Dumbbell training: basic workout 1

With a lot of gyms without free bars nowadays and medicine balls and kettlebells hard to find, putting together good free weight whole body workouts can be challenging. Fortunately you can still count on almost every gym (and some garages) having  a set of dumbbells - here is a basic, effective and time efficient whole body workout using only dumbbells. This program is perfect for weight control and general strength and fitness.

Dumbbells are an extremely versatile and safe training tool, which is why they are so popular. There is an unlimited number of different movements you can perform using dumbbells and in the rare event that you get in to trouble during a dumbbell exercise they can easily be put down or dropped to the side to avoid injury. Dumbbells are great for developing muscular strength and power, joint stability and core strength. They are useful for transitioning to barbell movements and perfect for working  a single arm independently of the other.  All these benefits make dumbbell training an essential part of all good exercise programs.

The Exercises
The chest press, single arm row and goblet squat are fundamental dumbbell movements. These three exercises are outlined below. Please keep in mind that this article is not a substitute for technique coaching from a personal trainer.

• Dumbbell Chest Press

• Dumbbell Single Arm Row

• Dumbbell Goblet Squat

Workout

• 5 minutes of moderate intensity continuous activity (walking, running, skipping, cycling, rowing).

• 4 rounds  of 15 / 12 / 9 / 6 reps completed as continuously as possible with 2 minutes of moderate-high intensity continuous activity between rounds (walking, running, skipping, cycling, rowing).  Use a weight that is achievable for the set number of reps but is heavy enough to make each individual set challenging.
• dumbbell chest press
• dumbbell single arm row
• dumbbell goblet squat

• 5 minutes of moderate intensity continuous activity (walking, running, skipping, cycling, rowing).

Progression & Variety

As your strength and fitness improve you can progress this workout in three ways: (1) increase the weight of the dumbbells, (2) increase the intensity of the continuous activity intervals and (3) reduce the amount of rest.

Your main training goal will determines the type of progression to apply.

• If your main goal is strength progress by increasing the weight of the dumbbells.
• If your main goal is fitness progress by  increasing intensity of continuous activity intervals and by reducing rest.
• If your main goal is weight control and/or both strength and fitness use a combination of  these progression techniques. 

As your experience and competence with these exercises improve you can progress to more advanced movements (Dumbbell training: basic workout 2). Once you have progressed you can add variety by alternating between these workouts in your training program. Other workouts in this series include: Dumbbell training: basic workout 2.

Recovery

Allow a minimum of one rest day before repeating and preferably allow for muscle soreness to settle. There is more information on muscle pain and soreness here: Overcoming your fear of exercise (part 3): pain & soreness. Use both stretching and foam roller self massage to aid the recovery process and improve your flexibility.

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