Forget barbell squats – this five-move dumbbell workout builds stronger legs in 35 minutes

If you’re looking for a switch-up from your regular barbell back squat leg session, or if you simply don’t enjoy doing them, we’ve got a fix. What's better is you won't be swapping it for 10 different exercise machines either. This 35-minute workout only requires a pair of dumbbells, yet it will target your lower body from all angles, lighting up your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles in one go.

Training your lower body isn’t just essential for developing balanced strength and muscle (no-one wants chicken legs, after all), but also for injury-proofing your body. The Gym Group says: “Think of your legs as shock absorbers for your body. Strong legs and hips provide stability and balance, reducing the risk of strains, sprains, and other injuries that can sideline you from your fitness goals.”

What we like about this workout is that Kayla’s included a good mix of exercises to work the anterior leg muscles (the muscles on the front of the legs) and the posterior leg muscles (the muscles on the back of the legs) – which is key for avoiding imbalances in your lower body. You’re going to perform three rounds of the exercises below. Rest for anywhere between 60-90 seconds before moving onto the next exercise (if your weights are on the heavier side, rest for longer), and then three minutes between rounds. Here’s the workout:

• Dumbbell sumo squat – 12 reps per side
• Romanian deadlift – 12 reps per side
• Bulgarian split squat – 6 reps per side
• Weighted step up – 8 reps per side
• Dumbbell reverse lunge – 8 reps per side

Remember, if you’re new to this type of training it’s completely normal to experience a little soreness a couple of days later (known as delayed onset muscle soreness). To help ease this though, spend five minutes doing some stretches after the workout. For later in the week, here’s a dumbbell-only upper body workout to hit your arms, shoulders, back and chest. Make this full-body workout your final session and then that’s your training done for the week!