Target Your Legs, Butt, and Core With This Quick 15-Minute Dumbbell Workout

March 25, 2021

by CHRISTINA STIEHL

Popsugar.com

    

Cardio is great for burning calories, but you get more bang for your buck when you add in strength training to your routine. Building muscle with strength workouts, especially with weights, not only burns calories during the workout, but will help you build muscle, burn more calories at rest, and torch fat.

The best part? You don't need a ton of time to get in a good strength workout. Plus, by strengthening your lower body, you are targeting bigger muscle groups, which means more of a calorie burn. "For the days when you are short on time, this quick 15-minute workout aims to help you strive towards your strength and fitness goals and hits all the right muscles for strong legs," said Kelsey Wells, a NASM-certified trainer and creator of the PWR programs on the SWEAT app. "The workout has been designed to help increase both strength and stamina in your glutes, quads, calves, and hamstrings while boosting your energy burn for the day."

Although it is recommended to use a pair of medium dumbbells (check out this guide on how to choose the right weight), Wells said you can also perform these moves without dumbbells if you don't have them.

If you like this workout and Wells's programming, then you'll love the new workouts on her PWR At Home 4.0 program. She has released six new weeks of workout content, so PWR At Home has a total of 46 weeks' worth of workouts. While her PWR program is focused on gym workouts, PWR At Home is a resistance-training program designed for people to work out in their own space using minimal equipment. Most of the workouts are around 40 minutes long, but the program also includes PWR challenges and quick workout options that take between 10-20 minutes using little to no equipment.

To get a feel for Wells's workout program, check out the 15-minute lower-body strength workout below. It won't take much time, but you will be sweating!

Kelsey Wells's 15-minute Lower-Body Strength Workout

Equipment needed: Two medium dumbbells and a yoga mat

Directions: Before starting the workout, Wells recommends taking a few minutes to warm up. This can include three to five minutes of cardio, such as jogging in place or skipping, which will help increase your heart rate and warm up your muscles for the workout. Wells also recommend following your cardio warmup with dynamic stretches such as leg swings and torso twists. This can help to increase your range of motion as well as help to reduce the risk of injury.

After the workout, be sure to cool down with three to five minutes of walking to slowly lower your heart rate. You could also do some static stretching as part of your cooldown, where you hold a single position for twenty seconds or longer. This will not only increase your flexibility and range of motion, but also help provide relief from any potential cramping and help reduce soreness and risk of injury.

For the 15-minute workout, complete each exercise for 45 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest. After each circuit, rest for 60 seconds before starting the next circuit. Complete three circuits for 15 minutes total.

 

EXERCISE

TIME

Dumbbell Sumo Squat

45 seconds

Rest

15 seconds

Weighted Glute Bridge With a Dumbbell

45 seconds

Rest

15 seconds

Reverse Lunge With Dumbbells

45 seconds

Rest

15 seconds

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

45 seconds

Rest

15 seconds

Single-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Lunge

45 seconds

Rest

60 seconds