Lifting weights is one of the best ways to future-proof your body against injury and the physical effects of aging. That’s because adults lose between 3% and 8% of their muscle mass each decade after they reach 30.
Weightlifting can help combat this muscle loss, which is why Holly Fivian founded Holsm, a strength workout platform for midlife women.
If you’re completely new to exercise, Fivian recommends starting with bodyweight movements to help you get used to fundamental movement patterns like squats, push-ups and lunges. But if you’ve tried these movements before, adding a couple of dumbbells to your workouts could make all the difference.
“Once these movement patterns become habitual and you know what good form looks and feels like, you can start playing around with movement,” Fivian explains.
“You can add heavier weights, change your arm or hand position, try different squat, hinge, push, pull and lunge variations or change your tempo or range of movement.
“This is where training becomes fun.”
Below, Fivian has shared the dumbbell workout she always starts beginners with. Choose a pair of medium dumbbells and give it a go.
Holly Fivian’s beginner dumbbell workout
Fivian’s workout consists of five moves:
- Goblet squat: 3 x 30sec
- Romanian deadlift: 3 x 30sec
- Lunge: 3 x 30sec
- Chest press: 3 x 30sec
- Bent-over row: 3 x 30sec
Workout timer
Form guides
1. Goblet squat
Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec
- Cup the top head of a vertical dumbbell in both hands, holding it in front of your chest.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing slightly outwards.
- Engage your core.
- Inhale as you push your hips back and down, and bend your knees, keeping your weight through your heels and gently pushing your knees outwards so they stay in line with your toes.
- Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes to return to standing, exhaling through pursed lips.
Trainer tip: “Think: knees gently out, heels grounded, glutes on.”
2. Romanian deadlift
Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec
- Stand holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, with your palms facing you and a slight bend in your knees.
- Engage your core.
- Push your hips back, allowing the dumbbells to lower close to your legs as your torso tips forwards. Keep your head in line with your spine and maintain a long, strong back.
- Stop when you feel a stretch through the backs of your thighs, then exhale and drive your hips forwards and squeeze your glutes to return to standing.
Trainer tip: “This is a hinge rather than a squat. Think about sending the hips backwards.”
3. Lunge
Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec
- Cup the top head of a vertical dumbbell in both hands, holding it in front of your chest.
- Stand tall and engage your core.
- Step forwards (or backwards if that feels more comfortable) and bend both knees to lower, maintaining an upright posture and keeping your front knee tracking over your foot, rather than allowing it to collapse inwards.
- Push through your heel to return to standing, exhaling through pursed lips.
- Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.
Trainer tip: “Use a wall or chair for additional stability if needed.”
4. Dumbbell chest press
Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec
- Lie on your back holding dumbbells next to your chest, with your elbows bent to 90° and upper arms resting on the floor.
- Engage your core.
- Press the dumbbells straight up, extending your arms and exhaling through pursed lips.
- Lower the weights slowly and with control as you inhale.
Trainer tip: “Engage the core by tucking the ribs and the pelvis before pressing the dumbbells overhead.”
5. Bent-over dumbbell row
Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec
- Stand holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing you and a slight bend in your knees.
- Push your hips back, allowing the dumbbells to lower close to your legs as your torso tips forwards—this is your starting position.
- Exhale as you lift the weights to your torso, drawing your elbows backwards towards your mid-back or hips, rather than towards the ceiling.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells as you inhale, keeping your torso still and avoiding shrugging your shoulders.
Trainer tip: “Keep your head in line with your spine, shoulders away from your ears and torso strong and still. The movement comes from your arms and back, not from swinging your body to get the weights up.”
“Muscle tissue changes with aging” in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care