Exercise Profile
- Target Muscle Group
- Exercise TypeStrength
- Equipment RequiredDumbbell
- MechanicsCompound
- Force TypePull
- Experience LevelBeginner
- Secondary Muscles
Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Hamstrings, Middle Back, Quads, Traps
Target Muscle Group
Lower Back
Dumbbell Deadlift Instructions
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides or in front of your thighs.
- Keep your chest up, shoulders back, and core engaged. This is the starting position.
- With a slight bend in your knees, hinge at your hips and lower the dumbbells down the front of your legs.
- Lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, keeping your back flat.
- Push through your heels to stand back up, driving your hips forward. This is one rep.
- Return to the starting position and repeat for reps.
Dumbbell Deadlift Tips
- Engage your core throughout the movement to protect your spine.
- Push your hips back, not down, as you lower the dumbbells (think of closing a car door with your hips).
- Drive through your heels to stand back up, not your toes.
- Keep the dumbbells close to your body as you lower and raise them to avoid excess strain on your lower back.
- Move in a slow, controlled manner.
20 Comments
I'm struggling to figure out the difference between this and a stiff-legged deadlift. When going down, I kind of start like I would in a stiff-legged deadlift, but finish the motion by squatting down a bit without letting my butt align with my knees (i.e., still above the knees). Is my form correct?
Hi Jairus, for the traditional dumbbell deadlift, you would start with the knees bent slightly. With the SLDL, you should try to keep your legs straight throughout the movement.
I can't squat all the way now because of flexibility, what should i do to compensate for that because i feel the ache on my lower back but i also feel it in my upper back. Is there something wrong with my form ?
Hi Don, I got a few suggestions for you here.
1. Adjust your stance so you can squat down a little further without sacrificing your back. A wider stance may be better for you. That said, don't force it if you still can't go down all the way.
2. Do the best you can with what you got, but take extra time to work on stretching and flexibility when you can. Also, check in with your doctor to make sure you are not injured.
3. Wear a weight belt to protect your lower back and core. This may also help your upper back because it won't have to compensate for the lower back.
4. Film yourself doing these and check the video while comparing it to ours. That could help you master form.
I hope all of this helps.
I do feel it in my lower back, but mostly in my thighs. Should I be concerned?
Not at all, as long as you're feeling it in the back of the thighs. It is a posterior chain exercise.
I'm coming back from 7 mthn injury.
Is it applicable to do core exercise 7 days in a week or i should limit it?
Don't do seven days a week. Just like other muscles, they need to recover as well. You could do up to four days as long as it doesn't impact the injury.
I am doing the six day dumbell split workout. I currently do a core workout every morning consisting of planks, side planks, bird dogs and bridges. Should I be doing ab exercises on top of this and if so how often?
Hey Rob - those are all great ab exercises and should be sufficient.
Can i ask what is the biggest difference between this and dumbell squat because i can feel it is on my back but i want to make sure i am doing it right so what i should take care about this (sorry for bad english)
Hey Mustafa - the dumbbell squat is quad focused while the dumbbell deadlift is focused on the posterior chain. With the deadlift, you should not be "squatting" the weight.
Hey Mustafa - the dumbbell squat is quad focused while the dumbbell deadlift is focused on the posterior chain. With the deadlift, you should not be "squatting" the weight.
Can I do a barbell deadlift instead on dumbell as I can add more weight. Thanks
Hey Andy - it depends on the program your following and/or the goals you're trying to achieve. But yes, you can do a barbell deadlift instead.
Hello, newbie here and i don't get the difference between this exercise and a dumbbell squat ? Could someone explain ? Thank you very much.
Hi Elizabeth,
For a squat, you'd want to keep a more upright torso without bringing the weights completely to the ground.
The deadlift is more of a hip-hinge movement. Movement should be generated at the hips and felt through the hamstrings and glutes.
The squat is more a knee dominant move and should be felt primarily in the quads, with some tension in the hamstrings and glutes.
Hope this helps!
With squat, dumbbells typically start high at your hips. The deadlift will illustrate the dumbbell starting at the floor. The squat will as said earlier be quad driven as you lower into position and the deadlift whether straight leg or Romanian deadlift will be hip driven but you feel pull in your gluteus, hamstrings primarily. The back in both cases needs to be kept flat through the exercises.
I have lost 120 pounds or more from 300 March 2 2011 to now 214 trying to tone my body i weight 150 pound/s now just wnt tone
Yay for you! That is fantastic :) You're my new role model! How old are you? Just asking. I am 50 now, just getting back to the gym after about 3 years of just walking my dog. I need to lose some fat - about 12 lbs I wold guess - but it's hard to know when the scale doesn't change! I do cardio and weights, am increasing strength and clothes getting looser (which is a clue and a good sign!) but scale still says 139 after 5 weeks!