If you are looking to exercise and build muscle at home then some high-quality dumbbells are a great investment. Whether you select to purchase multiple fixed-weight dumbbells or an adjustable set, this workout routine will help you to develop muscle.
Exercise at your own risk
Where rep ranges are hyphenated – this denotes a rep range. For example, for dumbbell floor press, you want to complete 10 to 15 reps with perfect technique. Stop the exercise when your technique/form begins to falter.
Day 1
Exercise | Reps | Sets |
Dumbell chest floor press | 10-15 | 3 |
Dumbell chest flys (from the floor) | 10 | 2 |
Press-ups | max | 2 |
Lying tricep extensions | 6-12 | 2 |
Skull crushers | 6-12 | 2 |
Seated dumbbell tricep extensions | 10-15 | 2 |
Crunches | Max (with good form) | 2 |
Dorsal raises | Max | 2 |
Dumbbell wood chops | 8 a side | 3 |
Day 3
Exercise | Reps | Sets |
Dumbell one-arm row | 8-12 per side | 3 |
Dumbell rear delt flys | 6-12 | 2 |
Single leg Glute Bridges | 8-12 | 2 |
Lat pullovers | 10-15 | 2 |
Renegade Row | 10 per side | 2 |
Dumbbell bicep curls | 6-10 per arm | 2 |
Plank hold | 1 minute | |
Tib Raises | 10 | 2 |
Lunges | 20 (total) | 2 |
Floor Leg Raises | Max | 3 |
Day 5
Exercise | Reps | Sets |
Dumbell squats | 8-15 | 3 |
Dumbbell jumps | 6 | 3 |
Dumbbell seated shoulder press | 6-12 | 3 |
Dumbbell shrugs | 12 | 2 |
Dumbbell lateral raises | 8-15 | 2 |
Nordic curls (assisted to begin) | 10 | 2 |
Crunches | Max | 2 |
Single-leg hip raises | 10 a side | 2 |
Single leg calf raises | 10-20 per leg | 2 |
If you have limited space, and/or budget, adding a resistance band can add some great variety to your training. You want a thin band, without handles if you wish to combine it/them with a dumbbell.
In addition, a relatively light kettlebell can be used to perform a huge variety of exercises and can be easy to combine with a resistance band for variable resistance. You’ll need to create an anchor point to attach the resistance band too, or just stand on it/them.
Some of the exercises in the routine above are demonstrated in these videos:
Floor Dumbbell Chest Press
Floor Chest Fly
Lying Tricep Extensions
Dumbbell Lat Pullovers
Download the pdf workout programme here: