The Ultimate Beginners Dumbbell Workouts
30th Aug 19
Dumbbells are some of the most popular pieces of exercise equipment in the world, and some of the most famous too, for a good reason. They are an incredibly versatile piece of equipment when it comes to your arsenal of exercise, and you’re never short on dumbbell workouts to choose from either.
You can use them for training almost every muscle group in the body, and extremely effectively at that. Many of us don’t really think past using dumbbells for the classics; the bicep curl, the chest press, but they’re often left out when it comes to the rest of the major muscle groups. We’re here to change that.
These dumbbell workouts are reasonably simplistic since they’re aimed at beginner to intermediate lifters and can be realistically done by most people of any fitness level. Just make sure you take the steps before exercising to make sure you don’t cause any damage to yourself. (Warming up is always worth the extra time. Trust us.)
Ensure you spend a while warming up the muscles you are going to be working on so that you don’t pull any muscles, and make sure that you’re using a weight that is suitable for you, or you could well be wasting your time. Sometimes it is also helpful to do some research into the exercises you’re going to be performing to really ensure that you know the technique properly and perform the exercises as well as you possibly can.
Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.
Back & Biceps
The first group we will cover is the back and biceps area. Make sure you are actively paying attention to these muscles during the full dumbbell workout in order to feel the best results. (The mind-muscle connection is a big thing after all).
These muscles complement each other nicely and are a logical pairing when it comes to a workout. It’s a great idea to make a note of your performance, like how long it takes and what you are able to do, for future reference and track your progress.
| Muscle group | Exercise | Reps | Rest |
| Back | Single Arm Rows | 3×10 | 45 Seconds |
| Bent Rows | 3×10 | 45 Seconds | |
| Dumbbell Deadlift | 3×10 | 45 Seconds | |
| Biceps | Hammer Curl | 3×10 | 45 Seconds |
| Standard Curls | 3×10 | 45 Seconds |
Watch the workout here:
Chest & Triceps
The next dumbbell workout muscle pairing is the chest and the triceps. These are arguably some of the best-suited muscles for a dumbbell workout by anyone’s standard. In any scenario, they’re some of the strongest and easiest to work with dumbbells and can be done almost anywhere with no other equipment needed. Again, that’s useful for home or gym workouts.
Pro tip: Perform the chest exercises flat on the floor to avoid bringing your arms too low on relaxing. That helps really maximise the effort you can put into the workout without much risk of injury.
It’s ideal for working the chest before the triceps due to the support needed from the triceps and the likely possibility of them becoming fatigued first. Working the triceps first will almost definitely lead to difficulty doing most chest exercises. However, that’s how most push/pull/legs workout routines work to help maximise progress.
| Muscle group | Exercise | Reps | Rest |
| Chest | Chest Press | 4×12 | 45 Seconds |
| Dumbbell Flyes | 4×12 | 45 Seconds | |
| Straight Arm Pullover | 4×12 | 45 Seconds | |
| Triceps | Overhead Extensions | 4×12 | 45 Seconds |
| Tricep Kickbacks | 4×12 | 45 Seconds |
Watch the workout here:
Legs & Shoulders
The legs are a very large, versatile muscle group. They require more effort to work for many people, which is not a good thing. To try and help, we’ve taken this into account by upping the rep standard so that you can really make the most of your efforts and see the best results every time you do the dumbbell workouts. Make sure to warm up and cool down properly, or you may well regret it the next couple of days!
| Muscle group | Exercise | Reps | Rest |
| Legs | Squats | 3×10 | 45 Seconds |
| Lunges | 3×10 | 45 Seconds | |
| Calf Raises | 3×10 | 45 Seconds | |
| Shoulders | Shoulder Press | 3×10 | 45 Seconds |
| Shrugs | 3×10 | 45 Seconds |
Watch the workout here:
Abs
As well as these dumbbell workouts, the abs also need training in order to see impressive results across the full-body, depending on what you are aiming to achieve with your toning.
These exercises are not too demanding and should be done at least with every other workout, with the potential for more as you see fit due to the abs being almost impossible to damage from overuse. Just hold the dumbbell securely as you do them for more advanced results. Training your abs with weights is a great way to do it, after all.
| Muscle group | Exercise | Time | Rest |
| Abs | Russian Twists | 45 seconds | 45 Seconds |
| Sit-Ups | 45 seconds | 45 Seconds | |
| Wood Chops | 45 seconds | 45 Seconds |
Watch the workout here:
Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.
If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.
5% off
