Step-ups: how to do it
Main muscles: Rectus femoris, Gluteus maximus, Vastus medialis (teardrop). Helpers: Gluteus medius, Hamstrings. Below: step-by-step form, common mistakes, a muscle map, reps and rest, and what to swap it for.
Equipment
Dumbbells
Reps
8–12
Rest
105 s
Muscle group
Legs
How to do it
- Bench at knee height, dumbbells in the hands, torso upright.
- Place the whole foot on the bench and rise with the front leg, without pushing off the back one.
- Lower slowly and control the descent with the same leg.
Common mistakes
Pushing off the back leg, jumping up, using too high a step.
Muscles worked
primary·secondary
- Primary
- Rectus femoris, Gluteus maximus, Vastus medialis (teardrop)
- Secondary
- Gluteus medius, Hamstrings
A secondary muscle gets roughly half the stimulus of a set — that is also how the log’s stats count it.
Alternatives: similar exercises
Lunges
Dumbbells · Rectus femoris, Vastus medialis (teardrop), Gluteus maximus, Gluteus medius
Goblet squat
Dumbbells · Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop), Gluteus maximus
Bulgarian split squat
Dumbbells · Rectus femoris, Gluteus maximus, Vastus medialis (teardrop)
Back squat
Barbell · Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop), Gluteus maximus
Bodyweight squat
Bodyweight · Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop), Gluteus maximus
Leg press
Machine · Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop)
Log your sets — the app suggests the next weight
GymAssist tracks the load on each of 40 muscles, paints it on a body map and uses double progression to tell you when to add weight.
Free forever for the first 500