What equipment do you need for the dumbbell windmill?

You need dumbbell to do the dumbbell windmill.

What is a good dumbbell windmill?

For men, a good dumbbell windmill is about a 22.5 lb estimated one-rep max, the Gold (intermediate) standard in Kovo. Beginners start near 5 lb and elite lifters pass 120 lb. For women, the standards run from about 5 lb to 120 lb. The tier table above lists every rank from Bronze to Champion.

Core · Dumbbell

Dumbbell Windmill

How to do the dumbbell windmill, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.

Equipment: Dumbbell
Difficulty: Advanced
Logged as: Weighted reps
Movement: Rotation
Mechanic: Isolation

Find more:Abs & Core exercises Dumbbell exercises

How to do it

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width and turn your toes out slightly. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and press it overhead. Shift your weight to the opposite leg, hinge at your hips and slide your free hand down your inner thigh toward your shin while keeping the weight stacked over your shoulder and your eyes on the dumbbell. Go as low as comfortable, then drive through your hips to stand back up while maintaining the dumbbell overhead. Switch sides after completing your reps.

1Hold a dumbbell overhead with your arm locked out and hinge at your hips, feeling your obliques and hamstrings stretch
2Keep your eyes on the weight and rotate your torso to reach toward your opposite foot
3You should feel shoulder stability and core engagement throughout the movement

Common mistakes

Don't round your back or let your knees collapse; maintain a straight leg on the weight side
Avoid bending your elbow or letting the weight drift forward
Don't rush; move slowly to maintain balance and control

Muscles worked

The dumbbell windmill mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs, side delts, triceps, forearms, lower abs, glutes, hamstrings, and front delts assisting.