“It’s the move I’d put in everyone’s hands on day one”—a trainer recommends this one dumbbell exercise for people who are new to strength training

Female trainer corrects position of woman performing goblet squat with a kettlebell in a gym — (Image credit: Getty Images / Westend61)

Strength training is one of the best ways to ensure you can keep moving well for longer as you get older.

Using weights can seem intimidating at first, but once you master a few fundamental movements, there’ll be no stopping you.

Stevie Griffin, a trainer at the workout app Ladder and specializes in dumbbell workouts, has a top strength exercise for total newbies.

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“The goblet squat is one of my favorite exercises because I truly believe it’s one of the best movements for building a strong foundation,” Griffin explains.

“It teaches you how to squat with great form, brace your core, and build real lower body and total body strength all at once,” she tells Fit&Well.

“It’s the move I’d put in everyone’s hands on day one.”

According to the trainer, it also translates well to everyday movement.

“Whether you’re sitting down, standing up from a chair, picking something up off the floor, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries, you’re using the same movement pattern,” Griffin says.

“Building strength in these foundational movements can make everyday tasks feel easier and help support mobility and independence as we age,” she adds.

How to do the goblet squat

Sets: 1 Reps: 8-15

How to do it:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart (or just wider) and your toes pointing slightly out. Keep your feet flat on the floor throughout the exercise.
Hold one end of a dumbbell with both hands close to your chest, elbows tucked in, shoulders back and core engaged.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to move your butt back and down, as if sitting into a chair, while keeping your chest upright.
Press through the full surface of your heels and squeeze your glutes to push back up to standing.
Make sure your knees don’t cave in during the movement.

Good form is essential during any type of strength training, but particularly when squatting in order to avoid injury and get the most benefits out of the movement.

Start with a light dumbbell or even a kettlebell and “focus on moving well before adding more weight,” Griffin advises.

Alice Porter is a freelance journalist covering lifestyle topics including health, fitness and wellness. She is particularly interested in women's health, strength training and fitness trends and writes for publications including Stylist Magazine, Refinery29, The Independent and Glamour Magazine. Like many other people, Alice's personal interest in combining HIIT training with strength work quickly turned into a CrossFit obsession and she trains at a box in south London. When she's not throwing weights around or attempting handstand push-ups, you can probably find her on long walks in nature, buried in a book or hopping on a flight to just about anywhere it will take her.