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Can You Work your Entire Body with Just Dumbbells?

Absolutely! In fact, incorporating dumbbells into your home weight lifting routine is ideal for joint-isolation exercises, such as donkey kicks, bicep curls, or tricep extensions. Not only can dumbbells help you build strength, it is also a great way to increase range of motion and flexibility. Because of the limitless possibilities of dumbbells (compared to weight machines or equipment), you can continue to challenge your muscles in a plethora of ways and movements without getting bored or hitting that dreaded “plateau.”

What is the Goal of this Workout?

We use a variety of different movements, including single arm and isometric holds, to create a full body workout routine with dumbbells that is not only versatile, but fun, too! You’ll want to add this easy workout routine into your gym or travel schedule.

This workout is easily modified, which makes it perfect at-home full body workout for beginners or advanced athletes.

See our full free workout series here.

Watch the video to see all exercises:

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30-Minute Full Body Dumbbell Workout

Suggested:

5-10 Minute Warmup (such as a walk)

Optional:

Set a timer for 30 minutes. Start with 1:00 per exercise and challenge yourself to do as many quality reps as possible during that time. Once you have completed all the movements in one set, increase the time to 2:00 per exercise (and so on) until the 30 minute timer runs out.

Want an added challenge?

Increase the weight! We challenge you to start with a set of 5lb dumbbells (for women) and 8lb for men and increase from there.

Need a modification?

Feel free to reduce the weight of the dumbbell as necessary or drop the weight all together in order to focus on form and range of motion.

Exercise List:

Repeat This Circuit Two Times

Renegade Row

How-to: In a pushup position, with a weight in each hand, bring the weight to your chest on each side, keeping the elbow pinned to your body, and perform a pushup in between.

Form tip: Avoid rocking through the hips by engaging the core. When rowing, focus on keeping your hips facing the ground to avoid tipping all of your weight into your stabilizing arm.

Modification: Drop to the knees for added stability.

Plank Tricep Kickbacks

How-to: In the same pushup position, bring the weight to your side, elbow pointed towards the ceiling. Extend the arm long, pinky up.

Form tip: To maintain stability in the core, widen your stance with your feet to prevent from rocking. Throughout the entire movement, keep the elbow lifted and the arm pinned to your side.

Modification: For sensitive wrists, drop to your knees.

Kneeling Shoulder Taps + Raises

How-to: Find a kneeling position on your mat, with your hips stacked directly above your knees, glutes squeezing and core engaged. With hands by your hips, palms facing your body, raise your arms laterally (to the side). Without dropping the arms, curl the weights, (bringing the thumb to touch your shoulder) and extend the arms before lowering back down.

Form tip: Keep your arms parallel with the ground and prevent the elbows from dipping as you curl in to the shoulders.

Modification: If kneeling is uncomfortable for you, you can stand during this exercise.

Alternating Wide and Narrow Bicep Curls

How-to: In the same kneeling position, hug your elbows into your sides for an alternating hammer curl, thumb facing up. Without letting your elbows leave your sides, curl the weights in front of your body and then out to the sides, creating a W-shape.

Form tip: Squeeze the elbows into the side and prevent swinging the weights by controlling through the entire movement.

V-Sit Dumbbell Fly

How-to: Start in a V-sit position. Sit on your mat, slightly scoop the tailbone as you leg back, lifting the leg in front of you at 45 degrees. Hold this position, making sure to keep the chest tall and back flat. Extend the arms out in front of you, palms together. With a slight bend in the elbow, open the arms, pinching the shoulders blades to engage the back muscles and close the weights back together.

Form tip: This is a great compound exercise for your chest and lower abs. Keep the chest lifted towards the sky and the legs long.

Modification: If you have trouble with the balance, place both heels into the mat and sit tall, back flat as you open and close the dumbbell fly. Optionally, if you have difficulty keeping the legs straight, you can bend at the knee, to create a tabletop position with the legs.

Seated Woodchoppers

How-to: Start in an L-sit, pressing the legs firmly into the ground, feet flexed. Make sure that the shoulders are stacked directly over the hips. Bring the dumbbell to one hip, both arms fully extended. Twist across the body as you raise the weight up and over the opposite shoulder.

Form tip: Don’t let the back round. Squeeze the glutes and press the hamstrings into the mat to keep the tension and twist through the obliques for an extra intense ab exercise.

Weighted Donkey Kicks

How-to: In a quadruped position, stack the shoulders over the wrists, hips over knees. Tuck the weight behind the knee of the working leg. Flex the foot and keeping the squeeze on the weight, lift the leg so that the foot presses towards the ceiling and the leg is parallel with the mat.

Form tip: This movement is a great glute strengthening exercise but it is very easy to arch the back. Squeeze the butt as you lift and lower to engage the core and glutes fully. Adding an extra squeeze onto the weight will add an extra hamstring workout.

Modification: Drop down to your forearms to help activate the core muscles and focus the intensity on the booty!