoulders while you simultaneously lower down into a squat.
- Look for depth in your squat - your hips should be parallel to your knees.
- Straighten your legs by driving up through your heels, thrust your hips forward, and extend your arms above your head at the same time.
- Bring the YBells down to your shoulders with elbows bent, and then bring them down to your sides. That’s one rep.
2. Dumbbell Squat Jump
The weighted squat jump will activate your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. The added jump will improve your power, balance, and agility which wouldn’t be put to the test in traditional dumbbell leg exercises.
Recommended Sets: 3 to 4
Recommended Reps: 8 to 12
Equipment Used: YBell used as a dumbbell
How To Perform:
Perform this functional dumbbell leg exercise using the following steps:
- Start with feet hip-width apart and hold one YBell at each side by its center handle.
- Squat down until your hips are just below knee height.
- As you stand up, thrust up through the hips and jump up off the ground, just enough to leave the ground before softly landing back down on the ground. That’s one rep.
Alternate Exercise: The medicine ball squat jump is another variation of this exercise. Hold one YBell as a medicine ball by gripping its outer handles. Keep your elbows bent and the YBell level with your chest. Perform the rest of the exercise exactly how you would for the dumbbell squat jump.
3. Bicep Curl Side Squat
The bicep curl side squat will give your legs a break – but not for long. This compound exercise will develop your intramuscular coordination while promoting overall strength. If your upper body is sore, you can perform a regular squat lunge and leave the bicep curls out.
Recommended Sets: 3 to 4
Recommended Reps: 8 to 12
Equipment Used: YBell used as a dumbbell
How To Perform:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart and hold the YBells by their center handle, just like you would hold a set of dumbbells. Make sure the outer handle lays right on your wrist – this forms a top lock to increase wrist stability..
- With your elbows at your side and palms facing forward, raise your forearms, touching your weights to your shoulders in a controlled motion.
- Step wide to one side and sit back into a squat by bending your knees.
- Stand back up and bring your feet together while you lower your arms back down to your sides.
- Side squat in the other direction using all your lower body muscles and bring your feet back to the center. That’s one rep.
4. Single-Leg Deadlift
The best leg workout with dumbbells wouldn’t be complete without deadlifts! The dumbbell single-leg deadlift is a great exercise for targeting the hamstrings and glutes while building stability and core strength. This exercise can be made a bit easier by keeping both feet on the ground. The leg that is instructed to rise up in the air behind you will stay planted at a 45-degree angle behind you, with your toe touching the ground.
Recommended Sets: 3 to 4
Recommended Reps: 8 to 12
Equipment Used: YBell used as a dumbbell
How To Perform:
- Hold the YBell in your right hand by its center handle. Hover your left foot slightly off the ground.
- With a flat back, lean your torso forward while you raise your left leg at the same time. Your left leg should form a straight line with your body and head.
- As the YBell lowers toward the ground, keep your left shoulder blade pulled down and back.
- With your back straight, come back to the upright position, letting the YBell bring you back up into your starting position. This motion should be slow and controlled by your core and hamstrings. This completes one rep.
5. Twist Curl Lunge Press
The twist curl lunge press not only works the glutes and hamstrings, but it also strengthens your back muscles.
Recommended Sets: 3 to 4
Recommended Reps: 8 to 12
Equipment Used: YBell used as a dumbbell
How To Perform:
- Hold two YBells at eye level by their center handle with your palms facing in.
- Push one foot back into a reverse lunge stance and bend both knees until they each form a 90-degree angle.
- Come back up and step your foot forward again.
- Bring your feet together while you press the dumbbells overhead, rotating the YBells until your palms are facing out.
- Bring the YBells back to the starting position at eye level with your palms facing in, then turn your palms facing in toward the body as you bring the YBells down to your sides.
- Perform a curl, bringing the YBells up in a controlled motion.
- Step the other foot back into a reverse lunge. Bring the feet back together to repeat. That’s one rep.
6. Single-Leg Calf Raises
What’s a functional dumbbell leg workout without some calf exercises at the end to ensure a well-rounded physique? Single-leg calf raises target the calf muscles while also working the tibialis anterior – a muscle that is frequently forgotten about – that shapes and strengthens the area right next to the shins.
Recommended Sets: 3 to 4
Recommended Reps: 8 to 12
Equipment Used: YBell used as a dumbbell
How To Perform:
- Hold the YBell with a center grip in your right hand. Stand up straight with your feet close together and arms by your side. Shift your weight onto your right foot and lift your left foot back and off the floor.
- Slowly raise your right heel off the ground, using the ball of your foot to press between the big toe and the second toe. Don’t let your weight roll out towards the little toe.
- Focus on your balance and hold at the top in this contracted position.
- Slowly lower your heel back to the ground. That’s one rep.
Final Thoughts
Use your favorite pair of dumbbells or YBells to get toned legs. Dumbbell leg exercises will leave your body sore and tired, but we promise you that the results are worth it.
