Squats with dumbbells

Begin in an upright posture, dumbbells in both hands, arms nearly extended. Maintain a hip-width stance, with feet and knees pointing in the same direction—either straight ahead or slightly outward. Keep your gaze forward, back straight with a natural arch in the lower back for spinal protection. Engage your muscles and initiate the dumbbell squats.

Movement execution

Inhale as you bend your knees, keeping your gaze forward and maintaining the arch in your lower back. During the descent, shift your hips backward, causing your chest to move forward, and keep your arms extended with the dumbbells at your sides. Ensure the dumbbells do not touch the ground. If physically possible, avoid letting your knees extend beyond your toes. Many athletes opt for the end position with thighs parallel to the ground. If you can continue the descent with a straight back, it is permissible. Extend your legs, exhale, push your hips forward, and retract your shoulders to return to the upright starting position.

When using light weights, it is advantageous to consciously inhale during the descent. Once a certain weight is reached, it is recommended to take a deep breath in the upright resting phase before the descent, to build pressure in the abdominal area and promote stability. Experienced athletes can also work with heavier weights to intensify the training stimulus. In this case, the dumbbell can be briefly placed on the floor to effortlessly execute the next extension.

Some claim that it is ideal for the thighs to be parallel to the ground, while others believe that the hips should be lower than the knees. Due to individual predispositions, there is no established norm. It is often said that the knees should not protrude beyond the toes, but this is not set in stone and should be decided based on anatomy. Discover your own personal perfect variation.

Stressed muscles and common mistakes

Unfortunately, typical errors often occur during dumbbell squats as well. To prevent these, you will find useful advice in the following section.

✅ Knees off-center: Ensure that your knees consistently point towards your toe tips. Maintain stability in your legs to prevent lateral deviation of the knees, whether outward or inward.

✅ Incorrect foot positioning: Your feet should either point straight ahead or slightly outward. Avoid, at all costs, tilting your feet inward during dumbbell squats.

✅ Back rounding: Rounding the back is one of the most common pitfalls in squat variations. Your back should maintain a natural arch throughout the entire exercise and remain mostly straight.

Alternatives and similar exercises to dumbbell squats

Furthermore, there are various alternatives to dumbbell squats. By incorporating these similar exercises, you can also utilize squat variations or dumbbells to train your lower body.