Legs · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Narrow Squat
How to do the dumbbell narrow squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Hold a dumbbell at chest height or one in each hand at your sides and stand with feet closer than shoulder-width in a narrow stance. Push your hips back and down into a squat, keeping your chest up and heels planted, until your thighs reach about parallel. Drive through your heels to stand tall.
- 1Quads and glutes driving you out of the squat
- 2Heels planted and weight balanced through your midfoot
- 3An upright chest and braced core under the load
Common mistakes
- Letting your knees cave inward or your heels lift
- Rounding your back or letting your chest drop
- Cutting the depth short or dropping uncontrolled
Muscles worked
The dumbbell narrow squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- CalvesSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell narrow squat for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.