Hello, worker-outers (or just people who like to sweat)!
It’s been a hot minute since I last posted a workout and now’s the moment to promise to myself that I’ll get it together and post workouts regularly, ideally on a weekly basis.
To try and make up for the absence, I present to you a true killer one-dumbbell workout targeting your whole body.
Best of all – the only equipment you need is a single dumbbell, which makes it perfect for doing at home or at an equipment-poor gym.
Let me just say this one more time – it’s a challenging one-dumbbell workout, especially if you decide to push yourself with a higher dumbbell weight.
My advice is to choose a weight that is certainly above your comfort level but at which you can still perform the number of reps of each exercise without a break.
The dumbbells that I got at home are 12.5kg so this is what I went for.
Of course, as with every workout, don’t forget to warm up.
Put your favorite song on and dance like you’re working it for a big fat tip :D.
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Warm-Up
Before we start, I want to remind you to never skip your warm-up!
It’s just as important as your actual workout.
Just to give you a few important facts on why you should warm up:
- Increases blood flow
- Reduces the chance of injury
- Increases range of motion
- Improves performance
I could go on and keep rambling about the importance of warming up but I already did that in a different article. (click below to learn more)
If you feel a little more stiffness in your body after a long day of work, use this warm-up routine:
Full Body One-Dumbbell Workout
The workout consists of 3 rounds and 5 exercises of 10 reps each.
Rest as needed between sets.
Single Arm Thruster to an Overhead Reverse Lunge
Oh, yes, 10 reps on EACH side!
There’s a lot of balance involved here and as a whole, it’s a pretty tough combination of movements.
Focus on keeping the thruster smooth – use the force from your legs to push the weight up, rather than separating it in a squat and then a push press.
Scaled version: If keeping the weight above your head is too challenging, just hold the dumbbell in front of your chest, perform a squat, and transition to a reverse lunge.
Active Bent Over Row
Now, this took me a while to get into a good rhythm (as you can see) and you have to be constantly concentrated on the movement sequence.
You can definitely place your free hand on your quad while performing the row, it just took me a while to figure out the best placement for it :D.
Keep your elbow close to the body and focus on that muscle-mind connection.
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Alternating Dumbbell Snatch
Albeit technical, the dumbbell power snatch is nowhere as hard as the barbell power snatch.
You begin with a hip-width stance, the dumbbell starts off the ground inside the feet.
The important part is to maintain that lumbar curve, keep your hips above the knees when grabbing the dumbbell, and rapidly extend the hips on your way up.
You should receive the dumbbell at a quarter of a squat.
Ah, at this point I was already gasping for air, but the dumbbell snatch is a personal fave!
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Burpee to Dumbbell Squat Clean
Not much to explain here, but one thing to underline is to go into a full squat (hips below knees).
Oh, and when you put the dumbbell down before doing the burpee, always keep a neutral spine just like with a deadlift.
This truly is a whole-body movement!
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Plank Dumbbell Side Pull
All I got to say here – it’s harder than it looks, especially when it’s the last exercise of your round. 10 reps on each side, girls! 🙂
If you complete all 3 rounds, a big high five to you for finishing this Full-body One-Dumbbell workout!
Even if it’s too much for you, just do your best!
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Cooldown
After a long workout like that make sure to have a proper cool-down to avoid injuries and give your body time to recover:
View as a Google Web Story
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it OK to workout with one dumbbell?
Working with a single dumbbell will create a great stimulus for your body since you will have to counterbalance the movement that you are doing and engage more muscles that way.
Can you build muscle with a dumbbell only?
Yes – you can build muscle with one dumbbell only. The challenge lies in engaging the muscles on both sides of your body and building them with the same stimulus to avoid imbalances.
What is a good workout with just dumbbells?
A good workout with dumbbells for the full body is the following:
10 rounds of:
5 x Dumbbell Power Cleans
5 x Dumbbell Push-ups
5 x Dumbbell Front Squats
5 x Dumbbell Bent-over Row
5 x Dumbbell Push Press
5 x V-ups
How do I train my arms with one dumbbell?
You can do many exercises during a One-Dumbbell Workout that are targeting your arms for example biceps curls, hammer curls, triceps extensions, etc.
Share in the comments how the workout felt for you and what was the hardest, I’d love to hear your feedback! 🙂