Dumbbell Step Up

1. Stand facing a sturdy bench or box with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
2. Place one foot flat on the box, with the whole shoe on the surface.
3. Brace your core and keep your chest tall.
4. Drive through the heel of the elevated leg to lift your body up onto the box.
5. Stand fully upright on top, letting the trailing foot come up beside the working foot.
6. Step back down with the trailing leg first, lowering yourself under control.
7. Complete all reps on one leg before switching, or alternate legs each rep.

Common Mistakes

• Pushing off the bottom leg: springing off the floor foot turns the rep into a calf raise for the wrong leg. The top leg should do nearly all the lifting, with the bottom foot along for the ride.
• Choosing a box that is too high: a very tall box forces the torso to lurch forward and the hips to twist. Pick a height where your knee sits at or slightly above hip level and you can stay upright.
• Dropping off the box: falling to the floor instead of lowering under control wastes the eccentric and jars the knees. Step down slowly with the trailing leg reaching for the floor.
• Leaning the chest over the knee: folding forward shifts work to the lower back and makes balance worse. Keep the dumbbells heavy at your sides and your torso tall.