Recently, the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle has become increasingly evident.
With the challenges of busy schedules and limited access to gyms, finding effective at-home workout routines has become a priority for many.
One such workout that has proven versatile and efficient is the at-home dumbbell workout.
This article will explore my personal at-home dumbbell workout routine, designed to target various muscle groups and enhance overall fitness.
At Home Workout
You probably want to get in shape and lose weight but don’t want to join a gym or class.
A home gym is your best choice if you’re new to weight training and don’t want to spend an arm and a leg.
I lifted weights for the first time when I was thirteen years old.
My dad had a YMCA membership and sometimes took my brother and me. I used the weight machines with plates and a pin instead of free weights because I wasn’t comfortable with free weights yet.
I began to lift weights regularly in High School in the winter after football season was over in my first year. I wasn’t very strong. I could only bench 125 lbs. However, by the middle of my senior year, I could bench well over 320 lbs and easily rep 225 lbs without a spotter 15 or more times.
I worked out regularly throughout high school but not necessarily consistently. I would go a month or two sometimes and never touch a weight.
I never took roids, creatine, or performance-enhancing drugs in high school. If I had, my bench would have been way higher.
What Are Dumbbells?
A Dumbbell is a short metal bar with a weight at each end. It is typically used in pairs for exercise or muscle-building. Dumbbells are thought to have originated as hand-held weights in ancient Greece.
[Please read my Ben Greenfield Masterclass
- Getting Started: Equipment and Setup
Before starting the workout, it’s crucial to have the right equipment. For this routine, you only need a set of dumbbells with adjustable weights, which can be easily purchased and stored at home. Set up a designated workout space with enough room to move freely and ensure safety.
- Warm-Up: Preparing Your Body
A proper warm-up is essential to prevent injuries and prepare your body for the workout. I start with light cardio, such as jumping jacks or jogging in place, followed by dynamic stretches to loosen up muscles. This helps increase blood flow and flexibility.
- Full-Body Circuit: Maximizing Efficiency
My at-home dumbbell workout revolves around a full-body circuit to ensure I engage various muscle groups in one session. The circuit includes exercises such as:
a. Goblet Squats: Targets legs, glutes, and core.
b. Bent-Over Rows: Works on the upper back and biceps.
c. Lunges with Dumbbell Press: Engages the legs, shoulders, and triceps.
d. Russian Twists: Focuses on the core.
e. Dumbbell Chest Press: Strengthens the chest and triceps.
Perform each exercise in a circuit with minimal rest between them. This saves time and increases your heart rate, contributing to cardiovascular fitness.
- Progressive Overload: Adapting to Challenge
To continue seeing results, it’s essential to challenge your muscles progressively. Gradually increase the weight of your dumbbells as you become more comfortable with the routine. This ensures your muscles are continually stimulated, promoting strength and endurance gains over time.
- Cool Down and Stretching: Supporting Recovery
After completing the circuit, take time for a cool-down. This includes static stretches targeting major muscle groups. Stretching aids in muscle recovery, reduces soreness, and enhances flexibility.
- Consistency is Key: Establishing a Routine
The effectiveness of any workout routine lies in its consistency. Schedule regular sessions for your at-home dumbbell workout and make it part of your daily or weekly routine. Consistency is the key to achieving and maintaining fitness goals.
How to Workout with Dumbbells at Home
My basement is my workout room. In 2019, I began weight-lifting again. I bought an adjustable Weider bench from Goodwill for $20. It is in brand new condition. Also, it is adjustable to do inclines and declines, too.
I bought a Gold’s Gym Home Gym at a yard sale, brand new in the box, for $5.
You’re supposed to mount it to the back of a door, but I don’t have a door in my basement. Instead, I mounted a 2″x 6″ piece of wood to a wall in my basement and mounted the Gold’s Home Gym.
The home gym is great for warming up my muscles before using dumbbells.
I also built a pull-up bar in my basement using galvanized plumbing pipe and mounted it to the ceiling. Sometimes, I hang from it to stretch out my back.
I also use two 35-pound dumbells, one a friend gave me and the other I bought brand new from the store.
In 2021, I found two 50-lb dumbbells at a garage sale near my home. I paid $13 for the pair. I use the 35- and 50-lb dumbbells for dumbbell flies, curls, shoulder, back, and tricep work.
I found a dry-erase board at a yard sale for $2 and a full-length mirror for $1. I mounted them both on the wall in my basement. I use the mirror to watch myself work out and admire myself.
The dry-erase board is where I write down what body part I am exercising and put down tally marks to know how many times I did an exercise. Five sets are my absolute minimum per day per muscle group.
Lastly, for cardio, I was gifted an almost new treadmill. I have a television mounted to the wall to watch YouTube while using the treadmill.
I followed Jay Cutler’s example of only working on one body part daily.
- Chest
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Shoulders
- Back
- Legs
When I began, I would do 20 sets for each muscle. After a month, I realized it was too much for me. Then, I switched to 5 sets for each body part. A set is how often you completed your preferred repetitions for each exercise. Repetitions are the number of times you perform an exercise in sequence.
Now, I do between 10 and 15 sets per body part. I do a lot of physical work offline, so I don’t want to overdo it.
I’m not working out for egoic reasons – to look good. I prefer to be strong and have a good build, too.
Also, I worked out five days a week and took two days off. Some weeks, I work out less than others, but I try not to exercise for more than three days.
One time, I went two weeks without doing chest, and I had a lot of trouble using the 50lb weights for chest presses.
Some days, instead of doing one body part, I will do a random workout doing whatever body parts I want to work on. I do this to mix things up a bit.
Is It OK To Workout With Dumbbells Only?
I’ve been using dumbells for years, and I can work out my entire body using them.
Dumbbells can give you an excellent full-body workout and are preferred for specific exercises by some. A wide variety of dumbbell movements can be performed for each body part. Some barbell movements can also easily be adapted and tweaked slightly with dumbbells.
Be sure to wear shoes when you work out at home. The last thing you want to do is drop a weight on your toes.
Can You Use Dumbbells Every Day?
You can if you want as long as you work out different body parts with them. I recommend lifting every other day because some exercises use several muscles simultaneously.
You could also injure yourself if you work out every day, so as mentioned before, don’t overdo it unless you are trying to win Olympia.
How Long Should A Beginner Work Out With Dumbbells?
In the beginning, ten to fifteen minutes is all you need.
Make sure you rest in between sets. Getting in shape is not a contest, so do what you can each day that you work out with dumbells at home. As you get more comfortable, you can lift for an hour or until your muscles are completely fatigued.
In high school, our weight room was accessible through an outside door; you couldn’t access it inside. One day, after doing squats and leg presses, I had trouble walking up the ten stairs to get back into the school.
Picking Your Dumbbell Weight
At the beginning of working out again after a very long period of not working out, I had trouble with the 35lb weights. The 50lb dumbbells aren’t heavy enough for many of my exercises. Initially, choose lighter weights to learn how to perform the exercises correctly.
If you go too heavy at first, you’ll try to over-muscle the exercise and more than likely injure yourself. Take your time.
I use 7lb weights for shoulder exercises like lateral raises.
You want a broad range of weight sizes, but don’t go out and spend a ton of money on dumbbells. I need two twenty-pound dumbbells for exercises I can’t do with 35 or 50-lb dumbbells.
The Food You Eat
I’ve experimented with different eating styles. I’ve gone gluten-free for one year, meat-free for over three years, and sugar-free for one day – LOL.
What’s my point?
What you eat matters. You don’t have to go to extremes, but if you want to look good and reduce your belly, I will go low carb and no sugar. However, if this is too restrictive, give yourself a cheat day. A cheat day is a day you choose when you can eat anything.
A while back, I only ate meat. No vegetables, no carbs, only meat. All my extra flab went away, and I boosted my testosterone. I wasn’t angry, but I felt more aggressive and wanted to conquer a piece of land more than usual.
However, my craving for starches, carbs, and sugar overcame me, and I stopped my carnivore diet.
I also do intermittent fasting when I can.
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating.
It doesn’t specify which foods you should eat but rather when you should eat them.
In this respect, it’s not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described as an eating pattern. Standard intermittent fasting methods involve 16-hour fasts daily or fasting 24 hours twice weekly.
There are several different ways of intermittent fasting — all of which involve splitting the day or week into eating and fasting periods.
What Exercises To Do With Dumbbells
I showed you how to set up your exercise routine, but you must research what exercises to do. If you want to start with the biceps, you can do two things.
- Go to Google search and type in “Bicep Exercises.” Be sure to click images to see what exercises to do.
- Go to YouTube and do the same.
Conclusion
My at-home dumbbell workout has proven to be a convenient and effective way to stay fit, even without a gym.
With the right equipment, a well-rounded circuit, and a commitment to consistency, anyone can build strength and stamina from the comfort of their home.
Embrace the journey towards a healthier lifestyle, one dumbbell at a time.
If you’re serious about getting in shape, have a look at Mindvalley’s 10x Fitness.