Best Full-Body Dumbbell Workout To Try At Home

Think an effective workout requires a gym full of kit? This full-body dumbbell workout is the best option for building muscle at home…

Need a pair of dumbbells? Discover the best dumbbells for home workouts

Lockdown taught us many things: toilet roll is the most valuable commodity on Earth, fresh air is really quite nice and, for the purposes of this article, you don’t need a ton of equipment to get – or stay – in shape.

Sure, variety can make working out more interesting, and being able to cycle between a range of weights and stations requires less imagination, but if you’ve got just one pair of dumbbells at your disposal, you’re fairly well set.

RELATED: 42 Best Dumbbell Exercises For Every Body Part

How to do this full-body dumbbell workout:

For this full-body dumbbell workout, complete the exercises back-to-back with minimal rest between each move for best results.

Perform 10 reps of each exercise and rest for 60-90 secs once the whole circuit is complete. Repeat the whole thing 3-5 times.

Best full-body dumbbell workout

• 1a. Dumbbell deadlift
• 1b. Dumbbell press-up
• 1c. Dumbbell windscreen wiper
• 1d. Dumbbell thruster
• 1e. Dumbbell alternating reverse lunge
• 1f. Dumbbell bent-over row
• 1g. Dumbbell swing
• 1h. Dumbbell power high pull

Keep reading for full instructions on how to perform each exercise in the best full-body dumbbell workout.

Related content:

1. Dumbbell Chest & Core Workout
2. Try This Dumbbell Only Leg Workout
3. Home Dumbbell HIIT Workout For Full Body Burn

1a. Dumbbell deadlift

Muscles worked: glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, core, traps, rhomboids, lats

How to do a dumbbell deadlift:

• Stand tall with soft knees, shoulders back and a pair of dumbbells at your side.
• Press your hips back, keep your chest up and slowly lower the dumbbells towards the ground.
• Once the dumbbells are midway down your shin, pause, squeeze your glutes and return to the starting position.

1b. Dumbbell press-up

Muscles worked: pecs, triceps, delts, core 

How to do a dumbbell press-up:

• Begin in a press-up position, with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and your hands gripping the dumbbells in a neutral position. 
• Now, perform a deep press-up while keeping your hips level.
• Press yourself back up to the top and go again.

1c. Dumbbell windscreen wiper

Muscles worked: abs, obliques, pecs, triceps, delts, lats 

How to do a dumbbell windscreen wiper:

• Lie on your back with your arms extended, a dumbbell in each hand and your feet together.
• Keeping your arms straight throughout, lift your legs up then move them towards your right hand.
• Return your feet to the ground and immediately lift them back up to your left hand. That’s one rep.

1d. Dumbbell thruster

Muscles worked: quads, hamstrings, glutes, core, delts, traps, triceps 

How to do a dumbbell thruster:

• Hold a pair of dumbbells on your shoulders, with your hands in a neutral position.
• Do a deep squat, keeping your back in good alignment.
• Drive up through your heels and punch the weights straight up in the air.
• Drop down into the next squat and repeat the process.

1e. Dumbbell alternating reverse lunge

Muscles worked: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, core 

How to do a dumbbell alternating reverse lunge:

• With a pair of dumbbells at your side, take a big step backwards until your knee lightly grazes the floor.
• Keeping your shoulders back, return to the starting position and go again on the other leg. That’s one rep.

1f. Dumbbell bent-over row

Muscles worked: core, lats, rhomboids, posterior delts, erectors, biceps 

How to do a dumbbell bent-over row:

• Holding the weights in front of you, bend your knees, press your hips back, keep your chest up and your shoulders down. This is your starting position. 
• Row the weights up to your side, turning your hands as you go and keeping your elbows tucking in.
• Pause at the top, then return to the start.

1g. Dumbbell swing

Muscles worked: glutes, quads, hamstrings, core 

How to do a dumbbell swing:

• Holding the dumbbells close together, hinge your hips backwards, then snap them forwards.
• Allow the weights to swing up to about shoulder level and then fall back down into the next swing.
• Keep your posture in check throughout the move and make sure you’re not lifting the weights with your arms. All the momentum should come from your hips.

1h. Dumbbell power high pull

Muscles worked: traps, delts, biceps, quads, glutes, calves, core 

How to do a dumbbell power high pull:

• Begin with your hips back and chest up, holding a pair of dumbbells just above your knees.
• Drive your hips forward, come up onto your toes and drag the weights up in the air, pausing briefly at the top of the move with elbows wide.
• Return to the start of the position and go again.

Now repeat the best full-body dumbbell workout circuit 3-5 more times.

Head to our sister site, Women’s Fitness UK, for a full-body dumbbell workout for women.