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The Men’s Health Dumbbell Club – Your Weekly Workout Plan For a Fitter, Stronger Body

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Three-Day Dumbbell Plan For Full-Body GainsHearst Owned

Welcome to the Men’s Health Dumbbell Club, your new weekly plan for a fitter, stronger body using just two dumbbells.

With workouts lasting from 20-40 minutes, which are designed to add lean muscle, build fitness and increase strength, your weekly dose of dumbbell goodness drops every Monday.

You can head back to check out week one, two or three, or simply get stuck in to our latest offering below.

New This Week…

Continuing the theme from last week, we’re going to be focussing on the ‘EMOM’ (Every Minute On the Minute) format. On a running clock, at the beginning of each minute you’re going to perform a set of a single movement, you’ll then rest for the remainder of the minute before moving onto the next movement at the start of the next minute. Continue in this fashion until you’ve performed a round of each movement, then rest for the next minute. After your rest minute, begin the circuit again. Perform eight total rounds, bringing you in at a time savvy, forty minutes of muscle-building action.

If you have access to your scores from week two, select your reps for each movement by taking the number of reps you performed, dividing this number by the total number of rounds you performed and adding two reps (ie. if you achieved 160 squats over 10 rounds in week two, your rep target for each minute of squats this week is 18). Working in this fashion will ensure you perform more total work this week, guaranteeing progress.

If this is your first week, or you didn’t record your scores, simply perform as many high-quality reps as you can in 30 seconds during the first round of each movement, and then attempt to match those reps in each round thereafter.

Ensure you perform a high-quality warm-up before each workout and keep track of your reps and sets. We'll revisit these numbers and attempt to beat them in later weeks.


Day One (W4/D1)

dumbbell front squat
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1. Front Squat

Clean your dumbbells onto the front of your shoulders (A). From here, drop into a front squat by pushing your hips back and bending at the knees until your thighs pass parallel to the ground (B), before driving back up explosively. Keep those dumbbells secured high, with a strong, upright torso throughout.

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2. Bent Over Row

After your final squat, drop your dumbbells to your sides, hinge forward until your torso is almost parallel to the ground and allow the dumbbells to hang just below your knees (A). Maintaining a flat back, row both dumbbells towards your hips (B), squeeze your shoulder blades together and lower under control to the start before repeating.

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3. Push Press

Clean your dumbbells back onto your shoulders, palms facing in. Take a breath and create tension in your core. (A) Dip at the knees and use your legs to help (B). Press your dumbbells overhead. Lower with a controlled tempo to your shoulders and repeat. If your weights feel a little too light, don’t use any drive from the legs and focus on a strict press from the shoulders.

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4. Jump Squats

Lean slightly forward as you squat (A), then explode up, jumping as high as you can (B). Cushion your landing with bent legs, then sink immediately back into another squat and repeat. Aim for the maximum possible height you can achieve on each and every rep, even if that means pausing for a quick breath. We’re looking to produce power here, not simply go through the motions.

Day Two (W4/D2)

db dumbbell deadlift
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1. Dumbbell Deadlift

With your dumbbells on the floor just outside of your feet, hinge down and grip them with a flat back and neutral spine (A). Engage your lats and stand upright, pushing the ground away with your feet, keeping your chest up and black flat throughout (B). Lower them back to the ground in a hinging motion and repeat. Avoid excessive rounding in your lower back and keep your form tight throughout. Don’t rush, in a race to build muscle, slower and steady wins.

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2. Dumbbell Floor (or Bench) Press

Lay flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Press the weights above you, locking out your elbows (A). Lower them slowly until your upper arms are resting on the floor (B), close to your body. Pause here before explosively pressing back up. If you have a bench, use it.

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3. Renegade Row

Drop into a press-up position with your hands on your bells and midline tight (A). Shifting your weight onto your left hand, row the right dumbbell towards your hip (B). Pause briefly, then lower the weight under control. Repeat on your left side (each row equals one rep).

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4. Burpee Over ‘bells

With both dumbbells on the floor next to you step back and hit the deck into a press-up position. Lower your body until your chest touches the floor (A). Stand back up and jump powerfully over the dumbbells (B) – driving through your hips when you take off. Land and immediately drop to the floor and repeat. The dumbbells keep you accountable for the height of each jump.

Day Three (W4/D3)

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1. Push-up on Dumbbells

Assume a long-arm plank position. With your core tight and hands below your shoulders stacked on top of your dumbbells (A), bend your elbows to bring your chest to the floor (B). Keep your elbows close to your body as you push back up explosively.

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2. High Pull

Stand tall with your dumbbells at your waist, in front of your body (A). Keeping your core tight hinge forward slightly before explosively standing back upright and pulling the dumbbells up towards your chin, driving your elbows up and back (B). Slowly lower back down to your waist under complete control. Avoid simply dropping your dumbbells back to your waist to build more muscle and avoid injury. If your dumbbells feel light, avoid the help from your hips and simply stand tall and pull the weights up to your chin.

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3. Tempo Goblet Squats

Hold a single dumbbell close to your chest (A). Sink your hips back and slowly over a count of four seconds descend into a squat (B). Your elbows should come in between your knees at the bottom. Drive back up explosively. Repeat. Pay attention to that tempo, it matters.

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4. Split Squat Jump

Step one foot backward and sink into a deep lunge, with your rear knee lightly touching the floor (A). Explode upward, jumping into the air and switching legs mid jump (B) to land in a lunge position with the opposite leg forward. Repeat the movement, alternating legs each rep. Keep this movement as fast paced as possible, focussing on maximising the height of each jump.

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