Exercise · Legs and glutes
Dumbbell walking lunge: how to do it right
Dumbbell walking lunges are a lunge you turn into a walk, stepping forward each rep with a dumbbell in each hand. They mainly work your quadriceps and glutes, with help from your adductors and hamstrings. It’s a solid choice if you want strong legs and good control while moving in a full gym setup.
- Quadriceps
- Glutes
- Adductors
- Hamstrings
Doable at all 76 gyms GoSet follows
The essentials
- Take a long step, back knee toward the floor.
- Keep your torso upright.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Quadriceps · Glutes
- Secondary
- Adductors · Hamstrings
How to do it
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand, arms down by your sides, shoulders relaxed, eyes looking forward, feet about hip-width apart.
- Take a long step forward with one leg. Keep your torso upright and your weight centred, not only on the front toes.
- Bend both knees at the same time to lower yourself: back knee toward the floor, front heel staying in contact with the ground.
- Lower until your back knee comes close to the floor without hitting it, and your front knee points in the same direction as your toes.
- Push through the front foot to stand back up and bring your back leg forward to immediately step into the next lunge on the other side.
- Keep alternating steps in a smooth walk, torso upright and the dumbbells steady by your sides without wild swinging.
Common mistakes
Steps too short or too narrow
Instead : Take a long enough step so your front knee doesn’t shoot way past your toes and you feel your glutes work. Keep some width between your feet so you’re not walking on a tightrope.
Leaning the torso forward
Instead : Look straight ahead and keep your chest open. Hold the dumbbells close to your body and brace your midsection a bit to stay upright as you go down.
Front knee caving inward
Instead : Line up your front knee with the middle of your foot, in the same direction as your toes. If it caves in, slow down, use lighter dumbbells, and control the lowering phase.
Heels lifting off the floor
Instead : Keep your front heel planted on the floor. If it keeps lifting, lengthen your step a bit and reduce the weight so you can control the movement better.
Coach tips
- Think “long step, back knee toward the floor” to find a good stride length without just pushing your front knee forward.
- Control the way down for 2 to 3 seconds and come up a bit faster without bouncing, so your legs do the work, not momentum.
- Breathe in as you lower, and breathe out as you push through your front foot to stand up and step forward.
- Start with light dumbbells over a short distance, then increase either the distance or the weight, but not everything at once.
Variations
- Walking lunges with short back-and-forth distances if you don’t have much floor space at your gym.
- Walking lunges with a one-second pause at the bottom to work on control and balance.
- Walking lunges holding a single dumbbell close to your body on one side for extra balance challenge.
Sets and reps
Dumbbell walking lunges are often done for total reps or for distance, like a certain number of steps per set. Loads are often moderate so you can keep good form for the whole walk.
Equipment
Alternatives for the same muscles
Log your Dumbbell walking lunge sets with GoSet
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Common questions
Where should I look during dumbbell walking lunges?
Look straight ahead, at eye level, not at the floor. That helps you keep your torso upright and maintain balance as you walk.
How do I know if my step is long enough?
At the bottom, your front heel stays on the ground and you feel your quads and glutes working without the front knee collapsing way over your toes. If you feel jammed up on your toes, take a slightly longer step.
Can I do walking lunges in a narrow hallway?
Yes. You can go back and forth over a short distance, or take a few steps forward then walk back doing the same controlled lunges.
What if I feel sharp knee pain during walking lunges?
Stop the exercise right away and talk to a health professional before trying it again. In the meantime, you can choose an alternative like the goblet squat or a hack squat machine after getting advice.