Everybody thinks dumbbells are just for working their upper body – but they are a great resource for working your lower body, including your glutes! Want to carve that perfect backside? Here are some dumbbell exercises for your glutes that when combined with your own body weight, take your lower body workout to a full on burn!
Dumbbell Exercises – Suitcase Squat
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, holding a weight on each side of your body with your palms facing in.
Push your hips back and lower into a deep squat.
Keep your chest lifted, core tight, and spine long. Make sure to keep your shoulders back and your head in line with your spine to avoid straining your neck.
Drive through your heels to stand back up.
Dumbbell Exercises – Front Squat
You’ll want to start by standing with your feet spread to about hip width. Point your toes out slightly. And, you’ll hold your weights in front of your body at shoulder height. Start out with a low weight and build up as you get stronger, as you don’t want to strain your back during this move. Make sure your back is straight. Now, lower into a deep squat, with your chest upright, torso stable, and lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push up thorugh your heels to stand. Do 3 sets of 10 reps per set.
Dumbbell Exercises – Dumbbell Deadlift
With your feet hip width apart, hold your dumbbells in front of your thighs. You want your palms facing your body – facing inward. Now, with a slight bend to your knees. push your hips back and slide the weights down your legs toward the floor. Keep your abs tight and your spine straight (don’t arch your back). Then rise back up. Do 3 sets of 10 reps per set.
Dumbbell Exercises – Side Lunge
With your feet together, hold one dumbbell in front of your body. You’ll want that weight to be at chest height, and hold each end – one hand on each end. Step to your side with your right foot, rotating away from your body about 60 degrees. Your step should be fairly big. Keep your left foot flexed, and your chest lifted, while you bend your right knee to lower into a side lunge. Push through your right heel to stand while rotating back to how you started. That’s the lunge for your right leg. Repeat for your left leg. This is one rep. Do 3 sets of 10 reps per set.
Dumbbell Exercises – Single-Leg Deadlift to Lunge
Stand tall with your feet together. Hold one weight in your right hand in front of your right thigh. Place your left hand on your left hip. Now, while shifting your weight to your left leg, with a bend in your knee, raise your right leg behind your body while lowering your weight to the floor. Your sticking your right leg backward, while lowering down on your left leg, and your right hand is lowering the weight to the floor. Then stand back up. Follow this move immediately with a sweep of your right leg behind your body with the ball of your right foot on the floor, and bend both your knees to lower into a reverse lunge. Reverse to a starting position. Repeat for your left leg – this is one total rep. Do 3 sets of 10 reps per set.
Dumbbell Exercises – Sumo Squat
With both feet placed wide and your toes pointed out, hold your dumbbells in front of your body. You want your palms facing each other. Lower into a wide squat, with your back straight (i.e. not arched) and looking forward. Lower until your legs are parallel to the floor, then reverse. Do 3 sets of 10 reps per set.
You may not have room in your home gym for a full set of dumbbells – but you can solve that problem with a set of adjustable dumbbells. We offer a variety of adjustable dumbbells – and the MX Select – MX55 Selectorized Dumbbells are a great choice for your home gym. The unique rack and pinion design for selecting your weight is much easier to use than traditional selectorised dumbbells, and offset pro-style features you would expect from gym quality fixed dumbbells. Stop into any of Fitness 4 Home Superstore’s 3 Valley locations to learn more!
