Written by Travis Halena | ACSM CPT
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
Few things showcase brute strength quite like the deadlift. In addition, whether you're an average gym goer, powerlifter, crossfitter, or athlete, the deadlift offers some serious benefits, making it a favorite for lifters everywhere. In fact, we feel pretty confident betting that the deadlift is already in your workout routine because it's just so good.
Now if you are a powerlifter set on only barbell deadlifting, we get it, and more power to you. But if you are a lifter looking for some workout variation, the dumbbell deadlift is a great option. We're going to discuss the dumbbell deadlift in detail, and we're certain that after reading up on it, you'll want in on some dumbbell action!
This post will discuss:
- What is a deadlift?
- Muscles worked during dumbbell deadlifts
- Benefits of dumbbell deadlifts
- Dumbbell deadlift vs. barbell deadlift
- How to do a conventional deadlift with dumbbells
- Dumbbell deadlift variations & programming tips
What is a deadlift?
A traditional deadlift is an exercise that requires lifting a loaded barbell off the ground. It is one of the three main powerlifting exercises, along with the squat and bench press. These three lifts are thought to be the gold standard of strength training.
The deadlift can be broken down into three parts while performing the exercise. The setup, the drive, and the lockout. The setup is unique in that it combines a squat and a hip hinge, more commonly referred to as a wedge. Getting down in this position can be difficult if your mobility is lacking.
The drive, which is also challenging, is an isometric pull of the upper body. This occurs while you simultaneously push the ground away with your legs, pulling the bar off the floor, and creating force. Finishing with the lockout is the most critical portion of the lift as you extend your hips toward the bar, ending in a locked-out standing tall position before lowering the weight back to the floor in reverse order.
As far as muscles worked, the deadlift is a full-body exercise. That is partially why it's so popular. It primarily targets the hamstrings, glutes, entire back, and trapezius muscles, while building grip and core strength.
The load you can use during a deadlift is partially what makes it so beneficial but also so dangerous if done improperly. These muscles all have to work together during the exercise, which significantly benefits hypertrophy, strength, and mobility. The heavy load can also contribute to form breakdown and injury if you are inexperienced, ego-lifting, or are not emphasizing muscle recovery enough between deadlift sessions.
With all of those moving parts, the traditional deadlift certainly isn't for everyone. Fortunately, whether you are a beginner, have mobility issues, injuries, or imbalances, or are not confident in lifting heavy loads just yet, there are plenty of alternatives to use instead.
It’s safe to say, whatever variation you choose, you will increase your full body strength, develop slabs of muscle all over your body, and have fun while doing it.
Can you do deadlifts with dumbbells?
Let's hammer one point home immediately. If your main goal is to use heavier weights, the barbell deadlift reigns supreme no matter what. Having said that, you can perform many variations with dumbbells and get great results.
The dumbbell deadlift allows you to achieve the same movement with similar benefits. Think of it as simply splitting the barbell in half and holding it in each hand.
Are deadlifts with dumbbells effective?
Dumbbell deadlifts may not look as sexy as the heavy barbell one rep max deadlift, but they carry the same benefits and are extremely effective. The dumbbell deadlift is particularly great for muscle hypertrophy. Hypertrophy will come from periods of high stress and mechanical tension as long as you eat to recover and fuel your body appropriately.
When you use dumbbells for a deadlift, you can do more reps while keeping tension on your muscles the entire time through a greater range of motion than a conventional barbell deadlift. More time under tension and a bigger range of motion mean muscle growth and better movement. You also are not limited by the bumper plates on the barbell, which helps with the deeper range of motion.
It’s also important to remember that you can still lift heavy dumbbells. You're not stuck using ten-pound weights the entire time. So, to circle back, dumbbell deadlifts are an effective alternative to the barbell deadlift.
What muscles do dumbbell deadlifts work?
All deadlifts will target the same muscles of the posterior chain - just about everything from the back of your neck to the back of your heels. That is what makes it such a beneficial exercise as it works the entire body. Here are some of the main muscle groups worked during the exercise.
- Glutes: The deadlift targets the glute maximus, medius, and minimus, especially during the lockout portion, where they work to bring your hip into the upright standing position. Strong glutes are a sign of a good athlete and help in sprinting, jumping, walking, throwing, and more. They also work with your core to protect your spine. You can glute kickback and booty band your life away, but nothing will build glutes like a deadlift.
- Hamstrings: The hamstrings help with hip extension as you complete the deadlift by moving into a standing position. These slabs of muscle on the back of your legs also assist with sprinting, walking, and jumping. The deadlift is an excellent hamstring exercise because it strengthens the hammies and the glutes as they function similarly to help the hip and protect the back.
- Quadriceps: Activated through knee extension when pushing the floor away, the deadlift is not a primary quad builder, but they still get in on some benefits as they work opposite the hamstrings.
- Lower back: Your erector spinae keeps your back flat, which is a vital part of the deadlift. Strengthening your lower back will improve posture and help keep you injury free.
- Lats: This large upper body muscle can be considered your wings. They help keep your back in a neutral position throughout the deadlift and keep the bar or dumbbells close to your body. Functioning in almost an isometric way to allow the rest of the muscles the ability to work more, the deadlift isn’t the best way to make them grow, but it does assist with improving their muscular strength.
- Traps: Your traps function in a similar way to your lats. They keep the shoulders in a neutral position during the exercise. The deadlift will do a great job at strengthening them in a full-body fashion.
- Forearm and Hand Muscles: There is nothing that is going to improve your grip strength quite like holding something heavy. Especially when holding a dumbbell in each hand, forcing them to work independently of each other, it's going to lead to a strong grip. All of the forearm and hand muscles are sure to increase in strength.
- Abdominal and Oblique Muscles: These core stabilizer muscles have a crucial role to play as they work opposite the spinal erectors. They ensure the low back doesn’t overextend, help stabilize the spine, and keep your back flat during the movement.
6 Benefits of dumbbell deadlifts
Whether you're trying to address imbalances, increase your range of motion, build muscle mass, or improve your grip strength, there are plenty of great reasons to incorporate dumbbell deadlifts into your routine.
And on top of these deadlifting benefits, it's also important to acknowledge the convenience dumbbell exercises offer. If you enjoy working out at home, it's probably more likely you have a pair of dumbbells lying around than you do an entire barbell plate set.
Let's dig into what makes dumbbell deadlifts so great.
1. Increase hypertrophy and build muscle:
Since you can complete more reps during a dumbbell deadlift, you will work more in the hypertrophy rep range. Your muscles will respond to the extra time under tension and are sure to grow and build muscle accordingly. You could also use this move to increase your muscular endurance.
2. Fix imbalances:
Dumbbells allow both sides of your body to work independently. This will help balance out anything uneven and help your body function optimally1.
3. Increase range of motion:
Without being limited by the weight plates and the floor, your body can move through a deeper range of motion compared to the barbell deadlift. This, along with increased time under tension, contributes directly to building muscle.
4. Improve Grip Strength:
It will help eliminate imbalances that can be missed when using a barbell and increase forearm and hand strength. The dumbbell deadlift is a great grip strength exercise.
5. Build confidence:
The dumbbell deadlift is more beginner-friendly than a barbell deadlift learning curve. This makes it a great option if you are new to exercise. It also is going to be safer for your body.
6. Improve posture:
All deadlifts will strengthen the muscles that support your spine and improve posture. With its greater range of motion and time under tension, the dumbbell deadlift may just be better for your posture than the traditional deadlift.
Dumbbell Deadlift vs Barbell Deadlift
It’s important to remember that these two movements are still simply a deadlift. They will have many of the same benefits but slightly different drawbacks.
The dumbbell deadlift is superior for anyone new to exercise as it is much safer. It's also great for lifters who prefer to work out at home, as opposed to the gym. Its main benefits are improved range of motion, time under tension, and correcting imbalances. The drawbacks are that it cannot be loaded as heavy, so it comes in second place to the barbell deadlift for true max strength and building muscle.
The barbell deadlift, as mentioned, is the king of true strength. If you are a powerlifter, Olympic lifter, or cross fitter, the barbell deadlift will always have a place in your program. Its drawbacks are that it has a higher chance of injury with the heavier loads it is known for.
It can also be tough to fix muscle imbalances with the barbell deadlift since you are not working on each side independently, but rather, working everything in unison on the bar. The learning curve for the barbell deadlift is also much higher, which increases your chance of injury if done incorrectly.
How to Perform the conventional deadlift with dumbbells
Unable to get to the gym to hit your barbell deadlifts, or have an imbalance you're trying to correct? Grab a pair of dumbbells, and follow this step by step guide for proper form.
How to do the Deadlift With Dumbbells:
- Holding a pair of dumbbells, stand with your feet directly under your hips, slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Hold the dumbbells to each side of your body with palms facing the sides of your body.
- Keep your arms straight, and shoulders pulled down. Maintain a feet shoulder-width position.
- Keeping your core tight and back flat, hinge forward by pushing your hips back and keeping your knees slightly bent.
- As your butt reaches back and your chest moves toward your thighs, lower down until you’ve reached your maximum range of motion. For some people, this may be the floor. For some, it may be just below the knees. Find your sweet spot, and don’t overdo it right away.
- Press through your heels, squeeze your hips forward, and drive your upper body back to the starting position while pulling with your arms as if you are pulling your hips into a bar.
- Repeat for indicated reps.
Form Tips and Common Mistakes to avoid
Form is everything when it comes to the dumbbell deadlift (or any deadlift variation, for that matter!). Here are 4 common mistakes, along with some form tips to help you master the move.
1. Make sure to hinge properly:
Often people have a hard time emphasizing the hip hinge, and instead, try to follow a squat pattern. Think of it as you are looking over the edge of a cliff. Make sure your back does not round, and your hips are reaching back behind you. Imagine your butt is being pulled back, and your head and spine are lengthening forward. You should be able to look over the cliff's edge without falling off.
2. Keep your back flat:
Like the hinge guidelines, take a deep abdominal breath before the rep and engage your core and back muscles to protect your spine. If you cannot keep it flat, drop down in weight until your muscles are strong enough to do so.
3. Keep Your Dumbbells Close to Your Body:
Keep the dumbbells close to your body as you move through the reps. This will ensure they don’t get too far away from you, putting you in a position where you are more likely to get injured.
4. Don’t look up:
It’s common to see people looking up during this exercise, which is an outdated tip. Keep your head flat with your back as your gaze naturally moves with your spine. If you focus on the ceiling, your head and neck will be in a position that makes it harder to keep your back flat.
How heavy should dumbbells be for deadlifts?
Similar to most fitness answers, it depends. It depends on everything from your rep range, experience level, confidence with the exercise, and the imbalances you have in the movement.
The main takeaway is that you can still lift as heavy as you can with dumbbells. For whatever rep range you are working, use heavy enough dumbbells that are challenging, and you do not have 3-5 more reps in the tank when finishing the last rep. Like any other move, progressive overload is essential. Respect the exercise and the progression needed before you move up in weight.
It also will depend on the variation of the deadlift you are performing. You're not going to be able to use as heavy of weights when performing a single-leg deadlift. A sumo deadlift will be a different stimulus than a conventional deadlift. Start on the lighter side for your warm-up sets and figure out what you can handle. And, don't progressive overload too quickly. Remember, you literally have the rest of your life to progress and keep adding weights.
Best Dumbbell Deadlift Variations
If at-home workouts are your go-to, then there is a good chance deadlifts with dumbbells are a regular part of your routine. If you need some dumbbell deadlift exercise variety, here are 4 other dumbbell deadlift alternatives to try.
1. Dumbbell Sumo deadlift:
The sumo position will have a wider stance and change the focus of the muscles worked. It will put a lot more strain on your adductors and glutes and shorten your range of motion while being a more back-friendly lift. This can be done with one heavy dumbbell or holding heavy weights in each hand in between your legs.
2. Romanian dumbbell deadlift:
This is essentially the deadlift version we have been discussing today, but you'll start with your weights to the front of your legs, using an overhand grip, with your palms facing your thighs. It will be the same as a conventional deadlift, with the main difference being that the weights do not touch the floor. The Romanian deadlift has amazing benefits, with a bigger range of motion and more time under tension.
3. Dumbbell stiff leg deadlift:
The stiff leg dumbbell deadlift looks almost identical to the RDL, but there will be much less knee bend, meaning it will activate the hamstrings even more. The fast twitch muscle fibers of the hamstrings love the straight leg deadlift, and focusing on your hammies in this way is great for sprinting at maximum speed.
4. Dumbbell SINGLE-LEG deadlift:
The single leg deadlift is great for fixing imbalances in the low back, hamstrings, and glutes. It’s the same motion as the Romanian deadlift, except one leg is working at a time. You can hold one weight with both hands, or one dumbbell in each hand, as you bring one leg back at a time.
Programming Tips
Ready to add dumbbell deadlifts to your leg workout? Follow these programming tips to get the best results out of this move.
When doing dumbbell deadlifts as an assistance exercise, aim for 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps after squats or deadlifts. You can do this exercise on the same day you do barbell deadlifts. If you are using dumbbell deadlifts in your at-home workout, try doing 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps to reach the hypertrophy and muscular endurance rep range.
It will take trial and error to see which variation and weights fit your programming and work best for you. But as you can see, there is space in any workout to add in a dumbbell deadlift variation.
You can even do multiple dumbbell deadlift variations in the same workout. A sample lower body day may include:
- Barbell Squats: 3x5
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts: 3x8
- Single-Leg Dumbbell Deadlifts: 2x12
- Dumbbell Sumo Deadlifts: 2x15
Deadlift With Dumbbells: A Convenient, Safe, & Effective Muscle-Building Exercise
Dumbbell deadlifts are packed with benefits, including their ability to help you build muscle. Unless you are an athlete dedicated to barbell leg exercises, dumbbells can be a much safer alternative with similar benefits as the barbell deadlift.
Plus, it's nice to know you can achieve muscle hypertrophy without loading up all those plates. So next workout, add one in and see what you think!
Related:
- 4 Deadlift Alternatives That'll Actually Build Size & Strength
- How & Why You Should Be Doing Deficit Deadlifts
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References:
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Kang, Sung Hwun, et al. “Alterations of Muscular Strength and Left and Right Limb Balance in Weightlifters after an 8-Week Balance Training Program.” Journal of Physical Therapy Science, vol. 25, no. 7, 2013, pp. 895–900, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3820381/, 10.1589/jpts.25.895. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019.
Travis Halena
Author