Free online workout: Exercise with just a set of dumbbells

If you have an hour to workout, how do you make it time well spent? Add to the challenge, what if you are limited to a single pair of dumbbells?

This free, online workout plan shows you how to exercise efficiently, even if you only have one pair of moderate-weight dumbbells – that’s right, a workout you can do at home without the benefit of a health club or other fully-equipped gym.

The trick to exercising with a single set of dumbbells is to apply them to different muscles in different planes of motion. If you consider the mechanics of your body and can think creatively, there is literally an infinite number of ways one can exercise with so little equipment.

For example, you can perform a simple bicep curl with a dumbbell. But if you embellish the move – for example, curl the weight with the thumbs-up “hammer” position, then hold the top position for 5-10 seconds before lowering it slowly (over another 5-10 seconds) – you get a different level of “pump,” an increased intensity, from this simple variation.

Note that “moderate weight” dumbbells vary by individual. For the beginner, this might be a set of five, eight or ten pound weights. Twenty, 25-pound or heavier dumbbells can be very effectively used by anyone of medium-level strength (this includes me, after 25 years of strength training) when the right techniques are used.

Structure your workout for balance and time efficiency

To start, establish a structure of exercises that use many body parts in balance. That means you exercise the upper body, core and lower body, all within the same workout. And don’t just think about the muscles you see in the mirror. A truly well developed body includes a balance of front, back and side muscles, from chin to toes. The structure provided below hits each area with three separate exercises within one hour.

Don’t think these exercises are all you would ever do – this workout should be repeated only about once a week, supplementing it with different exercises the other days of the week. See other HubPages articles by this writer for additional ideas.

The structure works with time efficiency when you exercise your body in those three parts – upper, core and lower – in alternating fashion. This enables you to advance to your next exercise with minimal rest. In other words, exercise the upper body first, next the core and then the lower body. Cycle through the same exercises twice, then move on to a second set of three exercises, then finish out with a third.

The three “triplexes” of exercises are in the following, groups A, B and C. Remember throughout, the idea is to minimize rest periods – no sitting down to rest in between sets.

Group A

Upper body: Shoulder presses – Stand with feet spread at shoulder width, knees slightly bent and tailbone slightly pointed back. Hold dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward. Lift the weight on a count of four (seconds), gradually rotating palms to face inward at the top, then just as slowly lower the weights and rotate the palms to the original, face-forward position. Repeat to fatigue, rest ten or 15 seconds, then repeat again to fatigue.

Core: Good mornings – Stand with legs straight but waist bent while holding the dumbbells, a near paperclip bend allowing the weights to pull your arms, head, shoulders and core straight to the floor. Rise up slowly, thinking about how the core muscles (mostly in the abdominal region) are doing the work. Once you rise up to a standing position, reverse it and slowly lower down to the starting position.

Lower body: Squats – stand with dumbbells hanging at your side, feet shoulder width distance apart. Squat slowly, keeping weight on the heels (not the toes) and touch dumbbells to the floor, if possible, before rising up again to the starting position. Continue at least eight times or more until fatigued.

Group B

Upper body: Enhanced push up – Start with the standard push-up, feet about shoulder width distance apart, hands planted on the dumbbells on the floor, far enough from the feet so that the body is stretched out into an even “plank” position. Now, place the dumbbells 12 inches further apart than usual (right dumbbell six inches further right from center, and the left dumbbell six inches further left). In an alternative fashion, lower with a bias toward the left, then the right, effectively allocating weight and effort more on one side then the other. You can alter the dumbbell-hand position in a wide variety of ways.

Core: Rocking crunches – lie flat on a floor or a bench, feet elevated with bent knees and face up, with dumbbells clutched in both hands at the shoulders and palms facing forward. Through a combination of rocking and pressing the dumbbells forward, then rolling back, you’ll work your abdominal, shoulder and chest muscles at the same time.

Lower body: Pulsing lunges – With hands holding dumbbells at each side, assume the lunge position: foot A three to four feet behind foot B, toes of the front leg pointed forward and toes of the back leg pointing to the side, with the front leg (foot B) bent at the knee. Key point: the front leg knee should never push beyond its ankle; the shin-foot angle should be 90 degrees or greater throughout the exercise. With the back leg balanced on the ball of the foot, lower the entire body as far as possible, then rise up. When you get the move mastered, pulse it with rapid, two- to four-second repetitions, enough to achieve fatigue before switching legs to repeat the move in the opposite configuration.

Group C

Upper body: Tricep press – Standing with knees slightly bent (relaxed), grasp one dumbbell in one hand and point it directly to the ceiling. Bending only at the elbow, lower the weight slowly behind your head to a dead hang, then press up back to the ceiling. If this is difficult at this weight level, provide a small amount of assistance from the free hand.

Core: Side planks – Place one hand on a dumbbell with the arm outstretched and both elbow and shoulder locked. Note if your dumbbells have a hexagonal shape, they won’t roll; if they are round, configure your wrist-hand position so that it remains stationery throughout the exercise. Stack one foot on top of the other while keeping the arm straight, then allow the hips to drop low so that the body bows into a U-shape from shoulder to ankles. Using core muscles, press the hips upward again, higher than the neutral starting point. Repeat to fatigue.

Lower body: Calf raises – Stand one foot on a moderately raised surface (stairway step or on a thick phone book, for example) with the dumbbell in one hand and steadying your balance on a wall or stairwell handrail. With the other foot raised – putting all weight on the other foot – lower the heel as far as possible, then press up (a “plantar flexion”) using the calf muscles. Repeat to fatigue, then switch feet.

Remember, the best effect you get from this workout is if you complete it with minimal rest, in an hour or less. Your reward is more time for living your life, great conditioning – and the satisfaction of knowing you don’t always need a gym to get in a workout.

Russ Klettke is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified fitness trainer and also the author of “A Guy’s Gotta Eat, the regular guy’s guide to eating smart” (Marlowe & Co., 2004, with Deanna Conte, MS RD LD), available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and more than 70 public library systems in the U.S., Canada and Europe. See other articles by this writer on practical approaches to fitness and nutrition for busy people.