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Dumbbell Walking Lunge

The dumbbell walking lunge is the jack-of-all-trades of lower body exercises — dynamic, functional, versatile, and effective. At the intersection of strength and conditioning, this unilateral, or one-sided movement targets the largest muscles in the body. It also helps with balance, and coordination, and provides cardiovascular benefits. 

This power and strength-based movement pattern activates primary and synergistic muscles at an increased rate compared to similar exercises. It is also more effective at increasing lower limb strength than walking alone.

With this, read on to learn how to safely and effectively lunge your way to a stronger, leaner, more balanced physique.

How To Do

  1. Find a suitable space to move around in. Stand with your feet hip-width apart while holding two dumbbells by your sides. 
  2. Before starting, check your body position. Ensure your chest is up, your shoulders are back, and your core is engaged. Your hips should be forward with your arms straight by your side.
  3. Step forward with your right leg. Begin to descend into the lunge until your right knee is at a 90-degree angle. It should be in line with your ankle and not tracking beyond your toes. Your back knee should be hovering a few inches above the floor. 
  4. Push through your right heel while stepping your left leg forward. You are now back in the starting position, but one step forward.
  5. Repeat with the left leg.

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Tips From Expert

  • To ensure you are not relying on momentum, pause briefly at the bottom and top of the exercise. This is to ensure that the muscles are doing the work.
  • To keep good balance and posture, choose a fixed spot on the wall to look at while performing the movement.
  • If you find the movement unnatural, practice starting the exercise in the lunge position on the ground. This can help you better gauge the proper stride and positioning without too much instability.

Optimal Sets and Reps

Whatever your primary fitness goal, the dumbbell walking lunge is a great exercise to incorporate into your programming. The graph below illustrates the optimal sets and rep ranges for each training style.

Training TypeSetsReps
Strength Training3–54–6
Hypertrophy3–48–12
Endurance Training3–415+
Power Training3–51–5
Optimal Sets & Reps of Dumbbell Walking Lunge

How to Put in Your Workout Split

The dumbbell walking lunge is a compound movement that works multiple different muscles. These include most of the large muscle groups in your lower body. Therefore, it can be incorporated into a variety of different training styles. 

  • Hypertrophy Muscle Splits — Add this exercise into your leg days, alongside the other big compound lifts such as squats and deadlifts. Once you are comfortable with the initial rep and set range, apply the principle of progressive overload for muscle growth. 
  • Strength/Power Training — Complete this exercise towards the beginning of your workout with other compound movements to ensure you are not too fatigued. If max strength is your goal, you should be focusing on lifting heavy. For power training, focus on explosive movements.
  • Endurance Circuits — In circuit training, it may be beneficial to add to either the beginning or the end of the circuit. Starting with this exercise revs up your heart rate for a dynamic warm-up. Ending with it can provide a killer burnout.

*Expert tip: Choose a dumbbell weight that is challenging but does not compromise form. Performing the correct technique should be your main priority to limit the risk of injury.

Primary Muscle Groups

Quadriceps

Muscles located at the front portion of your upper legs, below your pelvis and above your knees. Consists of four parts.

Quadriceps

The quadriceps are a muscle group located on the anterior, or front side of the body. The quad in quadriceps refers to the four different muscle groups — the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and the rectus femoris. The main role of the quadriceps is to extend the knee.

During the dumbbell walking lunge, the quads are the primary movers. For the down or eccentric phase, the quadriceps lengthen to control the movement. For the up, or concentric phase, the muscles shorten as tension is produced to propel you to the starting position.

Quantifying the electrical muscle activity (EMG) during movement helps us determine the extent to which they are being stimulated. The lunge movement pattern elicits significant EMG levels of the quadriceps muscles.

Secondary Muscle Groups

Gluteus

Large, superficial muscles located at your buttocks just below your lower back area.

Gastrocnemius

Muscles located at the back of your lower leg and consists of your calf. Starts just behind your knee and extends to your ankle.

Hamstrings

Muscles located at the back of your upper leg, below your glutes and above your calves. Consists of three muscles.

Soleus

Muscles located behind your gastrocnemius sitting slightly deeper. Runs down your leg and connects with the gastrocnemius to make your Achilles tendon.

Erector Spinae

Muscles that span the entire length of your spine on either side.

Gluteus

The glutes are a group of 3 muscles in the buttocks region — the gluteus maximus, the gluteus minimus, and the gluteus medius. Their main job is to perform hip extension.

In the dumbbell walking lunge, the hips extend when returning to the starting position, activating the glutes. Therefore, the dumbbell walking lunge can also be included as a glute exercise to provide a muscle-building stimulus. 

*Expert tip: If you only have one dumbbell, try holding it in the hand on the opposite side of the working leg. This results in higher glute activation when compared to loading the weight on the same side of the body.

Hamstrings

The hamstrings are a group of 3 muscles on the posterior, or back, of the leg — the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris. They perform the opposite knee movement to the quads. While the quads extend the knee, the hamstrings work to bend it. 

The hamstrings are required throughout the movement, but particularly during the downward eccentric phase. This is where you lunge down to bring your knee closer to the floor.

Gastrocnemius

Also known as the calf muscle, the gastrocnemius is located at the lower half of the back leg. It sits alongside the soleus to make up the calf. The main job of the gastrocnemius is ankle plantarflexion, or pointing the toes, and knee flexion.

It may be smaller than the other muscles, but the gastrocnemius plays an essential role in forward movement and balance. The action of the gastrocnemius is particularly significant during the concentric portion of the dumbbell walking lunge.

Soleus

Located in the calf region lying underneath the gastrocnemius is the soleus muscle. It differs from the gastrocnemius in that it only has one job — plantarflexion. 

During the dumbbell walking lunge, the soleus is active throughout the movement. It works the hardest alongside the gastrocnemius during the concentric component. This is as you extend your knees to come back up. 

Erector Spinae

The erector spinae is a group of three spinal muscles that run the length of the spine — the spinalis, longissimus, and iliocostalis. Their main job is to mobilize and stabilize the spine. They mainly function to extend, or straighten the back, and laterally flex, or bend at the side 

The erector spinae make up part of the core musculature. Because of this, they play a significant role in maintaining proper posture and balance during the dumbbell walking lunge.

*Expert tip: You can elicit greater erector spinae activation by incorporating a forward trunk lean during the movement.

Equipment

Dumbbells

Dumbbells

You can use these for a wide range of unilateral and bilateral exercises. Avoid using momentum to lift. Ensure a secure grip to prevent drops.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Squat To Overhead Press

Dumbbell Lunge

Dumbbell Goblet Squat

Dumbbell Split Squat

Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat

Dumbbell Jumping Squat

Dumbbell Lunge With Bicep Curl

Dumbbell Step-Up

Dumbbell Side Lunge

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Hack Squat

Barbell Squat

Bodyweight Squat

Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat

High Knees

Standing Quadricep Stretch

Burpees

Jumping Jacks

Side Lunge

Jump Squat

Who Should Do?

General Gymgoers And Fitness Enthusiasts

Several individuals can benefit from adding the dumbbell walking lunge into their exercise routine. Whether programmed into a lower-body focused workout, a full-body workout, or circuit training, you can’t go wrong. There are several metabolic benefits to incorporating compound movements such as the dumbbell walking lunge into your workouts.

As discussed above, there are multiple different options for programming this workout into your routine.

Post-Injury Individuals

As a functional movement, the dumbbell walking lunge can be an excellent component of a post-injury rehabilitation protocol. This is only if medical clearance has been obtained to participate in this movement. 

The lunge movement pattern has proven to be particularly helpful during knee rehabilitation following injuries to the major ligaments. In the case of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries, lunging helps restore quadricep-hamstring balance.

However, if pain is experienced during the dumbbell walking lunge, make sure to seek professional guidance before reattempting.

Those On A Time Crunch

If you have limited time in the gym or at home, the dumbbell walking lunge is a great exercise to perform. This exercise strengthens multiple large muscle groups, provides a cardio boost, and requires minimal set-up. Therefore, it accomplishes multiple goals at once in a short period.

As long as you have a set of dumbbells and a spacious, stable walking environment, this exercise can be done anywhere. No gym is required.

Who Should Not Do?

Beginners New To The Gym

The dumbbell walking lunge is an exercise that requires an advanced level of balance that untrained individuals may not possess. It is recommended to start with more stable exercises such as the split squat or dumbbell lunge before progressing.

As a dynamic lower-body movement pattern, beginners may struggle to achieve the full range of motion or maintain stability and balance.

Individuals With Gait Instability

The walking lunge requires a stable walking movement pattern. Gait instability, or an abnormal walking pattern, maybe a contraindication to the exercise. The dumbbell version of the walking lunge further increases injury risk due to the added stress from the weight.

Once gait has been rehabilitated, this exercise could be considered if done under professional supervision. 

Benefits Of The Dumbbell Walking Lunge

Enhanced Lower Body Strength And Muscles

The quads, hamstrings, and glutes make up a large proportion of your body’s surface area. All three are activated during the dumbbell walking lunge. The quadriceps are the prime mover and the hamstrings and glutes are the secondary movers. 

Therefore, the dumbbell walking lunge is a great compound movement to develop lower body strength and size. Ensure that you are applying the principle of progressive overload for maximal gains.

Improved Balance And Stability

When performing movements that use both sides of the body, there is a tendency for the stronger side to overcompensate. This means that the weaker side doesn’t work as hard.

The unilateral nature of the lunge movement pattern works on each side of the body in an isolated fashion. This prevents one side of the body from overcompensating, leading to a much more balanced and stable physique.

Alongside this, the dumbbell walking lunge works your erector spinae which makes up part of your core musculature. Your core helps to maintain balance and stability during performance and everyday movements. Examples include walking and pushing a shopping trolley.

Therefore, the dumbbell walking lunge is a great exercise to improve balance and stability when performed correctly.

Greater Bone Health

Resistance training has been shown to increase bone mineral density. When muscles work against resistance, the tension produced during training stimulates bone-forming cells known as osteoblasts. Once activated, the osteoblasts help to form denser and hardier bones.

Resistance training elicits an increase in circulating osteoblastic markers. This indicates that this type of training has the capacity to build stronger bones. As the dumbbell walking lunge works against resistance, it assists in bone tissue development and maintenance.

Boosted Functionality

Functional exercises improve your ability to carry out the activities of daily living. These include walking, climbing stairs, and picking up objects. While everyday movements look different than a dumbbell walking lunge, the muscle recruitment is similar. 

For example, when carrying a heavy load of groceries, the quadriceps are the prime mover. The hamstrings and glutes are secondary movers. Alongside this, the core is engaged to keep you upright — just like during the dumbbell walking lunge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are dumbbell walking lunges effective?

Yes! As discussed above, the dumbbell walking lunge is often not as popular compared to the squat. However, EMG research has shown the lunge movement pattern to be extremely effective.

Why are dumbbell lunges so hard?

The dumbbell walking lunge is a dynamic weighted movement pattern that requires strength, balance, and stability. It recruits multiple large muscle groups and challenges your unilateral strength and balance.

Are dumbbell lunges bad for your knees?

Under stable, injury-free conditions, the dumbbell walking lunge is not bad for the knees. However, if you feel knee pain during this movement, it’s best to seek professional guidance.

Are dumbbell walking lunges better than barbells?

Both exercises use the same movement pattern, however, the dumbbell version may be easier to perform. With the barbell version, the loading position is more difficult to correct in the presence of form deviations.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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