Top 5 Exercises with Dumbbells at Home for Women

Just as we all have ‘the chair’, you know the one, the place we all leave our clothes that we cannot quite bring ourselves to put away yet, and it just piles up on us.

We all also have a set of dumbbells that we purchased one time with the best intentions and then left to collect dust. Dumbbells are so versatile and not just for your basic bicep curls.

Today let’s dust them off and get moving! We’ve selected the top five exercises for a full body workout with dumbbells alone.

1. Burpee with an Overhead Press

Start with your feet hip-width apart.

Lower into a squat position and grab your dumbbells.

Jump your feet back into a plank position and lower your chest to the ground so that you’re at a dead stop.

Push your arms back up and jump your feet back in towards your hands and stand up with your arms by your side.

Bicep curl your dumbbells towards your chest.

Press your dumbbells over your head before lowering them back down to the starting position.

NB: This is a perfect way to get your whole body moving (and working hard) as a starting exercise.

2. Dumbbell Raises

Start by standing in a neutral position with a dumbbell in each hand.

Lift your arm (or arms – you can perform this killer shoulder exercise with both arms at the same time if you prefer) straight in front of you, keeping your arm straight (but not locked in position).

Once your arm reaches shoulder height, return the dumbbell back to a neutral position (do this in a slow and controlled motion, you must do the work here, not gravity – Sorry!).

3. Dumbbell Split Squat

Grab yourself a bench/chair for this one!

Place one foot in front of you, and one behind, elevate the rear foot onto the bench/chair.

Place a dumbbell in each hand with them hanging by your sides.

Lower your back knee, keeping your foot on the bench/chair and making sure your front knee does not extend over your front foot.

Once you’ve reached the bottom, drive through your front heel and return to your starting position.

Don’t forget the other leg of course!

4. Triceps Overhead Extension

Just as you could with the Dumbbell raises, you can give this one a go with one arm or both arms at the same time. This will all depend on how heavy your dumbbells are.

Start off with your feet shoulder width apart and hold your dumbbell with both hands or in one hand, directly above your head with your arm/arms straight.

Keep your arm/arms close to your head and keeping the movement slow and controlled, move your hand back behind your head. Only your forearms should move, and try to keep your body still also.

Finally, use your triceps to return to your starting position.

5. Renegade Row

Place your dumbbells on the floor shoulder width apart and get into a pushup position with a dumbbell in each hand.

One arm at a time on this one, to avoid hitting the floor face first, you’ll need to pull one dumbbell in towards your hip, supporting yourself with your other arm.

Slow and controlled, return to the starting position and repeat with the other arm.

This is a great finisher, a core burner, and wraps up the top 5 dumbbell workouts!

So there we have it, no more using a dumbbell as a doorstop and a full body workout that can be completed anywhere. So I guess we should deal with ‘the chair’ now right?

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