Dumbbell Walking Lunge

The dumbbell walking lunge chains lunges together so you travel forward with every rep, holding a dumbbell in each hand. It works the quads and glutes hard, adds a balance and conditioning demand, and is one of the most effective leg exercises you can do with only a pair of dumbbells and some floor space.

Targets: Gluteus Maximus
Also works: Adductor Magnus, Soleus
Equipment: Dumbbell
Level: Beginner
Start with: 3 × 10-12, 60s rest

How to do it

Stand at one end of a clear lane with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
Step forward into a lunge and lower until the back knee nearly touches the floor.
Drive through the front foot and bring the back leg straight through into the next step, without pausing with both feet together.
Keep walking, alternating legs, for the set number of steps or the length of the lane.
Turn around under control or set the weights down; do not rush the turn with heavy dumbbells.

Form cues

Each step is a full lunge; let the back knee come close to the floor every time.
Keep your eyes forward and your chest up so the weights stay over your feet.
Move with a steady rhythm rather than racing to the end of the lane.

Common mistakes

Shortening the steps as you tire, which turns the second half of the set into a quad-only shuffle. Keep the stride length the same from first rep to last.
Letting the torso fold forward. It shifts the load into the lower back; go lighter or slow down.
Using weights so heavy that grip fails before the legs do. Use straps or lighter dumbbells for more steps.

Where this fits in a week

Dietly Fit scores one photo a week out of 100, names the area holding the score back, and builds the week around it — so a movement like this gets programmed when your gluteus maximus is what needs the work, not because it was next on a list.

More quadriceps movements

Demonstration courtesy of Gym Visual. Sets and reps are a starting point, not a prescription. Speak to a qualified professional before starting a new exercise program, particularly if you are managing an injury or a health condition.