Leg and Glute Home Workout For Lower Body Strength

Here is a leg and glute home workout, for those times you can’t make it to the gym. 

Leg and glute workouts are the best! They’re so fun to do at the gym, but sometimes you want to do work from the comfort of your own home. Strong legs and strong glutes mean you can go hike, run, take on stairs easily, and you’ll keep lower back pain at bay.

There’s no reason not to work legs and glutes, the strongest muscles of the body. Try this leg and glute home workout, and let me know what you think! 

What Equipment You Need

This workout will assume you have some weights, maybe a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells, but not a barbell or machines. If you don’t have any weights or a resistance band, then you can do them all as bodyweight exercises. The weight and band resistance is just a bonus!

I’ll get right into the outline of the workout. Below that I will give explanations of how to do each exercise, including a video link. Finally, at the end of this article I’ll explain more about glute and leg anatomy if you’d like further reading. 

Leg day, commence!!

The Workout

Warm-up:

1. 5 ish minutes of general movement (walking, jogging in place, high knees, bodyweight squats)
2. Dynamic stretches for the legs and hips (leg swings, hip circles, lunging twists). Just enough movement to begin to feel looser and ready to work.

Main Workout:

1. Squats:
   • Bodyweight squats: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
   • Progression: Goblet squats with a dumbbell or kettlebell
2. Lunges:
   • Any variation you’d like (forward, reverse, or walking): 3 sets of 10 reps per leg
   • Progression: holding weights
3. Bulgarian Split Squat
   • 3 sets of 10 reps per leg
   • Use a chair or elevated surface to rest one foot behind you while performing a split squat motion
4. RDL:
   • 3 sets of 12 reps per leg
   • Progression: B stance RDL (directions below)
5. Calf raises
   • 3 sets of 15 reps
   • Stand with feet hip-width apart and raise heels as high as possible, then lower back down
6. Glute Bridges:
   • Bodyweight glute bridges: 3 sets of 15 reps
   • Progression: Single-leg glute bridges or weighted glute bridges, with a weight across your hips

How to do the Squat

If you can do this squat forever, you won’t get stuck on a low couch or in the restroom. You’ll keep your independence through old age. In my very first year as a certified personal trainer, before I even got a degree, I told a studio full of sorority girls this. Lol I STILL believe it! But, as you can imagine, the message didn’t land. Anyhow. It’s true.

You can add weight or reps to increase the challenge, but this alone will do wonders for your full body health.

To do the squat:

• stand on a flat, level surface with both feet on the ground
• keep your back straight and neutral
• Upper body does not move; spine doesn’t flex or extend the entire time
• arms in front of you-break at the hips to initiate squat
• sit deep into heels-squeeze big toe into the ground as you stand

People often say to stand with feet shoulder-width apart for an ideal squat position, but I believe it’s better to be a bit wider. I’m comfortable with my feet wider. That’s fine too. As you squat, keep your knees big-toe width or wider. If you can do that, you can squat with as wide a stance as you’d like.

Also, every person squats differently, depending on leverages and angles of our femoral head in the hip socket, and other things we can’t even see. All my clients squat differently. Don’t force your squat to look like someone else’s.

Note that you’ll hinge forward from the hips as you squat. This is the correct way to squat. Do not get this confused with bad positioning. You cannot squat with your upper body in an upright position unless you use something like the sissy squat. Keep your back tight and neutral, no lower back rounding, and you’ll be ok. 

How to do Lunges

To do walking lunges:

• from a tall standing position, step your right foot in front of you as if you are walking on railroad tracks not a tightrope
• aim to land with a 90 degree angle in both knees
• knee should be close to the floor but not touching
• press into the ground through your heel and big toe, and squeeze your glutes to return to your starting position
• repeat with your left leg. Do an equal number of reps on each leg

To do the reverse lunge:

• from a tall standing position, step your right leg behind you
• aim to land with a 90 degree angle in both knees
• knee should be close to the floor but not touching
• remember, you’re on railroad tracks, not a tight rope!
• press into the ground through your heel and big toe, and squeeze your left foot into the ground
• drive with your glutes to return to your start position

To do lateral lunges with feet stationary:

• stand tall with legs approximately double shoulder width apart
• bend into your right knee
• keep your whole foot, including right heel on the ground
• left knee will stay soft (slight bend) but straight-stand back up into the standing position
• repeat on the left leg

You will feel this stretch on your inner thighs and that’s ok!

These are very similar to Cossack squats, which are a bit more advanced. If you’re more comfortable with those, you can do those here. 

Bulgarian Split Squats

How to do Bulgarian split squats:

• set up facing away from a sturdy box, chair or bench
• put one leg behind you, on the box
• from here, bend both knees to accomplish the split squat
• stop before your knee hits the ground
• focus on the leg in front to do the work; make sure your whole foot is on the ground
• squeeze your glutes, and drive your big toe in the ground as you come up
• repeat for as many reps as you are performing
• switch legs

Tips for Bulgarian split squats:

• you can put your toes on the bench, like I do in the video, or put your foot flat on the bench, with the top of your foot resting on the bench
• situate your feet so that there is lateral stability between them
• by this I mean, if you were to look down, your feet are as if you are on railroad tracks and not a tightrope
• you might have to hop your front foot out to the side to accomplish this. You’ll feel more stable this way. 
• you’ll probably find one side is more stable than the other. That is ok!

Here’s a full tutorial on how to do Bulgarian split squats if you’d like more details.

Romanian Deadlift with Dumbbells

To perform the RDL, Romanian deadlift, with dumbbells: 

• stand tall with dumbbells in front of you
• hold the dumbbells close to your body for the duration of the exercise
• squeeze your back to keep it straight and neutral
• push your hips behind you with knees soft
• let your hamstrings stretch as you lower the weights, keeping them close to your legs. 

Romanian deadlifts can be tough to master. Remember it is a hard hinge! Keep practicing and it will make more sense to you. If you want more details, check out this whole post on how to do RDLs with dumbbells.

B Stance RDLs

The B-stance RDL, a staggered stance Romanian deadlift, is a fantastic lift that allows you to build strength symmetrically without the added challenge of also working balance. It’s comparable to single-leg deadlifts. Here’s how you do a B stance RDL:

• set up with a kettlebell or dumbbell in your regular stance
• position your right foot back at about the level of your left heel.
• keep your torso at a hard neutral (no rounding or arching) and send your hips behind you
• keep your hips level as you squeeze your glutes to stand back upright
• add these as an accessory after your main lifts.

Here’s a full tutorial on how to do B stance RDLs. I love these! They are worth taking the time to learn well.

Glute Bridge, 1 Leg at a Time

Glute bridges and hip thrusts are a great way to work your glute muscles. You can start this exercise with both feet on the ground to get a feel for it. From there, if you’d like a challenge, do the 1 leg version, described below. 

• lay on your back with your knees bent and heels directly under your knees
• squeeze your glutes and abs so your ribs aren’t flared up toward the ceiling
• extend one leg 
• squeeze your glutes to push hips off the ground and control back down

Calf raises

To do the calf raise: 

• stand holding on for balance if you need (that is ok- the goal of this exercise is not balance, so you aren’t compromising your results by holding on for balance)
• with your toes gripping the ground, press the ball of your foot into the ground so that your heels raise
• squeeze your calves at the top and lower your heels to the ground under control
• you can do these standing with your toes and ball of your feet elevated on a step/stairs, or on the flat ground

Leg and Glute Anatomy

Obviously, the leg and glute muscles make up the musculature of the lower body, so it helps to understand what the muscles are and what they do. Below is a quick description of each of the lower body muscles and their muscle anatomy:

1. Gluteus maximus:
   • The largest and most superficial gluteal muscle.
   • Responsible for hip extension, outward rotation, and abduction.
   • Plays a significant role in activities like walking, running, climbing stairs, lunges, and split squats. 
2. Gluteus medius:
   • Located on the outer surface of the pelvis.
   • Functions in hip abduction, internal and external rotation, and stabilization of the pelvis during walking and running.
   • Helps maintain pelvic alignment and stability during single-leg activities.
3. Gluteus minimus:
   • Lies beneath the gluteus medius.
   • Assists in hip abduction and internal rotation.
   • Works in conjunction with the gluteus medius to stabilize the pelvis and support the hip joint.

These muscles work together to provide stability, strength, and mobility to the hip joint and pelvis, contributing to various movements and functional activities.

1. Quadriceps:
   • Located on the front of the thigh.
   • Comprised of four muscles: rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius.
   • Responsible for extending the knee and assisting in hip flexion. Quads and hip flexors are involved in leg extensions, squats and lunges. 
2. Hamstrings:
   • Located on the back of the thigh.
   • Comprised of three muscles: biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus.
   • Responsible for flexing the knee and extending the hip. Hamstrings are also involved in squats and lunges, and especially involved in deadlifts and hinge movements.
3. Adductors:
   • Located on the inner thigh.
   • Comprised of several muscles, including adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, and gracilis.
   • Responsible for bringing the leg towards the midline of the body (adduction). Think of the seated adduction machine here, where you squeeze your knees together.
4. Gastrocnemius:
   • Calf muscle located on the back of the lower leg.
   • Responsible for plantar flexion of the foot (pointing toes downward) and assisting in knee flexion.
5. Soleus:
   • Located beneath the gastrocnemius.
   • Also contributes to plantar flexion of the foot but is more active during activities like walking and standing.
6. Anterior tibialis:
   • Located on the front of the shin
   • Responsible for dorsiflexion (pulling the toes up toward the knee). This is often where people feel shin splits.

These muscles work together to provide stability, support, and movement to the lower extremities during activities such as walking, running, jumping, and squatting.

Related: here are some other quad exercises you can do at home.

Final Note About Glute Workouts

Often, people say they aren’t “activating their glutes” and do muscle activation drills. People say they have dead butt syndrome or glute amnesia. Fake news! Yall, these are made up terms. You might have weak glutes, and you might need to practice doing exercises well, but your muscles do not turn “off” or remain unactivated.

Fire hydrants, abductions, and other glute warm ups don’t magically turn the muscles on. Just practice doing these well, and you’ll progress into strong glutes. Please please don’t fall for “Killer Butt Workout” PZ60 or whatever is popular. Focus on doing great quality movement, not gimmicks.

Glute thrusts, hip bridges, squats and RDLs are some of the best glute exercises, and lower body exercises. Practice these, focusing on feeling your hamstrings stretch and glutes engage, and I promise you’ll start to feel your glutes working better. 

Other Options for Your Leg and Glute Home Workouts

There are so many more leg exercises, and a ton of good glute workouts. You can add in any lunge variations, the curtsy lunge, step ups, pause and tempo squats and lunges, monster walks with bands, etc. With bodyweight workouts, you can get as creative as you’d like! Keep up your strength training, and be consistent with your work.

The human body is amazing! When you keep giving it the right stimulus, you’ll see your fitness goals fall into place. Your everyday life will get easier and you’ll feel stronger. 

Try these exercises for the best dumbbell shoulder workouts at home. Sadly, you can’t do legs everyday!

Work With Me!

If you are looking for a personal trainer in Austin, I’d love to talk with you! If you are not in Austin, Round Rock, or central Texas, let’s talk about online training.

Message me here for a free consult about personal training in Austin, Texas, or here for online personal training, and we’ll discuss your goals, background, equipment availability, schedule, and exercise preferences.

Let’s get you strong and healthy! 💪

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