How to Do Dumbbell Squats?

Introduction

In this post, we will tell you more about squats with a dumbbell. You will see how squatting with just a dumbbell set is everything you need to develop great looking and strong legs, and how you can do many squat variations with just this piece of gym equipment. 

How to Do It 

There are many ways to perform the dumbbell squat weight training exercise, but the most classic one is with dumbbells on your side:

1. Stand up straight, holding a dumbbell in each hand
2. Let your hands hang to your sides, dumbbells touching your outer thighs, at full arm's length
3. Now, bend from your knees and hips, lowering your body down into a squat
4. Let the dumbbells naturally travel towards the floor, without flexing your elbows or shoulders
5. Continue lowering your body until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor
6. Stop at the bottom for a brief moment, and slowly return back to the starting position
7. Repeat to the prescribed number of reps and sets

You can also change the position of the weights. For example, you can hold them in a front rack position to simulate the front squat. Or, if you want to challenge yourself, even more, you can try doing squats while holding dumbbells in hands fully extended above your head. Or, you can hold one heavy dumbbell in front of your chest, in a "goblet" position. With dumbbells, the options are limitless, and the more creative you get, the more you will activate your muscles.

Dumbbell Squat Benefits

The key benefit of dumbbell squats is that they are simple to execute. Mastering a barbell squat takes a lot of practice, while the dumbbell version is much simpler to do. Also, the dumbbell squat is much safer to do alone, as you don't need a spotter or a squat rack. If you can't complete the rep, you can just drop the weight to the floor, and no harm is done.

Also, dumbbells are much more convenient and much cheaper too, which means any home gym must have them. While it's true that you can't use as much weight, you can do different squat variations to overload your muscles, such as the split squat, Bulgarian split squat, jump squat, sumo squat, and others. Mixing these up will allow you to work out your muscles harder, but will also keep exercising interesting, as it won't get stale.

Conclusion

Doing squats with dumbbells is one of the best ways to hit quads, especially when barbells are unavailable. Therefore, please don't ignore this exercise, as it can help you develop massive legs.

And all you need to perform them is to buy dumbbells online. At Strength & Fitness, we offer the best home fitness equipment for sale  in the whole of Ireland, from renowned manufacturers. You can start with dumbbells, but later, you can expand your gym & Fitness equipment roster with other items, such as benches, barbells, and cable machines. We have them all, and we are sure you can find everything you need in our store, no matter the budget, so check it out now.