Beginner workout plan with dumbbells
Two dumbbells, three workouts and four weeks is all you need to make dramatic gains in strength, muscle and cardio conditioning. That’s something I’ve discovered after years of tinkering with my own routine and drawing up training plans for a variety of personal training clients.
The key ingredient is consistency. I’d also add a dash of quality to that mix. Ensure you perform all of the movements in this plan with quality, stick with it consistently, and by the end of the four weeks you should notice significant improvements in your overall health and fitness.
What you need
I’ve tried to ensure that all of the exercises in this plan are achievable if you only have one set of dumbbells at your disposal, but these should be relatively heavy for you.
If you only have a set of 10kg dumbbells, for instance, that weight should be enough to challenge your lower-body strength with a goblet squat or Romanian deadlift, but also your upper-body strength with floor presses or one-arm bent-over rows.
For that reason, I haven’t included too many isolation exercises, like biceps curls or lateral raises, which require much lighter dumbbells.
If you need to buy dumbbells for your home, here are three quick recommendations for beginners.
Amazon Basics rubber hex dumbbell
Affordable and well-made, Amazon’s own-brand hex dumbbells are often on sale.
Another reliable brand which often discounts pairs of dumbbells on Amazon or Walmart.
Ready to commit to training with dumbbells at home? Buy this highly-recommended adjustable pair.
What if the dumbbell feels too light or heavy?
If the weight ever feels too heavy for some of the exercises, see if you can manage it with just one dumbbell or working one side of your body at a time, such as by turning the overhead press into a one-arm overhead press or pressing one dumbbell overhead, held in both hands.
Conversely, if the weight feels too light, slow your movements right down to keep your muscles under tension for longer.
You will most likely encounter this with the lower-body exercises like squats and Romanian deadlifts that recruit your biggest and strongest muscles. Slow down the eccentric, or lowering, phase of each rep for a count of 2-3 seconds and you should be feeling it by the end of each set.
Beginner workout plan overview
This 28-day workout plan is divided into three workouts per week.
- Lower-body push + upper-body pull
- Lower-body pull + upper-body push
- Full-body mobility + cardio + core
Split the workouts across your week, ideally with at least one day of rest between each. For example, aim to complete workout one on Monday, workout two on Wednesday and workout three on Friday, allowing two days of rest over the weekend.
Below you’ll find the three workouts, along with the target number of sets and reps to aim for each week. Rest for 30-60 seconds between sets.
For instance, 2 x 10 means 2 sets of 10 reps. So for the first exercise of the first workout, complete 10 goblet squats then rest for up to 60 seconds. Complete 10 goblet squats again, rest for 60 seconds, then move on to the next exercise.
Workout 1: Lower-body push + upper-body pull
The first workout consists of two lower-body lifts with two upper-body moves and a core finisher.
If any move is unfamiliar, take your time to learn the technique. I’ve linked each exercise name to in-depth exercise guides on Fit&Well or our sister site Coach.
|
Exercise |
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Goblet squat |
2 x 10 |
2 x 12 |
3 x 10 |
3 x 12 |
|
2. Lateral lunge |
2 x 6 each side |
2 x 8 each side |
3 x 6 each side |
3 x 8 each side |
|
3. One-arm row |
2 x 8 each side |
2 x 10 each side |
3 x 8 each side |
3 x 10 each side |
|
4. Upright row |
2 x 8 |
2 x 10 |
3 x 8 |
3 x 10 |
|
5. Reverse plank |
2 x 20sec |
2 x 30sec |
3 x 20sec |
3 x 30sec |
Workout 2: Lower-body pull + upper-body push
(Image credit: kieferpix / Getty Images)
The lower-body exercises in workout two target the powerful hamstrings and glutes, and are complemented with two pressing moves for the upper body and an isometric hold for the abs. Rest for 30-60 seconds between sets.
Workout 3: Full-body mobility + cardio + core
The third session in this beginner workout plan includes a mobility routine
(Image credit: Johner Images / Getty Images)
By using resistance exercises for your cardio sessions, as demonstrated in this third workout of your week, you can build muscle while keeping your heart rate elevated. This combination will keep your metabolism fired up long after your workout ends to support fat loss. And more muscle equals lower body fat long-term.
This workout begins with a mobility flow—a cut-down version of my go-to warm-up routine that gets all the muscles and joints firing—and ends with a core finisher.
The main cardio section of the workout is a 10-minute EMOM. This stands for Every Minute On the Minute.
Start a stopwatch and perform two reps of squats holding dumbbells at shoulder height, then two reps of push presses, then two burpees. Rest for the remainder of the minute, then repeat this sequence at the start of each minute. It should start relatively easy and get more challenging as you progress.
Once the 10 minutes are complete, rest for 2-3 minutes, then complete the core finisher as a circuit with minimal rest between exercises.
|
Exercise |
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Walkout |
1 x 5 |
1 x 5 |
1 x 5 |
1 x 5 |
|
World’s greatest stretch |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
|
Reverse lunge with rotation |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
|
Lateral lunge |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
|
Single-leg glute bridge |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
1 x 5 each side |
|
Exercise |
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Squat |
10 x 2 |
10 x 3 |
10 x 4 |
10 x 5 |
|
Push press |
10 x 2 |
10 x 3 |
10 x 4 |
10 x 5 |
|
Burpee |
10 x 2 |
10 x 3 |
10 x 4 |
10 x 5 |
|
Exercise |
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dead bug |
2 x 20sec |
2 x 30sec |
3 x 20sec |
3 x 30sec |
|
Side plank |
2 x 15sec each side |
2 x 20sec each side |
3 x 15sec each side |
3 x 20sec each side |
|
Bear crawl |
2 x 20sec |
2 x 30sec |
3 x 20sec |
3 x 30sec |
What should you do when you complete this four-week plan?
Give yourself a firm pat on the back—sticking with anything for four weeks is worth celebrating, let alone a full-body workout plan.
Then what? After four weeks, I’d recommend following something called a deload week. This involves reducing the volume of work you’re putting in to give your central nervous system a chance to recover.
But, rather than a complete rest, you should keep active. This could mean swapping a workout for a low-impact cycle, swim or hike. Or performing the same workout with just your bodyweight. Think of it like keeping the engine running while recharging your batteries.
A deload week every four weeks will minimize the risk of burnout and injury, helping keep everything fresh so you can attack the next four weeks with gusto.
Once you’re ready to get back to work, you could repeat this four-week plan, aiming to increase the sets and reps slightly to ensure progression. Or, if possible, using slightly heavier weights.
Don’t worry if you have to stick with the same weights, however. I’ve made use of a single pair of 15kg dumbbells at home for years.
Work out consistently, keep pushing yourself to progress, and, little by little, you’ll be amazed by how much your fitness will improve.
link
