Exercise Profile
  • Target Muscle Group
  • Exercise TypeStrength
  • Equipment RequiredDumbbell
  • MechanicsCompound
  • Force TypePush (Unilateral)
  • Experience LevelAdvanced
  • Secondary Muscles
    Abs, Adductors, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Shoulders, Traps, Upper Back
Target Muscle Group

Quads

Quads Muscle Anatomy Diagram

Dumbbell Walking Lunge Overview

The dumbbell walking lunge is a variation of the dumbbell lunge. It is a little more advanced than other lunge variations and should be worked up to.

The dumbbell walking lunge is a complete leg builder. While it does emphasize growth in the quads, it also works the hamstrings, glutes, and many other muscles of the body due to its complexity.

Some lifters opt for the dumbbell walking lunge over the barbell walking lunge, because it brings the weight to the sides of the body and prohibits excessive forward leaning often experienced when performing them with a barbell.

Dumbbell Walking Lunge Instructions

  1. Set up with your feet shoulder width apart and a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Step forward with one leg and allow both knees to bend simultaneously.
  3. Descend until the back knee touches the floor.
  4. Drive through the front foot and extend the knee as you stand up fully and return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat on the opposite leg.
  6. Repeat the desired number of repetitions.

Dumbbell Walking Lunge Tips

  1. Do not progress to the elevated version until you have fully mastered the bodyweight version of this movement. Adding range of motion without having the requisite motor control is a recipe for disaster. Learn to walk before you try to run.
  2. Walking lunges are a more advanced progression and should only be utilized once one has the requisite hip and core stability. In general, a proper single leg progression scheme might look like this:
    • Step Up
    • Split Squat > Front foot elevated
    • Reverse Lunge > Front foot elevated
    • Single Leg Squat to Bench
    • Lateral Lunge
    • Bulgarian/Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (RFESS)
    • Single Leg Squat From Bench
    • Walking Lunge
    • Forward Lunge
    • Single Leg Skater Squat
    • Pistol Squat
  3. Don’t rush the progression scheme, earn the right to use every exercise and don’t neglect any of them.
    • When you go to push back to the starting position, fight the urge to lead the movement with your shoulders by hyperextending at your spine. Instead, look to drive the movement via force from your lower body.
    • In the bottom of the movement both of your legs should be at 90 degree angles at the knees.
    • Keep in mind that with any sort of lunge or split squat pattern, if you want to emphasize the quads, focus on taking a slightly smaller step and drive  up through the ball of the foot.
    • If you want to emphasize the glutes and hamstrings during any sort of lunge or split squat pattern, focus on taking a slightly larger step and drive up through the heel of the foot.
6 Comments
Nikki
Posted on: Fri, 10/06/2023 - 18:46

Ok my question is it says side oblique crunch each side 3 set or 15 reps
I feel dumb asking this but would that mean I do the whole right side 3sets of 15 reps and than I go to my left side and do 3 sets of 15 reps I hope I didn’t confuse you it’s cause it seems weird to have one side have more reps than the other side do you know what I mean

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Roger
Posted on: Wed, 10/18/2023 - 12:02

That is correct, Nikki. No dumb questions here, we are here to help. Thanks for reading M&S!

Nicole Ash
Posted on: Tue, 04/19/2022 - 22:49

How far do u walk

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Roger
Posted on: Wed, 04/20/2022 - 19:33

That is up to you, Nicole. As long as you can get at least 10 steps in per leg, you should be good.

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Roger
Posted on: Thu, 07/06/2023 - 08:55

Steps for this exercise is the same thing as reps. So, at least 10 reps per leg.

Nicole Warner
Posted on: Mon, 07/03/2023 - 19:53

How many reps?