10 Best Dumbbell Burpee Alternatives for Home Workouts
If you need a replacement for the Dumbbell Burpee, use exercises that reproduce knee extension and cardiovascular demand. Try jump squats, dumbbell thrusters, man-makers, kettlebell swings, or split-squat jumps. Cue: drive through the midfoot and fully extend hips and knees on the jump to maximize quad recruitment and power.
Original Exercise: Dumbbell Burpee
How to Perform Dumbbell Burpee
- Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand.
- Lower your body into a squat position, placing the dumbbells on the ground in front of you.
- Kick your feet back into a push-up position, keeping your body in a straight line.
- Perform a push-up, bending your elbows and lowering your chest towards the ground.
- Jump your feet back towards your hands, landing in a squat position.
- Stand up explosively, lifting the dumbbells off the ground and bringing them to your shoulders.
- Press the dumbbells overhead, fully extending your arms.
- Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders and repeat the entire sequence for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Dumbbell Burpee Alternatives
1. Burpee
73.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lower your body into a squat position by bending your knees and placing your hands on the floor in front of you.
- Kick your feet back into a push-up position.
- Perform a push-up, keeping your body in a straight line.
- Jump your feet back into the squat position.
2. Fast Skipping
73.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a relaxed position with one leg slightly forward. This will be your starting position.
- Skip by executing a step-hop pattern of right-right-step to left-left-step, and so on, alternating back and forth.
- Perform fast skips by maintaining close contact with the ground and reduce air time, moving as quickly as possible.
3. Elliptical Trainer
73.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- To begin, step onto the elliptical and select the desired option from the menu. Most ellipticals have a manual setting, or you can select a program to run. Typically, you can enter your age and weight to estimate the amount of calories burned during exercise. Elevation can be adjusted to change the intensity of the workout.
- The handles can be used to monitor your heart rate to help you stay at an appropriate intensity.
4. Barbell Bench Front Squat
65.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell resting on your upper chest, just below your collarbone.
- Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, keeping your elbows up and your upper arms parallel to the ground.
- Lower your body down into a squat position by bending at the knees and hips, keeping your back straight and your chest up.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom of the squat, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Barbell Bench Squat
65.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Set up a barbell on a squat rack at chest height.
- Stand facing away from the rack, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees and lower your body down into a squat position, keeping your back straight and chest up.
- Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and step back, ensuring your feet are still shoulder-width apart.
6. Barbell Wide Squat
65.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly outward.
- Hold the barbell across your upper back, resting it on your traps or rear delts.
- Engage your core and keep your chest up as you lower your body down into a squat, pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
- Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as low as you can comfortably go.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
7. Barbell Clean And Press
63.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell on the floor in front of you.
- Bend your knees and hinge at the hips to lower down and grip the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Drive through your heels and extend your hips and knees to lift the barbell off the floor, keeping it close to your body.
- As the barbell reaches your thighs, explosively extend your hips, shrug your shoulders, and pull the barbell up towards your chest.
- As the barbell reaches chest height, quickly drop under it and catch it at shoulder level, with your elbows pointing forward and your palms facing up.
8. Barbell Overhead Squat
63.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes slightly turned out.
- Hold the barbell with a wide grip, positioning it overhead with your arms fully extended.
- Engage your core and lower your body down into a squat position, keeping your chest up and knees tracking over your toes.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Dumbbell Supported Squat
62.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Keeping your chest up and core engaged, slowly lower your body down by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
- Continue lowering until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as low as you can comfortably go.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Dumbbell Single Leg Split Squat
62.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Take a step forward with one foot and position your feet so that your front foot is flat on the ground and your back foot is elevated on a bench or step.
- Lower your body by bending your front knee and hip, keeping your back knee slightly bent and your back heel off the ground.
- Continue lowering until your front thigh is parallel to the ground, then push through your front heel to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch legs and repeat.
Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Burpee Alternative
You may substitute dumbbell burpees because of shoulder or wrist pain, limited mobility, lack of dumbbells, or to vary stimulus. Burpees combine hip extension, knee extension and upper-body pressing; that mix stresses shoulders and wrists during push-ups and the knees during jumps. Choose a substitute to reduce joint load (avoid the push-up), preserve quad emphasis (prioritize knee-dominant moves), or scale intensity for conditioning. Technique cue: maintain a neutral spine and keep knees tracking over toes during squats to protect joints while keeping quadriceps tension.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Base your choice on goal, joint tolerance, and available equipment. For quad hypertrophy pick knee-dominant, controlled actions (e.g., Bulgarian split squats) and emphasize eccentric tempo to increase time under tension. For cardio and power, select explosive options (jump squats or thrusters) and cue full hip and knee extension on each rep. If you have shoulder or wrist issues, remove the push-up and use squat-to-press or kettlebell swings to preserve metabolic demand while reducing upper-body stress.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Dumbbell Burpee work?
The Dumbbell Burpee targets the quads through knee extension, the glutes and hamstrings via hip extension, and the chest, shoulders and triceps during the push-up. Your core stabilizes the movement throughout; cue: brace the core before the jump and maintain a neutral spine during the squat-to-press transition.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Dumbbell Burpee?
A jump squat is the best bodyweight option to match quad loading and conditioning. Cue: sit back slightly on descent, keep chest up, drive through the midfoot and fully extend hips and knees on the explosive ascent to maximize quadriceps activation.
Can I build muscle without doing Dumbbell Burpee?
Yes. You can build quad muscle with targeted resistance exercises like barbell back squats, Bulgarian split squats, and heavy dumbbell thrusters using progressive overload. Cue: emphasize a controlled eccentric and strong concentric knee drive to increase quad mechanical tension and hypertrophy.
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