Dumbbell Swing

How to do it

1. Stand holding one dumbbell by its end with both hands, feet a little wider than shoulder width.
2. Hinge at the hips with a flat back and swing the dumbbell back between the legs.
3. Snap the hips forward and stand up hard, letting the dumbbell swing up in front.
4. Let it rise as high as the hip drive takes it, up to shoulder height, with the arms straight and relaxed.
5. Let it fall back between the legs, hinging again to receive it.
6. Keep the swing going, driving from the hips each time.

Common mistakes

• Lifting the dumbbell with the arms. The hips throw it and the arms are ropes; if the shoulders are tired, the hips have stopped working.
• Squatting instead of hinging. The dumbbell goes back between the legs and the hips go back with it; the knees bend only a little.
• Rounding the back at the bottom. The hinge is with a flat back; the dumbbell is received with the trunk braced.
• Leaning back at the top. The finish is standing tall with the glutes squeezed; leaning back arches the lower back under the swing.

Muscles worked

Primary

• Hamstrings
• Glutes

Secondary

• Quads
• Shoulders