“You might want to set up with two sets of dumbbells,” says Gouldsbury. “One heavier set for the lower-body section and another lighter set for the upper-body exercises. Set a timer at the start of your workout and see how long it takes you to complete the workout. Go back and try to improve on the time in a couple of weeks.”
Do 25 reps of each exercise. Once you’ve completed the series of lower-body movements, take a two-minute breather and then complete the upper-body exercises. To make it easier to follow, we begin with a list of all the exercises, followed by form guides.
Doing several sets of the same exercise during a dumbbell workout makes a lot of sense. By repeating the move you will work the muscles involved harder, breaking them down so they can come back stronger and bigger.
However, it can also be dull to work through several sets of the same move, and if you find motivation flagging during your training routine then this no-repeat dumbbell workout might be just the tonic you need to regain your mojo.
Designed by Baz Gouldsbury, an online coach and personal trainer, the full-body dumbbell workout involves rattling through 16 different exercises, doing 25 reps of each. The session works pretty much every muscle in the body and raises your heart rate, keeping it high to improve your cardiovascular fitness and burn a whole load of calories.
The session is divided into eight leg exercises followed by eight upper-body moves. Try to rest as little as possible, taking just a two-minute breather after the final lower-body move before you start on your upper body.
“You might want to set up with two sets of dumbbells,” says Gouldsbury. “One heavier set for the lower-body section and another lighter set for the upper-body exercises. Set a timer at the start of your workout and see how long it takes you to complete the workout. Go back and try to improve on the time in a couple of weeks.”
To make it easier to follow the workout, we begin with a list of all the exercises, followed by form guides for each.
No-Repeat Dumbbell Workout
- Goblet squat
- Reverse lunge
- Romanian deadlift
- Good morning
- Thruster
- Romanian deadlift to high pull
- Devil’s press
- Walking lunge
- Biceps curl
- Triceps dip
- Upright row
- Push press
- Clean and press
- Floor press
- Chest flye
- Bent-over row
Form Guides
1 Goblet squat
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing out slightly. Hold one heavy dumbbell in both hands at chest height. Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your back flat and gaze forwards. When your thighs are parallel to the ground and your elbows are inside your knees, push through your heels to rise.
2 Reverse lunge
Reps 25 each side Rest 0sec
Stand resting dumbbells on your shoulders, palms facing and elbows pointing forwards. Take a step back and bend your knees to lower, stopping once your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your back knee is just above the floor. Push through your front heel to return to standing. Complete all the reps on one side, then switch.
3 Romanian deadlift
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing you. Engage your core and with a slight bend in your knees, push your hips back, lowering your torso and the dumbbells, keeping them close to your legs. When the dumbbells reach halfway down your shins, push through your heels to return to the starting position.
4 Good morning
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Rest the dumbbells on your upper back. Brace your core and, keeping your back straight, hinge forwards at your hips to lower your torso, pushing your hips back. Once you feel a mild stretch in your hamstrings, pause, then push through your heels to rise.
5 Thruster
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing out slightly, holding dumbbells by your shoulders. Push your hips back and bend your knees to squat, then push through your heels to rise. As you rise, use your momentum to push the dumbbells overhead. Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders under control.
6 Romanian deadlift into high pull
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing you. Engage your core and with a slight bend in your knees, push your hips back, lowering your torso and the dumbbells, keeping them close to your legs. When the dumbbells reach halfway down your shins, push through your heels to return to the starting position. As you do so, pull the dumbbells up to your chest by bending your elbows and moving them out to the sides until your upper arms are in line with your shoulders. Pause, then lower the dumbbells back to the start under control.
7 Devil’s press
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Stand holding dumbbells by your sides with palms facing. Push your hips back and lower, placing the dumbbells on the floor. Jump your feet back to land in the high plank position then lower your chest to the floor. Push your body back up, then jump your feet forwards to the outside of your hands. Keeping your back flat, clean the dumbbells to your shoulders, then press them overhead. Lower the dumbbells back to the start.
8 Walking lunge
Reps 25 Rest 2min
Stand holding dumbbells by your sides. Step forwards with your left leg and lower until both knees are bent to 90°. Push through your front heel to rise and then take a big step with your right leg. Continue, alternating sides with each rep.
9 Biceps curl
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Stand with feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Hold dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing forwards. Engage your core and keeping your upper arms tight to your body, bend your elbows to raise the dumbbells to your shoulders. Slowly lower them back to the start.
10 Triceps dip
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Sit on the edge of a bench with your legs extended and heels on the floor. Place your hands either side of your bum, fingers pointing forwards, and slide your bum off the bench. Keeping your back straight, bend your elbows to lower, pausing when your elbows are at a 90° angle. Push through your hands to lift yourself back to the starting position. Keep your upper arms close to your body throughout.
11 Upright row
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Standing tall, hold both dumbbells down in front of your body, with palms facing your body. Lift both dumbbells straight in front of you, elbows bending, until your hands are in line with your shoulders. Pause for a second, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the start position.
12 Push press
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your shoulders, palms facing forwards and elbows bent at 90° and out to the sides. Brace your core and drop into a quarter squat, then rise to stand and use the momentum to help press the dumbbells overhead. Lower the dumbbells to your shoulders under control.
13 Clean and press
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, dumbbells on the floor either side of your feet. Bend your knees, push your hips back and keep a flat back as you bend down to pick up the dumbbells. Holding the dumbbells, explosively come up to standing and bring the dumbbells up to your shoulders. Next, press the dumbbells overhead, before lowering them slowly back to your shoulders and then back to the floor.
14 Floor press
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells over your chest with your elbows bent and upper arms on the floor. Use your chest muscles to push the dumbbells up, extending your arms. Pause at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the start.
15 Chest flye
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Set up a weight bench at a 45° incline. Sit on the bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold dumbbells above your chest, with palms facing and a slight bend in your elbows. Keeping the bend in your elbows, lower the weights out to the sides. Avoid arching your back as you do this. Pause, then use your chest muscles to bring your arms back to the start position.
16 Bent-over row
Reps 25 Rest 0sec
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing. Push your hips back until your torso is almost parallel to the ground, letting your arms hang down. Draw your elbows up past your torso to raise the dumbbells to your ribs. Pause and squeeze your shoulder blades, then slowly lower the dumbbells.
