Dumbbell Deadlift

The deadlift is also known as the king of all exercises. Looking at the list of muscles involved above, you can infer why.

The calf muscles bring the lower legs, which extend forward, back into alignment above the ankles when you stand up and also provide stability throughout the entire movement.
The quadriceps work hard to extend the knees.
The hamstrings and glutes work to bring the upper body upright by aligning the thighs and back.
The erector spinae, which runs along the spine, helps straighten the back.
The abdominal muscles mainly provide stability (the rectus abdominis acting as an antagonist to the erector spinae and the obliques braking lateral tilting).
The muscles in the upper back and neck engage to pull the shoulders up and back.

Dumbbell deadlift execution

1
Bend your knees in a controlled manner. Allow your torso to move forward naturally to lower the dumbbells until they are just above the floor. Maintain the natural curve of your back and prevent it from rounding. You do this partly by lowering your glutes far enough. Make sure your knees point in the same direction as your feet.
2
Push your heels firmly into the floor to bring yourself up.
3
Continue until your legs are almost straight and your back is upright with its natural curve. Just as when you normally stand upright. Do not extend it too far and therefore do not create an exaggerated curve in your back at the end of the movement (no hyperextension).
4
Repeat.

Dumbbell deadlift

Muscles involved:

Legs:

Quadriceps (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris)
Hamstrings
Sartorius

Glutes:

Gluteus maximus, medius and minimus

Pelvis:

Iliacus (hip flexor)
Psoas major (hip flexor)

Calves:

Gastrocnemius
Soleus

Abdomen:

Rectus abdominis (rectus abdominis muscle)
Obliquus externus abdominis (external oblique muscle)
Obliquus internus abdominis (internal oblique muscle)
Transversus abdominis (transverse abdominal muscle, 'corset muscle')

(Lower) back and spine:

Erector spinae
Lumbar multifidus
Quadratus lumborum

Back and neck:

Trapezius
Rhomboids
Levator scapulae

Dumbbell deadlift setup

Stand with the dumbbells in your hands, with the dumbbells just in front of your legs and your palms facing backward.
Place your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart.
Tighten your abs and glutes like a natural weightlifting belt to protect your back.

Dumbbell deadlift technique

There are many variations of the deadlift. There is also much debate about the 'normal' execution. For example, about how far apart the feet should be, whether you should push from the heels or the balls of the feet, and about bracing the abs. The 'optimal' execution may also depend on your personal proportions, mobility and other physical characteristics.

In the execution described above, we assume you push from the heels because this is considered the safest option. Pushing from the heel places more emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes. Pushing off from the ball of the foot places more emphasis on the quadriceps, but also places a greater load on the knees.