This page includes split beginner dumbbell workouts, and a full body dumbbell workout. These workouts will help with toning up your body, burning body fat aka reducing your body fat percentage, and building muscle mass.
If you can only have one piece of exercise equipment for the home it should be dumbbells. They offer a large amount of variety in the exercises that can be performed with them. Because of the amount of freedom you have using dumbbells they are often better for performing those exercises.
Dumbbell Vs Barbell
Dumbbells offer more freedom for increased movement, which makes them better for almost all exercises that can be performed by either dumbbells or barbells. Example, dumbbell bench press allows you to bring your arms down further, you can increase the tension on your chest muscles by squeezing the dumbbells together and tensing your pectorals. You can also rotate your forearms during the exercise to change the focus of the exercise. Dumbbells are also easier to travel with and less dangerous to use around the home.
Exercise Variety
They enable you to effectively train all your major muscles, with a large variety of exercises.
Great Dumbbell Exercises
- Bench press
- Shoulder press
- Shoulder raises
- Lat Rows
- Squats
- Lunges
- Bicep curls
- Tricep extensions
Many of the above exercises have many variations
Beginner Dumbbell Workouts
| Back & Triceps | ||
|---|---|---|
| Exericse | Sets | Reps |
| Single arm dumbbell lat rows | 4 | 10 each arm |
| Bent over single arm tricep extensions/kick backs | 3 | 10 each arm |
| Single arm row - drop set | 4 | 8 - 10 each arm |
| Over head tricep extensions | 3 | 10 |
| Chest & Bicep | ||
|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Dumbbell bench press | 4 | 8 - 10 |
| Pull overs | 4 | 8 - 10 |
| Alternating bicep curls | 3 | 8 - 10 |
| Concentration curls | 3 | 8 - 10 |
| Deltoid & Trapezius | ||
|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Shoulder press | 4 | 8 - 10 |
| Side shoulder raises | 4 | 10 |
| Alternating front shoulder raises | 4 | 10 each arm |
| Shrugs | 4 | 10 |
| Legs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Squats | 4 | 10 |
| Lunges | 4 | 10 each leg |
| Calf raises | 4 | 10 |
| Full Body Dumbbell Workout | ||
|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Shoulder press | 3 | 8 - 10 |
| Bench press | 4 | 8 - 10 |
| Side shoulder raises | 3 | 10 |
| Alternating bicep curls | 3 | 10 each arm |
| Bent over tricep extensions/kick backs | 3 | 10 each arm |
| Lunges | 3 | 10 each leg |
| Squats | 4 | 10 |
| One arm lat rows | 4 | 10 each arm |
Building Muscle / Toning / Weight loss
- Dumbbell workouts can be used to achieve all three. If you are looking to build muscle you will need dumbbells with adjustable plates with a maximum weight that is enough to place your muscles under enough stress to trigger muscle growth. Muscle growth will also aid with calorie and fat burning.
- Light weights and high reps for muscle toning and weight loss.
Other Recommended Equipment
Pull up bar – Pull ups are an excellent upper back exercise, one of the few great exercises that cannot be performed with dumbbells. The pull up bar can also be used for hanging leg and knee raises which is one of the best and most effective abdominal exercises that you can do. Best exercise equipment for the home.
