If you think leg workouts for women that include strength moves will bulk you up, you don’t know squat. Not only have EMG studies shown that basics like squats, lunges, and calf raises work the leg muscles best, but women don’t tend to build big muscles thanks to a lack of testosterone.

If you’re looking to build leg and booty muscle and tone up your legs, you’re going to need something a little more intense. This workout is greater than the sum of its parts, because each move is hitting different fibers in the legs that you are probably overlooking.

How it works: Do two to three sets of this leg workout for women three times a week on nonconsecutive days, resting for around 30 seconds between sets.

You’ll need: A chair or bench, a 5-pound dumbbell, and a towel.

Split Squat

Targets: butt and quads

How to:

  • Stand with back facing a chair (about 2 feet away), hands on hips or clasped in front of chest, and bend right leg reaching behind to place top of foot on chair seat or bench.
  • Squat, bending right leg 90 degrees with knee over ankle.
  • Press through mid foot to stand.
  • Do 15 to 20 reps per leg.
  • Switch sides; repeat.

Related article: 9 Body Blasting Exercises Specifically Targeting Arms Abs And Legs Using Only Your Bodyweight

Pistol Squat

Targets: butt and quads

How to:

  • Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands reaching in front of chest.
  • Lift left foot forward a few inches off floor, foot flexed.
  • Squat, bending left knee 90 degrees, holding left leg to hip level in front of you.
  • Make this move easier:
  • Let right heel hover close to floor or hold onto a chair or wall for support.
  • Do 5 to 10 reps.
  • Switch sides; repeat.

Related article: The 30-Minute Full-Body Dumbbell Home Workout To Blast Fat And Shape Your Muscles

Goblet Squat

Targets: butt, quads, inner thighs, and hamstrings

How to:

  • Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes turned out, holding handle of a single dumbbell vertically with both hands in front of chest (like a goblet), elbows bent out to sides.
  • Squat, bending knees 90 degrees.
  • Press through mid-foot to stand.
  • Make this move harder:
  • Holding weight in place, jump up slightly as you rise out of squat, landing with knees soft.
  • Do 15 to 20 reps.

Related article: A 12-Minute Outdoor HIIT Workout That Helps You Lose Weight And Build Muscle

Three-Way Lunge

Targets: butt, quads, inner thighs, and hamstrings

How to:

  • Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands clasped in front of chest.
  • Lunge forward with left leg (knees bent 90 degrees—form check!); return to start.
  • Lunge left leg out to left, toes facing forward, and bend left knee 90 degrees.
  • Return to start.
  • Lunge backward with left leg to complete 1 rep.
  • Do 15 to 20 reps.
  • Switch sides; repeat.

Related article: 5 Squat And Lunge Variations That Seriously Tone Your Backside

Good Morning

Targets: abs, butt, and hamstrings

How to:

  • Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding ends of a single dumbbell in each hand; bend elbows by sides to bring weight under chin.
  • Keeping legs straight and maintaining arm position, press butt backward to hinge forward at hips until back is near parallel to floor.
  • Without rounding back, squeeze glutes to return to standing.
  • Do 15 to 20 reps.

Related article: Get More Booty And Curvaceous Glutes With These 4 Deadlift Variations For Women

Single-Leg Deadlift

Targets: butt and hamstrings

How to:

  • Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing front of thighs.
  • Hinge forward at hips 90 degrees as you lift extended left leg behind you so that body is parallel to floor from head to left heel, arms hanging down.
  • Do 15 to 20 reps.
  • Switch sides; repeat.

Related article: 5 Exercises To Ramp Up Your Next Walk In The Park With This Fun And Effective Workout

Calf Raise Three Ways

Targets: calves

How to:

  • Stand with balls of feet on bottom step of a staircase, step, or bench, heels hanging over edge, hands on hips.
  • Turn toes inward.
  • Lift heels high, then lower them slightly below level of step.
  • Do 15 to 20 reps.
  • Next, turn toes out 45 degrees; repeat.
  • With toes forward, stand on left leg only, bending right leg behind you; repeat lifts.
  • Do 15 to 20 reps. Switch legs; repeat.
  • Do 2 to 3 sets of series.

Related article: 8 Intense Exercises To Carve Your Fiercest Body In Only 15 Minutes

Hamstring Curl

Targets: butt and hamstrings

How to:

  • Lie face-up on the floor, arms by sides, legs extended with heels pressing into a folded towel on floor.
  • Slowly pull heels toward butt while lifting hips off floor until knees are bent 90 degrees and body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
  • Slide legs forward to return to start.
  • Do 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps.