How to Do Dumbbell Deadlift: Muscles Worked & Proper Form

Muscles Worked in Dumbbell Deadlifts

Primary muscles worked:

• Glutes
• Lower Back

Secondary muscles worked:

• Quads
• Hamstrings
• Adductors
• Trapezius
• Forearm Flexors

How to Do Dumbbell Deadlifts

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, and stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Inhale and lightly brace your core.
3. Lower the dumbbells close to the floor, by leaning forward and bending your knees.
4. Reverse the movement, and return to a standing position. Exhale on the way up.

Commentary

The dumbbell deadlift is an exercise variant that differs from the traditional barbell deadlift in several ways. Two advantages of the dumbbell deadlift are that it is easy to learn, and you can drop the weights at any moment if you need to. That can make this exercise suitable for beginners, children och the elderly, for example. A disadvantage compared to the barbell deadlift is that it is difficult to use very heavy weights in this exercise, which means that you eventually might have difficulties increasing the load.