The idea of exercising with weights can be intimidating when you’ve never done it before, but it’s well worth facing your fears and picking up a dumbbell. Whether you’re young or old, lifting weights can deliver a surprising number of benefits. Not only can it help build strength and muscle, it can also help protect your joints from injury, improve your bone health and decrease body fat.
Getting started with lifting weights is simple, too. You don’t need fancy machines, or even a gym membership. A pair of dumbbells is enough to help you build strength all over—especially as a beginner—according to personal trainer Lorna Wilkins, co-founder of Tommy Hatto Online, who created this entry-level full-body dumbbell workout.
To make it ideal for beginners, Wilkins’ workout combines eight dumbbell exercises that will target all of the body’s main muscle groups, while keeping the moves simple as you get used to working out with dumbbells.
If you’d like to follow this routine at home but need to buy some weights, our guide to the best dumbbells can help you find the right pair for you. We think it’s worth investing in a pair of adjustable dumbbells so you can choose the right weight for each exercise and step up the weight over time. It will also allow you to graduate to this dumbbell workout plan as you get stronger.
How To Do This Beginner Dumbbell Workout
This beginner dumbbell workout is made up of eight exercises. To keep it simple, Wilkins has stipulated one set of 12 reps and a 60-second rest period for each exercise. Perform the required reps for exercise 1, rest for one minute, then move on to the next exercise.
Another way to make this routine more challenging as you get stronger is to add an extra set to each exercise (in this workout, one set equals 12 reps).
For the weights, Wilkins suggests using dumbbells that feel manageable for each exercise’s given rep range, allowing you to reach the target number for each set without compromising your form. As you repeat this workout you should then step up the weights by a few pounds to make the most of progressive overload, a training technique that helps build strength.
Wilkins notes that you should pay close attention to your exercise form at all times. “Don’t be afraid to ask a personal trainer to watch you and provide training cues,” says Wilkins. Before you begin, remember to warm up fully to increase blood flow to your muscles and reduce the risk of injury. Follow this gym warm-up routine if you’re not sure what to do.
Then, once complete, finish your session with a comprehensive warm-down or stretching routine to keep your muscles in good working order.
Wilkins urges anyone following this workout to prioritize rest too, in order to allow your muscles to recover fully and help prevent injury. “Overtraining—especially when new to exercise—can lead to burn-out and injury, so make sure to include rest days in your weekly routine and get plenty of quality sleep each night,” she says.
Beginner Dumbbell Workout Overview
- Goblet squat x 12
- Reverse lunge x 12 each side
- Overhead press x 12
- Biceps curl x 12
- Triceps extension x 12
- Bent-over row x 12
- Floor press x 12
- Dumbbell crunch x 12
Beginner Dumbbell Workout Form Guides
1 Goblet squat
Reps 12 Rest 60sec
Hold one dumbbell vertically, gripping it with both hands underneath the top of the weight. Ensure that you keep it close to your chest throughout the exercise. Place your feet shoulder-width apart with toes slightly turned out, bracing your core and looking straight ahead. Bend your knees and push your hips back like you’re sitting down in a chair. Keep your heels flat on the floor and your knees above your toes, making sure they don’t cave in. Pause at the bottom of the movement, then push back up to the starting position.
2 Dumbbell reverse lunge
Reps 12 each side Rest 60sec
Hold dumbbells by your sides. Keeping your chest up, take a big step back into a split stance, with the heel of your back foot raised. Bend both knees to lower slowly until your back knee gently touches the floor, then push back up to the starting position through the heel of your front foot. Complete 12 reps on your left leg, then repeat on your right before resting.
3 Overhead press
Reps 12 Rest 60 sec
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold both dumbbells by your shoulders with your wrists and elbows directly under the weights. Engage your core muscles to keep your ribs down and avoid arching your lower back as you extend your arms to press the weights straight up. Slowly return the weights to the starting position, keeping your elbows directly below your wrists throughout.
4 Biceps curl
Reps 12 Rest 60sec
Hold both dumbbells with an underhand grip and engage your core, keeping your elbows tucked in to your ribs, with your chest up and shoulders down and back. Curl one weight up toward your shoulder by bending your elbow, while looking straight ahead and keeping your wrists straight. Return it to the starting position slowly and under control, then curl the other one up and continue alternating.
5 Overhead triceps extension
Reps 12 Rest 60sec
Hold one dumbbell vertically, gripping it with both hands underneath the top of the weight. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a soft bend in your knees. Lift the dumbbell directly overhead, engaging your core and relaxing your shoulders. Bend your elbows to lower the dumbbell slowly behind your head, so you feel the stretch down the back of your upper arms. Press the weight back to the starting position and repeat.
6 Bent-over row
Reps 12 Rest 60sec
Hold dumbbells by your sides and, with a slight bend in your knees and a straight back throughout, push your hips back and lean forward until your chest is almost parallel with the floor, letting your arms hang down. Retract your shoulder blades and engage your core, then lift the dumbbells to the sides of your torso, squeezing your upper back muscles. Lower the dumbbells under control.
7 Floor press
Reps 12 Rest 60sec
Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells. Press your lower back into the floor to engage your core and position the weights either side of your chest, with your upper arms and elbows in contact with the floor. Extend your arms to press the dumbbells straight up, keeping your wrists straight. Lower under control and touch your elbows to the floor, keeping your shoulder blades retracted and chest muscles engaged, then drive up into the next rep.
8 Dumbbell crunch
Reps 12 Rest 60sec
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, holding one dumbbell across your chest in both hands. Breathe in, then as you exhale, squeeze your core to peel your upper back off the floor, taking care not to sit up fully. Pause, then slowly lower your torso back to the starting position as you breathe in, and repeat.