Dumbbell LungesMuscles Worked
Dumbbell lunges work your quads first, mostly on the front leg, with your glutes and hamstrings helping you stand back up and your calves keeping you steady. Holding the weights at your sides keeps the load low, which many people find easier to balance than a bar.
PrimaryQuads
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Level
- Beginner
- Type
- Compound
- Force
- Push
How to do it
- Stand tall holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, feet hip width apart.
- Take a long step forward with one leg and plant the whole foot.
- Lower your hips straight down until your back knee nearly touches the floor and your front thigh is about parallel to it.
- Keep your torso upright and your front knee tracking over your toes as you descend.
- Push through your front foot to return to standing, then switch legs.
Form tips
- Take a long enough step that your front heel stays down at the bottom.
- Let the dumbbells hang straight down from your shoulders, because swinging them throws off your balance.
- If balance is a struggle, step back into a reverse lunge instead, which many people find easier to control.
Why it made the list
No. 5 of 13
Best Quad Exercises
Dumbbell version for those without a barbell or who prefer the loading position. Very common in general fitness.
More quad exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Dumbbell Lunges sets in KasMaker and watch your quads, calves, glutes, and hamstrings fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
