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Dumbbell Lying Femoral animation

How to do the Dumbbell Lying Femoral

LegsQuadsDumbbellIntermediate

The dumbbell lying femoral is a rare isolation movement that places the quads under deep stretch and direct tension, a combination most lifters never experience with standard exercises. Master this and you will unlock quad development that squats and leg presses simply cannot reach on their own.

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Muscles worked

Primary
Quadriceps
Secondary
GlutesHamstringsCalves

Step-by-step

  1. Lie face-up on a flat bench and secure a dumbbell vertically between your feet by gripping it with the arches of both soles.
  2. Let your legs hang off the end of the bench with knees slightly bent as your starting position, feeling the stretch through the quads.
  3. Drive your feet upward in a controlled arc by extending the knees until your legs are nearly parallel to the floor, squeezing the quads hard at the top.
  4. Lower the dumbbell slowly back to the start over a 3-count, resisting gravity to maximize time under tension through the full range.

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the legs up with momentum instead of muscular control, which removes tension from the quads and risks losing the dumbbell, so slow the concentric down and own every inch.
  • Letting the hips rise off the bench during the lift, which shifts stress away from the quads, so press your lower back firmly into the pad throughout the set.
  • Choosing a dumbbell that is too heavy and cutting the range of motion short, so select a weight that allows full knee extension with a genuine quad contraction at the top.

Pro tip — At the peak of each rep, dorsiflex your ankles by pulling your toes toward your shins while you squeeze the quads, this co-contraction significantly increases rectus femoris activation because the muscle crosses both the hip and the knee.

Sets & reps by goal

Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps

Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.

More Legs exercises

Barbell Bench Front SquatBarbell Bench Front SquatBarbell Front Chest SquatBarbell Front Chest SquatBarbell Full SquatBarbell Full SquatBarbell Good MorningBarbell Good MorningBarbell LungeBarbell LungeBarbell One Leg SquatBarbell One Leg Squat
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