The Ultimate Full Body Dumbbell Workout at Home

A full body dumbbell workout at home can be enough to achieve all of your fitness and physique aspirations.

For many, a gym is the holy grail of fitness. For others, it’s as appealing as downing a kale smoothie.

Perhaps:

• You’re a single parent with very little opportunity to visit a gym.
• You work long hours, and a 45-minute session (including gym travel) is all you can fit in.
• You can’t afford a gym membership. In today’s economic climate, pricey gym memberships are certainly a luxury.
• You’re too self-conscious and want to make some physique headway before attending a gym.
• A gym won’t blast your favourite 80s love ballad at maximum volume.

This article will provide you with a full body dumbbell workout at home, and as a secondary objective – assist with setting up a budget home gym with minimal equipment and space for well under £200. I assure you, put in the work (combined with diet) and effort, and you’ll reap the rewards of a stronger, more muscular, and better-looking physique, all while singing to Bon Jovi between sets.

The Benefits Of Strength Training At Home

Convenience and Flexibility

One of the most significant benefits of a full body dumbbell workout at home is the convenience it offers. You can exercise whenever you want, without being tied to gym hours or schedules. This flexibility makes it easier to integrate workouts into a busy lifestyle, whether it’s early in the morning, late at night, or during lunch breaks. You’ll also take advantage of every minute working out, and there’s no more timing your workouts around gym time-wasters and machine hoggers.

Cost Savings

Setting up a budget home gym can save you money in the long run. There are no gym membership fees, commuting costs, or the need for expensive workout gear.

Privacy and Comfort

Strength training at home provides a level of privacy that gyms cannot match. You can work out without feeling self-conscious or intimidated by other gym-goers. This can be particularly beneficial for beginners or those who are returning to fitness after a long break. You have the freedom to experiment with different exercises and routines in a comfortable environment. Just close the curtains if you work out in the buff! Your neighbours don’t want to be seeing that whilst eating their morning cereal.

Customised Workout Environment

At home, you have full control over your workout environment. You can choose your own music, adjust the temperature, and avoid waiting for equipment. This personalised space can make your workouts more enjoyable and tailored to your preferences, helping to maintain motivation and consistency. Feel free to get your best of Britney Spears blasting in your favourite Taylor Swift T-shirt.

Time Efficiency

Without the need to travel to and from the gym, strength training at home can save you a significant amount of time. This efficiency allows you to fit in more frequent and shorter workouts, which can be just as effective as longer sessions at the gym. The reduced time commitment can help in maintaining a consistent exercise routine.

What Results Can I Expect from My Full Body Dumbbell Workout At Home?

The Muscle Building Magic

1. Muscle fibres need to be challenged with intense exercise to grow.
2. With proper nutrition and rest, muscles will grow back bigger and stronger.
3. To continue building muscle, you need to keep increasing the challenge (hello, progressive overload).

Don’t be fooled into believing you won’t achieve an effective strength training workout at home. The above muscle building process can be triggered with minimal equipment. As a contrast, many people are spinning their wheels at commercial gyms every day and wondering why they’re not progressing.

“Strength training, whether done at home or in a gym, promotes muscle growth through mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage. These three factors are key for hypertrophy.”
— Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, Exercise Science Researcher

Providing you are armed with equipment that works the whole body (you will be, based upon my recommendations below), you’ll achieve every bit of strength and muscular gains as per a commercial gym.

My Full Body Dumbbell Workout At Home Results

My early weight training years were confined to a garage. Keeping me company were nothing more than a bench, a barbell, and a pair of dumbbells. I made excellent progress for one reason – I worked hard and continually lifted more weight or increased the reps.

Many moons ago, when my eldest was born, I strength trained at home for a few months. I used nothing more than the equipment I’m recommending to you.

I progressed excellently and made significant strength and physique gains. Some of my friends, who were avid gym members, made none!

I promise you this – put in the work, follow a decent plan, and you’ll be surprised at the end results from your full body dumbbell workout at home. 

“Studies have shown that resistance training with free weights such as dumbbells can significantly improve strength and muscular endurance, even with limited equipment.”
— Dr. Stuart Phillips, Professor of Kinesiology at McMaster University

Home Gym Considerations

You’ll need to ponder over the following home gym considerations:

Available Space

Consider the amount of space you have available for your home gym. You don’t need a large area, but you should choose a location that can accommodate your essential equipment and allows for a range of motion. Common options include basements, garages, spare rooms, or even a section of a living room. Measure the space to ensure you can fit the equipment you plan to purchase.

Flooring

Invest in good-quality flooring to protect both your equipment and your home. Rubber mats or foam tiles are excellent choices as they provide cushioning, reduce noise, and prevent damage to your floors.

Lighting and Ventilation

Ensure your home gym has adequate lighting and ventilation. Good lighting is crucial for safety and creating an inviting environment. Natural light is ideal, but if that’s not possible, invest in bright, energy-efficient lighting. Proper ventilation helps keep the space comfortable, reduces odours, and improves air quality, which can be achieved with windows, fans, or a portable air conditioner.

The Benefits of Dumbbells

“A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that resistance training using free weights, such as dumbbells, leads to greater improvements in muscular strength and endurance compared to machine-based exercises.”
— Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

The cost of home gyms can easily escalate into the thousands, and that’s only purchasing a fraction of the equipment you’ll find in a gym. I know many people who have gone down this route and now use their gym equipment as glorified coat hangers.

In my humble opinion, you won’t find a more versatile and complete tool for working the whole body than a pair of dumbbells. Need convincing?

“Progressive overload is fundamental to muscle growth. By increasing the weight or reps over time, you are continuously challenging the muscles to adapt and grow stronger.”
— Dr. Mike Israetel, Sports Scientist and Strength Coach

Safety

Dumbbells are safer than barbells because they allow for independent arm movement, reducing the risk of injury from improper form or imbalance. They also enable a greater range of motion, enhancing muscle engagement while minimising joint strain. Additionally, dropping a dumbbell poses less risk than dropping a barbell, and I’ve never seen an upload of someone getting a dumbbell stuck on their neck.

Versatility

Dumbbells allow for a wide range of exercises, targeting various muscle groups effectively.

Improved Muscle Imbalance

Using dumbbells can help correct muscle imbalances by requiring each side of the body to work independently.

Greater Range of Motion

Dumbbells provide a greater range of motion compared to barbells and machines, enhancing muscle flexibility and strength.

Functional Strength

They mimic natural movement patterns, improving functional strength useful for everyday activities.

Convenience and Space

Dumbbells are compact, making them a convenient option for a budget home gym setup.

Unless you start edging into expensive territory and purchasing racks, I don’t see any benefit of picking a barbell over dumbbells or kettlebells. There’s a reason why every gym is packed with varying weight dumbbells. They work, and the benefits of dumbbells are too strong to ignore! Even though I train in a commercial gym, a large percentage of my strength training workouts are completed by unlocking the benefits of dumbbells. Quite simply, a great full body dumbbell workout at home is easier and cheaper to set up. It’s also safer and you’re not compromising on results.

Purchasing Equipment For Your Full Body Dumbbell Workout At Home

All items were found on Amazon. If you desire other retailer options, these will be readily available elsewhere. 

 Rubber interlocking non slip mats 

If you’re going to train in your garage or another area and floor damage doesn’t bother you, you may with to skip this outlay. If you’re training in a spare room, I’d class rubber matting as an essential purchase. You can purchase an adequate supply of good quality non slip and interlocking rubber matting for less than £25.

A bench

 A good quality bench will allow you to unlock your dumbbells full potential. Without a bench, you’d be swapping certain exercises out for inferior exercises and increasing property damage/injury risk potential (hitting the ceiling with standing shoulder presses/or worse, falling whilst hoisting those dumbbells up). 

Following a quick search, I found a bench with many quality reviews. The bench inclines (great for versatility) and is available for £70. I‘d opt for an adjustable angle bench

Cast iron spin lock Dumbbells 

Dumbbells are available in plastic/vinyl and you can also purchase adjustable dumbbells. 

Plastic/vinyl dumbbells are a poor choice for various reasons and people soon graduate from them – the weights take up too much area on the dumbbell. 

The adjustable dumbbells (such as Bowflex) are extremely pricey (£400 plus) and cheap imitators generally break. For budget and convenience reasons, you can’t go wrong with cast iron spin lock dumbbells. 

Spin lock collar dumbbells allow the weight to be well secured, along with efficient plate changes. 

A 20kg (10kg per dumbbell) pair of York cast iron dumbbells will set you back £47 (at the time of writing). 

A pair of 10kg dumbbells will require more weight for an effective Full body dumbbell workout at home, particularly allowing for progression in compound movements. I’d strongly recommend a separate purchase of 5kg plates. 4 will set you back £44.99 and allow you to double the initial purchase weight. You’ll now be proudly owning 2 x 20kg dumbbells. 

For the ambitious amongst you, another purchased set (I wouldn’t go beyond this as you can only fit 3 x 5kg on each side) would allow for 30kg each dumbbell. 

 

Grand Total of Our Budget Home Gym Setup

• Non-slip mats £25
• A bench £70
• Dumbbells £47
• Additional 5kg plates £44.99
• Total: £187

If you purchase the additional 5kg plates, you’d have a set of 30kg dumbbells for £232. Not too shabby, eh?

Other Methods of Purchasing Home Gym Equipment

Don’t be afraid to search Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, or eBay for home gym equipment deals. You may be lucky and find some equipment for a fraction of the price.

A Great Full Body Dumbbell Workout At Home

The perfect workout doesn’t exist, and there are multiple ways to progress with any half-decent strength training routine.

Ensuring your calorie and rest needs are met, keep adding weight to the dumbbells or performing increased reps with impeccable form (2 seconds up and 2 seconds down), and you’ll progress.

This home dumbbell workout requires 1 minute of rest between sets and 2 minutes between exercises. Stick to the 8-12 rep range unless specified otherwise.

For ease of reference, I’ve linked each exercise with a YouTube demonstration.

A Great Full Body Dumbbell Workout At Home 2-3 Times a Week

• Incline dumbbell chest press (30-degree angle)
• Incline dumbbell row
• Dumbbell shoulder press
• Flat dumbbell flys
• Dumbbell pullover
• Dumbbell squat
• Dumbbell lunges
• Dumbbell lateral raises
• Standing dumbbell bicep curls
• One-arm overhead dumbbell tricep extension
• AB plank (3 sets of max duration holds)
• Reverse crunch (3 sets of 20)

The above great full body dumbbell workout at home covers your whole body in just over an hour, and you’ll see some excellent results.

If you’re super pressed for time and can only manage three half-hour sessions a week, remember – intensity is key! The workout is easily modifiable to your needs. During super busy times of my life, I’ve progressed well by performing the following half-hour workouts three times a week.

An Abbreviated Dumbbell Workout

For those looking to spend less time lifting dumbbells, this abbreviated dumbbell workout will provide some great muscle gains:

Workout A

• Incline dumbbell chest press (30-degree incline)
• Flat dumbbell chest press
• Incline dumbbell flys (30-degree incline)
• Dumbbell shoulder press
• Dumbbell lateral raises
• One-arm overhead dumbbell tricep extension

Workout B

• Incline dumbbell row
• Dumbbell pullover
• Dumbbell squat
• Dumbbell lunges
• Standing dumbbell bicep curls
• AB plank
• Reverse plank

Strength Training at Home: Additional Tips

“Strength training not only improves muscle mass but also contributes to better bone density and overall health. Regular resistance exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, particularly as we age.”
— Mayo Clinic, 2021

Consistency and effort are the two key drivers in hitting your strength training and physique goals.

The biggest threats to your success equally exist in home workouts and gym training. Checking out my other blog posts will cover all the tips below in more detail:

• Diet for fat loss and strength train for muscle.
• You must track your workouts. If you’re not getting stronger, you’re not progressing.
• Focus on perfect form.
• Don’t look for the perfect workout – it doesn’t exist.
• If you feel like you’re outgrowing the weights and can’t afford additional plates, halve the tempo speed of your lifts (4 seconds up and down) or increase the reps. I guarantee you’ll see renewed progress.
• If you want to add home cardio workouts into your plan, check out my already linked home cardio workout article.

“Research has consistently shown that progressive overload, where you gradually increase the weight, frequency, or number of repetitions in your strength training routine, is critical for continuous muscle growth and strength gains.”
— National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)

Remember – progressive overload triggers the muscle adaptation response, not the equipment you’re using.

Key Takeaways

• A full body dumbbell workout at home is an effective way to build muscle, improve strength, and achieve fitness goals without the need for expensive gym memberships or bulky equipment.
• Progressive overload is essential for continuous muscle growth. By gradually increasing weight or reps, you challenge your muscles to adapt and grow stronger.
• With minimal equipment like a pair of dumbbells and a bench, you can target all major muscle groups and perform a variety of exercises for both strength and endurance.
• Strength training at home offers flexibility, privacy, and convenience, allowing you to work out on your schedule while saving time and money.
• The versatility of dumbbells makes them an ideal tool for compound movements, functional strength, and addressing muscle imbalances.
• Following a consistent routine and ensuring proper nutrition and rest will maximise your results, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced lifter.
• Scientific research supports the benefits of home-based strength training for improving muscle mass, bone density, and overall health, especially as you age.

By incorporating these principles into your home workout, you can achieve significant fitness gains while enjoying the comfort and convenience of training at home.

Conclusion

Your muscles don’t care where you train. Put in the effort, follow a decent plan, and you’ll be surprised by the results a full body dumbbell workout at home can provide.

You absolutely can make strength training at home a success with nothing more than a pair of dumbbells and a bench.

Any questions or assistance needed on this or any other blog post? Please don’t hesitate to contact me, and I will get back to you ASAP.

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chat soon, 

Matt.