GymDroid
Full Body Dumbbell Workout: One Pair, 35 Minutes
One pair of dumbbells is enough to train your whole body.
Full body dumbbell workout
- Warm up for 5 minutes, then do one light set of split squats and a few push ups.
- Bulgarian split squat: put your rear foot on a chair or couch, hold the dumbbells at your sides and sink straight down on the front leg.
- Push ups: keep your body in a straight line and lower your chest close to the floor. Too hard? Put your hands on a table or couch. Have a bench? Swap in the dumbbell chest press.
- Dumbbell row: support yourself with one hand on a chair or couch, and pull the dumbbell toward your hip.
- Shoulder press: do it seated on a sturdy chair or standing. Keep your ribs down and do not lean back.
- Have a few extra minutes? Add 2 sets of reverse lunges or biceps curls at the end.
Good to know
Dumbbell full body
This dumbbell workout uses five exercises: a split squat, a push up, a row, a hip hinge and an overhead press. Together they cover the legs, glutes, chest, back, shoulders and arms in about 35 minutes. It works at home or in a gym, needs no bench, only a sturdy chair or couch, and suits beginners as well as people coming back to training.
Full body dumbbell workout
Use straight sets: finish all sets of one exercise before moving to the next. Rest as listed between sets. Pick a weight you can lift for the listed reps with one or two good reps left at the end of each set. If one pair is too light for split squats and Romanian deadlifts, do more reps and lower the weight slowly.
What weight to start with
Most beginners do well with dumbbells between 4 and 10 kg each. People who have lifted before often start between 8 and 15 kg. The right weight is the one that lets you finish the listed reps with clean form and one or two reps left. Your legs are stronger than your shoulders, so a weight that is hard for the shoulder press is often easy for split squats. With one pair, fix that by doing more reps or slower reps on leg exercises. Adjustable dumbbells solve this best if you plan to train at home for a long time.
Upper and lower body dumbbell workouts
Do this full body workout two or three times a week, with a rest day in between. That is enough for steady progress in the first months. When sessions start to run long, or you want more work per muscle, split it in two. Do an upper body day with presses, rows, raises and curls, and a lower body day with split squats, Romanian deadlifts, reverse lunges and glute bridges. Train each day twice a week, for four sessions in total.
- Progress rule: when you hit the top of the rep range on all 3 sets, add weight or 2 reps next time.
- Full body: 2 or 3 times a week
- Upper and lower split: 4 times a week
See each move from every angle
In GymDroid, you can turn each exercise in this workout to see it from every angle. That helps you check the setup for the row and the Romanian deadlift, where form matters most.
Can you build muscle with just dumbbells?
Yes. Dumbbells cover every major muscle. As long as the sets are hard and you add weight or reps over time, you will build muscle.
Is a full body dumbbell workout good for beginners?
Yes. It trains every muscle two or three times a week, uses simple moves and needs little equipment, which makes it one of the best ways to start.
How many days a week should I do dumbbell workouts?
Two or three days for a full body workout, with rest days between them. Four days works with an upper and lower body split.
What are the best dumbbell exercises for a quick workout?
The Bulgarian split squat, push ups, dumbbell row and dumbbell Romanian deadlift. These four cover most of the body in about 25 minutes.
What weight dumbbells should I start with?
Pick a weight you can lift for 10 to 12 clean reps with one or two reps to spare. For many beginners that is 4 to 10 kg per dumbbell.
Do this workout with the app
Add these five exercises to a workout in GymDroid and log the weight and reps of every set.
