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Dumbbell Lateral Lunge
A side lunge holding a dumbbell that trains the quads and glutes through a frontal-plane pattern while stretching the adductors.
LegsDumbbellLateral lunge
GoLightWeight mediadumbbell-lateral-lunge
Demonstration coming soon
Primary
QuadricepsGlutes
Secondary
AdductorsHamstringsCore
Equipment
Dumbbell
Pattern
Lateral lunge
Setup
- 01Stand tall holding one dumbbell at the chest or two at the sides.
- 02Set the feet hip width apart with toes pointing forward.
- 03Brace the trunk before stepping.
Execution
- 01Step wide to one side and sit the hips back over the stepping leg.
- 02Bend the working knee while keeping the trailing leg straight.
- 03Descend until the working thigh is near parallel with the chest up.
- 04Push off the working foot to return to standing and repeat or alternate sides.
Checkpoints
- -Working knee tracks over the toes, not caving inward.
- -Both feet point forward, trailing foot flat or slightly rolled.
- -Hips sit back rather than the knee shooting forward.
- -Torso leans forward slightly but the back stays flat.
Common mistakes
- -Stepping too short so the movement becomes a shallow squat.
- -Letting the working heel lift off the floor.
- -Rounding the back to reach depth.
- -Collapsing the knee inward on the push back.
Programming notes
- -Use 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side.
- -Valuable for athletes needing frontal-plane strength; keep loads moderate.
- -Progress from goblet hold to two dumbbells at the sides.
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