You might not want a workout that mixes cardio with muscle-building exercises so this is for people who love lifting weights and want to do exactly that. No burpees or jumping or equipment requirements except for a set of medium to heavy dumbbells and some motivation. As a personal trainer I always look for ways to challenge my clients and keep them engaged while focusing on the basics of building muscle which is known as hypertrophy. These basics are progressive overload which means slowly increasing volume over time along with consistency & recovery.
On top of that while I am not a dietician or nutritionist I will recommend a high-protein diet to support muscle growth. This 15-minute dumbbell workout is a recent workout of mine that I created one evening when feeling restless at home. It is guaranteed to create a serious burn for your muscles and support muscle growth and help you reach your movement goals for the day. It is done standing so no moving from high to low positions which can be tricky if you have limited mobility.
Which Dumbbell Exercises Are Included?
1. Dumbbell Cossack squat The Cossack squat tests mobility & balance along with stability and lower-body strength. It works your core & hips plus glutes and quads and hamstrings and calves while improving your posture and leg power. Focus on keeping your upper body tall without leaning forward and drive through your bent leg to stand as you switch sides. For those with tight ankles you should not lower down as far and focus on keeping your heel flat on the ground. Ankle mobility exercises can help you sit lower into the squat if this is a problem area for you. How to do the Cossack squat
2. Dumbbell step-ups Step-ups are both functional and strengthening because they improve your ability to push through your legs to stand up. This mimics hiking & climbing or walking up the stairs. Focus on placing your foot flat on a raised box or bench and then driving through that leg to stand on the box. Step down with the opposite leg and then switch sides. The taller the box is the harder this exercise becomes. How to do step-ups
Daily chest routine after 50 rebuilds muscle better than bench press and improves pressing control
3. Dumbbell wide & narrow shoulder press If you like to mix up your grips with narrow presses and wide presses then this is your chance to incorporate both. The wide press targets more of your medial deltoids which are your shoulders. The narrow grip hits more of the front delts and triceps. Some people find this easier for heavier loads but it uses less range of motion overall. Keep your press strict which means using your core and upper body to drive the weights rather than your legs. How to overhead press
4. Dumbbell bentover row Bentover rows use a pulling motion to hit the back and biceps. You can use a wide grip to hit more of the mid and upper back and trapezius muscles. For this workout you should aim to keep your elbows tucked and adopt a narrow grip. This hits more of your latissimus dorsi which is the large wide flank of muscle that sits like a V-shape on the back and aids movement like swimming and pulling and breathing. Using dumbbells will help you focus evenly on your left & right sides rather than one side taking over to initiate the pull. How to do the bentover row
5. Dumbbell squat press The squat press combines upper and lower body strength work which makes it a full-body exercise. You will squat while working your hips and glutes and quads and hamstrings and then drive the weights overhead while working your chest & triceps & core and shoulders. Focus on shelving the weights at your shoulders and driving through your legs and core to bring the weights overhead. Keep your arms close to your body as you press the dumbbells. This is about balance and stability too so try not to rush your reps. Ensure you get good depth on your squats & a full press out during the overhead push. What is the dumbbell workout? It is simple. Start with 20 reps of each exercise which should be unbroken if you can or two sets of 10. Then drop to 18 reps and then 16 and so on until you reach 0. As the reps get smaller you should try to go unbroken. You need to choose weights that allow you to break into two sets at most. If you need any more rest then you are lifting too heavy. Set a 15-minute timer and see if you can finish. Either reduce the timer or increase the weights if you do. If you do not finish then think about lighter weights or extending your time cap.
