35-Minute Home Dumbbell Workout (Strength, Power, Abs)
Build lean muscle mass at home with this total body home dumbbell workout. No need for expensive gym memberships of specialized equipment – this entire workout can be completed at home using just a set of weights. This dumbbell-only workout combines some of my all-time favorite home exercises for building strength and increasing endurance.
This post is brought to you in partnership with the Minnesota Pork Board.
Although I love “strict” strength training, I believe there are so many benefits to adding explosive power and stabilization exercises to our workouts.
Resistance training is about more than just lifting weights. The three main factors of resistance training are strength, power and stabilization.
That means the best home workout would include movements that help us develop the ability to:
- Generate force (strength training)
- Produce explosive power (plyometrics)
- Maintain stability (core strength)
This is what inspired the format of our fan-favorite strength, power and abs (or “SPA”) workouts.
I like this style of dumbbell only training because it’s extremely functional and efficient. Adding power and stabilization exercises to a traditional strength training workout increases the intensity, resulting in a more efficient workout.
This circuit-style workout is designed to push every muscle in the body to fatigue, without the need for specialized gym equipment or machines.
35-Minute Home Dumbbell Workout
Build strength and lean muscle with this full body dumbbell workout at home.
A complete workout targeting every muscle group in the body: the legs, glutes, hamstrings, quads, back, chest, biceps, triceps, shoulders and core.
Add full body workouts like this one to your home workout plan one to two times a week to build strength and increase muscle definition.
Workout Instructions:
Follow along with the guided Home Dumbbell Workout Routine on YouTube, led by certified personal trainer, Lindsey Bomgren.
Your Workout Looks Like This:
- 4 Full Body Circuits (3 exercises per circuit)
- Timed Intervals (30 seconds of work, 15 seconds rest; complete as many repetitions as you can in the timed interval)
- Repeat Each Circuit x2 Sets
Workout Equipment:
Medium Pair of Dumbbells. I recommend between 5-25 lbs depending on your fitness level. We used 15 and 20 lb dumbbells in today’s workout.
Prefer to Watch On YouTube?
Dumbbell Workout
Workout Outline
CIRCUIT ONE
- Strength: Eccentric Squat
- Power: Side-to-Side Squat Hop
- Abs: Standing Windmill
CIRCUIT TWO
- Strength: (3) Back Rows, (2) Bicep Curls and (1) Shoulder Press
- Power: Burpee and Alternating Shoulder Press
- Abs: Push Up and Cross Body Knee Drive
CIRCUIT THREE
- Strength: (3) Split Lunges, (2) Staggered Deadlifts and (1) Dumbbell Clean Squat
- Power: Dumbbell Lunge Drops
- Abs: Half-Kneeling Hinge Swing, Stand and Knee Drive
CIRCUIT FOUR
- Strength: (3) Glute Bridges, (2) Skull Crushers and (1) Narrow Press
- Power: Single Arm Chest Press and Straight Leg Lift
- Abs: Dumbbell Overhead Pull and Crunch
4 Best Dumbbell Exercises At Home
Eccentric Squat
Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors and core.
Focusing on the eccentric (or muscle-lengthening) portion of the squat increases the time the muscle is under tension. This is one way to make an exercise more difficult without access to additional equipment.
How To Do Eccentric Squats (3-2-1 Squats)
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold dumbbells in both hands at your sides, palms facing in.
- On a three-count, slowly lower your hips until knees are bent at 90 degrees and thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Then, hold for a two-count at the bottom of your squat.
- Finally, press evenly through your heels to drive up on a one-count, returning to the starting position.
Back Row, Bicep Curl and Shoulder Press
Targets: Upper arm, shoulders and upper back; specifically the biceps, front and middle heads of the deltoids (shoulders), trapezius and rhomboids (back).
How To Do (3) Back Rows, (2) Bicep Curls and (1) Shoulder Press
- Start standing with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in towards your body.
- Hinge forward at the hips until your body is in a straight line, neck in line with your spine, flat back, and belly button pulled back towards your spine.
- Pull your elbows towards your rib cage, squeezing shoulder blades together to perform a bent over back row. Lower the dumbbells with control and repeat, performing three back rows.
- Then, stand tall, and rotate your palms to face in towards each other, finding a narrow grip, or hammer curl grip.
- Bend your elbows, curling the dumbbells up towards your shoulders before lowering with control. Repeat, performing two bicep curls.
- On the second curl, keep the dumbbells at your shoulders, then press the weights straight overhead, elbows near your ears. Lower the dumbbells with control, completing one shoulder press.
- Repeat this pattern, completing three back rows, then two bicep curls and finally one shoulder press.
Split Lunge, Staggered Deadlift and Dumbbell Clean Squat
Targets: Lower body (glutes, hamstrings, hips, quads, calves), upper body (trapezius, deltoids, lower back), abs and core.
How To Do (3) Split Lunges, (2) Staggered Deadlifts and (1) Dumbbell Clean Squats
- Start standing, feet hip-distance apart and knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
- Step your right foot back into a reverse lunge, dropping your back knee down towards the ground as you lower your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle. Aim to get your front thigh parallel to the floor.
- Press through your front left heel as you straighten both knees, standing tall. Repeat, performing three split lunges.
- Then, step your right foot forward, planting it on the ground slightly behind your left foot (finding a staggered stance). Feet are hip-distance apart.
- Hinge forward at the hips to perform a deadlift, pushing your hips back as you lower the dumbbells down along the front of your body. Focus on keeping your back in neutral alignment with your neck and shoulders throughout the entire movement. Keep a slight bend in your knees.
- Then, drive through your heels to push your hips forward, squeezing your glutes as you return to a standing position. Repeat, performing two staggered deadlifts.
- After completing the second deadlift, step your right foot up to meet your left. As you press your hips forward, “clean” the dumbbells up, catching the dumbbells at your chest in a front rack position.
- Then, lower your hips, bending your knees to 90 degree angles as you perform a front squat.
- Continue this pattern, completing three split lunges, then two staggered deadlifts and finally one dumbbell clean squat.
Glute Bridge, Skull Crusher and Narrow Press
Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, triceps, shoulders, chest and core muscles.
How To Do (3) Glute Bridges, (2) Skull Crushers and (1) Narrow Press
- Lie on the ground, knees bent at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. Hold one dumbbell in each hand, weights resting on your hips.
- Then, press through your heels to lift your glutes off the mat, squeezing your glutes as you lift. Think about keeping your core engaged and knees in line with your hips.
- With control, lower your hips until they are hovering an inch off the mat. Repeat, performing three glute bridges.
- Then, hold a glute bridge as you lift the dumbbells up, elbows extended, dumbbells stacked directly over your shoulders, palms facing in towards one another.
- Bending at the elbows, slowly lower the dumbbells towards your head. Then, squeeze through the back of your arms to straighten your elbows, returning the dumbbells overhead. Repeat, performing two skull crushers.
- Then, lower your elbows towards your ribcage, before pressing both dumbbells up in a straight line, completing a narrow chest press.
- Continue this pattern, completing first three glute bridges, then two skull crushers and finally one narrow press.
Home Dumbbell Workout FAQs
Can I Build Muscle With Dumbbells Only?
You can build muscle using exclusively home dumbbell workouts. Compared to using gym machines (such as a leg press machine or lat pull down machine), dumbbells engage more of the smaller, stabilizing muscles in the lower body, upper body and core. They also allow you to strength train in multiple planes of motion, mimicking real life movement patterns.
What Exercises Can I Do With Only Dumbbells?
You can target every major muscle group using exclusively dumbbells. Some of the most popular dumbbell exercises include an overhead press, bent over row, dumbbell bench press, and goblet squats.
Can I Get A Full Body Workout With Dumbbells?
Yes, especially if you include a combination of compound exercises and isolation exercises. Compound exercises are more efficient, meaning you can often lift heavier weights and burn more calories. Whereas isolation exercises (or exercises that focus on a specific muscle group, such as glute exercises, back exercises or chest exercises) can improve muscle definition and address muscle imbalances or weaknesses.
What Is A Good Dumbbell Workout Routine?
The best dumbbell workout routines include a combination of upper body workouts, lower body workouts, full body workouts, core workouts, and mobility workouts. Beginner workout routines may focus on three days of training a week, while more advanced split training workout plans tend to be structured in five-day workout splits, or training five days per week.
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Pork: Lean Protein For Muscle Recovery
My philosophy around nutrition is pretty simple: I find I feel best when I focus on getting protein and produce at every meal. I personally aim for 30 grams of protein at each meal (one of my favorite parts of our 4-30-10 Method Challenge!).
Pork is an excellent source of protein and provides several important vitamins and minerals. A 3-ounce serving of pork is an excellent source of:
- Selenium: supports thyroid health.
- Vitamin B-6: supports mood and brain health.
- Zinc: supports tissue repair as well as maintenance of a healthy immune system.
- Beta-alanine: form of amino acid found in pork and a crucial element in muscle development.
How To Shop for Pork:
- Both pork tenderloin and pork sirloin roast meet the criteria for the American Heart Association Heart-Check Mark.
- One of my favorite cuts is pork tenderloin – it is considered “extra lean” and has the same amount of fat as skinless chicken breast.
- Ground pork is also affordable and really versatile – we love using it for meatballs and lettuce wraps!
For a wide variety of heart-healthy and family-friendly pork recipes, visit mnpork.com.
Minnesota Pork Board
The Minnesota Pork Board (MPB) administers checkoff programs relating to pork promotion, consumer and producer education and research on behalf of more than 3,000 family pig farms in Minnesota.
This is a sponsored post in partnership with the Minnesota Pork Board. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Nourish Move Love, making the content you see on this blog possible.
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Can I get the name of the spice used on Rachel’s favorite Pork Recipe? The one she said was sold at the MN State Fair! Thanks 🙂
Hi Nikki! Yes – Rachel loves the Martin County Magic pork seasoning from Martin County Pork! The seasoning is available in some local grocery stores and on the Martin County Pork website!