Got shaping up on your agenda? Try this 30-minute dumbbell workout for women from online fitness coach Nicki Petitt, complete with the best fat burning and toning exercises for women…
When it comes to workout equipment, you can’t go wrong with a pair of dumbbells. Not only are they portable, affordable and easy to store, but they’re also a great way to lose fat. There’s a seemingly endless number of exercises you can do with a set of dumbbells – choose the right ones, put them into a circuit format and you’ll have a highly effective workout for fat burning. This 30-minute dumbbell workout is the perfect place to start!
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Short on time? Try this 10-minute dumbbell workout
30-minute dumbbell workout for women
Try this 30-minute dumbbell workout for women from online fitness coach Nicki Petitt (@nickipetitt).
Do each exercise for 40 seconds, take 20 seconds of rest, then move on to the next one.
Repeat three times and reap the body-boosting rewards.
- Glute bridges
- Plank drag
- Goblet squat
- Russian dumbbell swing
- Weighted reverse lunge
- Dumbbell chest press
- Bent over row
- Dumbbell thruster
Keep reading for full exercise instructions.
1. Glute bridges
Works the glutes, quads and hamstrings.
- Lie on the floor with your feet flat and knees at 90°.
- Hold a dumbbell horizontally against your hips.
- Drive through your heels, pushing hips to the ceiling and squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement.
- Return to the floor and repeat.
2. Plank drag
Works the core and shoulder muscles.
- Start in a high plank position, with your shoulders directly over your wrists and feet a little more than shoulder-width apart.
- Place a dumbbell just behind your right hand.
- Brace your core and reach with your left hand to drag the dumbbell underneath you from right to left.
- Place your right hand back on the floor and repeat using the left hand, dragging from left to right. Continue alternating.
- Keep your back flat throughout the move. Don’t let your hips rock or rise in the air.
3. Goblet squat
Works the lower body, building strength and stability.
- Holding one dumbbell at chest-height in both hands, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing outwards slightly.
- Bend at your hips and knees, keeping your back straight and looking forward.
- Keeping your weight over your heels, sit in the squat position for a second, then push through your heels to return back up to standing. Repeat the sequence.
- To make this move harder, add four pulses to the bottom of the squat
4. Russian dumbbell swing
Builds muscular endurance and strong glutes.
- Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, place a dumbbell slightly in front of you on the floor.
- Hinge at the hips, keeping your back flat (think about pushing your bottom towards the wall behind you) to grasp the dumbbell and pull it back between your legs. This is the start of the movement. Don’t bend your knees into a squat.
- Drive your hips forward to send the dumbbell up to shoulder height. Your arms should be relaxed and the swing should be generated from your hips and not your arms.
- Control the weight back down between your legs, then repeat.
5. Weighted reverse lunge
Works the lower body and increases ankle and foot flexibility.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms by your sides.
- Brace your core and lunge your right leg backwards, keeping your front knee behind your front toes, your chest up and eyes forward.
- Ensure your back knee is an inch or two off the floor, your core engaged and hips stable.
- Return your leg back to standing, with feet shoulder-width apart. Repeat on your left leg. To make the move harder, add four pulses to the bottom of the lunge.
6. Dumbbell chest press
Works the pectorals and deltoids.
- Lying on the floor with your feet flat, hold one dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forward.
- Pushing your upper back into the ground and, bracing your core, exhale as you drive your arms upwards towards the sky.
- Inhale as you lower the weights down, then repeat.
7. Bent over row
Builds strength in the upper back
- Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand.
- Brace your core, retract your shoulders and hinge at the hips into a bent over position.
- With your palms facing inwards, row your elbows back to core-level, squeezing between your shoulder blades as you row.
- Control the weights as you lower them back to the start, then repeat.
8. Dumbbell thruster
Works the body, especially the legs, glutes and arms
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand, held snugly to your chest.
- Drop your hips back and lower into a squat, bracing your core.
- At the bottom of the squat, drive the dumbbells upwards by straightening your arms as you push through your heels to standing. Your biceps should be by your ears.
- Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement. Return to a squat and repeat the entire sequence.
