Dumbbell Step-Up

Start

Finish

How to do it

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, plant one whole foot on a knee-height box and press straight up through that foot until the leg is locked, then lower the other foot slowly to the floor.

Muscles worked

Primary: quads · Also works: glutes, calves

Equipment

Dumbbells

Common mistakes

• Springing off the bottom foot to help, which turns it into a calf hop instead of a step-up
• Choosing a box so tall the hip has to hike and the torso has to fold forward
• Dropping back down and letting the trailing foot slap the floor rather than controlling the descent

Variations

• Pause one second at the top with the free knee driven up
• Slow four-second lowering

Can't do this one? Swap it for

• Weighted Step-Up
• High Step-Up
• Lateral Step-Up
• Bulgarian Split Squat

Related exercises

• Barbell Back Squatquads
• Goblet Squatquads
• Bodyweight Squatquads
• Leg Pressquads
• Bulgarian Split Squatquads
• Walking Lungequads