Dumbbell workout from Sarah Lindsay of ROAR Fitness

Olympic speed skater turned ROAR Fitness PT, Sarah Lindsay, shares her favourite dumbbell exercises in this exclusive full-body workout for Women’s Fitness readers…

Click here to read our full interview with cover star Sarah Lindsay!

Sarah Lindsay’s Roar Fitness gym in London’s Kensington has a gallery of pictures on the reception wall that prove exactly why the triple Olympian-turned-PT is being hailed the ‘UK’s Queen of transformations’.

Sarah, who was the British women’s short-track speed skating champion for 10 consecutive years, qualified as a PT before retiring in 2010, and is now the PT of choice for celebrities, including Vogue Williams, Paloma Faith and Nick Grimshaw. She is also carving a global fanbase.

During lockdown, her regular Insta Live workouts were so fitness-inspiring, she went on to launch a dedicated online platform of full-body metabolic classes.

Here, Sarah Lindsay shares an exclusive full-body workout, featuring her favourite dumbbell exercises…

How to do this dumbbell workout:

Do three sets of 13-15 reps, with 60 seconds of rest between sets. Complete 3-4 times per week. After two weeks, try progressing your workout by dropping the reps down to 10-12 and picking a heavier weight.

Sarah Lindsay’s dumbbell workout

See the full dumbbell workout from Sarah Lindsay in a video demonstration below!

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Read on for some handy written instructions and demonstration pics from Sarah Lindsay, plus some post-workout tips to boost your recovery…

Bent over row

Flex forward at the hip, keeping your back flat and your knees soft, let your arms hang straight down with your shoulders pinned back.
Leading with your elbows, pull the dumbbells up to the sides of your hips, then slowly lower back down to start position.
Tip: Keep your arms close to the sides of your body and think about squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of the move.

Press-up

Mastering a good press-up is a useful tool, and it’s an exercise that can be done anywhere.
From a plank position with the body as flat as possible, bend your elbows, lowering your body towards the floor as slowly and controlled as possible before driving it back to the start position.
Tip: Draw your belly button in to activate your core. If you struggle to complete a full press-up, find a step or chair to put your hands on and do the move on an incline.

Step-ups

With dumbbells in your hands, start with one foot on the step and step up with the other foot, lightly touch the landing foot next to the planted foot.
In a controlled manner, lower the same foot back down to the floor. Complete all reps on the first leg before moving on to the second leg.
Tip: Make sure that the front knee stays facing forward and your hips are parallel to the floor.

Hip thrusts

Resting your upper back on a step, bench or corner of a sofa, sit with your feet on the floor and rest a dumbbell on your lap.
Raise your hips just above the floor, using the step as a hinge, then immediately drive your hips up, pushing them as high as possible. Lower again to just above the floor
Tip: Squeeze your glutes throughout the whole movement, especially at the top.

Hammer curls

Perform standing or sitting. Hold dumbbells in each hand with your arms straight by your sides, palms facing the body.
Bend your elbows, keeping your body and upper arms still, until the dumbbells touch your shoulders.
Slowly lower the dumbbells back until your arms are straight again.
Tip: Don’t rest at the top or bottom; keep the dumbbell moving slowly so your biceps stay under tension.

Single-arm overhead press

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart with a dumbbell in one hand. Bend your elbow to 90 degrees, holding the dumbbell in line with your ear.
Straighten your arm above your head, keeping your body as still as possible.
Then slowly return to the starting position and repeat, then swap sides.
Tip: Engage the core and lean the pressure into the working arm to keep the body still.

Sarah Lindsay’s simple post-workout tips

Rest – Allow a day between workouts for your body to replenish energy stores, and to protect you from injury. Rest is also important for the mind. Enjoy it!
Recover – Foam roll and stretch. Using a foam roller to release lactic acid and increase blood flow is an active form of recovery. It eases tension, prevents soreness and will make you feel brand new.
Revive – Try cryotherapy. At LondonCryo, I sit in an infrared sauna to reduce muscle inflammation and remove toxins, then I do cryotherapy. The muscle-healing benefits are triggered when you reach -110ºC or colder!

Head to roar-fitness.com for details of live workouts, studio classes and how to subscribe to the Roar At Home platform.