The 7 Best Dumbbell Squat Variations for Stronger, More Muscular Legs

The barbell back squat is a classic strength training exercise. It’s the first lift contested in powerlifting competitions and a cornerstone of most bodybuilders’ leg workouts. According to many fitness coaches, the back squat is all but compulsory, whatever you are training for.

However, there is a dirty little secret that nobody tells you about squats – they’re HARD!

We don’t just mean they require a lot of effort. It’s more that they’re technically difficult and can even be painful. Resting and holding a heavy barbell across your upper back often hurts.

And as for the whole “back squats are functional” argument – forget about it! When was the last time you squatted down with a weight resting on your upper back? Barbell back squats are no more functional than any other compound leg exercise.

So, don’t feel that you have to include barbell back squats in your workouts, or front squats, for that matter. There are plenty of other exercises you can use to develop the lower body of your dreams.

In this article, we reveal the seven best dumbbell squat exercises for building strong, muscular legs.  

Dumbbell Squat Anatomy – Muscles worked

All dumbbell squat variations are compound exercises. That just means they involve two or more joints and multiple muscles working together. In fact, dumbbell squats work all of the muscles located below your waist and more than a few above waist height, too.

The main muscles involved in all dumbbell squat variations are:

Quadriceps

The quadriceps are so-called because they’re made up of four separate muscles that come together at a single tendon. Known as the quads for short, the four quads muscles are the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. Located on the front of your thighs, the quads are responsible for knee extension, while the rectus femoris is also a hip flexor.

Gluteus maximus

Known as the glutes for short, this is the largest and potentially most powerful muscle in the human body. Its principal function is hip extension, although it’s also a hip stabilizer and plays a part in the external rotation of the hip joint. The deeper you squat, the more active the glutes become.

Hamstrings

Located on the back of your thighs, the hamstrings are responsible for knee flexion and hip extension. There are three hamstring muscles – biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. However, it’s important to note that the hamstrings play a relatively small role in most dumbbell squat exercises, and the quadriceps and glutes do most of the work.

Hip abductors

Located on the outside of your hip and thigh, the hip abductors lift your leg out and away from the midline of your body. The abductors are gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, and tensor fascia latae. During dumbbell squats, the hip abductors mostly work as stabilizers to prevent your knees from caving inward.

Hip adductors

The adductors pull your legs in toward the midline of your body. During dumbbell squats, they mostly work as stabilizers to prevent your knees from falling outward. However, very deep squats tend to increase adductor engagement. The three adductor muscles are adductor longus, adductor brevis, and adductor magnus, meaning long, short, and big.

Core

The core is the collective name for the muscles of your midsection. This includes the rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, and erector spinae muscles. Together, these muscles form a natural corset or weightlifting belt and support your lower back during all variations of dumbbell squats. Generally, the higher you hold the weights, the more work the core must do to stabilize your spine.

Forearms

Depending on the type of dumbbell squat being performed, you’ll probably have to hold weights in your hands, working your forearms alongside your legs. In some instances, your grip may limit how much weight you can use or stop you from doing a lot of reps. Get around this problem by a) using chalk to prevent your hands from slipping or b) using lifting straps to enhance your grip.

Upper body

Dumbbell squats are undeniably a lower-body exercise but holding dumbbells in your hands means your upper body is involved too. Depending on the dumbbell squat variation performed, you’ll also be working some or all of the following upper-body muscle groups:

• Deltoids – the muscles of the shoulders
• Latissimus dorsi – the side of your upper back
• Trapezius – the muscles of your upper back
• Rhomboids – the muscles between your shoulder blades
• Biceps – the muscles on the front of your upper arms
• Triceps – the muscles on the back of your upper arms

So, Why Use Dumbbells for Squats

We’re not saying there is anything bad about barbell back and front squats. Still, there are plenty of reasons why, sometimes, dumbbell squats could be more beneficial. Reasons to give dumbbell squats a try include:

Less low back stress

Because of the position of the load, some dumbbell squat variations are easier on your lower back than either barbell front or back squats. This makes them useful for exercisers suffering from lower back weakness or back pain.

No squat rack required

It’s nigh-on impossible to do barbell squats without a squat rack. That’s no problem if you train in a well-equipped gym, but if you don’t have a squat rack, you won’t be able to do back or front squats.

Dumbbell squats require no such equipment, so they’re ideal for home exercisers and anyone who trains in a less well-equipped gym.

Train to failure in safety

Doing back squat to failure can result in serious injury, especially if you get pinned under a heavy barbell. Front squats are not a whole lot safer. However, with most dumbbell squats, all you need to do is drop the weights at the end of your set, which is a lot safer than trying to rerack a heavy barbell. Just mind your toes when you let go of your weights!

Perfect for drop sets

Drop sets are largely impractical for barbell squats. Reducing the weight on your barbell by the required 10-20% just takes too much time for drop sets to work. But, if you line up a few pairs of dumbbells, you can do pump-inducing squat drop sets and take your workout to a whole new level of intensity.

Disadvantages of Dumbbell Squats

In fairness, there aren’t many downsides to dumbbell squats. The main drawback is that your grip strength can be a limiting factor, and you may find it awkward to get heavy dumbbells into the correct starting position.

The last consideration is that barbell squats are easy to load with very heavy weights – just keep slapping more plates on the bar. In contrast, most gyms only have dumbbells up to around 50kg/110lbs, so you may not have access to enough weight to challenge your legs. However, this is only a problem for very strong lifters.

Top 7 Dumbbell Squat Variations for Strength and Size

Do you want to give dumbbell squats a try? Glad to hear it! These are the seven best dumbbell squat variations for muscle size and strength.

1. Classic dumbbell squat

When the subject of dumbbell squats comes up, this is the version most people are talking about, so we’ll call it the classic dumbbell squat. With this exercise, you hold your arms down by your sides with a dumbbell in each hand. This makes the classic dumbbell squat as much a deadlift as it is a squatting exercise. Regardless, it’s an excellent quad and glute builder.

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly outward. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms by your sides, and palms facing inward. Brace your core, and pull your shoulders down and back.
2. Bend your knees and squat down until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor. Do not round your lower back. Descend further, i.e., “ass to grass,” if your flexibility and knee health allow.
3. Stand back up and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

Primary: Quads, glutes, hamstrings.

Secondary: Abductors, adductors, core, forearms.

Benefits:

• A very natural movement with good transference to activities outside of the gym.
• An ideal option for beginners.
• An excellent way to develop more muscular legs and a firmer grip simultaneously.

Tips:

• Use lifting straps and chalk if you want to lift the heaviest possible weights.
• This exercise is most effective when done using light to moderate weights and for medium to high reps, i.e., 8-20.
• Adjust your squat depth based on your flexibility and knee health. Not everyone can or should squat below parallel.

Read more about the classic dumbbell squat here.

2. Dumbbell goblet squat

Goblet squats are traditionally performed using a single kettlebell. However, they work equally well using one dumbbell. Goblet squats force you to squat with good technique and are an excellent exercise for beginners. However, they’re also a great choice for more experienced lifters looking for a safe but effective quads workout.

Steps:

1. Hold a single dumbbell in front of your chest and just under your chin. Your palms should be turned upward and pressed against the inside of the weight plates so the handle is vertical.
2. Step out and into a shoulder-width stance and turn your toes slightly outward. Brace your core and lift your chest.
3. Bend your legs and squat down until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor. Do not round your lower back. Descend further if your mobility and knees allow.
4. Drive your feet into the floor and stand back up.
5. Reset your core and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Quads, glutes, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Abductors, adductors.

Benefits:

• Teaches and reinforces correct squatting technique.
• A very safe exercise, even if you train to failure.
• Less low back stress than the classic dumbbell squat.

Tips:

• Tuck your elbows into your ribs to make supporting heavy weights easier.
• Try a narrower stance to increase quads engagement.
• Keep your chin and chest up to make this exercise even safer and more effective.

3. Dumbbell cyclist squat

A lot of lifters struggle to squat below parallel. This is usually an ankle mobility issue. Lifting your heels and resting them on blocks usually unlocks this problem and also increases quads engagement. Raising your heels turns any dumbbell squat into a cyclist squat. You can do this exercise with your dumbbells by your sides or with one held in front of your chest as preferred.

Steps:

1. Place two small weight plates on the floor between shoulder and hip-width apart. Stand with your heels resting on the plates. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, or hold one vertically in front of your chest. Brace your core.
2. Bend your legs and squat down as deeply as you can. Allow your knees to travel forward to emphasize your quadriceps.
3. Drive your feet into the floor, return to the starting position, and repeat.

Muscles worked:

• Primary: Quads, glutes, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Abductors, adductors, core, forearms.

Benefits:

• A very quads-centric exercise.
• Very little lower back stress.
• An excellent exercise for building cyclist-sized thighs.

Tips:

• Experiment with different height plates to find the one that allows you to squat the deepest.
• Try goblet and classic dumbbell squats to see which one you prefer.
• Add a 2-3 second pause at the bottom of each rep to really light up your quads.

4. Dumbbell front rack squat

The dumbbell front squat is a challenging exercise. Not because it hits your legs any harder than any other variation, but because you’ll need to put extra effort into supporting the weights. This exercise provides your upper body and arms with a good workout as you train your legs. Dumbbell front squats are an excellent movement for athletes.

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet between shoulder and hip-width apart.
2. Raise your dumbbells to shoulder height and rest one end on your shoulders. Your hands should be parallel, with your thumbs pointing toward you. Your upper arms should be parallel to the floor. Pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your core.
3. Bend your legs and squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Go deeper if you can. Do not round your lower back.
4. Stand back up and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Quads, glutes, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Abductors, adductors, core, deltoid, triceps.

Benefits:

• A challenging exercise that’s ideal for more experienced exercisers.
• Increased upper body engagement.
• Requires and develops good upper body strength, mobility, and stability.

Tips:

• Stretch your lats, shoulders, and chest before doing this exercise to make racking the dumbbells easier.
• Raise your heels on weight plates or blocks to increase squat depth and keep your torso more upright for a more intense quads workout.
• Move your hands forward and hold the dumbbell handle by the furthest end to make supporting the weight a little easier.

5. Single-arm dumbbell overhead squat

While you’d be forgiven for thinking that a single-arm squat should be pretty easy, this is actually one of the most demanding exercises on our list. Holding a weight overhead will challenge your balance, mobility, and core strength. So, don’t go too heavy too soon; this is a very humbling exercise.

Steps:

1. Press and hold a dumbbell above your head. Step out and into a shoulder-width stance. Turn your toes slightly outward. Brace your core and stabilize your shoulder.
2. Without leaning sideways, bend your knees and squat down until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor. Keep your overhead arm vertical.
3. Stand back up and repeat.
4. Rest a moment, swap arms, and do the same number of reps on the opposite side.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Quads, glutes, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Deltoids, triceps, abductors, adductors, core.

Benefits:

• An excellent exercise for developing better balance, mobility, stability, and core strength.
• Makes a small weight feel very heavy, so ideal for home lifters with minimal equipment to train with.
• An effective way to identify and fix left-to-right strength and mobility imbalances.

Tips:

• Start light – this exercise is more strenuous than it looks.
• A wider stance is generally easier than a narrow one.
• You can also do this exercise with two dumbbells held overhead, which is a VERY challenging exercise.

6. Dumbbell split squat

Most types of dumbbell squats load your legs evenly. However, when you do split squats, about 60% of your weight ends up on your front leg, providing some welcome overload for your quads. This is an excellent option if you only have light dumbbells to train with but still want to work your quads a little harder.

Steps:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms by your sides. Step forward and into a split stance, one foot in front of the other. Rise up onto the ball of your rear foot. Brace your core, and pull your shoulders down and back.
2. Bend both legs and lower your rear knee down to about an inch above the floor.
3. Stand back up and repeat.
4. Rest a moment, swap legs, and then repeat. Do the same number of reps on both sides.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Quads, glutes, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Abductors, adductors, core, forearms.

Benefits:

• An effective way to overload the quadriceps and glutes of the front leg.
• Good for improving balance, coordination, and hip mobility.
• An excellent precursor to lunges and other more demanding single-leg exercises.

Tips:

• Do this exercise next to a wall for balance if necessary.
• Lower your rear knee down AND forward to further increase quads engagement.
• Descend slowly but ascend quickly to increase muscle engagement and develop muscle power.

7. Dumbbell Bulgarian split squat

The dumbbell Bulgarian split squat builds on the foundation of the regular split squat and increases the workload on your front leg. In addition, it involves a larger range of motion and requires even better balance. In short, this is an excellent dumbbell squat exercise!

Steps:

1. Stand with your back to an exercise bench. It should be 2-3 feet behind you. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms by your sides. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
2. Bend one leg and place your foot on the bench behind you, shoelaces facing downward.
3. Bend both legs and lower your rear knee down to within an inch of the floor. Most of the weight should be on your front leg, with your rear leg mainly providing balance and support.
4. Stand back up and perform the specified number of reps.
5. On completion, rest a moment, swap legs, and repeat. Try to do the same number of reps with both legs.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Quads, glutes, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Abductors, adductors, core, forearms.

Benefits:

• A challenging exercise even if you only use light dumbbells.
• Good for improving mobility and balance.
• An excellent exercise for athletes, especially runners and racket sports players.

Tips:

• Place your front foot on a raised platform to increase your range of motion.
• Use lifting straps if your forearms tend to fatigue before your legs.
• You can also do this exercise with a single dumbbell held in front of your chest, i.e., goblet Bulgarian split squats.

Dumbbell Squat FAQs

Do you have a question about dumbbell squats or leg training in general? No sweat – we’ve got the answers!  

1. How many reps should I do of dumbbell squats?

It’s generally accepted that to build muscle, you should do anywhere from 6-35 reps per set, taking each to within a couple of reps of failure. This contrasts somewhat with previous advice to train from 6-12 reps per set.

However, given that high-rep leg training can be very draining and puts a lot of stress on your cardiovascular system, it’s probably best to train in the 6-20 rep range for most dumbbell squats. This will also make your workouts a little more time efficient.

But, if you are training for brute strength, you should use heavier weights – typically 85% or more of your 1RM – and do 1-5 reps per set.

2. Are dumbbell squats good for building muscle mass?

Yes indeed! Dumbbell squats are great for building muscle, especially in the quadriceps and glutes. Take your sets close to failure, and you should experience muscle growth. However, you must also train your legs often enough and with enough volume to optimize growth. Your diet and lifestyle (sleep, stress, rest, recovery, etc.) also need to support your workouts if you want to maximize your progress. 

3. Which is better for building strength – barbell or dumbbell squats?

Because barbell squats allow you to lift more weight, they’re usually the better choice for building absolute strength. Dumbbell squats WILL make you stronger, even if you lift light to moderate weights, but if you want to get REALLY strong, heavy weights and barbells are the way to go.

4. How often should I do dumbbell squats?

Most lifters should train their legs twice per week, e.g., Monday and Thursday. This makes it much easier to accumulate enough volume to trigger increases in strength and muscle growth, i.e., 10-20 sets per week.

However, that doesn’t mean you have to do the same dumbbell squat variation every time you train.

In fact, you’ll probably get better results (and experience less boredom) if you do a few different types of dumbbell squats, e.g., classic dumbbell squats one day and dumbbell goblet squats the next.

You COULD train your legs three times per week, but this is probably overkill for most people and could result in overtraining if you don’t manage your recovery correctly.

5. Are dumbbell squats enough to build bigger hamstrings?

While all types of dumbbell squats involve your hamstrings, they’re not the most dominant muscle group. Rather, it’s your quadriceps and hamstrings that are doing most of the work. So, if you want to develop your hamstrings to their maximum potential, you must also train them directly with exercises like leg curls and Romanian deadlifts.

6. Are dumbbell squats safe?

Provided you perform them correctly, dumbbell squats are a very safe exercise. By correctly, we mean you use an appropriate weight, descend under control, avoid bouncing out of the bottom of the movement, don’t round your lower back, and don’t snap your knees straight when you stand back up.

In fact, it could be argued that dumbbell squats are safer than the barbell version as you won’t get trapped under a heavy weight if you cannot complete a rep.

7. What should I do if my forearms fail before my legs during dumbbell squats?

It’s common for your forearms to fail before your legs, especially when using heavy weights or doing high-rep sets. Avoid this problem by:

• Doing dumbbell goblet or front squats instead of the classic arms-by-your-sides variations.
• Apply chalk to your hands before each set so your hands are dry and the dumbbells are less likely to slip from your fingers.
• Using lifting straps to reinforce your grip.
• Using a hook grip, where you hold your thumb under your first finger to increase friction on the handles.
• Working on your grip strength to eliminate this weak link once and for all.

Read also: Dumbbell Squat vs. Barbell Squat

Wrapping Up

No barbell or squat rack? No problem! You can train your legs using any of these dumbbell squat variations. Each one works your quads and glutes and, to a lesser extent, your hamstrings too.

That said, the barbell back squat is called the king of exercises for a reason – it ROCKS!

So, if you can do back squats, and they match your training goals, there is a laundry list of reasons to include them in your leg workouts. Very few exercises have the potential to build lower body muscle mass and strength like the barbell back squat.

The main thing to remember is that friends don’t let friends skip leg day, and ideally, you should train your legs twice a week. So, whether you use dumbbells or a barbell, make sure you do your squats!

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