Dumbbell Deadlift
A hip driven pull with a dumbbell in each hand, lowered down the front of the legs and driven back up.
How to do it
- Take a dumbbell in each hand and set your feet about hip width apart.
- Set your chest up, shoulders back and abdominals braced.
- Keep a slight bend in your knees and push your hips backward.
- Let the weights track close along your thighs and shins while your back stays flat.
- Stop when you feel the stretch in your hamstrings, keeping the weights close.
- Push through your heels and drive your hips forward to stand tall.
Key technique cue
Keep the dumbbells on your legs; send the hips back — it's a hinge, not a squat.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Squatting the weights down instead of pushing the hips back, which unloads the hamstrings.
- ✕ Letting the dumbbells drift away from the legs, which strains the lower back.
- ✕ Rounding the upper back so the shoulders roll forward under the load.
- ✕ Driving up through the toes instead of the heels, which pitches the weight forward.
Benefits
- ✓ Teaches the hip hinge with a load that is easy to scale and easy to drop.
- ✓ Trains hamstrings and glutes without needing a rack or a barbell.
- ✓ Loads each side independently, so weak sides cannot hide.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Dumbbell Deadlift
- Barbell Rack Pull
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Step 3 -
Step 4
About the exercise
The dumbbell deadlift trains the same hinge as a barbell pull with a far lower barrier to entry. You stand hip width apart with a dumbbell in each hand, keep a slight knee bend, and push the hips back so the weights travel down the front of the legs until the hamstrings stretch. Driving the heels into the floor and pushing the hips forward returns you to standing. Because each hand carries its own load, the weights can pass beside the legs instead of stopping at the shins, and the grip and upper back work harder to hold position.
Updated
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