“Home Dumbbell Workout”Welcome to building muscle 101's home dumbbell workout routine.
Sometimes, you just can’t make the gym. Other times, the only weights you have are just dumbbells. I know because there was a time when all I had at my disposable was two dumbbells some plastic weights. I remember getting the two pairs of dumbbells for Christmas and it was one of the best presents I ever got. Not that the two dumbbells were anything special, but it was the potential that those two dumbbells represented. They represented growth and power which represented respect on and off the ice (I loved hockey!). I vividly remember my home set up. I had two dumbbells with about 80 pounds of plastic (cement filled) weight. My room was small and awkward but nonetheless, I made room for my workout space. If I remember correctly, the dumbbells were from York and at that time, they came with a workout plan from beginner to advanced. The dumbbell workout plans came in poster size so you could paste them up on your wall. I enthusiastically put up the posters, side by side with the Arnold posters and followed the dumbbell programs day in and day out for months. Want to know something? I got stronger and built some muscle. Now, it wasn’t super growth because I had no idea about nutrition or how to “properly” train. However, for a 15 year old, it was pretty good. I got stronger, more so than a lot of my peers and got closer to my goal of making the starting line up for my local hockey team (which I did). Anyways, the point I’m trying to make is that you don’t need any fancy equipment or a gym in order to get stronger and build muscle. All you need is some weight, dedication, motivation, diand a willingness to learn. So, I’m going to provide you with a home dumbbell workout routine that you can perform two times per week and it should provide you with the results your looking for. This home dumbbell workout routine is a basic one, however, if you are looking for something a little more advanced, try going to this dumbbell workout routine for a more challenging dumbbell routine. I’m going to assume that you have access to a simple, adjustable bench in order to perform some of the dumbbell exercises. With that in mind, let’s get started with the home dumbbell workout routine. First off, this home dumbbell workout is a full body routine and should be performed two times per week. Try doing the routine on Monday’s and Thursday’s, this way you can get the maximum amount of rest in between each weight training session. I suggest you do this home dumbbell workout for at least 2 months before changing things up. Of course, if you feel you need to substitute some dumbbell exercises, or to add one or more exercises, be my guest. The first thing you need to do is warm up. If you have access to some sort of aerobic equipment such as an exercise bike, or treadmill, try doing a light warm up for about 5 minutes. Now, don’t go overboard here because all you want to do is get the blood flowing. If you don’t have access to any aerobic exercise equipment, try jogging on the spot for 3 to 5 minutes - That should do the trick. Once you’ve completed the warm up, it’s time to do the home dumbbell workout routine. Here are the dumbbell exercises: Home Dumbbell Workout Exercise # 1 - The Dumbbell Dead Lift Home Dumbbell Workout Exercise # 2 - The Flat Bench Dumbbell Press Home Dumbbell Workout Exercise # 3 - The Dumbbell Pull Over Home Dumbbell Workout Exercise # 4 - The Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press Home Dumbbell Workout Exercise # 5 - The Single Arm Dumbbell Row Home Dumbbell Workout Exercise # 6 - The Seated Alternate Dumbbell Curl Home Dumbbell Workout Exercise # 7 - The Seated Triceps Dumbbell Extension Home Dumbbell Workout Exercise # 8 - The Dumbbell Squat Home Dumbbell Workout Exercise # 9 - Ab Crunches
 Warm up: 1 set of 15 repetitions Position for the dumbbell deadlift 1. Standing with feet at shoulder length, bend at the knees and pick up two pairs of dumbbells. Stand up until the dumbbells are at your sides. Execution of the dumbbell deadlift 1. Slowly bend at the knees until the dumbbells reach the floor. Remember to bend with your knees and not the back. 2. Your thighs should be almost parallel to the ground while your arms are held straight with no bend. 3. Slowly stand back up to the starting position. The arms should remain straight as you come to a standing position.  Warm up: 1 x 15 repetitions; Position for the dumbbell bench press 1. While seated on the edge of a flat bench, grasp two dumbbells in an overhand grip. 2. Rest the dumbbells in an upright position on the edge of your knees. Carefully lie on the flat bench bringing the dumbbells to the sides of your torso at chest level. Make sure to bring the dumbbells up simultaneously. Feet should be planted firmly on the floor. 3. Slowly adjust the dumbbells with your arms fully extended at right angles to the floor. Press the weight up to the locked position. The dumbbells should be held directly over your chest area, slightly touching each other with palms facing forward. Execution of the dumbbell bench press 1. Slowly bend your arms and lower both dumbbells in a slow, controlled fashion to your chest. The dumbbells should be at the sides of your chest. 2. Slowly press the weight back up from the sides of your chest to the starting position. Do not bounce the weight from the chest. Keep you elbows out and away from the trunk of your body. 3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.  Warm up: 1 x 15 repetitions; Position for the dumbbell pullover 1. Lie down on a bench with your shoulders near the end of the bench. Your head should be off the bench. Now, you can either reach to the floor for a dumbbell and pull it up, have someone hand you the dumbbell or you can start with the dumbbell on your chest. Personally, I start with a dumbbell on my chest. 2. Grasp the dumbbell (as in the picture) and press the weight up. Your arms should have a slight bend to them at the starting position. Execution of the dumbbell pullover 1. Slowly lower the dumbbell so to stretch your arms as they reach the floor. Remember, all muscles should be totally stretched as the weight approaches the floor. The back should have a maximum arch when the weight is lowered to this position. The dumbbell will actually be behind your head in this position. 2. Slowly raise the dumbbell back to it’s starting position.  Warm up: 1 x 15 repetitions; Position 1. In a seated position with your feet firmly planted on the floor, grasp two dumbbells with both hands. 2. Curl the weight up to the shoulder area. Hold the dumbbells at shoulder level. Keep your back straight and your head up. 3. Make sure you rotate your palms so they are facing forward. Execution 1. In a controlled fashion, press the dumbbells simultaneously upwards to the overhead position. The dumbbells should lightly touch each other at the top position. Do not arch the back. Slowly lower the weight down and repeat the movement. 2. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.  Warm up: 1 x 15 repetitions; Position 1. Using a flat bench, grasp a dumbbell with your left hand. 2. Rest your right knee on the flat bench. Balance your body using your free arm. 3. Bend forward at the hips. 4. Your torso should be parallel to the floor keep and your lower back flat. Execution 1. Pull the dumbbell up in a vertical line into your mid section keeping your elbows in close to your torso. 2. Slowly lower the dumbbell until your arm is fully extended, fully stretching your lats. Repeat movement. 3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled. 4. Repeat movement with your right hand.  Warm up: 1 x 20 repetitions; Position 1. Using a bench, sit with your back straight and feet firmly planted on the floor. Grab a pair of dumbbells using an underhand grip and hold in the arms down position. Execution 1. Slowly curl one dumbbell up towards your shoulder, pause and slowly lower it. As you lower the dumbbell, curl the other arm upwards. Do not swing the dumbbells up with any added body motion. 2. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled. 3. This exercise may seem confusing at first but with practise, it will be second nature.  Warm up: 1 x 15 repetitions; Position 1. Hold a single dumbbell behind your back while seated. 2. Hold the dumbbell with your upper arms as close to your ears as possible. Execution 1. Raise and lower the weight, while keeping your upper arms vertical. 2. This is very important. If the dumbbells you are using are adjustable, make sure they are securely tighten, otherwise, you may be wearing the plates for a hat.  Warm up: 1 x 20 repetitions; Position for the dumbbell squat 1. With your legs shoulder width apart, bend at the knees to pick up a pair of dumbbells. The dumbbells should be at your sides with your arms fully extended downwards. Execution of the dumbbell squat 1. In a controlled fashion, slowly squat down until your knees are parallel to the floor. Remember not to bounce at the bottom of the movement. 2. Slowly straighten your legs and return to the start position. Keep your head level at all times. 3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.  3 sets of 20 repetitions Position 1. Lie on the floor with your arms across your chest or your hands clasped behind your head. 2. Keep your feet on the floor or raise them. Execution 1. Tighten your abs and slowly curl your shoulders up off the floor. 2. Curl your shoulders up toward your knees until your shoulder blades come one to two inches off the floor. 3. Hold this position for a second before slowly returning to the starting position. 4. Repeat. There you have it, a home dumbbell workout routine that you can perform 2 times per week. I want to say that if you are looking for a more detailed resource on dumbbell exercises and routine, please check Mike Westerdal’s book called dumbbell routines. You can see the book here. |