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Add size to your arms, chest and shoulders with these four dumbbell
workouts
Give a man a pair of dumbbells, and he can crank out a few sets of curls
and bulk up his biceps. But if you give that man a pair of the best
dumbbells for a home gym alongside a dumbbell workout plan, he can
change his entire body in a month.
The dumbbell workouts in this plan are made up of supersets, where you
do pairs of exercises back-to-back to keep your muscles under tension for
as long as possible. This is one of the most effective ways to use dumbbells
in your training, helping to strip away fat as well as building lean muscle. Advertisement
Supersets are a tough way to train, but one month from now, when you’re
stronger and most likely leaner than you’ve ever been, it will all have been
worth it.
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The first three workouts each week hit two different muscle groups, so that
while one body part is working, the other recovers, allowing you to keep
the intensity level high and lift the heaviest weight possible with good form
to stimulate the maximum amount of muscle growth.
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You can schedule the workouts throughout the week however you like, but
a typical routine runs Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday or
Sunday. 2 What To Eat Before A
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With the first superset completed, move on to the next superset and
repeat the method.
For example, in week one you’ll do four sets of 10 reps per move, which
increases to four sets of 12 in week two. In weeks three and four you’ll do
five sets of 10 and 12 reps respectively, so every week is harder than the
previous week.
What’s more, in weeks three and four the tempo (the time it takes to do the
lifting and lowering for each rep) changes to make the exercises more
challenging, so your target muscles experience more time under tension
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Pay particular attention to whether the exercise begins with the eccentric
or concentric. For instance, a biceps curl begins with a lift, so the time it
takes to complete the first movement is dictated by the third number in the
tempo code.
Picking the right amount of weight for each exercise is crucial for successful
muscle growth. These are workouts with long sets and little rest, plus a
strict tempo which ratchets up the difficulty. It’s easy to pick a dumbbell
that feels fine in the first set but is way too heavy for you to complete your
sets towards the end of the workout.
Generally you want a weight that means the final few reps of each set feel
hard but leave you feeling that you have a few reps in reserve. So if the
target rep total is 10, you want a weight that allows you to complete 13-14
reps if pushed. Given that you are doing supersets in this workout, it’s best
to err on the side of caution and use the lighter weight if you’re deciding
between two. And maybe keep another set to hand if you can, so you can
switch in later rounds of the workout if required.
Always consider the second move in the superset too. If you’re looking to
switch between exercises quickly with no rest, it’s useful to use the same
weight, so if the second move is something like a flye where you know
you’ll struggle with a heavier weight, it might be worth using a slightly
lighter one for the first exercise. Or just switch weights rapidly, if you trust
yourself not to sneak in a bonus rest.
If you will be following this plan at a gym then all you need to do is set up
camp by the dumbbell rack and keep a training log of how heavy you go for
each exercise (and whether it was too heavy or light so you can adjust next
time). However, if you’re going to be completing it at home then you’ll need
to choose which dumbbells you buy carefully.
Adjustable dumbbells – where you can add and remove plates using a spin
lock – are one option, but selectorised dumbbells are best suited to this
type of plan because you’re typically getting at least eight weight settings.
You can quickly change the weight by either scrolling a dial or pressing a
button, which means that not only do they save space compared with a full
set of dumbbells, but also that it’s easy to pick the correct weight for the
exercise you’re about to tackle.
Here are our recommendations for selectorised dumbbells, and you can
read more about each in our round-up of the best dumbbells.
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PLAN
We’re sure you’re excited about diving into this dumbbell workout plan, but
first take a moment to consider your warm-up. All the workouts involve
completing supersets with minimal rest, and if you haven’t adequately
prepared your body you’ll find the first couple of rounds far tougher than
you need to, and won’t get as much from them in terms of strength Power and Stop K2798-36 Z…
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When warming up, merely jogging on the spot for a few minutes to raise
your heart rate won’t do. Each of the workouts is designed to target a
specific area of the body, and you need to do the same in your warm-up so
you’re priming the muscles that are about to be called into action.
You can start with this dynamic stretching routine, which will take mere
minutes and will get your whole body moving. Here it is in brief, but there’s
a form guide for each in the linked article.
Then move on to an even more specific warm-up for the workout you’re
going to do. The simplest way to do this is a round of the exercises you
have lined up with no weight, or a very light set of dumbbells if you have
them. It won’t take long, and it has clear benefits: a better workout and a
little less DOMS the following day.
Week 1
1A Floor press
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010
How Lie flat on the floor, holding a dumbbell in each hand above your
chest with straight arms. Lower the weights towards your chest, then press
them back up powerfully to return to the start.
Why Lying on the floor puts you in a stable position so you can attempt to
go quite heavy with this move. The range of motion is shorter than a bench
press, so focus on contracting the chest muscles being targeted.
1B Hammer bent-over row
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 60sec Tempo 2010
How Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing each other. Bend
forward, hingeing at the hips, then row the weights up to your sides,
leading with your elbows. Lower the weights back to the start under
control.
Why This move hits the major muscles of your upper back, while your Power Stop K2798-36 Z…
lower back gets worked
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2A Dumbbell press-up
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010
How Get into position with your feet together and hands holding
dumbbells shoulder-width apart. Brace your core so your body is straight
from head to heels. Bend your elbows to lower your chest, then press back
up powerfully.
Why You might think press-ups are easy, but they are still a useful chest-
building move – especially when you factor in the instability of the weights
to work your chest, as well as your core, harder.
2B Reverse flye
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 60sec Tempo 2010
How Bend forwards from the hips with a light dumbbell in each hand,
palms facing. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to
shoulder height, then lower them back to the start.
Why This move looks a lot harder than it is, and it works wonders for your
upper back and rear shoulders. Start with light weights and master the
movement pattern to maximise muscle gain and minimise the risk of
injury.
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010
How Get into position with your feet together and hands holding
dumbbells wide apart. Brace your core so your body is straight from head
to heels. Bend your elbows to lower your chest, then press back up
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3B Renegade row
How Get into position with your feet together and hands holding
dumbbells shoulder-width apart. Brace your core so your body is straight
from head to heels. Row the weight up, leading with your elbow. Alternate
arms.
Why It works your upper back one side at a time so you can fully engage
each of the muscles, as well as recruiting your core and shoulder joints to
keep your body stable.
Week 2
Add two extra reps to each set.
1B Hammer
bent-over 4 12 60sec 2010
row
3A Wide
dumbbell 4 12 0sec 2010
press-up
Week 3
There’s a big jump in difficulty this week. The reps drop back down to 10,
but an extra set is added and the tempo changes. Hold the top of the bent-
over row, reverse flye and renegade row for one second, and take an extra
second to lower when performing both press-up variations.
1B Hammer
bent-over 5 10 60sec 2011
row
3A Wide
dumbbell 5 10 0sec 3010
press-up
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The reps go back up to 12 this week, on top of the extra sets and tougher
tempo numbers.
1B Hammer
bent-over 5 12 60sec 2011
row
3A Wide
dumbbell 5 12 0sec 3010
press-up
Week 1
1A Biceps curl
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010
Why It’s the classic biceps lift for good reason: performing this move
perfectly is one of the fastest ways to add size to your biceps. Just keep
your reps controlled to avoid swinging the dumbbells up and down.
1B Triceps extension
How Stand tall, holding a dumbbell over your head with one hand and arm
straight. Keeping your chest up, lower the weight behind your head, then
raise it back to the start. Do all the reps with one arm and then switch and
repeat.
Why Working one arm at a time allows you to focus on making your triceps
work hard to keep the dumbbell under complete control throughoutPower
the lift
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2A Hammer curl
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010
How Stand with dumbbells by your sides and palms facing each other.
Keeping your elbows tucked in to your sides, curl the weights up, squeezing
your biceps at the top. Lower them back to the start.
Why Adjusting your wrist position so that your palms face each other for
the entirety of the set shifts the workload to a different part of your biceps
muscles, as well as recruiting your forearms.
2B Triceps kick-back
How Lean forward from your hips, keeping your back straight and arm
bent holding a dumbbell. Raise the weight behind you until your arm is
straight, then lower back to the start. Do all the reps on one side, then
repeat with the other arm.
3A Spider curl
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010
How Bend down and rest your elbows on your thighs, holding a dumbbell
in each hand with arms straight. Curl the weights up, squeeze your biceps
at the top, then lower back to the start under control.
Why It may raise a few eyebrows in the gym, but this exercise worksPower
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Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 60sec Tempo 2010
How Get into position with your feet together and hands holding
dumbbells that are touching. Brace your core so your body is straight from
head to heels. Bend your elbows to lower your chest, then press back up
powerfully.
Week 2
As with dumbbell workout 1, week 2 of workout 2 increases the reps by
two.
3B Narrow
dumbbell 4 12 60sec 2010
press-up
Week 3
Again, the reps drop to 10 but another set is added and the tempo
changes. Pause in the middle of the movement for one second for the first
five exercises.
3B Narrow
dumbbell 5 10 60sec 2010
press-up
Week 4
Add two more reps to each set.
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3B Narrow
dumbbell 5 12 60sec 2010
press-up
Week 1
1A Squat
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010
How Stand tall holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your chest up
and core braced, bend your knees and push your hips back to squat down
as deep as you can, ideally until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push
back up through your heels to return to the start position.
Why It’s the classic lift for building bigger and stronger legs, and it’s a big
compound lift that recruits multiple muscle groups too.
1B Woodchop
How Stand holding a dumbbell in both hands to one side. Squat down then
stand back up while raising the weight up and across your body until it’s
above your shoulder. Reverse the movement. Do all the reps then switch
sides.
Why It’s not as well known as other abs exercises, but do it right and you
will build muscle across your entire core, as well as working your shoulders
and lower back.
How Stand with a dumbbell in each hand. With your chest up and core
braced, take a big step forwards with one foot and lower until both knees
are bent 90°, then push off your front foot to return to the start. Do all the
reps with one leg, then switch.
Why The lunge provides many of the same benefits as the squat, but
keeping your body stable as you lower and raise works your core harder.
2B Halo
Why It will work your abs, which must be fully braced and engaged to keep
your torso stable and upright, and it will improve the strength and mobility
of your delicate shoulder joints for added injury-prevention benefits.
3A Goblet squat
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010
How Stand tall holding one end of a dumbbell with both hands. Squat
down, keeping your back straight and core braced, until the weight almost
touches the group. Stand back up to return to the start.
Why At this point of the session your legs will already be close to fatigue
but this move, with a single dumbbell as resistance, will tax a few more
muscle fibres for growth and keep your heart rate high for fat-loss benefits.
3B Crunch
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Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 60sec Tempo 2010
How Lie flat on the floor, holding a dumbbell across your chest. Engage
your abs, then raise your torso off the floor. Squeeze your abs at the top,
then lower yourself slowly and under control.
Why The crunch is great for developing your upper abs, but only if you do it
right. And the added resistance of the dumbbell will force those muscles to
up their game to lift and lower your torso without help from momentum.
Week 2
Increase the challenge in the second week by adding two reps to every set.
Week 3
The reps drop back to 10 this week, but the sets rise from four to five. An
extra second is added to the eccentric phase for the squats and lunge, and
pauses are added to the remaining three exercises.
Week 4
An extra two reps are added to every set in this final week.
Week 1
1A Overhead press
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010
How Stand tall holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, with
your palms facing forwards and elbows out to the sides. Keeping your
chest up, press the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight,
then lower them back to the start.
1B Lateral raise
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 60sec Tempo 2010
How Stand with light dumbbells by your sides and palms facing each other.
Lean forwards slightly, then raise the weights to the sides, leading with
your elbows. Slowly lower them back to the start under control.
Why This is a fantastic move for hitting your side delts – the section of the
shoulder muscles that, when developed, creates a strong and wide upper
body.
2A Arnold press
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lift, until your arms are straight, then lower them back to the start.
Why It’s a similar lift to the straight overhead press, except your wrists
rotate as you move the weights – and it’s this added movement that will
fire up even more muscle fibres.
2B Upright row
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 60sec Tempo 2010
Why Building bigger shoulders means you also need to work your traps,
which is what this lift does brilliantly. Don’t go too heavy at first – it’s better
to perform quality reps than max-weight ones – and never jerk the weights
up and down.
3A Front raise
Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010
Why This lift hits the front of your shoulders predominantly and, as with all
shoulder moves, make sure you are controlling the weight at all times – it
should never be controlling you. You can’t add muscle if you’re injured.
3B Shrug
Why It’s another great move for bigger traps, and the best thing about this
move is that you can go heavy because its range of motion is so short. Keep
everything tight and shrug the weights up powerfully to make it more
effective.
Week 2
Progress this working by adding two reps to every set of every exercise.
1A
Overheard 4 12 0sec 2010
press
Week 3
Add an extra set in the third week, but drop the reps back down to 10 per
set. Take an extra second to lower the weights in the press exercises, and
pause for one second after lifting the weights for the other four exercises.
1A
Overheard 5 10 0sec 3010
press
Week 4
Repeat the sets, rest and tempo from week three, but add two more reps.
1A
Overheard 5 12 0sec 3010
press
NUTRITION TIPS
When you’re exercising this hard you need to make sure you’re giving your
body enough fuel to both complete the workout and repair itself Power Stop K2798-36 Z…
afterwards. That means
Get eating a balanced
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We’re sure you’re well aware that protein plays an important role in
building muscle and you may think you should eat more of it while
following this dumbbell workout plan. When we asked dietitian Susan Short
how much protein you should eat each day to build muscle, she said 1.2-2g
per kg of bodyweight a day, an increase on the 0.8-1.2 per kg of bodyweight
a day that’s recommended for everyone. Before mixing up a protein shake,
try to keep a rough tally of what you’re eating because you may well find
you’re hitting the requirements already – typical diets in the UK and US
skew protein-rich already.
Don’t let the importance of protein make you neglect carbs. Short
explained that your body will use protein for energy instead of rebuilding
muscle if you aren’t getting enough carbs. And, of course, eating a variety
of fruit and veg will supply the micronutrients and vitamins needed to build
muscle and help your body cope with the demands this plan places on it.
If you need some direction, take some ideas from this muscle-building
meal plan, and our guides to what to eat before a workout and what to eat
after a workout – you may be surprised how much protein you can cram
into a healthy meal.
Joe Warner
Joe Warner worked for Men’s Fitness UK, which predated, and then shared
a website with, Coach. He was a staff writer from 2008 to 2009, then
deputy editor until 2013. He returned as editor of Men’s Fitness UK from
2016 to 2019. He is currently group editorial director of IronLife Media and
editorial director of the New Body Plan.
Who said you need stacks of time to work your arms, chest and back?
Polish off your next workout with as many rounds of these dumbbell
moves as you can manage
When you’re unsure what to do at the gym, break out this 30-minute
dumbbell workout from PT Alex Crockford
And burn fat. AND build lean muscle. As you may have guessed, it won’t be
easy, but take a look at those benefits again
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Do this circuit, which involves pairs of exercises targeting the same muscle
group to stimulate both muscle growth and fat loss
Get impressive results in just 15 minutes with nothing more than a pair of
dumbbells
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