Exercise description of the dumbbell walking lunge.  Learn about the dumbbell walking lunge with videos, pictures, and other sports information.  Also learn how the dumbbell walking lunge can increase your sports skills.

Primary muscles worked:  Quads, Glutes

Synergist Muscles:  Hamstrings, Forearms, Core

Mechanics:  Compound

Equipment:  A pair of dumbbells

How to perform the exercise:  First, have the athlete grab a pair of dumbbells, arms fully extended with a neutral hand position, and to the side of the body. The athlete should then take an exaggerated step forward, the back toes should stay firmly in place. This over-step will allow for proper knee position during the exercise. Next the athlete will bend the front knee and back knee at the same time. The back knee should come close to, but not touch the floor. The front knee should be in line with the lower leg and should not extend beyond the toes. The athlete will then push on the front foot, driving the front leg back in to full extension while bringing up the back foot to be beside the front foot. The athlete will then come to balance, and then step forward with the opposite foot this time. The athlete will continue alternating until the desired rep number is reached. The athlete's upper body should remain in the upright position throughout the lift. The athlete should not bend forward at the waist.

Spotting the exercise:  To spot the dumbbell walking lunge, the spotter should follow the athlete, critiquing form. The spotter should make sure that the athlete does not lose their balance and fall over. Also, the spotter may take the dumbbells from the athlete if the athlete begins to lose their grip. This will ensure the weights do not drop and reduces the risk of injury to the athlete.

Sport specific application:  The walking dumbbell lunge is a great exercise for any sport. It supports total leg development, in addition to challenging the stabilizing aspects of body control. This lunge variation is exceptional from a speed and agility standpoint in that it increases the driving power of the front leg. Speed is controlled by stride length and stride frequency. This exercise will increase both by improving power per stride, while increasing frequency of the strides by minimizing the time it takes for the front leg to reach its starting position again.