

The 20 Best Dumbbell Exercises to Sculpt Your Entire Body

There's few pieces of gym equipment more versatile

Best dumbbell exercises
rebecca jacobs

Just like a good night's sleep, sometimes it's the simplest things that can do the best things to our bodies. And incorporating dumbbell exercises into your workout is no different (hear us out).

Those humble free weights lying around the gym are often overlooked in favour of the kettlebell or barbell, but experts say they can be just as effective at building strength. Because, just like many things in life it's not size that matters but how you use it.

What's more, you're not wedded to a set weight. Simply choose a heavier dumbbell to increase the load when you can finish your set but feel like you could go again.

But, we know what it's like, you've got a pair in your hands and have no idea how to enlist them for an effective full-body workout. Fear not. WH low-down on the best exercises so increasing your dumbbell dexterity doesn't have to be complicated.

Keep reading for your 101 on dumbbell exercises including how to know if you're sweating hard enough and how to build strength at home. Plus, how often you should be reaching for weights to see results.

Let's get back to basics...


Try these 20 best dumbbell weight exercises

We've rounded up the moves you need to know from three top trainers - including Sandy Macaskill of Barry’s Bootcamp in London, Sarah Lindsay of Roar Fitness, and Daria Kantor of fitness platform TruBe. Better grip tight...

Stuck on what weight of dumbbell to use? Opt for the heaviest you can that still allows you to maintain good form. This is how to know you're lifting enough.

Floor press

Targets: Pecs, triceps, shoulders

Do: 13-15 reps

a. Lying flat on the floor, place your knees upwards and feet flat on the floor.

b. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, hold your weights by your shoulders. Slowly extend your arms towards the ceiling and hold, then extend the weights back down towards your shoulders. Repeat.

floor-press-1 Alice
rebecca jacobs


Targets: Quads, calves, hamstrings, core, lats, triceps

Do: 13-15 reps

a. Stand with both feet flat on the floor and a dumbbell in each hand.

b. Keeping your legs straight, bend at the hips to lower your weighted hands towards the floor. Go to just below knee height and then stand straight again. Clench your glute and core muscles as you do so, Repeat.

exercise for a bigger butt, deadlift

Bent over row

Targets: Back, glutes, biceps

Do: 13-15 reps

a. Stand with both feet flat on the floor and your chest bent towards your feet. Soften your knees and extend your arms, holding a dumbbell in each hand.

b. Clenching your bicep and tricep muscles, row your arms inwards and tense when the dumbbells are near your ribs. Repeat.

dumbbell-bent-over-row-1 alice

Shoulder press

Targets: Shoulder, triceps, traps, upper chest

Do: 13-15 reps

a. Stand with your feet flat on the floor and two dumbbells held in a U shape above your shoulders.

b. Extend your arms upwards as far as you can, slow and steadily, and return the dumbbells to above your shoulders. Repeat.

shoulder-press rebel
rebecca jacobs

Lateral raise

Targets: Shoulders, traps

Do: 13-15 reps

a. Stand straight with a dumbbell in each hand by your side.

b. Raise your arms outwards until they are level with your shoulders and you are stood in a T position. You should be able to feel your bicep muscles working. Lower and repeat.

seated-lateral-raise-1 alice
rebecca jacobs

Glute bridge

Targets: Glutes, abs, hamstrings

Do: 13-15 reps

a. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent upwards and a single dumbbell resting on your lower stomach and hips.

b. Tensing your glute muscles and holding the dumbbell so as to ensure it doesn't fall off, raise your hips up as high as you can towards the ceiling. Hold for three seconds, clenching your muscles, return to the floor and repeat.

Women&#039;s Health UK

Split squat

Targets: Quads, glutes, upper legs

Do: 13-15 reps

a. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, place one foot in front of the other. Make sure the back foot only has the toe touching the floor.

b. Keeping your knee positioned directly over your ankle and making sure it doesn't bend over your toe, lunge forward and clench your glutes. Lower your back knee to the floor until it touches and then push up through the soles of your feet. Keep your back straight and gaze forward.


Bulgarian split squat

Targets: Glutes, upper legs

Extra equipment: Bench

Do: 10 reps on each side

a. Get into a forward lunge position with one foot resting on the bench behind you and the other roughly half a metre in front of you, or far enough away so that you're able to drop your into the squat.

b. Take your dumbbell and place it under your chin like a goblet. Keeping your torso upright, core tight and hips square to your body, lower until your front thigh is almost horizontal. Keep your knee in line with your foot, and don't let your front knee travel beyond your toes. Drive up through your front heel back to the starting position.

bulgarian-split-squats-1 alice
rebecca jacobs

Renegade row

Targets: Back, shoulders, triceps, biceps

Do: 15 reps (one rep is a row on each side)

a. Get into a press up position with a dumbbell in each hand. Make sure your back is straight, your bum is low, your feet are shoulder width apart and your shoulders are over your wrists.

b. Keeping your chest and hips square and your abs engaged, row the dumbbell back towards your lower abs. Place the dumbbell back on the floor and repeat on the other side.

    renegade-rows-each-side rebel
    rebecca jacobs

    Russian twist

    Targets: Obliques, abs

    Do: 15 reps (one rep is a twist on each side)

    a. Sit on the floor or on a bench in a 'V' position. Fire up your abs to hold this position steadily.

    b. With your dumbbell in front of you, slowly twist your waist left to right. Don’t rush this movement or twist too far – it is much more effective if you’re slow and in control.

      russian-twists-with-dumbell rebel
      rebecca jacobs

      Weighted sit-ups

      Targets: Abs, obliques

      Do: 3 sets of 15 reps

      a. Lie down on your back with your knees bent and holding your weight in both hands to your chest. Get a partner to stand on your feet or anchor them under two heavy dumbbells - this will stop you straining your neck trying to keep your feet down.

      b. Roll yourself and the weight up off the floor towards your knees, then slowly lower yourself down to the floor. That counts as one rep.

        weighted-sit-ups rebel
        rebecca jacobs

        Dumbbell box step-ups

        Targets: Quads, glutes, hamstrings

        Extra equipment: Box (ideally knee-high)

        Do: 10 reps on each side

        a. Hold your dumbbells in your hands, palms facing in. Step up onto the box with your right foot, pressing through the heel to straighten your leg. Bring your left knee up to meet your right.

        b. Step down back onto the floor with your left foot followed by your right foot. Lead with your right foot for 10 reps, then the left foot for another 10.

          weighted-stair-carry-1 alice
          rebecca jacobs

          Dumbbell reverse lunges

          Targets: Quads, glutes, hamstrings

          Do: 12 reps on each leg

          a. Stand with your legs hip width apart, holding your dumbbell in front of your chest. Step one foot back about two feet and lower your knee to the ground (making sure it doesn’t go beyond your knee), while keeping your chest and gaze upwards.

          b. Step your foot back forwards to meet the other, then repeat the exercise on the second leg.

            dumbbell-lunges-ps-1 alice
            rebecca jacobs

            Bicep curl

            Targets: Arms

            Do: 2 sets of 12 reps

            a. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with palms facing inwards and arms straight down. Step your feet at shoulder width apart, drive your heels into the ground, bend your knees ever so slightly and brace your core.

            b. Lift one dumbbell toward the shoulder, rotating the arm as it moves up so that the palm is now facing upward. Lower your dumbbell to the side and repeat the same movement with the other arm. Remember to exhale when lifting your weight and inhale while lowering.

              Arm Workout For Brides
              Women's Health UK

              Dumbbell swing

              Targets: Hamstrings, back, quads, shoulders

              Do: 2 sets of 20 reps

              a. Without rounding your lower back, bend your knees slightly, push your hips back, and swing the weight between your legs. Once the weight is behind you, forcefully contract your glutes and thrust your hips forward to swing the dumbbell to chest level.

              b. You aren’t using your arms and shoulders to raise the weight; the momentum of your hip thrust should swing the dumbbell upward. At the top of the movement, contract your core, glutes, and quads as hard as you can. Then allow the weight to swing back between your legs and repeat.

                dumbbell-swings-12kg rebel
                rebecca jacobs

                Squat Thruster

                Targets: Shoulders, legs, glutes

                Do: One minute on each side

                a. Holding the dumbbell under your chin with your right hand, palm facing into your chest, send your body weight back through your heels and drop into a squat. Lower for 5 seconds until your bum is slightly lower than your knees.

                b. Thrust back to your starting position, squeezing your bum. Lift the dumbbell towards the ceiling into a shoulder press. Lower back to the start position, and repeat.


                Deadlift upright row

                Targets: Legs, shoulders, upper back

                Do: One minute on each side

                a. Hold the dumbbell in your right hand in an overhand grip. Keeping your back neutral and knees soft, hinge at the waist to push your hips back and lower the dumbbell towards your toes.

                b. Squeeze your glutes and thrust your hips forward to return to a standing position. Then pull the dumbbell up towards your chin, elbow out to the side. Lower it to the starting point, and repeat.


                Press-up renegade row kickback

                Targets: Core, back, triceps

                Do: One minute on each side

                a. Hold the dumbbell in your right hand, place your left palm on the floor and get into a press-up position. Do 1 press-up then raise your right hand to your right hip, without shifting your body weight.

                b. Keeping your elbow high, extend the dumbbell in a straight line behind you, squeezing your tricep, then return it to the floor and start again from the top.


                Split lunge front raise

                Targets: Legs, bum, shoulders

                Do: One minute on each side

                a. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold the dumbbell in your right hand, palm towards your body. Keeping your chest up, step your opposite foot forward and make sure your knee is stacked over your ankle. Now, lower into a 90° lunge.

                b. Raise your right arm in front of you, palm facing the floor, until at shoulder level. Hold, then return to your side and repeat the arm raise, staying in the split lunge for the set.


                Full woman-maker

                Targets: Arms, abs, glutes, legs

                Do: One minute on each side

                a. With the dumbbell in your right hand, do a press-up, hold at the top, and pull your right hand up towards your right hip, without shifting your body weight.

                b. Return your hand to the floor, jump your feet towards your hands and thrust up into a standing position. Curl the dumbbell towards your shoulder, then press it up over your head. Lower and repeat before giving your left a go.


                Ok, those exercises look great but can you really build muscle with dumbbells only?

                In short, yup. 'Muscular hypertrophy - the nature of growing and increasing muscle size - is dependant on many factors, and the equipment is just one of them,' says Hasit Jethwa, personal trainer at The Training Room.

                'Dumbbells have the capacity to go up to a high amount of weight, therefore the ability to overload your muscles is great. You could also argue that, on certain movements, dumbbells provide a greater range of motion, therefore helping you to get a good, forceful contraction and really place stress on your muscle fibres leading to growth.'

                Of course, there are other factors involved - including good nutrition - but stocking up on these dumbbells is a good start.

                Importantly - can I build muscle with dumbbells at home?

                Many of us won't be blessed with the same space to train at home as our gym provides. But if you can't make it out the house for a workout, dumbbells will be your saving grace. 'They work the entire body - no other equipment required,' says Mark Fox, personal trainer at The Training Room.

                Women's Health Neoprene Dumbbell Set- 2 x 6kg
                Women's Health Neoprene Dumbbell Set- 2 x 6kg
                Women's Health argos.co.uk

                'As you probably won’t have a large variety of weights at home, one of the best ways to train is to combine exercises in what's called "supersets". If you perform exercises back to back, it challenges your body more.' For example 8-12 reps of a bent over row followed straight away with 8-12 reps of a dumbbell squat, and then 60-90 seconds of recovery before moving on to new exercises constitutes a superset.

                Oh, and how often should you workout with dumbbells?

                'Every other day - so three to four times per week - is more than enough to build muscle and re-shape your body if you’re using a full-body approach,' says Mark. Challenge accepted.

                No heavy dumbbells to hand? Grab a kettlebell and try Alice Liveing's 16-minute full body workout.

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