“Using a set of dumbbells for a full-body workout gives you an additional opportunity to challenge your body and add a cardiovascular element, allowing you to combine movements (from squats to presses) that increase efficiency, difficulty, and calorie burn,” says Izzi Lynn. “It provides additional opportunities,” he says. She is an instructor at Barry's Bootcamp and host of the dumbbell-focused Workout of the Month Club.
“Having a set of weights makes it much easier to work your entire body in a short period of time.”
The six dumbbell exercises below will help you activate your core, build lower body strength, and strengthen your upper body to ensure a balanced, full-body dumbbell workout that improves both strength and conditioning.
Join the movement
If you are following the July 2024 Workout of the Month Club, Week 2 will look like this: Monday through Saturday, you will spend time working on your form, doing one dumbbell exercise each day. (But you can do this exercise any time!)
On Sunday we will do a full workout.
- Perform hammer curls for 30 seconds.
- Do reverse lunges for 30 seconds.
- repeat.
- Take a break for 30 seconds.
- Do the Arnold press for 30 seconds.
- Front loading squats for 30 seconds.
- repeat.
- Rest for 30 seconds.
- Hold the close grip for 60 seconds.
- Skull Crusher for 60 seconds.
- repeat.
- Rest for 60 seconds.
- Repeat the entire circuit one more time.
Here are some full body dumbbell exercises:
1. Hammer Curl
What's the difference between this move and a standard biceps curl? Hammer curls target the brachialis muscle underneath the biceps, promoting balanced arm development and enhancing wrist stability.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your legs.
- With your palms facing each other, roll up the weight and lift it toward your shoulders.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position.
- Repeat for 60 seconds.
2. Reverse lunge
Looking for a more knee-friendly lunge variation? Reverse lunges strengthen your legs and hips while reducing stress on your knees (compared to forward lunges). It may help improve balance and coordination and correct muscle imbalances.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand at your side.
- Step your right foot back and lower your hips so your left thigh is parallel to the floor and your left knee is directly above your ankle.
- When you stand up again, press through your left heel.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating legs for 60 seconds.
3. Arnold Press
The Arnold Press, named after bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, promotes balanced strength and flexibility in the upper body by exercising multiple angles of the shoulder muscles (anterior deltoid, middle deltoid, and posterior deltoid).
- Sitting or standing, hold a pair of dumbbells in front of you at chest height, palms facing toward your body.
- Press the dumbbells over your head, rotating your hands so that your palms are facing forward at the top of the movement.
- Reverse the movement and return the dumbbells to the starting position.
- Repeat for 60 seconds.
4. Front Load Squat
After you’ve mastered the bodyweight squat, your next variation should be the front squat. The front squat provides a comprehensive lower body exercise that emphasizes the quads and core, while keeping your weight in front of your body to improve posture and stability.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell at your shoulders with both hands.
- Keeping the dumbbells in place, push your hips back and forth as if you were sitting on a chair.
- Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Press through your heels to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for 60 seconds.
5. Close grip press
Change your grip to change the muscle activity. Holding the dumbbells close and focusing on a narrow pressing motion will emphasize the triceps and sternocleidomastoid (inner) pectoralis major.
- Lie on the floor with a dumbbell in each hand. Bring the dumbbells together directly above your chest, palms facing each other, and fully extend your arms. Keep the dumbbells touching each other throughout the exercise.
- Keeping the dumbbells close together, slowly lower them toward your chest. Your elbows should move slightly down and toward your body rather than out to the side.
- Focus on contracting your chest as you lift the dumbbells with your arms extended.
- Repeat for 60 seconds.
6. Skull Crusher
Skull crushers are very effective for isolating and strengthening your triceps. Incorporating it into your workouts on a regular basis can also help improve performance on other pressing movements, such as the bench press and shoulder press.
- Lie on the floor with your back flat and your feet on the ground. Hold one dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other, and arms fully extended above your chest.
- Slowly bend one elbow and lower the weight toward your ear. Keep your upper arm stationary and perpendicular to your body throughout the exercise. Only your forearm should move.
- Extend your elbows and use your triceps strength to raise the weight back to the starting position.
- Repeat with the other arm for 60 seconds, alternating arms.