Dumbbell Side Squat

The Dumbbell Side Squat targets the lower body, focusing on the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
  2. Step to the right with your right foot, bending your right knee while keeping your left leg straight.
  3. Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground.
  4. Push through your right heel to return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat on the left side.

How to perform the Dumbbell Side Squat

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Dumbbell Side Squat using your dumbbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your glutes.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your glutes rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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Variations of Dumbbell Side Squat

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