Dumbbell circuit training may be an excellent choice for an at-home workout if you cannot regularly make it to the gym or do not want to pay for a membership. A set of dumbbells is relatively cheap to buy and easy to store. Circuit training is a way to work out many muscle groups in one session and, with little rest time in between sets, keep your heart rate up and reap some aerobic benefits as well.
Total Body Workout
In this workout, do one set for each major muscle group. Upon finishing a set, immediately move on to the next exercise. For each set, use a weight that barely allows you to do 12 to 15 repetitions. You ideally will have access to a bench or stability ball, along with a pair of dumbbells. If you complete the circuit and find you have time and energy remaining, do it a second time.
For a chest exercise, lie on the bench or ball and do dumbbell presses. Moving on to your back, put one knee on the bench or ball, grab a dumbbell in one hand and do single-arm rows. Perform shoulder presses standing or sitting on the bench or ball. Next it's time to work your lower body, doing squats while holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Wrap up with arm exercises, curls for your biceps and arm extensions for your triceps.
Upper Body Workout
If you have time to work out four times a week, try splitting your circuit training into two days for your upper body and two for your lower body. When working your upper body, mix in a second set for each of the bigger muscle groups -- chest, back, shoulders. For your chest, in addition to presses, do dumbbell flies while lying on a bench or ball. Unlike the press, a compound exercise that builds overall upper-body strength, the fly specifically isolates and targets your pectoral muscles. For your shoulders, add lateral raises to the workout.
A challenging secondary exercise for your back is the single-arm, single-leg Romanian deadlift. In this exercise, hold a dumbbell with, for example, your left hand while standing straight. Bend forward at the hips until your torso is almost parallel to the floor, while also lifting your left leg three to 6 inches off the floor and bending your knee only slightly. Straighten up and return to the starting position to complete the repetition.
Lower Body/Midsection Workout
Combine a dumbbell circuit for your legs with crunches and other exercises for your core muscles to make a complete session, alternating between leg and core exercises. Along with squats, do lunges -- while holding dumbbells at shoulder level -- for another exercise that involves all the biggest leg muscles. Also do standing calf raises while holding dumbbells, since the previous leg exercises only peripherally the calves.
Dumbbell deadlifts are a good exercise to include in this session because they involve both core muscles in your lower back and the quadriceps. In this exercise, which typically uses a barbell, place two dumbbells on the floor at your sides, squat down, grab the dumbbells and straighten up into a standing position so that the weights hang at thigh level against with your arms extended. Be sure to keep your back rigid and flat throughout the motion to minimize the risk of injury.
Advanced Workout
Once you have made progress in your strength and conditioning, try "combination" exercises that generally involve lower-body and upper-body muscle groups simultaneously. Doing four or five of these exercises consecutively will make for a challenging circuit, and you can try doing the circuit twice in one exercise session.
Exercises in this workout include a dumbbell squat/shoulder press and a lunge/lateral raise to work both your legs and shoulders. Also try walking lunges with arm curls for your biceps. Because it is hard to do dumbbell exercises that incorporate your lower body and your chest or back, take care of your chest and back together with dumbbell push-ups/rows. In this exercise, do push-ups with your hands on a pair of dumbbells rather than the floor. At the top of the motion pull one dumbbell toward you as a single-arm row. Alternate which arm you use for the row.
Member Comments