Dumbbell Step-Up
Trains the Quads.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells and either a box, a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
- Set a box or bench at a height that puts your thigh roughly parallel to the floor when your foot is on it.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Place one whole foot on the box, with the heel on rather than hanging off the edge.
- Drive through that foot to stand up on the box, keeping the other foot passive.
- Step back down under control, landing softly on the same side you led with.
- Finish the repetitions on that leg, then swap, or alternate if you prefer.
Common mistakes
- Pushing off the bottom foot. That is a hop with a step-up on top of it, and the leg being trained is the one on the box. If the bottom leg is needed, the box is too high.
- Letting the heel hang off the edge. The whole foot on the surface is what lets the leg drive; a heel in mid-air puts the work into the calf and the front of the knee.
- Dropping off the box at the top. Stepping down is the lowering half of the repetition and it is where most of the muscle damage that makes step-ups sore comes from; skipping it halves the exercise.
- Choosing the box by how it looks. Thigh parallel is the reference — a higher box brings the hip in more and needs more mobility, and a much higher one turns it into a scramble.