Workout Summary
- Main GoalBuild Muscle
- Workout TypeSplit
- Training LevelBeginner
- Program Duration10 weeks
- Days Per Week3
- Time Per Workout45 minutes
- Equipment RequiredDumbbells
- Target Gender Male & Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
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!
Recommended: Need help building muscle? Take our Free Muscle Building Course
Workout Schedule
This is a 3 day workout program. You'll want to have at least one rest day between your workout days. A sample schedule is:
- Monday - Chest and Triceps
- Tuesday - Rest
- Wednesday - Back and Biceps
- Thursday - Rest
- Friday - Legs and Shoulders
- Saturday - Rest
- Sunday - Rest
3 Day Dumbbell Workout Program
Monday - Chest and Triceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Dumbbell Flys | 3 | 12 |
| Dumbbell Skullcrusher | 3 | 12 |
| Dumbbell Tricep Kickback | 3 | 12 |
| One Arm Seated Dumbbell Extension | 3 | 12 |
Wednesday - Back and Biceps
| 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 |
| Incline Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 10 |
| Standing Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 10 |
| Cross Body Hammer Curl | 2 | 10 |
Friday - Legs and Shoulders
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Lunge | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Dumbbell Step Up | 3 | 12 |
| Dumbbell Squat | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift | 4 | 12,10,10,8 |
| Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise | 2 | 15,12 |
| Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise | 2 | 12,10 |
| 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 |
1.3K Comments
Thanks for posting this resource! After a hiatus of a couple years I’m getting back into weight training and feeling great so far.
My question is: I have a simple ceiling-mounted pulley and cable in my home gym that I can use for triceps press downs using the rope attachment. Is there an exercise on the chest and triceps routine I could replace with this one?
Any of the triceps choices can be swapped out, Zach. Actually, if you feel like you can handle it, add it in without taking anything out. You could also do single arm pulldowns while sitting on the floor with that pulley. I made one for my home gym a few years ago, and I had to get creative.
Yo wassup Sir, How are u? Hope u are doing super well! i've been following this workout for around 6 to 7 months. i gotta say that i did some change here, i am able to lift heavy now. i can see some peak in biceps too! It really feels awesome u know. but i need help now regarding nutrition, first i wanna thank u for the content and providing us such good information. yea so the main problem with the diet m on is "soy products", just want to mention that i am a vegetarian. So, people here are saying that eating soy products (any like tofu, soy milk or anything made up of soy) more than 100g of serving in a day, is harmful for health, they say that it will increase ESTROGEN level in ur body, so because of that, i feel i cannot bulk, or shred properly, u need high protein diet when shreding, how m i going to do that if i have limitation with soy products. So i just wanted to know FROM U, I NEED UR ADVICE, UR THOUGHTS on eating SOY CHUNKS (by nutrella), can i eat around 200g of SOYA CHUNKS per day? or can i eat 200g of any soy product per day? u know soy chunks is really good source of portein for vegetarians, it contains 50g-52g of protein per 100g of soy chunks serving, if i could eat 200g soy chunks in my diet plan, then i will have 100g protein from soy chunks alone, it is really helpful, i can control my carbs perfectly due to that.....plz guide me thorugh this! i really need ur help this time plzz
Sorry for my delay in responding, TitusTT. I was locked out of the system for a bit.
Have you seen this yet? It may help you out.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/making-the-vegan-diet-work.html
Do i have to do one chest exercise for chest one for tricep or al chest first then triceps and what is the rest time once completing between sets and reps ?
Thank you
Hi, Rudy. There are a couple chest exercises in the workout. Are you wanting to add more?
45-60 seconds rest between sets.
Hello, i've been using this program for 5 weeks now and i love it, but is it possible to move the shoulder routines to one of the previous days, Mon or Wed?
That would be okay, Chris. Good luck with it, and let us know how you do with the program!
Hello, I'm sorry if this is a dumb question but I was wondering if you're supposed to adjust weights between exercises or if these were intended to be used with the same pound weight for every exercise
This program works either way, Ricky. Do what you feel is best. If you decide to add weight each set, make sure your jumps are with weights that you feel confident you can handle without sacrificing form.
Excellent workout and pretty intense for me at least.
Just a quick one regarding the Leg/Shoulder workout:
Do Lunge reps mean you do left leg, right leg for one rep? Or does each leg count as one rep already?
Because I did option A and the workout took me 1h30. Which in my opinion is too long!
What do you think?
Left leg and right leg is one rep, Seb. If you need to make cuts to save time for scheduling purposes, do one less set for each exercise.
Ok thanks! And I guess it's the same for the Step up?
But no cutting, we grind!
Correct. Grind on!
Hi! I want to add dumbbell hip thrusts on leg day, is there any exercise I could sub out?
Also, would you have any finisher workouts to recommend for pull day that works the back as well? I only have resistance bands and dumbbells.
Thanks!
Dom, you can either add them to the leg workout or swap out the step ups.
Finisher for back? Here you go.
Dumbbell Row - 20 reps with the left arm, followed by 20 with the right. No rest. Back to the left for 15 reps. Same with the right. Repeat with 10 reps each, then 5 each. Then go all-out to failure with each arm. That should finish the back and pull day off nicely!
SO, i just bought my first dumbbell set domyos up to 10kg per dumbbell. I m 20 years old 173 cm tall and i weight only 62kg. i want to get bigger. What diet i should go for?
Here you go, Stoica. Hopefully this will help.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/complete-guide-how-to-increas...
Hello Sir,
I am a complete beginner, I have never worked out in my life.
Sometimes a little bodyweight exercise, but i dont XD. Now i will work out for the first time so i want everything to be a little easier.I am going to perform this workout at home, i have a bench, dumbells 5kg,10kg,20kg, and barbell. i have total weight plates of 100kg.
I just want your advice regarding nutrition, like how much calorie do i need, and most important.....how much protein do i need to build muslce. I was trying a workout provided by your site, i thought it was too difficult for me so i didnt follow.
Now let me provide you some of my information so u can help me through:
My weight: 87kg (Lean body mass)
My height: 6'2
My age: 19 years old
Now the question is, do i really need to eat protein 1g per pound of bodyweight at this level of activity? I really dont have much muscle mass, cause u know i am just starting.... so do i need to eat 1g protein per pound of body weight? For example, 87kg is 191 pounds, that means 191g protein. Please tell me do i need that much protein or should i start from a lower amount, BECAUSE I AM NOT GOING GYM, ITS ONLY DUMBELLS WORKOUT, NOT A HIGH INTENSITY WORKOUT LIKE A FULL GYM WORKOUT. Thank You.
Hi, Titus. Yes, you definitely need that much protein. It's not only for recovering from the activity you did, but you want to build muscle. Those nutrients are necessary.
is it okay to convert this program to push pull legs,ie doing it for 6 days a week?
That is a lot of volume you would be doing, William. You can start that way if you like, but I suggest monitoring how you feel when recovering. If you feel worn down or have trouble recovering, you should switch back to the original format.
Hi. Is this program enough for forearm muscles? Or should i need to add forearm exercises?
Hey Liam, if you use a strong grip while holding the weights, the forearms should reap benefits. However, feel free to add wrist curls or reverse curls to one of the workouts if you want to hit them a little more.
i love this program byt instead if doing shoulder and legs on the same day i splited shoulder to next day.
also after following this workout after the specified weeks
next which program would be best to follow for muscle mass
i have only dumbbells by the way
Hi, Krishna. Here you go. This one would be a great choice to follow this program with.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/5-day-dumbbell-only-workout-s...
Hi could i workout 6 days a week with this dumbbell program?
Hi, Haroon. You could split each workout up and train six days that way. I don't suggest doing all the workouts twice because it could impact your recovery negatively.
I've just completed this programme and I want to start it again! am I okay to add another chest and triceps day to the Thursday? - it would look like this...
Monday - chest triceps
Tuesday - back biceps
Thursday - chest triceps
Friday - legs shoulders
Thank you
Hey Coel. If you insisted on doing another chest and triceps, then that would be the way to do it.
Could I add pushups on chest and triceps day along with leg extension and leg curls on leg day? What about adding face pulls and possibly some pull ups on back day as well?
Hey, Vansh. This workout was meant to help folks that were limited on equipment. If you're able to do those movements, go for it.
Will doing cardio on off days effect my rength and muscle building?
Unless you're running marathons, no. Just don't go crazy with whatever you choose to do, and you should be fine.
Should I warm up before performing these exercises? If so, what warm up routine would you recommend?
Give this a try. https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/warming-up-for-dummies
I have been splitting shoulders into a separate day on Saturday. Keeps all workouts really short. I love this program overall though. I workout very intensely, so I was not recovering properly on the 3 day full body dumbell program here. Thank you for this program.
Can I corporate Push Up and Pull Up in this workout?
Hi, Ilham. You can! Either start with them with the corresponding push and pull workouts or replace an exercise in the workout program with those choices instead.
Tysm for the reply :D
Just started the workout today, I know it says the program is intended to build muscle, but will it also help me lose unwanted fat and help me lose weight also? Thank you
Hey Rob, it could help you lose fat if that is your goal. Make sure you check out our fat loss guide to help you make the most out of the commitment you're making.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/fat-loss
is it ok if we remove the shoulder section from day 3 and do it on day 4...
Monday – Chest & triceps
Wednesday – Back & biceps
Friday – Legs
Saturday – Shoulders
...sumthing like this
Hi, Marcel. Sure, you can make that adjustment if it suits you best. Let us know how it works for you going forward. Thanks!
Can I add in cardio on a rowing machine on off days?
Ulysses -
That's fine.
33 sets on Friday is a lot to do in the 45mins
what do you recommend in case of failure?
repeat from start? move on the next set? reduce weight etc..?
Hey winter - you don't want to be reaching failure for any of the sets. If you do reach failure, you'll need to lower the weight.
Hi,
I just started this workout for two weeks and feel like the intensity isn't high enough even though I am progressively overloading, would it be possible for me to do PPLPPL then rest on sunday rather than resting inbetween the workout days? Would this hurt me or be more beneficial?