You won’t believe how much muscle you can build with just one set of dumbbells. Try this workout to find out

Home / Workouts / You won’t believe how much muscle you can build with just one set of dumbbells. Try this workout to find out

Hone your body from top to toe with a single set of dumbbells and this workout from top PT Sarah Campus

Words: Sarah Campus | Images: Shutterstock

Whether you work out in a gym or at home, dumbbells should be a top kit choice. They will challenge your muscles more than bodyweight exercises alone, and are a great tool for building total-body strength. If you’re a home gym-body, dumbbells don’t take up much space and yet can be used for lots of exercises.

Wondering what weight to select? Pick something that feels hard (but still doable) to lift by your last two to three reps. You can increase or decrease the weight (or number of reps if you don’t have a selection to choose from), so long as you’re hitting that sticky point toward the end of every set.

Ready to get sweating? These dumbbell exercises make for a great total-body workout that you can do practically anywhere. Simply follow the moves in order, taking one minute of rest after each round and performing four rounds in total. Swap new upper- and lower-body moves in and out to keep your session fresh, or play with the tempo (slowing the lifting and lowering of the weights) to keep the moves challenging.

Weighted side lunges

Hone your body from top to toe with a single set of dumbbells and this workout from top PT Sarah Campus

Reps: 8-10 each side

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand and arms straight by your sides (A).
Take a step to the left into a side lunge, bending your left knee and dropping your hips (B).
Return to standing and repeat on the other side.
Continue to alternate for the set number of reps.

Dumbbell plank

Hold: 20 secs

Start at the top of a push-up. Your body should form a straight line from torso to toes.
Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes and hold for 20 seconds.

Kneeling triceps extension

Reps: 12

Start kneeling with your core engaged and a dumbbell in each hand, with elbows bent and weights at chest-height (A).
Keep your elbows close to your body and extend your arms to push the dumbbells back (B).
Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together throughout. Return to the start position and repeat.

Renegade rows

Reps: 8-10 each side

Place a dumbbell under each hand. Start in a high plank position or begin on your knees (A), with wrists under shoulders and the body in a straight line. Feet are apart.
Grab a dumbbell in each hand and pull the left hand up towards your chest, palm facing in towards the body (B). Push through the right hand as you perform this action.
Lower the weight and perform on the other side, then continue alternating.

Russian twists

Reps: 10 each side

Sit with knees bent and toes pointing upwards. Hold a dumbbell in both hands in front of your chest, engage your abdominals and move your upper body back so it’s at a 45-degree angle to the floor (A).
Keeping your focus on your hands, and keeping your spine straight, twist your torso from centre to left (B). Return to the start position. That’s one rep.
Next, twist your torso from centre to right. Return to the start position. Continue alternating for 20 reps.

Press-ups

Reps: 10

Lie on the floor with your hands under your shoulders and on top of a dumbbell.
Push up with your arms and legs so your body forms a straight line, with your weight supported by your hands and toes (A).
Keeping your hips down, your back straight and your abs tight, lower your upper body towards the floor, keeping your body in a straight line (B).
Use your arms to press back up when your chest is near to, or just touching the floor. Repeat, lowering your knees to the floor if a full plank position is too tough.

Arnold press