What if we told you that a single dumbbell is enough to get fit at home? That's right; no need to invest in expensive home gym equipment you'll never use. This dumbbell full-body workout proves that to build muscle and shed fat, all you need is determination, 30 minutes, one dumbbell and a little space. Maybe a pair of shoes wouldn't hurt either.
And although dumbbell workouts will help you get shredded, the benefits of strength training go well beyond aesthetics. Research showed that resistance training might enhance cardiovascular health by reducing resting blood pressure and help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes by decreasing visceral fat. Strength training is also key to long-term weight loss and can support and protect joints, ease pain, stiffness, and more!
The above workout from long-time T3 favouite Alex Crockford is as straight forward as it gets. Warmup is six exercises performed for 30 seconds each, followed by a lower body (40 seconds work/20 seconds rest), then upper body (40 seconds work/5 seconds rest), core (40 seconds work/20 seconds rest), and the finisher (50 seconds work/10 seconds rest) parts of the workout. Finally, the cooldown is six exercises performed for 30 seconds each (just like the warm up). The exercises featured in this workout are:
- Goblet squat
- Goblet squat (second set)
- Romanian deadlift (often also called RDL or stiff-legged deadlift)
- Romanian deadlift (seconds set)
- Split lounge
- Split lounge (other side)
- Split lounge (second set)
- Split lounge (second set, other side)
- Chest press
- (No rest between chest press exercises)
- Chest press (other arm)
- Chest press (second set)
- (No rest between chest press exercises)
- Chest press (second set, other arm)
- Shoulder press
- Shoulder press (other arm)
- Shoulder press (second set)
- Shoulder press (second set, other arm)
- Single arm row
- Single arm row (other side)
- Single arm row (second set)
- Single arm row (second set, other side)
- Torso twist
- Torso twist (second set)
- Plank pull across
- Plank pull across (second set)
- Alternate arm snatch
- Alternate burpee press
- Jump jack press
That was exhausting but super effective. If you liked this, you'd love Alex's other workouts, including this workout salad for anyone from beginners to advanced exercisers and another abs workout to get the ultimate, cover-shot-worthy six-pack. He previously also provided the readers of T3 with – wait for it – the best hangover workout, if that's something you're interested in. Finally, his bodyweight shoulder workout is genuinely something to behold.
In terms of gear, this is a dumbbell workout, so that you might need one of those. If you haven't got one, let T3's best dumbbell and best adjustable dumbbell guides help you make the right decision. You might also need some trainers; have a look at our best workout shoes and best cross-training shoe guides for more info.