Where should the dumbbells be at the bottom of the lunge?

Let them hang straight down from your shoulders so they frame the bent leg, one on each side of the knee. They do not need to touch the floor, and reaching for it usually rounds the lower back.

Should I hold two dumbbells at my sides or one at my chest?

One dumbbell held at the chest in a goblet position keeps the torso more upright and is easier to balance, which makes it a good way to learn the loaded version. Two dumbbells at your sides let you use more total weight and let the hips sit back more freely.

How is a lateral lunge different from a Cossack squat?

In a lateral lunge you step out, bend one leg to about thigh-parallel and step back to the start each rep. The Cossack Squat holds a wide stance for the whole set and sinks much deeper, down beside the heel of the bent leg, so it needs far more hip and ankle mobility.

How wide should I step?

Wide enough that your trailing leg straightens, but not so wide that your bent shin cannot stay roughly vertical over the foot. With dumbbells in hand, a slightly shorter step is easier to control and to push back from.

How heavy should the dumbbells be?

Start lighter than you would for a Dumbbell Reverse Lunge and choose a weight that lets you reach your usual depth with the heel down and the back flat for every rep. Add weight only when all your sets on both legs stay controlled.

Dumbbell Lateral Lunge

What Is the Dumbbell Lateral Lunge?

Dumbbell Lateral Lunge is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads and glutes and also engages the inner-thigh adductors, the hamstrings and the smaller hip stabilizers. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you step out to the side, sit your hips back into one bent leg while the other leg stays straight, and carry a dumbbell in each hand at arm's length on either side of the working leg.

Most leg training moves forward and back, as squats, deadlifts and forward or reverse lunges all do. The lateral lunge works in the side-to-side plane instead, building single-leg strength while the knee has to stay lined up over a foot that is out to the side. That makes it a common accessory for field and court athletes who push off and brake sideways, and a useful way for anyone to round out a leg day that otherwise only moves straight ahead. It usually sits after the main squat or hinge of a session, and a light version works well in a warm-up.

The bent leg does most of the lifting, with the quadriceps straightening the knee and the glutes extending the hip on the way up. The straight leg's adductors are stretched under load at the bottom and help pull you back to the center. Pushing the hips further back with a slight forward lean moves more of the work to the glutes, while staying taller and letting the knee bend more puts more on the quadriceps. Holding one dumbbell at the chest in a goblet position keeps the torso more upright and is easier to balance, while two dumbbells at your sides allow a heavier total load and challenge the grip and upper back as well.

The loaded version suits lifters who can already perform a controlled Bodyweight Lateral Lunge to a thigh-parallel depth with the heel down and the back flat. If that is not yet possible, build up with the bodyweight version and the Kettlebell Goblet Squat first. Once the dumbbell version feels solid, the deeper Cossack Squat is a natural next step for hip mobility and range.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Gluteus Maximus: Primary
Vastus Lateralis: Primary
Vastus Medialis: Primary
Adductor Magnus: High
Rectus Femoris: High
Adductor Longus: Medium
Gluteus Medius: Medium
Biceps Femoris: Low
Erector Spinae: Low
Upper Trapezius: Low

Instructions

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and toes pointing forward, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with your palms facing each other.
Brace your core, set your shoulders down and keep your chest up.
Take a wide step directly to one side, landing with that foot flat and its toes pointing forward or slightly out.
As the foot lands, push your hips back and bend the stepping knee, leaning your torso slightly forward from the hips while the other leg stays straight, letting its toes lift toward the ceiling as your hips sink if that feels more natural.
Let the dumbbells hang straight down from your shoulders so they frame the bent leg, one on each side of the knee.
Lower until the bent thigh is about parallel to the floor, or as low as you can go with the heel down and your back flat, keeping the knee in line with your toes.
Drive through the whole foot of the bent leg to push yourself back to the starting position.
Complete all reps on one side before switching, or alternate sides each rep.

Common Mistakes

Knee caving inward
Letting the bent knee drift inside the foot twists the knee under load, so keep it tracking in line with your toes.
Lifting the heel
Rising onto the ball of the bent leg's foot shifts stress to the front of the knee and costs balance, so keep the whole foot planted.
Dropping straight down
Bending the knee without pushing the hips back takes the glutes out of the movement and piles the load onto the knee.
Rounding the back to reach lower
Chasing the floor with the dumbbells rounds the lower back under load, so lower only as far as your hips allow with a long spine.
Bending the straight leg
Letting the trailing knee bend turns the lunge into a shallow squat and removes the inner-thigh stretch that makes the exercise worthwhile.
Going too heavy too soon
Dumbbells that are too heavy pull the torso forward and overload the stretched groin before depth and knee control are in place.

Injuries

Dumbbell Lateral Lunge is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The places that take the most strain are the knee of the bent leg, the inner thigh of the straight leg and, when the back rounds to reach the dumbbells lower, the lower back. Most problems come from the bent knee caving inward, dropping into the bottom too fast, stepping wider than your hips allow, or adding weight before the bodyweight version is controlled.

The side lunge asks a lot of the front of the knee at depth. A lab study of 16 healthy adults estimated higher kneecap joint force and stress in the bodyweight side lunge than in the forward lunge once the knee bent past about 40 degrees, so anyone with front-knee pain should start with a shallower range and deepen it only while it stays pain-free. Keep the bent knee tracking in line with the toes and the heel flat on the floor throughout.

The straight leg's groin muscles are stretched under load at the bottom, so warm up first, lower under control and pick a dumbbell weight that lets you reach your usual depth without forcing it. To make the exercise easier, go back to the Bodyweight Lateral Lunge, shorten the step, reduce the depth or use lighter dumbbells. To progress, add weight gradually, slow down the lowering phase, or move on to the Cossack Squat once hip mobility allows.

Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pulling pain in the groin or inner thigh, pain at the front of the knee, or a pinching deep in the hip. A strong stretch along the inner thigh of the straight leg is normal; pain is not.

Overview

Primary Focus: Quads and glutes
Equipment: Dumbbell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where should the dumbbells be at the bottom of the lunge?: Let them hang straight down from your shoulders so they frame the bent leg, one on each side of the knee. They do not need to touch the floor, and reaching for it usually rounds the lower back.
Q: Should I hold two dumbbells at my sides or one at my chest?: One dumbbell held at the chest in a goblet position keeps the torso more upright and is easier to balance, which makes it a good way to learn the loaded version. Two dumbbells at your sides let you use more total weight and let the hips sit back more freely.
Q: How is a lateral lunge different from a Cossack squat?: In a lateral lunge you step out, bend one leg to about thigh-parallel and step back to the start each rep. The Cossack Squat holds a wide stance for the whole set and sinks much deeper, down beside the heel of the bent leg, so it needs far more hip and ankle mobility.
Q: How wide should I step?: Wide enough that your trailing leg straightens, but not so wide that your bent shin cannot stay roughly vertical over the foot. With dumbbells in hand, a slightly shorter step is easier to control and to push back from.
Q: How heavy should the dumbbells be?: Start lighter than you would for a Dumbbell Reverse Lunge and choose a weight that lets you reach your usual depth with the heel down and the back flat for every rep. Add weight only when all your sets on both legs stay controlled.