A full body dumbbell workout at home

A full body session only needs to do five things: push something away, pull something toward you, bend at the knees, bend at the hips, and carry a load. Everything else is detail. One pair of dumbbells covers all five.

The workout

Goblet squat

Hold one dumbbell vertically against your chest, cupping the top head with both hands. Sit straight down, knees tracking over your toes, and stand back up. If your heels lift, try it with your heels on a book, and work on ankle mobility separately.

Floor press

The bench press without a bench. Lie on your back, knees bent, dumbbells at chest height, and press up. Your upper arms stop when your triceps touch the floor, which caps the range of motion and happens to be much kinder to cranky shoulders than a full bench press.

Romanian deadlift

Dumbbells in front of your thighs, soft knees, push your hips backward and let the weights travel down your legs while your back stays flat. Go as far as your hamstrings allow, then squeeze your glutes to stand. This is a hinge, so almost nothing should happen at the knee.

If you feel this in your lower back rather than the back of your legs, you are rounding. Shorten the range and slow the descent down to three seconds.

Single arm row

Brace one hand on a chair, hinge forward, and row the dumbbell to your hip. Let the weight hang and your shoulder blade stretch forward at the bottom, then pull it back as you row. The back works through the shoulder blade, not just the elbow.

Farmer carry

Pick up both dumbbells, stand tall, walk. That is it, and it is one of the best things in this list. It trains your grip, your core and your posture at once, and it is impossible to do badly as long as you stay upright and do not shrug.

How to progress it

Run this twice a week for four to six weeks before changing anything. Progress in this order:

1. Add a rep to each set until you hit the top of the range
2. Add a set to the movement you care most about
3. Only then, add weight, and drop back to the bottom of the rep range

That loop is boring, which is exactly why it works. The people who make the most progress at home are almost always running a short, unglamorous session they can repeat.

If you have less time

Cut the carry and the row, and run the first three movements. Twenty minutes, still full body. For a version with no equipment at all, see the no equipment full body workout, and for how to choose between them on any given day, see what workout should I do today.

Fit Forged suggests workouts, it is not a doctor. Check with a qualified professional before starting a new training programme, particularly if you are pregnant, injured, recovering from surgery or managing a health condition. Stop if something hurts.