Dumbbell swing
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width. Hold a dumbbell vertically with both hands in front of you.
- Keeping your back flat, hinge at your hips to send your butt backward and swing the dumbbell high between your legs.
- Explosively drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes, using that power to swing the dumbbell up to chest level. The movement should come from your hips, not your arms.
- Allow the dumbbell's momentum to bring it back down. As it descends, hinge at your hips again to absorb the force and fluidly move into the next repetition.
Tips
- At the bottom of the swing, push your hips back rather than bending your knees, so the movement stays in your hips and hamstrings rather than becoming a squat.
- At the top of the swing, fully extend your hips and squeeze your glutes so your body forms a straight line from head to heel before the dumbbell descends.
- Keep your spine in a neutral position throughout the hinge, maintaining its natural curve rather than rounding or overarching.
Common mistakes
- Using the arms to pull the dumbbell upward rather than letting the hip drive generate the swing, which turns the movement into a front raise.
- Allowing the lower back to round during the hip hinge, so the spine loses its neutral position as the dumbbell swings between the legs.
- Stopping the hips short at the top instead of fully extending them, so the glutes do not complete their contraction at the end of each rep.
Make Every Set Count.
Plan your workouts, track every session, and see your progress over time.
