Quads exercise
Dumbbell Step-UpHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Hamstrings
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Dumbbell Step-Up?
- Stand facing a knee-high box with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Place your whole right foot flat on the box.
- Push through that foot to stand up tall on the box.
- Lower your left foot slowly back to the floor, then the right.
- Do all your reps, then switch legs.
Cues
- Let the front leg do the work.
- Knee in line with your toes.
- Chest up, arms long and relaxed.
Common mistakes
- Bouncing off the back foot to get up.
- Letting the front knee fall inward.
- Dropping down off the box too fast.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
A sturdy box with a non-slip top, about 40 cm high for a 1.75 m avatar, so the lead thigh is close to parallel with the floor when the foot is on the box. Stand facing the box, feet hip-width apart and parallel, toes about 15 cm from the box face. A dumbbell in each hand, arms straight, palms facing in, the dumbbells hanging beside the thighs. Shoulders down and back, chest up, trunk braced. The app tells users to switch legs.
The movement
Lift the right foot and place the whole foot flat on the box, heel well inside the edge. Shift the weight onto the right foot with the trunk leaning slightly forward over it. Drive up through the right heel and mid-foot, straightening the right hip and knee together. The left leg does not push or hop: its heel may peel as the weight leaves it, then the foot lifts and follows. Bring the left foot up beside the right and stand tall on the box. To come down, keep the weight on the right leg and lower the left foot slowly back to its starting spot on the floor, bending the right hip and knee under control. Then step the right foot down beside it. The right knee tracks over the second toe the whole time and the pelvis stays level. The dumbbells hang straight down and do not swing.
End position
Bottom: right foot on the box with the right knee and hip at about 90°. With the shin near vertical on a 40 cm box, the lead knee sits about 0.87 m high, so the thigh is within about 5° of horizontal and the knee about 90°. The lead ankle then lands about 0.40 m ahead of the trailing ankle, which puts the trailing toes about 15 cm from the box face. Sources differ on two points. The NSCA text [1] says keep the torso erect and do not push off with the trailing leg; ACE [2] allows the trunk and shin to move slightly past vertical and has the trailing leg push off.
Tempo
0.6 s place the right foot, 1.2 s step up, 0.4 s stand tall, 1.6 s lower the left foot to the floor, 0.6 s step the right foot down, 0.3 s settle.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box height (1.75 m avatar) | 40 cm | 30–46 cm | [1][3] |
| Feet at the start, centre to centre | 20 cm (hip-width) | 15–30 cm | [2] |
| Lead foot on the box | whole foot, heel 3 cm or more inside the edge | heel never over the edge | [1][4] |
| Lead knee flexion with the foot on the box | 90° | 80–100° | [1] |
| Lead hip flexion with the foot on the box | 90° | 80–105° | [1] |
| Lead shin lean from vertical | 5° forward | 0–15° | [2] |
| Trunk lean from vertical during the drive | 10° | 0–20° | [1][2] |
| Trailing-leg push-off | none (no ankle drive, no hop) | heel peel only | [1] |
| Hips and knees at the top | 0° | 0–5° | [1][4] |
| Pelvis drop on the trailing side | 0° | under 5° | [4] |
| Dumbbells | vertical, beside the thighs | sway under 5 cm | [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 Step-Up 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
Sources
- NSCA, Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training (3rd ed.), Step-Up, as excerpted by the Coaches Association of Ontario
- ACE, Step-Up
- Simenz et al. 2012, J Strength Cond Res, "Electromyographical analysis of lower extremity muscle activation during variations of the loaded step-up exercise"
- WWL Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, MSK Physiotherapy, Knee Exercises Level 1 (Step Up)
