Home Or Gym: Awesome Lower Body Dumbbell Workout -

This week I am sharing 5 of my go-to lower body strengthening exercises that require nothing more than dumbbells. These exercises can be done at the gym, or home.

#1) Negative Dumbbell RDL’s + Pause And Hip Press-Back

This exercise strengthens the posterior chain muscles, and is a great example of a “loaded stretch.” I upped the ante in this RDL variation by lowering in a negative tempo, pausing in the bottom position, and while actively pressing my hips back into my couch. I’m using 2 x 50 lb dumbbells, and this was fairly challenging.

Coaching Tips:

Hold a weight in either hand, and stand relatively close to a couch or wall.

Adopt your preferred foot width and positioning.

Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your feet, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your feet should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your feet to the floor.

Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits. For the duration of the exercise, your arms should not travel ahead of your body. Your arms should slide down the sides of your legs. Pretend you are painting the sides of your legs with your hands/the weights.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).

Now take 3-5 seconds and hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall. Use a range where you can maintain proper form.

When you are hinging, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your posterior chain muscles. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.

When you get to the bottom position, pause for 3-5 seconds and actively press your hips back into the surface. Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position. Many people make this mistake.

After the pause in the bottom position, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the starting position.

Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knees.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#2) Negative 1.5 Rep Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats

This exercise strengthens the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings, the muscles in the foot and lower leg, and improves balance. You will use a negative 1.5 rep tempo, which I will describe below.

Coaching Tips:

Get into a split squat position, and adopt your preferred foot width and positioning. Elevate the forefoot or top of your back foot on a bench, box, or other stable surface.

Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.

Hold onto a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells.

Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are trying to crush something in your armpits. This will help keep your arms and the weights from swinging.

On the front foot, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. This part of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).

Now perform a split squat and take 3-5 seconds and lower yourself down to a range where you are able to maintain proper form. Stand halfway up, squat back down, and finally, press your body away from the floor and back to the starting position (all at normal speed). This is one rep.

When you are performing the split squats, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your legs. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.

Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position. Many people make this mistake.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.

For the duration of the exercise, keep your core braced (360 degree brace around your spine).

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

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#3) Negative Dumbbell Squats + Pause

This exercise strengthens the quads, glutes, and hamstrings, and improves lumbo-pelvic stability. While I’m using a dumbbell, you may use a kettlebell.

Coaching Tips:

Hold a weight in a goblet style position. For the duration of the exercise, keep the weight tight to your body. Pretend you are crushing something in your armpits.

Adopt your preferred foot width and positioning.

Form a tripod foot base. Your weight should be on the back portion of your feet, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your feet should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning your feet to the floor.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).

Now perform a squat and take 3-5 seconds and lower yourself down to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.

When you are performing the squats, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your legs. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.

Pause for 3-5 seconds in the bottom position.

Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position. Many people make this mistake.

Press your body away from the floor and back to the starting position.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#4) Single Leg Rear Foot Elevated RDL’s (back foot against a wall)

This exercise strengthens the posterior chain muscles, improves balance, and is a great example of a “loaded stretch.”

In this exercise you will rest the sole of your foot on the supporting side (back leg) against a couch, wall, or other stable surface. This will be more challenging than when your foot is pressing down on a surface. This side will serve as a “kickstand,” and will provide minimal assistance.

Coaching Tips:

Stand on one foot, and rest the sole of your foot on the supporting side (back leg) against a couch, wall, or other stable surface. Figure out what stride length works and feels best for you.

On the foot of the front/working leg, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. This part of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.

Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits. For the duration of the exercise, your arms and the weights should not travel ahead of your body. Your arms should slide down the sides of your legs (or front of your shin if you are using a single weight). Pretend you are painting the sides of your legs with your arms/hands.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).

Now hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall.

When you are hinging, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your posterior chain muscles. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.

Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position. Many people make this mistake.

When you reach your full range, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the starting position. Use a range where you can maintain proper form.

Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knee.

Exhale after you have pressed away from the floor and are approaching the top position.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.

#5) Dumbbell Squat Sways

This exercise strengthens the adductors, quads, glutes, and hamstrings, improves hip controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability.

Coaching Tips:

Adopt your preferred foot width and positioning. Your feet will likely be significantly wider than during your regular squatting stance.

Perform a squat and lower yourself down to a range where you are able to maintain proper form. Maintain this depth for the duration of the exercise.

Grab onto a dumbbell (or weighted object) with both hands. The weight should be in the center of your body, and between your legs. You may also hold a weight in a goblet position.

Keep your arms rigid and crush them into your armpits. The weight shouldn’t travel ahead of your body.

While remaining in the squat stance, extend your one knee and press your body laterally, and transfer most of your weight to your opposite leg.

When you reach your end range, your leg should be in a squat position, and your knee should be in line with your toes. As for your other leg, your knee should be fully extended (or close to it).

On the planted/squatting side, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. This part of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.

On the planted/squatting side, do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.