8 Full Body Exercises with Dumbbells

How To Do Squats and Alternating Overhead Shoulder Presses

1. Start standing, feet shoulder width apart, knees bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand at your sides (palms facing in).
2. Sit your hips back as you lower into a squat, striving for a 90-degree angle between your hips and knees. Lower the dumbbells towards the ground between your legs.
3. Then, press through your heels to stand tall, curling the dumbbell in your right hand first to shoulder height, then pressing straight overhead as you stand. Think of powering the movement with your legs rather than your upper body.
4. With control, reverse the movement, lowering the dumbbell to your hips before lowering into a squat.
5. Repeat, this time curling the dumbbell in your left hand first to shoulder height then pressing overhead as you stand tall, performing a shoulder press on the left side.

How To Do Deadlifts and Alternating Bicep Curls

1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, toes pointing forward. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing your body.
2. Hinge at your hips with your knees slightly bent to lower the dumbbells down towards your knees/shins. Think of pushing your butt back towards the wall behind you while keeping a flat back and neutral neck. Dumbbells stay close to the body.
3. Keeping your core tight, push through your heels to stand straight up; completing the dumbbell deadlift.
4. Then, curl the dumbbell in your right hand up to your right shoulder, rotating your palm so it is facing in towards your body at the top of the movement.
5. With control, reverse the movement, lowering the dumbbell to your hips and returning to starting position.
6. Repeat, performing another deadlift before performing a bicep curl on the left, curling the dumbbell in your left hand up towards your left shoulder.

How To Do Push Ups and Plank Knee Drives 

1. Start in a high plank position, shoulders over wrists, engaging your core muscles.
2. Lower your chest down into the bottom of a push up, letting your elbows fall back towards your body and leading with your chest.
3. Then, press back into high plank position.
4. Hold a high plank as you pull your right knee to tap your right elbow.
5. Repeat, performing another push up before bringing the left knee to tap the left elbow.

Modification: Perform a chest press with an alternating leg kick out.

How To Do Dumbbell Burpees 

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a set of dumbbells in your hands with palms facing in towards each other.
2. With a soft bend in the knees, hinge at your hips to lower your torso as you slide the dumbbells down in front of your legs. Think about pushing your hips back behind you. Hinge until you feel a stretch in the back of your legs.
3. Set the dumbbells on the ground between your feet and perform a burpee by jumping your feet back to high plank position. Hands remain on the dumbbells.
4. Then jump your feet back in and immediately stand tall, driving through the heels as you pull the weights up towards your hips, returning to starting position.

Modification: Perform a dumbbell squat hold, press out and overhead press.

How To Do Sumo Squats and Alternating Back Rows

1. Stand with feet wider than hips, heels in and toes pointed slightly out (wide squat or sumo squat stance). Hold one dumbbell in each hand between your legs.
2. Bend your knees to lower down into a squat, pushing your knees out towards your pinky toes as you drop your hips parallel to your knees.
3. Pause and hold at the bottom of your sumo squat, then pull the dumbbell in your right hand back towards your right hip (think of pulling from your elbow joint versus your wrist), as if you were starting a pull-start lawnmower. Stop once your elbow is in line with your rib cage, making a straight line from shoulder to elbow. Hold the row at the top for a moment squeezing your shoulder blade in.
4. With control, lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
5. Drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes and inner thighs to return to standing.
6. Then repeat, this time performing a sumo squat hold with a back row on the left side.

How To Do Hand-Switch Lateral Lunges

1. Start standing, feet wider than shoulder-width, toes facing forward or slightly turned out. Hold one dumbbell in your left hand.
2. Sit your hips back, bending your right knee while leaving your left leg straight. Think of performing a single leg squat with your right leg while your left leg remains straight. Dumbbell comes to the inside of the right foot; knees and toes are pointing forward.
3. Then, drive off your right foot to reverse the movement, pushing back to center. As you hit center switch the dumbbell to your right hand.
4. Immediately push to the left side, bending your left knee while leaving your right leg straight. This time, think of performing a single leg squat with your left leg while your right leg remains straight.

How To Do Alternating Reverse Lunges and Lateral Raises

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
2. Step your left foot back into a reverse lunge, lowering down so both knees form 90-degree angles.
3. Press through your front right heel to drive forward, returning to standing position.
4. From a standing position, lift both arms up to the sides at approximately a 45-degree angle, keeping a slight bend in the elbows. Lift just to shoulder height.
5. Slowly and with control, lower the dumbbells to your sides, returning to starting position.
6. Repeat, this time stepping your right foot back into a reverse lunge, before standing tall and performing a lat raise.

How To Do Skull Crushers and Alternating Leg Lowers 

1. Lie on your back, holding dumbbells straight overhead, wrists in line with shoulders, palms facing in towards each other.
2. Extend your legs straight up so they’re parallel with your arms, slight bend in the knees, feet are flexed.
3. Bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells towards your forehead. As you lower the dumbbells, brace your core and slowly lower your right heel towards the mat.
4. Then squeeze through the back of your arm to extend the dumbbells overhead. As you raise the dumbbells, lift your right foot back up to meet the left foot.
5. Repeat; lowering the dumbbells towards your forehead and this time lowering your left leg. Exhale to press the dumbbells back overhead and return your left leg to starting position.

Modification: Bend your knees, reducing range of motion.