Dumbbell Squat
Squat with dumbbells at the sides. An accessible, safe variation. It works mainly the quads, glutes and adductors, with help from the lower back, calves and forearm flexors.
In Flawless, a man aged 23–39 reaches Gold, the third of eight ranks, at 0.6× bodyweight (47.5 kg at 80 kg). For a woman it is 0.4× (25 kg at 60 kg).
How to do Dumbbell Squat
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides (or at the shoulders) and stand with the feet about shoulder width, toes slightly out.
- Brace your core and squat down as deep as you can with a flat back and the heels on the floor.
- Keep the knees tracking over the toes and the dumbbells hanging still, not swinging forward.
- Stand up through the mid-foot and exhale at the top; when grip becomes the limit, move the dumbbells to the shoulders.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Quads | Quadriceps femoris |
| Primary | Glutes | Gluteus maximus |
| Primary | Adductors | Adductores |
| Secondary | Lower back | Erector spinae |
| Secondary | Calves | Triceps surae |
| Secondary | Forearm flexors | Flexores antebrachii |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- Quads loaded with an upright torso
- Less lower-back shear than back squats
- Brutal core and upper-back demand
Strength standards for Dumbbell Squat
| Rank | Men | Women | Man, 80 kg | Woman, 60 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start | – | – |
| Silver | 0.4× | 0.3× | 32.5 kg | 17.5 kg |
| Gold | 0.6× | 0.4× | 47.5 kg | 25 kg |
| Platinum | 0.8× | 0.55× | 65 kg | 32.5 kg |
| Diamond | 1× | 0.7× | 80 kg | 42.5 kg |
| Obsidian | 1.25× | 0.9× | 100 kg | 55 kg |
| Painite | 1.5× | 1.05× | 120 kg | 62.5 kg |
| Antimatter | 2× | 1.4× | 160 kg | 85 kg |
Ratios are one-rep max ÷ bodyweight for ages 23–39; kilograms are rounded to 2.5 kg.
Flawless takes your best set of Dumbbell Squat, estimates your one-rep max with the Brzycki formula (reps are capped at 12) and divides it by the bodyweight in your profile, so you never have to test a true max. Women’s limits are 30 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Dumbbell Squat work?
It works mainly the quads, glutes and adductors, with help from the lower back, calves and forearm flexors.
How do you do Dumbbell Squat?
Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides (or at the shoulders) and stand with the feet about shoulder width, toes slightly out. Brace your core and squat down as deep as you can with a flat back and the heels on the floor. Keep the knees tracking over the toes and the dumbbells hanging still, not swinging forward. Stand up through the mid-foot and exhale at the top; when grip becomes the limit, move the dumbbells to the shoulders.
What is a good Dumbbell Squat for my bodyweight?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 0.6× bodyweight for men aged 23–39 and 0.4× for women, Diamond at 1× and 0.7×. For an 80 kg man that is a 47.5 kg and a 80 kg one-rep max.
Try it free
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