The dumbbell split squat is a split squat with a weight in each hand. You set your feet in a long staggered stance, lower your back knee toward the floor and rise again, and your feet stay where they are between reps. The dumbbells hang by your sides and add load to the front leg without changing the movement. It usually comes after the bodyweight version feels easy.

How to do the dumbbell split squat

Stand tall holding a light dumbbell in each hand, arms straight by your sides and palms facing in.
Take a long step forward with one foot, keeping your feet about hip width apart side to side. The back heel lifts so you rest on the ball of that foot.
Keeping your chest up and the weights hanging straight down, bend both knees and lower yourself straight down. In the video the back knee comes to just above the floor, with both knees near a right angle. Stop at whatever depth you can still control.
Keep your front heel down and your front knee moving forward in line with your second toe.
Push through the whole front foot to rise, and stay in the same stance for the next rep.
After the last rep, step the front foot back to meet the other one, then repeat with the other leg in front.

What you should feel

Work in the front thigh and buttock of the front leg, and in your grip and shoulders as they hold the weights. A stretch at the front of the hip on the back leg is common.

Common mistakes

Letting the weights swing or pull your shoulders forward. Keep them hanging still.
The front knee falling in toward the middle.
Standing as if on a tightrope, with the back foot directly behind the front one.
Choosing a weight so heavy that you lean forward or rush the way down.

How often

Many programs use 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 on each leg, 2 or 3 times a week, often starting with light dumbbells of about 1 to 4 kg (2 to 9 lb) each, light enough that every rep stays smooth and controlled. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in the front knee, the hip or the groin, or a knee that buckles.
Knee pain that builds rep after rep, or is worse the next morning.
You lose your balance with the weights in your hands. Put them down, and next time use a lighter pair or keep one hand on a support.

From the clinic

Get the bodyweight split squat steady first, so your balance is settled before you add load. With a weight in each hand you cannot grab a support, so start light, or hold a single dumbbell and rest your free hand on a wall or counter. No dumbbells at home? Two full water bottles or shopping bags work the same way. When you finish, bend your knees and keep your back straight to put the weights down.

If you have high blood pressure, breathe steadily through every repetition and never hold your breath. If you are pregnant, check with your midwife or physio before you start. If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try dumbbell split squats. Some operations limit this kind of work for the first months, so the timing depends on your surgery. After a knee fracture or knee surgery, including a knee replacement, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Dumbbell split squat