Dumbbell Deadlift

Muscles worked by the Dumbbell Deadlift

Primary

Lower BackErector SpinaeGlutesGluteus MaximusHamstringsHamstring Muscles

Secondary

LatsLatissimus DorsiQuadsQuadriceps FemorisTrapsTrapezius

Also called: erector spinae, spinal erectors, lower back muscles, back extensors, glute, glutes.

Equipment

Dumbbell

Also called: db, dumbell, hex dumbbell, rubber dumbbell, hand weight.

How to do the Dumbbell Deadlift

1. Stand with dumbbells in front of your thighs, feet hip-width apart.
2. Hinge at the hips and lower the dumbbells along your legs with a flat back.
3. Keep the dumbbells close to your shins throughout the descent.
4. Drive through your heels to return to standing.
5. Extend your hips fully at the top without hyperextending your lower back.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Brace your core before each rep to keep your spine stable.
• Balance your weight over midfoot rather than your toes.
• Keep your neck in line with your spine rather than looking up.

At a glance

Dumbbell Deadlift in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Barbell Deadlift
• Bodyweight Good Morning
• Deficit Deadlift
• Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
• Good Morning
• Hex Bar Deadlift
• Kettlebell Deadlift
• Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "dumbbell-deadlift",
  "name_en": "Dumbbell Deadlift",
  "name_de": "Kurzhantel Kreuzheben",
  "name_es": "Peso Muerto con Mancuernas",
  "description_en": "A deadlift variation using dumbbells held in front of the thighs, training the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.",
  "description_de": "Ein Kreuzheben mit Kurzhanteln, bei dem das Gewicht mit flachem Rücken entlang der Beine geführt wird, um die hintere Kette zu kräftigen.",
  "description_es": "Un peso muerto con mancuernas que fortalece la cadena posterior mediante un patrón de bisagra de cadera.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "pull",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "dumbbell",
  "body_part": "back",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "latissimus_dorsi",
    "quadriceps",
    "trapezius"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "shoulder_safe",
    "knee_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "deadlift",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand with dumbbells in front of your thighs, feet hip-width apart.",
    "Hinge at the hips and lower the dumbbells along your legs with a flat back.",
    "Keep the dumbbells close to your shins throughout the descent.",
    "Drive through your heels to return to standing.",
    "Extend your hips fully at the top without hyperextending your lower back.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stehe hüftbreit mit Kurzhanteln vor den Oberschenkeln.",
    "Beuge die Hüften und führe die Kurzhanteln mit geradem Rücken an den Beinen entlang nach unten.",
    "Halte die Kurzhanteln während des Absenkens nah an den Schienbeinen.",
    "Drücke durch die Fersen zurück in die Ausgangsposition.",
    "Strecke die Hüften oben vollständig durch, ohne den unteren Rücken zu überstrecken.",
    "Wiederhole die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Ponte de pie con las mancuernas frente a los muslos y los pies al ancho de las caderas.",
    "Inclínate desde las caderas y baja las mancuernas a lo largo de las piernas con la espalda recta.",
    "Mantén las mancuernas cerca de las espinillas durante el descenso.",
    "Empuja a través de los talones para volver a la posición de pie.",
    "Extiende completamente las caderas en la parte superior sin hiperlordosis lumbar.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Brace your core before each rep to keep your spine stable.",
    "Balance your weight over midfoot rather than your toes.",
    "Keep your neck in line with your spine rather than looking up."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Starte die Bewegung aus der Hüfte, nicht aus dem unteren Rücken.",
    "Spanne den Rumpf an, bevor du die Hüfte beugst.",
    "Halte den Nacken neutral und schau schräg nach vorn unten."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Empuja la cadera hacia atrás en lugar de redondear la espalda.",
    "Mira al frente o ligeramente hacia abajo para alinear el cuello.",
    "Levanta con las piernas y la cadera, no con la zona lumbar."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/dumbbell-deadlift-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/dumbbell-deadlift-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "dumbbell-deadlift");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.