Forget the gym — this 5-move dumbbell workout builds stronger legs in just 20 minutes (2025)

Forget the gym — this 5-move dumbbell workout builds stronger legs in just 20 minutes (1)

Whether you’re training to get fitter and stronger in general, or using your workouts to help boost your performance in a certain sport, leg-focused sessions should be part of your routine for several reasons.

This 20-minute leg workout from fitness trainer Kat Boley, primarily focuses on your quads, but the variety of exercises involved mean that the benefits of the session extend well beyond stronger thighs.

The classic compound lifts like squats and lunges used in the workouts are also great for increasing your core strength, raising your heart rate and firing up your metabolism. Try doing the workout once a week along with other sessions targeting your upper body and you’ll quickly feel the increase in your functional strength.

All you need to do the workout are dumbbells — Boley is using 15lbs weights, but if you have a set of the best adjustable dumbbells you can quickly change the weight to suit each exercise.

The session is suitable for all fitness levels and if you are struggling with any of the moves you can always use lighter weights, or do them as bodyweight exercises.

Watch Kat Boley’s dumbbell leg workout

The workout involves doing three rounds of five exercises. In each circuit you do 12 reps of a move before moving quickly onto the next one, then take a one minute break at the end of a round. For each exercise do 12 reps in total — for moves where you alternate sides you’ll do six on each.

As you might expect from a leg workout that focuses on the quads, squats and lunges make up most of the moves in the session. Here are the five exercises you’ll be doing:

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  • Split squat
  • Side-to-side squat
  • Standing straight leg kick
  • Heels-elevated squat
  • Curtsey lunge

Boley demonstrates each move on a separate slide in her Instagram post, so you can watch them through before you start. Throughout the session, move with control as you complete your reps to make sure you’re engaging the right muscles.

The only move in the workout that isn’t done with weights is the standing straight leg kick, which might look pretty easy compared with the other exercises. Having done the move myself in the past I’d recommend not underestimating it, however — do it slowly with good form and you’ll be surprised how much your muscles start burning.

Doing this workout regularly is great for your lower body and it will pair well with an upper body workout in a weekly routine. Give this 20-minute workout for your shoulders, back and chest a go to round out your training, or if you prefer to do everything in one, try this 15-minute full-body dumbbell workout.

More from Tom's Guide

  • Forget weights — you just need 6 minutes to reduce stiffness and boost your mobility with this equipment-free workout
  • You don’t need the gym to build strength, try this 10-minute kettlebell workout instead
  • No, not sit-ups — here's the one abs exercise you should do to strengthen your core without weights
Forget the gym — this 5-move dumbbell workout builds stronger legs in just 20 minutes (10)

Nick Harris-Fry

Senior Writer

Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.

Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 after six weeks of training for a magazine feature and subsequently became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 27min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K, and has run 13 marathons in total, as well as a 50-mile ultramarathon. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.

Nick is an established expert in the health and fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent.

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