Legs · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Lunge
How to do the dumbbell lunge, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Compound
See it in motion
How to do it
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides. Step forward with one leg and lower your hips until both knees are bent at about 90-degree angles. Push back to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.
- 1Feel your front leg's quad and glute working as you step forward and lower
- 2Keep your chest up and core tight for balance and stability
- 3Push through your front heel to return to standing and feel your glutes engage
Common mistakes
- Avoid letting your front knee track inward or beyond your toes
- Don't lean forward excessively; maintain an upright torso
- Avoid taking too short or too long a step; find a comfortable stride
Muscles worked
The dumbbell lunge mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell lunge for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the split squat
- How to do the step-up
- How to do the lunge
- How to do the squat
- How to do the bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed April 2026.