Dumbbell Step-Up

1. Place a dumbbell at your side, holding it with your hand. 2. Stand facing a sturdy step or elevated surface. 3. Step up onto the step with your right leg. 4. Push through your right heel to lift your body up, bringing your left leg up next to your right leg. 5. Step back down with your left leg, followed by your right leg. 6. Repeat the movement starting with the left leg. 7. Continue alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions.

How to perform the Dumbbell Step-Up

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Dumbbell Step-Up 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 quadriceps.
  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 quadriceps 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 Step-Up

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