20-Minute Full Body Weight Training with Dumbbells
Build muscle at home with this 20-minute workout routine: full body weight training with dumbbells. Nine of the best compound exercises to increase metabolism, burn calories, and challenge your muscular endurance at home.
This is DAY ONE of our Perform 20 Program.
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Build strength at home with this efficient workout routine: full body weight training with dumbbells.
Day one of our 2-Week Perform 20 Dumbbell Workout Plan combines efficient, full body compound exercises that I genuinely love to do.
I want to make the most of a 20-minute workout, which means I want to do exercises that encourage me to lift heavy (like squats and lunges) and challenge a variety of muscle groups at once (like pull ups).
That’s exactly what we’re going to do in today’s at home full body workout.
The compound exercises in today’s workout not only save time, but allow you to lift heavier weights, increase calorie-burn, improve core strength and stability, and build muscle.
Weight Training with Dumbbells
Build total body strength at home with this full body weight training workout.
Each exercise engages multiple muscle groups at once. This functional style of training is perfect for anyone with a busy schedule; hitting every major muscle group.
I suggest doing this full-body workout once a week as part of a well-rounded strength training workout routine.
Workout Equipment:
Medium-to-heavy set of dumbbells. We’re using 15-25 lbs. Optional pull up bar and long loop resistance band if needed (discount code: NML).
Workout Instructions:
Follow along with the guided Full Body Workout on YouTube, led by certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, Lindsey Bomgren.
Your Workout Looks Like This:
- 3 Circuits (3 exercises per circuit)
- Timed Intervals (30 seconds of work, 15 seconds rest; complete as many repetitions as you can in the timed interval)
- Stack On Circuits Format
Ultimate Full Body Dumbbell Workout
CIRCUIT ONE:
- Squat
- Pull Up
- Narrow Back Row and Clean Squat
CIRCUIT TWO:
- Reverse Lunge
- Standing Chest Fly
- Lateral Lunge and Press
CIRCUIT THREE:
- Dumbbell Snatch and Squat Thruster
- Overhead Tricep Extension
- Dumbbell Swing and Standing Crunch
Dumbbell Exercises for a Full-Body Workout
Dumbbell Squat
Targets: Lower body – legs, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, hips and core.
How To Do A Dumbbell Squat
- Start standing feet shoulder-width distance apart knees slightly bent, holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Option to hold a single dumbbell at your chest (vertically so dumbbell is touching your collarbone and sternum).
- Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer three toes.
- Drive through your heels to stand tall, returning to a standing position.
Pull Up
Targets: Upper and lower back – latissimus dorsi (lats), erector spinae, trapezius (traps), biceps, pectoralis major and minor (chest) and core.
How To Do A Pull Up
- Start standing underneath your pull up bar, feet hip-width apart, neck and shoulders relaxed.
- Reach up and grip the pull-up bar with your palms facing away from your body (overhand grip), hands slightly wider than shoulder-width distance apart.
- Allow your body to hang freely with your arms fully extended.
- Initiate the pull up by squeezing your shoulder blades together and pulling your chest towards the bar. Keep your elbows pointed downward throughout the movement.
- Continue to pull your body, pulling your chest up until your chin is above the bar, or as high as you can comfortably go. Keep your core engaged and your body straight throughout the movement.
- Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position, extending your arms fully.
Modification: Option to perform assisted pull ups with a long loop resistance band. Or, perform a reverse grip dumbbell back row (demonstrated on the left in the above image).
Reverse Lunge
Targets: Lower body – legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings and core. Lunges also target the small stabilizing muscles in your hips and thighs.
How To Do A Reverse Lunge
- Start standing in a neutral position, feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in towards each other (hammer curl grip). Option to hold one dumbbell horizontally at your chest.
- Step your left foot back into a reverse lunge. Lowering your left knee towards the mat, aiming for 90-degree angles in both knees.
- Hold for a moment, then drive through your front, right heel to return to standing.
- Then alternate the movement, this time stepping your right foot back into a reverse lunge.
Standing Chest Fly
Targets: Upper arms, chest, shoulders, abs and core.
How To Do A Standing Chest Fly
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand at your sides; palms face out away from the body (underhand grip). Shoulder blades pulled down towards your hips.
- Squeeze your chest as you lift your right dumbbell hand across your body bringing the dumbbell in the right hand parallel to your left shoulder. Think “right pinky finger to left shoulder.” Palm faces up towards the ceiling.
- Keep a soft bend in your elbow as you lower the dumbbell back to starting position with control.
- Repeat on the left arm, alternating arms with each rep.
Dumbbell Snatch and Squat Thruster
Targets: The legs, hamstrings, hips, glutes, back, shoulders and deep transverse abdomen muscles (core).
How To Do A Single Arm Snatch and Squat Thruster
- Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in your right hand at your side (palm facing in).
- Hinge forward at the hips, pushing your hips back as you lower the dumbbell down the front of your body. You should feel a stretch in the back of your legs (hamstrings).
- Then, drive your hips forward as you ‘snatch’ the weight overhead with your right arm (using the power and momentum created by your legs and hips). You should finish standing tall with your right dumbbell hand straight overhead; lock out your elbow.
- With control, lower the dumbbell back down to shoulder height. Then, sit your hips back as you lower into an uneven squat, striving for a 90-degree angle between your hips and knees.
- Drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes to stand tall. As you stand, perform an overhead thruster, press the dumbbell in your right hand straight overhead. Your right bicep should be near your right ear.
- Lower the dumbbell back down to shoulder height and repeat the snatch to squat thruster sequence.
Modification: Perform a dumbbell clean instead of a full snatch, catching the dumbbell at shoulder height.
Overhead Tricep Extensions
Targets: Upper body – including the long head of the triceps and all the stabilizing muscles in the shoulders, core, glutes and lower back muscles.
How To Do Overhead Tricep Extensions
- Stand with feet hip-distance apart, core engaged and soft bend in your knees.
- Hold one dumbbell or two dumbbells vertically overhead and activate your core by squeezing your glutes and abs to protect your lower back.
- Bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle, bringing the dumbbell(s) behind your head. Think ‘hide the dumbbell, show the dumbbell’ if you were watching yourself in a mirror. Keep your elbows close to your ears throughout the entire movement (don’t let your elbows flare out as you fatigue).
FAQs
Can You Really Get A Good Full Body Workout With Just Dumbbells?
Yes, dumbbell exercises are versatile and very effective if your goal is to build muscle. Ultimately, in order to see results from weight training, you need to implement progressive overload. This means you need to increase the intensity of your workouts over the course of weeks or months. Increasing volume, number of repetitions, or increasing load (lifting heavier dumbbells) is a great way to achieve progressive overload.
Which Is Better, Full Body Or Split Workouts?
It depends on your goals and number of days per week you strength train. But for most people who strength train three days a week, a full body workout is better. This will allow you to hit all your major muscle groups multiple times a week for overall strength and health. However, more advanced lifters prefer a workout split training more specific muscle groups (upper body push muscles, pull muscles and legs). Split routines require four to five days of weight training per week.
How Can I Use A Single Dumbbell Or Weight For This Full-Body Workout?
You can hold a single dumbbell at your chest for lower body exercises like a goblet squat and goblet lunge. And for upper body exercise you can hold the dumbbell in one hand, isolating the right arm; then repeating the exercise on the left arm.
Perform 20: FREE 2-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan
A 2-week performance based strength training program designed to build muscle in 20 minutes a day.
If you liked this full body workout at home, download the FREE 2-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan.
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