Dumbbell exercise

Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The dumbbell curtsy lunge loads the cross-behind lunge pattern with a dumbbell in each hand, targeting the gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, and quadriceps through combined hip adduction and rotation. Lifters progress to it from the bodyweight version to build lateral hip strength and glute hypertrophy from an uncommon angle, improving stability for cutting movements in sport and balancing out sagittal-plane-heavy leg programs.

Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge illustration

How to do Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge

  1. 1Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides and stand with feet hip-width apart.
  2. 2Brace your core and step one leg back and diagonally behind the front leg into a curtsy position.
  3. 3Inhale as you lower until the front thigh approaches parallel, keeping your chest tall and hips square to the front.
  4. 4Keep the front knee stacked over the toes; do not let the crossed stance drag it inward.
  5. 5Exhale and push through the front heel to stand back up, keeping the dumbbells hanging still rather than swinging.
  6. 6Finish the set on one leg or alternate sides, matching reps evenly between legs.

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Track Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge in Plates

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