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The first two workouts are straight from regionals and open dumbbell WODs, making them great tests of fitness in the sport of CrossFit. The last workout is a total-body workout that builds strength, muscle, and endurance. Yes, you can absolutely build muscles using dumbbells only. Dumbbells will create resistance during movements which will activate your muscles and help them develop and grow.
Also note that the exact days of the week you choose to train on is up to you and your own schedule. All that really matters is that you keep the same every-other-day format intact with 2 consecutive days off at the end . The first is the “A” workout and the second is the “B” workout.
The Dumbbells You Need For This Workout Plan
Face your palms in toward your body with the dumbbells slightly away from your body; this will maintain tension in your side deltoid muscles. Press your feet into the ground, engage your hamstrings and start to rise back up at the waist. Keep your shoulders back and your head in line with your spine while concentrating on keeping your chest up .
A study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research suggests that larger ranges of motion lead to more muscle growth. After you complete this 12 week dumbbell workout plan you may simply want to do it again and continue to opt for heavier weights or more repetitions during each workout. Something we can't guarantee about the weight bench – especially if it's chest day.
Workout Programming Explained
This workout is simple and straightforward, but it is anything but easy. Test your strength, power, and mental stamina in this all-out sprint of a workout. We did swap ring dips for push ups for safety reasons. The beauty of at-home workouts is that they can be done at your own place of residence, whenever you want.
Windmills increase shoulder and torso mobility while strengthening your core and shoulders. Inhale as you lift the dumbbells in front of you with your palms facing down. Again, keep your arms extended, this time with a slight bend at the elbows to ease tension on your joints.
Top 10 New Exercises to Master in the New Year
If you truly don't want to change weights, then double the reps on the sets you're stronger on. Don't alternate your legs on the reverse lunge. Perform 10 lunges on one leg before you switch to the next to maximize the stimulus each one gets. If your grip is feeling shot at this point, it's fine to hold the dumbbells in the rack position. The rack's going to give you a little more core work, but both exercises work the legs the same. For the first movement, lie on the floor and squeeze the dumbbells together as you press up, which will bring more chest into the otherwise triceps-heavy floor press.
Go for the adjustable dumbbells; they can be found barely-used on Craigslist and elsewhere. “Combining exercises in a superset can be just as metabolically challenging as performing multiple exercise circuits,” Lowe says. This total-body workout will have you exhausted and done—fast,” Lowe says.
Pause at the top of the movement. The lying single-arm chest press increases chest, shoulder and triceps strength while also improving core strength and stability, specifically in your obliques. Add in the bombardment of social media "fitness experts" performing seemingly impossible or complex exercises and one can get lost in a sea of disinformation.
Be sure to keep your core braced, as the weight will be a little farther in front of you than it is with classic dumbbell curls. It can easily be done with a pair of dumbbells or converted into a single dumbbell option by simply using an open palms-up diamond grip. Extend the dumbbell up and over your body to work your shoulders and triceps like you would with any other bench press. Focus on correct form as you perform the exercise. Tilt the heels of your hands downward for extra range of motion so the dumbbell is less likely to hit your torso at the top.
Do it 2-3 times per week to increase strength, build muscle, tone up, and get fit. And while you can set yourself up with a squat rack, adjustable bench, and a set of Olympic weights, you don’t need to if you don’t want to. If you only have access to light dumbbells, focus on eccentric training . This will increase the difficulty as your muscles are under tension for longer.
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For those in the know, there's a pot of gold waiting for you, a world of exercises you never knew existed, and workouts that will achieve the same results as those lifting heavy iron from the floor. This four-week, four-times-a-week training plan is guaranteed to get results if you follow it to the letter. And we really do mean to the letter, because as well as detailing the exercises, sets and reps that you’d expect, we also specify the rest periods and tempo – the speed you lift and lower the dumbbells. Stick to these workout instructions and you’ll increase the challenge and maximise your results. Not all of us have access to entire sets of dumbbells or a gym membership.
