BEST WORKOUT ROUTINE USING ONLY DUMBBELLS

I’ve gotten a lot of emails over the years from people asking specifically for a list of dumbbell exercises. They tell me that they only have access to dumbbells (no barbells, no machines) and were wondering if it was still possible to design an effective workout routine this way.

Would their dumbbell only workouts be just as effective as workouts using various other forms of weight lifting equipment? Can they still get great results? Well, the quick answers to these questions is HELL YES!

Not having access to a barbell (and weights for it) or the hundreds of fancy machines most gyms have (not to mention the countless useless ones sold in late night infomercials) will NOT hinder your progress at all as long as you put the dumbbells to use correctly in your workout routine.

In this article I will explain why dumbbells alone can provide a perfectly effective workout, and I will also list some of the best dumbbell exercises for each muscle group as well as a sample dumbbell workout routine.

Are Dumbbells REALLY As Effective As A Barbell or Machines?

Yup, definitely. Not only can you have an equally effective workout… but it may actually be the ideal way to do so in certain cases. For starters, if your goal is to build any amount of muscle or strength, then there is little doubt that the best way to do it is by using free weight compound exercises.

As my article about free weights and compound exercises explains, while machines definitely have their place and are fine to use in most workout routines, they typically rank below free weights when it comes to building muscle and strength.

So honestly, if I had to personally choose between doing workouts consisting of just machines, or workouts consisting of just dumbbells, the dumbbell workouts would win every single time. I don’t want to come across as being anti-machines, because there are some that I use and like. I just like dumbbells a lot more.

Not to mention, with a few very minor exceptions, ALL machine exercises can be replaced with similar dumbbell exercises and it really wouldn’t be much different. In some cases, it may even be better.

What’s that you’re thinking now? What about barbells? This article is supposed to be about dumbbell exercises only, and free weights means both dumbbells AND barbells. It’s okay, don’t worry. Anything that can be done with a barbell can be done with dumbbells. So, dumbbells can pretty much replaceeverything.

The Best Dumbbell Exercises

Now that you know how effective they can be and how preferable they usually are, you’re probably looking for a list of some of the best dumbbell exercises to fill your workout routine with. So, here now is a list of some of the best dumbbell-only movements.

(Note: Some of the exercises below will of course require some type of bench or seat, but I’ll just assume you have that too.)

Chest

flat bench dumbbell press

incline bench dumbbell press

decline bench dumbbell press

dumbbell flyes (flat/incline/decline bench)

Back

deadlifts

single arm bent over rows

double arm bent over rows

chest supported rows

Biceps

standing dumbbell curls

seated dumbbell curls

incline dumbbell curls

preacher curls (if you have a preacher curl bench)

concentration curls

hammer curls

Triceps

overhead triceps extensions (single or double arm)

dumbbell skull crushers (flat, incline or decline bench)

triceps kickbacks

close grip bench press

Shoulders

seated dumbbell press (can also be done standing)

arnold press

front raises

lateral raises

Quads

squats

lunges

split squats

step ups

Hamstrings

Romanian deadlifts

stiff legged deadlifts

And then there’s stuff like dumbbell shrugs, calf raises, and weighted crunches or side bends for abs. See, I told you there was more than enough exercises for a person to create a perfectly effective workout routine using only dumbbells.

And yes, these exercises could definitely be used to create a dumbbell-only version of the (brand new) Intense Workout Weight Training Routine that I lay out in The Ultimate Fat Loss & Muscle Building Guide.

Sample Dumbbell Workout Routine

Below is a sample 3 day dumbbell workout routine that uses the push/pull/legs split I describe in my article about workout plans and splits.

This sample routine is actually something I created specifically for a friend of mine who works out at home and only uses dumbbells (and personally prefers this specific split). In fact, if I only had access to dumbbells myself and was training using a push/pull/legs split as well, this is probably the exact workout routine I’d be using.

Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

flat bench dumbbell press – 4 sets

incline dumbbell flyes – 3 sets

dumbbell shoulder press – 3 sets

lateral raises – 3 sets

dumbbell skull crushers – 3 sets

Day 2: Back, Biceps

bent over dumbbell rows – 4 sets

pull ups or chin ups (assuming you can find a bar to do them on, otherwise single arm dumbbell rows with your elbows tucked close to your sides) – 3 sets

dumbbell shrugs – 3 sets

dumbbell curls – 3 sets

Day 3: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

split squats – 4 sets

Romanian deadlifts – 4 sets

lunges – 3 sets

single leg standing calf raises – 5 sets

There’s a pretty simple and extremely effective dumbbell workout routine for anyone looking to build muscle, lose fat or improve their body in any way. It contains pretty much all of the best exercises I’d include if the person had access to machines and a barbell in addition to dumbbells.

Now Put It All To Use!

So, like I said back at the beginning, if you only have access to dumbbells, you shouldn’t feel like you’re missing out on something. You definitely shouldn’t use it as an excuse. Don’t give me any “Waaah waaaah! I can only do dumbbell exercises! Waaah waaah! I don’t have any fancy machines or barbells! Waaaah waaaah!”

If anything, you’d have it backwards. If you only had access to the “fancy machines” then maybe you could whine a little. Having only dumbbells for your workout routine doesn’t put you at a disadvantage at all. In fact… it does just the opposite.