Demonstration
Watch the Form Demo
Technique
How to Do the Dumbbell Lunge
- Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Step forward far enough that your front shin stays near vertical at the bottom.
- Lower straight down until your back knee hovers just above the floor.
- Drive through the front heel to push back to standing.
- Alternate legs each rep or complete one side at a time.
- Keep your torso tall and the dumbbells hanging quietly at your sides.
Anatomy
Muscles Worked
Do This
Form Cues
- Step out far enough that the front shin stays close to vertical.
- Keep the torso upright with the dumbbells hanging at your sides.
- Push through the front heel to return.
- Drop the back knee straight down like an elevator rather than diving the body forward over the front foot.
Avoid This
Common Mistakes
- Taking a short step, which pushes the knee well past the toes.
- Dropping the back knee onto the floor.
- Leaning forward as the set gets hard.
- Letting the dumbbells swing with each step, which pulls your balance around and shortens the set.
More to Explore
Variations & Related Exercises
Variations of this lift
Barbell Lunge
Bulgarian Split Squat
Curtsy Lunge
Trains the same muscles
1.5 Rep Barbell Squat
B-Stance Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Barbell Box Squat
Barbell Deadlift
Barbell Front Squat
Barbell Good Morning
Put It Into Practice
Workouts Featuring This Lift
12-Week Strength Training Program
A twelve-week program to build maximal strength on the squat, bench, and deadlift. Three progressive four-week blocks take you from…
Read guide →
12-Week Workout Plan to Build Muscle
A complete twelve-week plan to build serious muscle, split into three progressive four-week blocks. Move from volume accumulation through hypertrophy…
Read guide →
2-Day Dumbbell Workout Plan
A two-day full body plan using only dumbbells. Two efficient sessions a week build strength and muscle with minimal equipment,…
Read guide →
2-Day Full Body Workout Plan
A time-efficient two-day full body plan for busy people. Two full-body sessions a week cover everything you need to build…
Read guide →
3-Day Dumbbell Home Workout Plan
Dumbbells, a bench, and three days per week. Full body sessions covering every major muscle group with a clear progression…
Read guide →
3-Day Full Body Fat Loss Plan
Three full-body sessions per week built to hold onto muscle while you lose fat in a calorie deficit. Compound lifts…
Read guide →
30-Minute Dumbbell Fat Loss Plan
Three sessions per week, 30 minutes each, dumbbells only. Built for people cutting in a deficit who do not have…
Read guide →
30-Minute Home Workout Plan
Three 30-minute sessions per week using dumbbells and bodyweight. Every workout designed to be completed in half an hour, with…
Read guide →
4-Day Dumbbell Home Split
Train like you have a gym, from your spare room. Upper/lower split, four sessions per week, adjustable dumbbells and a…
Read guide →
4-Day Gym Fat Loss Program
Four days per week, upper/lower split, full gym. Built for the gap between beginner and intermediate where you are ready…
Read guide →
4-Day Lower Body Focus Program
A 4-day program that prioritizes lower body development while maintaining upper body strength. Two dedicated lower body sessions per week,…
Read guide →
4-Day Upper Lower Dumbbell Plan
A complete four-day upper/lower split you can run at home with nothing but a pair of adjustable dumbbells and a…
Read guide →
4-Day Upper Lower Split
A four-day upper-lower split that trains your whole body twice a week across two upper and two lower sessions, one…
Read guide →
4-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan
A fast, four-week fat loss plan using only dumbbells. Four efficient sessions a week blending dumbbell strength circuits with metabolic…
Read guide →
4-Week Fat Loss Workout Plan
A focused four-week plan to kickstart fat loss. Four sessions a week combining full-body strength training with metabolic finishers to…
Read guide →
5-Day Dumbbell Split
A five-day body-part split you can run with nothing but a pair of dumbbells, training chest, back, shoulders, arms, and…
Read guide →
6-Week Beginner Workout Plan
The perfect six-week introduction to the gym. Three full-body sessions a week teach you the fundamental lifts with clear form…
Read guide →
6-Week Muscle Building Workout Plan
A six-week muscle building block on a four-day upper/lower split. Two three-week phases take you from higher-rep volume into heavier…
Read guide →
8-Week Complete Beginner’s Workout Plan
Your 8-week roadmap to building a strong fitness foundation. No experience necessary, just consistency and a willingness to show up.
Read guide →
8-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan
A complete dumbbell workout plan to build muscle and strength. A four-day upper/lower split using only dumbbells, proving you do…
Read guide →
8-Week Muscle Building Plan
Four days per week, upper/lower split, designed to build muscle in a calorie surplus. Compound lifts drive the session, isolation…
Read guide →
Advanced 5-Day Muscle Building Program
Five days, five different sessions, maximum muscle. Push, pull, legs, upper, and lower body across a week designed for advanced…
Read guide →
Advanced 6-Day Powerbuilding Program
Strength and size in the same week. Heavy compound work on A sessions, hypertrophy-focused volume on B sessions, six days…
Read guide →
Beginner Gym Workout Plan
Your first structured gym plan: two simple full-body workouts, alternated across three days a week, that teach the core lifts…
Read guide →
Dumbbell Leg Workout
A dumbbell-only leg session that trains quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves with nothing but a pair of dumbbells, proving you…
Read guide →
Dumbbell-Only Workout Program for Beginners
A complete 8-week strength program using nothing but dumbbells. Train at home, in a hotel gym, or at any basic…
Read guide →
Fat Loss Workout Plan for Beginners
Your first structured fat loss plan. Three gym sessions per week using dumbbells and machines, active rest days to keep…
Read guide →
Full Body Dumbbell Workout Plan
A full body dumbbell workout hitting every muscle three times a week. Simple, effective, and perfect for building muscle and…
Read guide →
Glute and Strength Specialization Program
Three hip thrust sessions per week: heavy, moderate, and volume. An 8-week advanced glute block with targeted isolation work built…
Read guide →
HIIT & Strength Fat Loss Plan
Strength training and conditioning in the same session. Each workout starts with heavy compound lifts to preserve muscle, then finishes…
Read guide →
Intermediate 4-Day Hypertrophy Program
A 4-day program built around hypertrophy principles: moderate to high rep ranges, controlled tempos, and progressive volume increases across two…
Read guide →
Intermediate Upper Lower Split
A 4-day upper lower split built for lifters with a solid foundation who are ready to train with real intensity.…
Read guide →