Workout Summary
Main Goal:
Build Muscle
Workout Type:
Split
Training Level:
Beginner
Days Per Week:
3
Equipment Required:
Dumbbells
Target Gender:
Male & Female
Author:
Workout Description
Tired of looking for a dumbbell only routine to work out at home with? Don't want to buy any expensive equipment? Then here is a workout for you! All you need is an adjustable bench and some dumbbells. This is beginner - intermediate. If you have a pullup bar I highly suggest adding chinups or wide grip pullups to back day!
Daily Workout Schedule:
| Monday - Chest and Triceps | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chest | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Dumbbell Flys | 3 | 12 |
| Triceps | ||
| Dumbbell Skullcrusher | 3 | 12 |
| Dumbbell Tricep Kickback | 3 | 12 |
| One Arm Seated Dumbbell Extension | 3 | 12 |
Tuesday - Rest Day
| Wednesday - back and Biceps | ||
|---|---|---|
| Back | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| One Arm Dumbbell Row | 5 | 12,10,10,8,6 |
| Bent Over Dumbbell Row | 5 | 12,10,10,8,6 |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 2 | 12,10 |
| Biceps | ||
| Incline Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 10 |
| Standing Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 10 |
| Cross Body Hammer Curl | 2 | 10 |
Thursday - Rest Day
| Friday - Legs and Shoulders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quads | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Dumbbell Lunge | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Dumbbell Step Up | 3 | 12 |
| Dumbbell Squat | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Hamstrings | ||
| Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Calves | ||
| Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise | 2 | 15,12 |
| Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise | 2 | 12,10 |
| Shoulders | ||
| Standing Dumbbell Press | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 12,10,10 |
| Bent Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly | 3 | 12,10,10 |
| Dumbbell Shrug | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
Saturday and Sunday - Rest Days
Comments (851)
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Posted Sun, 05/16/2010 - 13:10
I've been doing this routine for 5 weeks now and I'm still unable to use heavier weights for each exercise. Is this normal?
Posted Sun, 05/16/2010 - 17:06
Are you pushing for more reps on every set you perform?
Posted Tue, 05/18/2010 - 07:38
I'm unable to buy any more wight plates at the minute. Should I up the reps instead then?
Posted Tue, 05/18/2010 - 08:17
I would try to do as many reps as possible then.
Posted Tue, 05/18/2010 - 09:30
Thanks :-)
I'm going to try to go until failure on the last set.
Posted Sun, 05/16/2010 - 17:26
i have been doing this workout for a couple of weeks now and have noticed strength gains so have increased the weight. i have also noticed that after the workouts the left arm seems to be more worked out than the right. do you think this is because as i am naturally right handed therefore my right arm is stronger and the left arm is in a sort of way catching up with the right? or what do you think it can be or should i do?
Posted Sun, 05/16/2010 - 17:52
That's pretty normal. Dumbbell workouts tend to help to equalize arm strength, but this can take years. Just continue to work hard as you are doing and even though the right arm isn't working as hard it will grow.
Posted Sun, 05/16/2010 - 23:17
I only have 20lb dumbbells only, can i used this just to build muscles with this program, things tough now
Posted Mon, 05/17/2010 - 09:33
The key to building muscle is progressive resistance. To effectively build muscle you will need access to heavier weight.
Posted Mon, 05/17/2010 - 06:08
1 last thing, carbohydrates, are they essential in building muscle? at the moment i am on a low carb high protein diet as a fat loss diet. i also take the protein 90 milkshakes after the workouts and everyday really as i do other training (cardio etc) on the free days. so basically i am not eating many carbs during the day and take around 35grams with the milk i use for the milkshake. are these ok or should i take more? what do you recommend as i also need to lose fat
thanks
Posted Mon, 05/17/2010 - 09:26
The biggest impact on muscle building comes from eating enough food. It will be hard to gain muscle on a low-calorie diet. I recommend train hard, lose the fat, then concentrate on building muscle. Muscle building requires protein intake and a smart amount of quality fats, so if you're cutting there isn't much else to cut out other then carbs.
Posted Mon, 05/17/2010 - 12:17
then thats perfect because with the high protein and low carb diet i am doing i eat plenty of calories from protein and quality fats. all i cut are the carbs
thanks
Posted Mon, 05/17/2010 - 14:31
I have been doing this for two weeks now, when should i move up in weight? Or should i do more reps per set?
Posted Mon, 05/17/2010 - 15:07
Every time you hit the upper rep range for an exercise, move up in weight.
Posted Thu, 05/20/2010 - 10:15
Hi, I'm unfamilier with the terminology - what do you mean by upper rep range?
Thanks
Posted Thu, 05/20/2010 - 11:11
If the rep range is 6 to 12 reps, the "upper" level for this range would be 12.
Posted Wed, 05/19/2010 - 12:21
is it bad to workout late with this routine
Posted Wed, 05/19/2010 - 12:53
No.
Posted Thu, 05/20/2010 - 10:19
I jog some rest days which keeps my lower body in check. therefore i'd like to swop out the leg exercises for another body part on the Friday. What other upper body parts would you recommend i could slit with my shoulders on this routine?
Posted Thu, 05/20/2010 - 11:12
I wouldn't recommend avoiding training your legs. Cardio doesn't impact the body the same as resistance training.
Posted Fri, 05/21/2010 - 18:43
can i gain mass if all i have is 20lb dumbbells doing these workouts
Posted Fri, 05/21/2010 - 18:48
im already kinda built and all i got is 20lb dumbbells can i still gain muscle from this workout?
Posted Sun, 05/23/2010 - 07:45
is it ok that i focus on abs workouts and yoga on Rest days?
Posted Sun, 05/23/2010 - 20:36
Yes.
Posted Sun, 05/23/2010 - 15:38
I start off with 11.5kg worth of weight, which I can handle for all the leg exercises (so I need to start adding weight for them). However when it comes to the arm/shoulder/back/chest exercises I can typically handle a few sets, but then have to drop down to 8.5kg to finish all the sets and exercises. Is my dropping down to finish the routine a correct move or am I doing it wrong?
Posted Sun, 05/23/2010 - 20:19
It's ok to drop weight as long as you are pushing for more on every set of each workout.
Posted Mon, 05/24/2010 - 07:53
When doing exercises that involve working one arm at a time eg One arm dumbell row. Do you work each arm for the stated 5 sets?
Thank you
Posted Mon, 05/24/2010 - 08:45
Yes. Perform that number of sets for each arm.
Posted Mon, 05/24/2010 - 12:13
How long would you say it takes you to complete any day's weight lifting session?
Posted Tue, 05/25/2010 - 08:28
I would say an hour for Monday and Wednesday, and possibly 90 minutes on Friday.
Posted Mon, 05/24/2010 - 19:40
hi when doing these exercises, do I do them like circuit training for example; do 4 sets of dumbell bench then the 4 sets of incline bench?
Posted Tue, 05/25/2010 - 08:30
I would perform one exercise at a time. The workout wasn't specifically set up as a circuit.
Posted Tue, 05/25/2010 - 08:07
May i skip dumbell skullcrusher, because it seems to hard.
Posted Tue, 05/25/2010 - 08:11
I recommend finding a suitable replacement exercise.
Posted Tue, 05/25/2010 - 08:19
what would you recommend me.
Posted Tue, 05/25/2010 - 08:32
You could try: Closegrip Dumbbell Press
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/close-grip-dumbbell-press.html
Posted Wed, 05/26/2010 - 03:02
thanks, and the last question, are the rest days necessary.
Posted Wed, 05/26/2010 - 08:59
Yes. More is generally not better for natural athletes.
Posted Tue, 05/25/2010 - 12:14
When doing sets of 12,10,10, and 8 reps, do you keep the same weight for each set as you decrease the number of reps?
Posted Wed, 05/26/2010 - 09:00
That's hard to say. You want to use as much weight as you can for each set. You may be able to keep the same weight for all sets.
Posted Wed, 05/26/2010 - 13:24
how important is it to do this routine in order? back/back/back-bi/bi/bi i started doing it that way then just began to alternate back/bi/back/bi.. wasn't sure if im cheating myself.
Posted Wed, 05/26/2010 - 14:26
You want to be careful about taxing your biceps while still working back. Biceps are involved with most back movements to varying degrees, and in general it is better to do all your back work first.
Posted Fri, 05/28/2010 - 15:24
ok thanx. what about the rest of the routines? should i just go from top to bottom? doing one muscle at a time?
Posted Sun, 05/30/2010 - 13:02
Yes. That's generally the best way to workout.
Posted Sun, 05/30/2010 - 00:52
I've just started this workout at home, but i also train 5 nights a week in Hanmudo (Korean martial art), would either workout hinder progress in the other? And is the workout enough to gain size if I'm already eating high protein diet?
Posted Sun, 05/30/2010 - 08:13
Just make sure you are eating enough, and rest as much as possible. You should be fine.
Posted Tue, 06/01/2010 - 10:45
hi, if i should start this workout, when should i expect to see results, and is playing basketball a good form of cardio excercise along with the wieght training program?
Posted Tue, 06/01/2010 - 10:55
If you are eating enough and training for progression, a beginner can gain 10 to 15 pounds of muscle the first year. Basketball is a solid form of cardio.
Posted Tue, 06/01/2010 - 23:12
I was wondering if I could do chest, tricep, and shoulder 1 day and the back and bicep the next. So I would do 2 days, rest, 2 days, rest so on and so forth. Would the 3 muscle groups that one day be too much?
Posted Wed, 06/02/2010 - 09:17
You should be fine training 2 days in a row.
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