Skip the gym—this dumbbell-only workout builds lower-body strength in just 6 moves

The lower body plays an important role in everyday activities, from walking and bending to providing stability when carrying heavy objects. A strong lower body is important, but luckily you don’t need a gym to build those muscles. This dumbbell-only glute exercise will get you started.

This program contains six exercises that target the glutes and lower body using a pair of standard dumbbells or a pair of dumbbells. the best adjustable dumbbells. and the trainer demonstrates every movement on her Instagramshowing how you can effectively build strength and muscle without the need for a barbell rack or other large machines.

A workout developed by a popular online fitness trainer Kayla Icinezconsists of three rounds that will be challenging, so it is important to focus on getting in good shape and following Itsines demonstrations. Remember to take rest periods between exercises and rounds to help your muscles recover and perform optimally.

Bulgarian Split Squats, 20 reps (10 per side)
Reverse lunge, 24 repetitions (12 per side)
Goblet squat, 15 repetitions
Squat pulse, 20 repetitions
Straight leg deadlift, 15 repetitions
Donkey kick, 30 reps (15 per side)
Repeat for three rounds

Watch Kyla Eastins lower body workout with dumbbells

This program with dumbbells combines complex movements and isolation exercises to help you build lower body strength and muscle.

A mixture of squatting, lungesand deadlift engages major muscle groups such as the glutes, quads and hamstrings, while pulse and leg exercises add muscular endurance and help target specific areas such as the glutes.

One of the great things about this lower body workout is that anyone can try it. As long as you have dumbbells that are a size you’re comfortable lifting for all exercises and you’re feeling challenged, you’re good to go.

If you have access to some weights or an adjustable set of dumbbells, you can present progressive overload increasing the weight after the first round to give the muscles an extra challenge.

Another reason we rate this workout is that it can help improve your functional fitness by simulating movements we use in everyday life, such as squats, lunges, and lunges.

Targeting the muscles involved in these activities helps improve your strength and stability in real-world tasks such as lifting, carrying, or climbing stairs. In addition, incorporating unilateral exercises also improves balance and coordination, which are key components of functional form.

If you are looking for more strength training, we offer many routines that target your body’s muscle groups, which you can find below. We also emphasize the importance of maintaining good mobility to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.

In keeping with the lower body theme, we recommend trying these three mobility exercises before or after a lower body Itsines workout to help unlock tight hips and release tension in the glutes.