All equipment you need have for this workout is a pair of dumbbells, and it’s perfect for building lean muscle. This dumbbell only workout routine is an upper/lower body split type of routine for beginners, which lasts 12 weeks, with 4 workout days per week – each one of which is no more than 45-60 minutes per session.
You can do this workout regardless if you’re male or female, and perform it at home or on the road as a full workout routine. You should also consider taking whey protein, multivitamins, fish oil and maybe even protein bars as supplements for best results.
After the 12 weeks of doing this workout routine, you should think about changing the volume of the workout and the weight of the dumbbells (getting heavier ones) or even better, join a gym where you will have access to more equipment so you can do other exercises as well.
This routine is usually done on a MONDAY/TUESDAY/THURSDAY/FRIDAY schedule, but It’s completely up to you which four days of the week you’d like to work out. One thing you need to watch though, is to let two to three days of rest between working the same muscle groups.
It’s recommend that you do each session as listed, with a rest on Wednesday and the weekend, so you can do some cardio, and flexibility training on Wednesday or the weekend.
This program can can also help you lose fat, depending on your calorie intake, but it’s primarily suited for building muscle mass. So without taking more time, here is the routine:
DAY 1: UPPER BODY DUMBBELL WORKOUT
- 4 Sets of Bent Over Dumbbell Rows With 8-10 Reps Per Set
- 4 Sets of Dumbbell Bench Presses With 8-10 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Dumbbell Lateral Raises With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Dumbbell Pullovers With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 2 Sets of Dumbbell Bicep Curls With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 2 Sets of Dumbbell Shrugs With 12-15 Reps Per Set
DAY 2 – LOWER BODY DUMBBELL WORKOUT
- 4 Sets of Goblet Squats With 8-10 Reps Per Set
- 4 Sets of Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlifts With 8-10 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Dumbbell Pile Squats With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Dumbbell Hamstring Curls With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Standing Dumbbell Calf Raises With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Planks With 20 Seconds Per Set
DAY 3 – UPPER BODY WORKOUT #2
- 4 Sets of One Arm Dumbbell Rows With 8-10 Reps Per Set
- 4 Sets of Dumbbell Shoulder Presses With 8-10 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Chest Supported Dumbbell Rows With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 2 Sets of Dumbbell Hammer Curls With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 2 Sets of Dumbbell Floor Presses With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 2 Sets of Seated Dumbbell Shrugs With 12-15 Reps Per Set
DAY 4 – LOWER BODY WORKOUT #2
- 4 Sets of Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlifts With 8-10 Reps Per Set
- 4 Sets of Dumbbell Rear Lunges With 8-10 Reps Per Set
- 4 Sets of Dumbbell Hip Thrusts With 8-10 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Dumbbell Split Squats With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Seated Dumbbell Calf Raises With 8-12 Reps Per Set
- 3 Sets of Planks With 20 Seconds Per Set
The rest periods between sets should be 60 to 90 seconds.
