Quads exercise
Dumbbell SquatHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Hamstrings, Forearms
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Dumbbell Squat?
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing in.
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees until your thighs are about level.
- Keep your arms straight and let the dumbbells hang.
- Drive up through your whole foot until you stand tall.
Cues
- Chest up, arms long.
- Knees follow your toes.
- Hips and shoulders rise together.
Common mistakes
- Letting the knees cave inward.
- Rounding the back to reach the weights lower.
- Lifting the heels at the bottom.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
A dumbbell in each hand, arms straight and hanging at the sides, palms facing in (neutral grip), handles pointing forward. Heels about shoulder-width apart, toes turned out about 10°, whole foot flat. Shoulder blades drawn down and back, chest up, head neutral, gaze ahead.
The movement
Hips go back and down while the knees bend forward, all at the same time. The knees track over the 2nd and 3rd toes. The trunk leans forward only as far as needed to keep the body's weight, dumbbells included, over the mid-foot; from the side the back stays roughly parallel to the shins. The arms stay straight and the dumbbells hang plumb beside the legs, moving straight down and up with the shoulders. Stand up by pushing through the whole foot, hips and shoulders rising together.
End position
Bottom: thighs about parallel, hip crease level with or just below the top of the knee; the dumbbells hang beside the lower shins, clear of the floor. With the arms hanging from shoulders that have dropped about 45 cm, the dumbbell heads end near ankle height beside the feet; check that they do not touch the floor or the legs.
Tempo
About 1.9 s down, 0.25 s pause, 1.4 s up, short stand at the top.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stance, heel to heel | 1.0 × shoulder width | 0.9–1.2 × | [1][3] |
| Toe-out, each foot | 10° | 0–20° | [2][3] |
| Depth: hip crease vs top of knee | 2 cm below | 0–6 cm below | [1][3] |
| Shin lean from vertical at the bottom | 34° | 28–40° | [2] |
| Trunk lean vs shin lean at the bottom | parallel | within 10° | [2][3] |
| Arms | straight, hanging plumb | elbows ≤ 10° bent | [1] |
| Heel lift | 0 cm | 0 cm | [1][2] |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Dumbbell Squat is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
