Buying a pair of dumbbells is a great way to start strength training at home, but after a few months you may find lifting the same weights stalls your progress.
Pippa Sealey is a personal trainer who regularly trains with dumbbells and she has a couple of tricks that can help keep your workouts challenging without having to buy extra equipment.
“I like to use shorter rest periods and unilateral movements rather than bilateral moves when there isn’t access to as heavy loads at home,” Sealey says.
One tried-and-tested technique for shorter rest periods are supersets, where you do one set of an exercise, immediately followed by a set of a different exercise.
“You may also want to use more agonist supersets,” she suggests, explaining that this involves pairing exercises that target the same muscle groups to increase the challenge to that area of the body.
Below, Sealey has shared a workout that uses these two techniques—unilateral exercises and supersets. It’s designed for people who are already confident performing fundamental movements like squats and deadlifts and are looking to increase the challenge.
How to do the at-home superset dumbbell workout
This workout uses supersets and tri-sets. In both cases, you do one set of exercise A, then one set of exercise B and, where applicable, one set of exercise C, before resting. Once you’ve completed that sequence three times in total, move on to the next group of exercises.
Here’s an overview of the workout, followed by instructions for how to do each exercise.
- 1A. Deficit calf raise x 10-12
- 1B. Hamstring bridge march x 6 each side
- 1C. Wall sit x 60sec
- 2A. Dumbbell single-leg Romanian deadlift x 12 each side
- 2B. Dumbbell split squat x 12 each side
- 3A. Push-up x as many as possible with good form
- 3C. Single-arm dumbbell row x 10-12 each side
- 4A. Side plank hip lift x 12 each side
- 4B. Plank dumbbell pull-through x 6-8 each side
- 4C. Dumbbell sit-up x 12
1A. Deficit calf raise
Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 0sec
How to do it:
- Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of a step, with your heels hanging off the edge.
- Slowly lower your heels below the level of the step, feeling a stretch through your calves.
- Push through the balls of your feet to raise your heels as high as possible, squeezing your calves at the top.
- Lower your heels slowly and with control, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
1B. Hamstring bridge march
Sets: 3 Reps: 6 each side Rest: 0sec
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your heels on the floor.
- Engage your core and push through your heels to lift your hips off the floor until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.
- Keeping your hips level, slowly lift one foot, bringing your knee toward your chest.
- Lower your foot back down and repeat on the opposite side, alternating legs while keeping your hips stable throughout.
1C. Wall sit
Sets: 3 Time: 60sec Rest: 60-90sec
How to do it:
- Stand with your back against a wall and your feet approximately shoulder-width apart, positioned slightly in front of you.
- Step your feet away from the wall to slowly slide your back down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor and your knees are bent to 90°.
- Engage your core and hold this position, keeping your knees in line with your toes and breathing steadily throughout.
2A. Dumbbell single-leg Romanian deadlift
Sets: 3 Reps: 12 each side Rest: 0sec
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding a dumbbell in one or both hands.
- Shift your weight onto your left leg.
- Hinge forward from your hips, lifting your right leg behind you and lowering your torso and the dumbbell, keeping your hips square to the floor.
- Stop when you feel a stretch through your supporting hamstring.
- Drive your hips forwards to return to the starting position, keeping your core engaged and movement controlled.
2B. Dumbbell split squat
Sets: 3 Reps: 12 each side Rest: 60-90sec
How to do it:
- Stand with one foot in front of you and one behind you, with your left foot in line with your left hip and your right foot in line with your right hip, holding dumbbells by your sides.
- Engage your core and bend both knees to lower, keeping your torso upright.
- Lower until your back knee is just above the floor, keeping your front knee tracking in line with your toes.
- Push through your front foot to return to the starting position.
- Complete all the reps on one side before switching legs.
3A. Push-up
Sets: 3 Reps: As many as possible with good form Rest: 0sec
How to do it:
- Get on your hands and knees, then step each foot back so your body is in a straight line from head to heels—this is your starting position.
- Engage your core and glutes.
- Bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest, keeping your elbows angled slightly backwards rather than flaring straight out to the sides.
- Push through your palms to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
- Complete as many controlled reps as possible while maintaining good technique.
3B. Single-arm dumbbell push press
Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 0sec
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand at shoulder height.
- Engage your core.
- Bend your knees slightly to dip down, keeping your torso upright and heels planted.
- Drive powerfully through your legs, generating momentum to help press the dumbbell overhead, fully extending your arm.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell back to shoulder height with control.
- Complete all the reps on one side before switching sides.
3C. Single-arm dumbbell row
Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec
How to do it:
- Stand with your left foot in front of you, in line with your left hip, and your right foot behind you, in line with your right hip, holding a dumbbell in your right hand.
- Hinge your torso forward from your hips and place your left hand on your left thigh for support.
- Engage your core.
- Lift the dumbbell towards your right hip, bending and lifting your elbow so it brushes past your torso, squeezing your shoulders together.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position, allowing a controlled stretch through your upper back before repeating.
4A. Side plank hip lift
Sets: 3 Reps: 12 each side Rest: 0sec
How to do it:
- Lie on your right side with your right elbow directly underneath your right shoulder and your legs extended, and your left foot on top of your right.
- Engage your core and lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from your head to your feet.
- Slowly lower your hips towards the floor without fully relaxing, keeping your core engaged and shoulders active.
- Complete all the reps on one side before switching sides.
4B. Plank dumbbell pull-through
Sets: 3 Reps: 6-8 each side Rest: 0sec
How to do it:
- Start in a high plank position with your hands directly underneath your shoulders, feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and a dumbbell on the floor inside your left hand.
- Engage your core and glutes.
- Keeping your hips level and your body in a straight line, pick up the dumbbell in your right hand and move it to the right side.
- Place your hand back on the floor and repeat with the opposite arm, avoiding twisting or rocking your hips.
4C. Dumbbell sit-up
Sets: 3 Reps: 12 Rest: 60-90sec
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding a dumbbell in front of your chest in both hands.
- Engage your core.
- Slowly lift your upper body until your torso is vertical.
- Slowly lower your torso back towards the floor with control, keeping tension in your abdominal muscles.