The Dumbbell Swing is a dynamic exercise that targets multiple muscle groups, including the legs, core, and shoulders. It improves strength, power, and coordination.

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell with both hands in front of you.
  2. Hinge at your hips and slightly bend your knees, swinging the dumbbell back between your legs.
  3. Explosively drive your hips forward, swinging the dumbbell up to shoulder height.
  4. Control the descent and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

How to perform the Dumbbell Swing

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Dumbbell Swing 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 pectoralis major.
  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 pectoralis major 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 Swing

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