Dumbbell Step Up

How to Perform the Dumbbell Step Up

Stand facing a sturdy bench or box, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with palms facing your body.
Place your entire working foot flat on top of the bench, ensuring your full foot is in contact with the surface.
Brace your core and keep your torso upright with your chest lifted.
Drive through the heel of the foot on the bench to step up, extending your hip and knee fully at the top.
Bring your trailing foot up to briefly stand on the bench, maintaining balance.
Lower yourself back down in a controlled manner by stepping the trailing foot back to the floor first.
Complete all prescribed reps on one leg before switching to the other side.

Pushing off with the back foot to assist the step up

Focus all the driving force through the foot on the bench. The back foot should lift passively.

Leaning the torso too far forward

Keep your chest up and core braced. Your torso should stay as upright as possible throughout the movement.

Using a box that is too high, compromising form

Start with a box height that places your thigh parallel to the floor at the starting position. Increase height as strength improves.

✓Develops single-leg strength while correcting imbalances between the left and right legs.
✓Improves functional fitness for daily activities like climbing stairs and hiking.
✓Engages the core for stabilisation, providing an additional training stimulus.

●Choose a bench height where your working thigh is roughly parallel to the floor for optimal muscle activation.
●Drive through your heel, not your toes, to maximise quad and glute engagement.
●Slow down the lowering phase to increase time under tension and build more control.

Strength

4-5 sets of 3-5 reps at 80-90% 1RM

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps at 65-75% 1RM

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-20 reps at 50-60% 1RM

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