Exercise Guide

Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge

A curtsy lunge with dumbbells. The crossed step loads the upper and outer glute in a way a straight lunge does not.

BeginnerStrengthPushCompound
Form
Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge - Start position
Start
Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge - Mid position
Mid
Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge - End position
End

Illustrations by Bryl Lim for Workout Guide, after Everkinetic. Used unchanged under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Details

Primary Muscle

Glutes

Equipment

Dumbbell

Difficulty

Beginner

Category

Strength

Force

Push

Mechanic

Compound

Secondary Muscles

QuadsHamstringsCore
How to Perform
  1. 1

    Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.

  2. 2

    Step one foot diagonally back and across behind the other.

  3. 3

    Lower until your front thigh is close to parallel with the floor.

  4. 4

    Push through the front foot to return to standing, then alternate.

Tips
  • Keep your hips square to the front - rotating with the step takes the glute out of it.
  • Go only as deep as you can while keeping the front foot flat.
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