When you have minimal time to exercise, it's important to have a routine that's both effective and easy to remember.

That way, you can jump straight into your workout the second you're free.

If you're currently on the hunt for something that ticks those boxes, try this upper body routine from Ani Oksayan, personal trainer and vice president of fitness at Chuze Fitness.

It's designed to be approachable, easy to follow, and simple to repeat.

“These five foundational exercises target the biceps, triceps and shoulders—the muscles responsible for many of the pushing, pulling, lifting, and carrying movements we perform every day,” she says.

There is a particular order you must follow for this workout, so don’t switch it up.

“By alternating muscle groups, you can keep moving while one area recovers, making the workout both efficient and effective,” Oksayan explains.

Five exercises for stronger arms

1. Biceps curl
2. Overhead triceps extension
3. Lateral raise
4. Hammer curl
5. Triceps kickback

“Choose a weight that makes the final two or three repetitions feel challenging while allowing you to maintain proper form,” says Oksayan.

“Quality movement will always produce better long-term results than lifting heavier with poor technique.

1. Biceps curl

Primary muscles: Biceps and forearms

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 20-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged, holding dumbbells.
• Bring your arms to your sides, palms facing forward.
• Lift the dumbbells toward your shoulders without swinging your torso.
• Pause briefly at the top, squeezing your biceps.
• Slowly lower back to the starting position with control.

Form tips:

• Focus on controlling the lowering phase slowly, without letting the weights drop, to work your muscles in both directions.
• Keep your elbows tucked close to your body throughout the movement

2. Overhead triceps extension

Primary muscles: Triceps

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 20-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged, holding a dumbbell vertically with both hands cupped around the top.
• Raise the dumbbell overhead, arms extended straight.
• Slowly bend your elbows to lower the dumbbell behind your head, as far as comfortable.
• Raise the weight back overhead, fully extending your arms.

Form tips:

• Keep your upper arms as stable as possible—the movement should come from your elbows, not your shoulders.
• Keep your elbows pointed forward and close to your ears.

3. Lateral raise

Primary muscles: Middle deltoids

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 20-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing inward.
• Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise both arms out to your sides to shoulder height.
• Slowly lower the weights back to your sides.

Form tips:

• Focus on control, not momentum, and avoid swinging the weights.
• Avoid shrugging your shoulders toward your ears at the top of the movement.

4. Hammer curl

Primary muscles: Biceps, brachialis and forearms

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 20-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing inward (neutral grip).
• Bend your elbows to lift the weights toward your shoulders.
• Pause, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat.

Form tip:

• A neutral grip helps strengthen your biceps and the muscles that support grip strength for everyday lifting and movement.
• Keep your elbows close to your torso.

5. Triceps kickback

Primary muscles: Triceps

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 60sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells.
• Hinge forward from your hips so your torso is almost parallel with the floor, while keeping your back flat and core engaged.
• Bend your elbows to roughly 90°, keeping your upper arms close to your torso.
• Extend your arms straight behind you.
• Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.

Form tips:

• Avoid swinging the weights.
• Think about extending through your elbows and squeezing the back of your arms with every repetition.

While sitting is a normal part of life, spending long periods in the same position can leave your body feeling achy and stiff, and may even compromise how it functions.

Slouching on the sofa and hunching over your screen of choice can also contribute to neck and back pain.

While no one move can fix poor posture from prolonged sitting, strengthening the muscles around your shoulders and upper back can help you hold an upright posture for longer, so you feel less stiff (although it’s still important to take regular movement breaks).

This workout features five moves to target those muscles. So if you feel like a curled-up prawn after a day at your desk, this workout is for you.

How to do this workout

Perform each of the five exercises below for 40 seconds, taking 20 seconds between exercises to get set up for the next move and to rest. Perform all five exercises to complete one round. Perform four rounds in total.

1. Bent-over rear delt flye
2. Dumb waiter to Y-raise
3. Arnold press
4. Arm circles
5. Bent-over row to triceps kickback

1. Bent-over rear delt fly

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a slight bend in your knees, holding a dumbbell in each hand down by your sides, palms facing inward.
• Hinge at your hips and lower your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor, keeping your back flat and core engaged.
• Raise both arms out to the sides to shoulder level, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together, pausing briefly at the top of the move.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells back to start position.
• Avoid using momentum to lift the weights.

How it helps: Strengthens the muscles around the back of your shoulders and shoulder blades, helping counter the rounded-shoulder position many people slip into when working at a desk.

2. Waiter to Y-raise

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and core engaged.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand, elbows bent at 90° in contact with your waist, forearms extended in front, palms facing up and dumbbells touching.
• Rotate your forearms outward as far as possible. Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
• Press the weights to a 45° angle, creating a Y-shape with your arms.
• Pause briefly at the top then slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.

How it helps: Stretches your chest and strengthens your lower trapezius muscles, which help control shoulder blade movement. Improves overhead shoulder mobility and encourages better movement through your shoulder blades, helping to reduce stiffness around your shoulders and neck.

3. Arnold press

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Sit or stand holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your face, palms facing you and elbows bent at 90°.
• Rotate your arms out to your sides so your palms are facing forward, then press the weights overhead, extending your arms fully.
• Pause briefly at the top then reverse the move with control.

How it helps: Improves shoulder mobility and strengthens the muscles that support good posture. Moves your shoulders through a wide range of motion, helping counter the fixed positions of desk work.

4. Arm circles

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding a light weight in each hand.
• Raise your arms out to your sides at shoulder height, palms facing down.
• Rotate your arms backward making small circles.
• Every 10 seconds pause and rotate in the opposite direction.

How it helps: Improves shoulder mobility and increases blood flow to the muscles around your shoulders and upper back.

5. Bent-over row to triceps kickback

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing.
• Engage your core.
• Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back to lower your torso to a 45° angle, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
• Lift the dumbbells toward your ribcage, squeezing your shoulder blades at the top of the movement, keeping your arms tucked close to your body.
• Extend your arms fully behind you, straightening them at the elbows.
• Slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.

How it helps: This move strengthens your upper-back muscles that help support an upright posture and encourages you to keep your core braced as you work through the movement. The kickback strengthens your triceps, the muscles on the back of your upper arms, which helps improve shoulder alignment

If you want to build strength in your arms at home, it’s hard to beat dumbbell exercises. Get yourself a pair of dumbbells and because you can work each arm individually, you will address any strength imbalances in your arms—a surprisingly common occurrence.

Personal trainer Stevie Griffin has just launched a new program on the workout app Ladder, featuring dumbbell-only workouts so I took the opportunity to ask her for her top three dumbbell moves for toning your arms.

“Together they hit the shoulder and both sides of the arm for a balanced, strong result, and they’re all easy to learn and load progressively,” she says.

“The shoulder press builds strong, capable shoulders and hits the triceps too, so you get a lot of upper-body payoff from one move, and it translates directly into everyday life, like lifting things overhead.

“Skull crushers isolate the triceps, which make up about two-thirds of your upper arm, so if you want that toned, defined look on the back of the arm, this is the move that gets you there.

“Lateral raises build the side of the shoulder, which creates that lean, capped shape that makes the whole arm look sculpted.”

Here’s how to do each move in Griffin’s routine.

1. Shoulder press

Sets: 2-4 Reps: 8-15

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your shoulders, palms facing forward.
• Engage your core.
• Press the weights overhead until your arms are extended, but don’t lock out your elbows and avoid hunching your shoulders.
• Lower the weights slowly back to the start.

2. Skull crusher

Sets: 2-4 Reps: 8-15

How to do it:

• Lie on your back on a weight bench with your feet flat on the floor.
• Hold the dumbbells directly above your chest with your arms straight.
• Keeping your upper arms stable, bend your elbows to lower the weights behind you until they reach the tops of your shoulders.
• Extend your arms straight to return to the starting position.
• Avoid swinging your upper arms, maintaining control throughout the movement.

3. Lateral raise

Sets: 2-4 Reps: 8-15

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Raise the dumbbells out to the sides to shoulder height, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
• Lower the weights slowly and with control, avoiding swinging or using momentum.

What weights are best for beginners?

One of the most common questions trainers on the internet get asked is what weights they use, but the answer to that will almost always be different to the weight you should use.

According to Griffin, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Your dumbbell weight will also depend on the move and the muscles it uses—you might find you can lift more in a shoulder press than a lateral raise.

“The biggest thing I want people to understand is that it isn’t about picking a certain weight, it’s about choosing a weight that’s challenging for you,” Griffin says.

“My rule of thumb is that the last two or three reps of every set should feel challenging while still allowing you to maintain great form. If you finish your set and feel like you could have done another eight to 10 reps, it's probably time to increase the weight.”

It’s also worth keeping in mind that the weight you use should probably be adjusted for each exercise. For instance, you might find you can lift more in a shoulder press than a lateral raise.

It can be difficult to find the time to fit exercise into your day, but it’s worth remembering that even short spells of activity add up to significantly better health.

Sometimes a rejuvenating 10-minute yoga flow is the best option, but at other times, you may want to push yourself a bit harder.

In which case, you’ll want to try this 10-minute full-body dumbbell workout from ACE-certified trainer Melyssa Allen.

“This metabolic conditioning circuit combines cardio and strength training to hit every major muscle group efficiently,” she says.

“The format uses four moves completed in three rounds, making it perfect for anyone short on time but ready to work.”

You’ll do each workout for a set period of time, which makes the workout more suitable for a variety of abilities.

While Allen advises that each time window will typically result in you completing between 10 and 15 reps, remember that form is always more important than speed, so try not to rush. If you can only fit a few reps into the set time, that’s fine.

Run through the following routine three times, and let us know how it goes in the comments.

Watch Allen demonstrate each exercise in the full-body dumbbell workout

Warm-up

Time: 1min

For a quick warm-up, Allen has programmed bodyweight versions of the exercises in the workout. Do each of the following exercises for 15 seconds.

1. Side lunge
2. Reverse lunge
3. Sumo squat
4. Squat with overhead reach

1. Side lunge to row

Time: 45sec Rest: 0sec

“The side lunge challenges lateral movement patterns that most workouts skip, while the row adds upper body and core engagement,” says Allen.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing and shoulders relaxed.
• Push your hips back and bend your right knee, lowering the dumbbells to either side of your right knee, keeping your left leg straight, your chest up and your back flat.
• At the bottom of the side lunge, exhale and lift the weights toward your belly button, keeping your elbows close to your body.
• Lower the weights, then push through your right foot to return to the starting position.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Make it easier: Use one dumbbell instead of two, holding it by both ends.

Bodyweight option: Place your hands on your thighs for support.

Muscles targeted: Glutes, inner thighs (adductors), hamstrings and upper back (rhomboids, lats).

2. Reverse lunge with rotation

Time: 45sec Rest: 0sec

“Adding rotation to a reverse lunge fires up the obliques and improves rotational strength, which is critical for everyday movement and spine health,” explains Allen. “It's a full lower-body and core move in one.”

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell by both ends at chest height.
• Step your right foot back, keeping your feet hip-width apart.
• Bend both knees to 90° lower, keeping your shoulders in line with your hips.
• At the bottom of the movement, rotate your chest to the left, lowering the weight to your left hip in a smooth chopping motion.
• Bring the dumbbell back to center, then push through your left foot to return to the standing position.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Make it easier: Try the exercise with no weight, bringing your hands to your chest and rotating your torso over your front knee as you lunge. This bodyweight modification still preserves the core rotation benefit.

Muscles targeted: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, obliques and core.

3. Sumo squat to biceps curl

Time: 45sec Rest: 0sec

“The sumo squat has a wide, turned-out stance that specifically targets the inner thighs and glutes in a way a standard squat doesn't,” says Allen.

“Pairing it with a biceps curl adds upper-body work without losing the lower-body challenge.”

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, and your toes angled out at around 45°, holding dumbbells in front of your hips, palms facing away from you.
• Tuck your tailbone under your hips, squeeze your glutes and bend your knees, lowering toward the floor. Keep your knees over your toes.
• Rise to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement. As you’re coming up, bend your elbows to lift curl the dumbbells to your shoulders, then lower with control.

Alternative: You can curl the weights as you lower into the squat and lower them as you come back to standing.

Make it easier: Hold one dumbbell by both ends and perform the same sequence.

Muscles targeted: Glutes, inner thighs (adductors), quads and biceps.

4. Squat to overhead press to triceps extension

Time: 60sec Rest: 30sec

“This triple-threat finisher hits three muscle groups in one fluid sequence—lower body, shoulders and triceps—making it the perfect burnout move to close each round,” says Allen.

“The longer 60-second window accounts for the added complexity of the three-part movement.”

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart or slightly wider, holding dumbbells in front of your shoulders with your palms facing and elbows pointing forward.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your chest up and core engaged.
• Drive through your heels to stand, squeezing your glutes and exhaling as you press the dumbbells overhead. At the top of the movement, your biceps should be level with your ears. Keep your shoulders down throughout.
• Bring the dumbbells together above your head, then bend your elbows to lower them behind your head with control. Keep your elbows pointing forward and close to your head.
• Exhale to bring the weights back overhead, then lower to shoulder height.

Alternative: press overhead as you rise from the squat for a smoother flow.

Make it easier: Hold one dumbbell by both ends at the chest. Squat, then press overhead, then lower behind the head. Keep the core tight throughout the overhead position.

Muscles targeted: Quads, glutes, shoulders (deltoids), triceps and core.

Muscular imbalances are a fact of life. Unless you’re truly ambidextrous (mixed-handed), you probably have a dominant side that you rely on more than the other.

While imbalances are common, they can become a problem. If your body has to compensate for the imbalance, it might lead to injury with increased strain on muscles, joints and tendons on the side that works harder.

It may also limit your ability to strength train, with your weaker side holding your stronger side back during bilateral movements.

One of the best ways of tackling muscular imbalances is through unilateral movements.

If you complete all reps on your weaker side first and match them with your stronger side, you can work toward reducing muscle imbalances in the long term, according to Richard Bennett, strength and conditioning coach and owner of Calibre Performance.

He has shared the following two upper-body exercises, which he encourages you to incorporate into your regular workout routine.

As always, consult a physical therapist or healthcare provider for individualised advice and if you think a muscular imbalance may be impacting your daily life or training.

1. Dumbbell row

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

“This exercise makes it harder for your dominant arm to take over the movement, as it might with a bilateral row.”

“The main muscles trained are the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius and rear deltoids,” says Bennett. “The biceps and forearm muscles assist, while the trunk works to maintain a neutral position.”

“The supported position reduces the amount of lower-back fatigue, which can be useful when rowing is programmed alongside squats and hinges.”

How to do it:

• Place your left knee and left hand on a weight bench, with your right foot firmly on the floor.
• Hold a dumbbell in your right hand with your arm extended.
• Maintain a neutral spine and engage your shoulders and hips so they remain stable against the pull of the weight.
• Pull your right elbow toward your hip, lifting the dumbbell to your ribs.
• Lower with control until your arm is fully extended.
• Complete all your repetitions on one side, then switch sides.

2. Single-arm dumbbell bench press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

“This exercise engages your pectoralis major, anterior deltoid and triceps. Your trunk stabilizers work to prevent your body from rotating toward the loaded side,” says Bennett.

“As the resistance is only on one side, your trunk must prevent rotation while your upper body produces force. This gives the exercise an additional stability demand.”

How to do it:

• Lie on a weight bench holding a dumbbell in your left hand by your left shoulder, with your feet flat on the floor.
• Have your right arm extended out to your side in the air for counterbalance.
• Engage your core, pressing your lower back into the bench.
• Extend your arm straight up to press the dumbbell overhead.
• Bend your elbow to lower the dumbbell with control, avoiding any rotation in your body.
• Pause at the bottom of the movement, maintaining tension in your balancing arm.
• Complete all your repetitions on one side, then switch sides.

Form tip:

• Keep your elbow roughly 30-45° away from your torso rather than flaring it directly sideways.

If you’re someone who lifts weights regularly, you might assume that working out with 1lb or 2lb weights would be too easy. But a workout known as barre will prove you wrong.

Barre is a mix of ballet, Pilates and yoga, and one of its unique features is how it targets the small, stabilising muscles, and it’s ability to develop your muscular endurance, strength, stability and balance.

“I love barre arms because they’re sneakily challenging,” says instructor Tara Riley, explaining that barre uses light weights to challenge endurance.

“If you look at ballet dancers, their arms are always so beautifully placed, and they effortlessly hold them up,” Riley says, “but if you’ve ever actually held your arms out to the sides for longer than a couple of minutes—it’s tough.”

Below, she’s shared a barre arms workout that will challenge you even if you only have access to 1lb or 2lb weights. In fact, Riley advises against going any heavier.

“You’re going to start to lose your form if you lift too heavy,” Riley says. “I’d rather you tire the muscle and work the endurance of the muscle.”

“There are so many exercises we can do with heavy weights—these are not those exercises,” she adds.

Tara Riley’s barre arm workout

1. Rotating arm press

Reps: 8 each side

• Stand holding dumbbells, with your feet wider than hip-width apart, with your toes pointing outwards.
• With your upper arms touching your torso, bend your elbows to 90°, lifting the dumbbells in front of you.
• Keeping your upper arms connected to your torso, externally rotate your shoulders to move your forearms out to the sides with your palms facing up.
• Bend your knees to lower into second position plié, keeping your torso upright—this is your starting position.
• Extend one arm out to the side and rotate through the shoulder, so that your palm faces behind you.
• Reverse the movement back to the starting position.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

Try an extra challenge:

• Move both arms at once and extend your knees to rise.

2. Row to triceps kickback

Reps: 16

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart,holding dumbbells with your palms facing.
• Bend your elbows to lift your forearms so they point forward—this is your starting position.
• Pull your elbows slightly behind your torso, then extend your elbow to point your forearms behind you.
• Reverse the movements back to the starting position.

Try an extra challenge:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and push your hips back and bend your knees to squat down, so your hips are at knee height.
• From this position, complete the row and triceps kickback exercise, then stand up to complete one rep.

3. Ab curl with chest opener

Reps: 16

• Sit upright on a mat holding dumbbells, with a Pilates ball behind your glutes, your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Bend your elbows to 90°, lift your forearms to vertical and bring your arms together.
• Lean back onto the ball and open your arms out to the sides, so they're in a cactus shape.
• Bring your arms back in front of your face and raise your torso back to the starting position.

Try an extra challenge:

• Lean back and hold this position.
• Open your arms out to the sides and pulse your arms an inch up, and then an inch down, 16 times.

4. First position lateral raise

• Stand with your heels together and your feet turned outwards (this is first position), holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing forward and a slight bend in your elbows.
• Raise your arms in front of you to shoulder height, keeping a slight bend at your elbows.
• Lower with control.

Try an extra challenge:

• Lift your heels as you raise your arms, then lower your heels in sync with your arms.
• Lift your heels off the floor and hold this position. Raise your arms and pulse them up an inch and down an inch 16 times.

Upper-body strength has never been high on my priority list.

I’m more of a legs, glutes and core girl—give me a squat over a biceps curl any day of the week.

That was until I moved house twice in the space of three months. I realized that strong arms and shoulders would have been pretty useful for unpacking boxes, scrubbing dirty floors and putting heavy items away in those high-up kitchen cupboards.

Since then, I’ve been a little more interested in arm workouts, particularly the quick and functional kind.

So, this 20-minute arm workout, designed for Fit&Well by NASM-certified personal trainer Rosie Borchert, is just the thing for me.

“This quick dumbbell workout targets the biceps, triceps and forearms—with some love for the shoulders too,” says Borchert, who works with REP fitness.

“Building muscle here supports daily movements like carrying, pushing, lifting, pulling and opening that stubborn pasta sauce jar.”

How to do the 20-minute upper-body workout

“We’re working in a hypertrophy rep range for this workout, which means you’ll choose a moderate weight that you can control through a higher rep range,” Borchert says.

1. Farmer’s walk

Sets: 3 Time: 45sec Rest: 30-45sec

“This is a full-body exercise that targets the forearms, trapezius and core, and also improves grip strength,” explains Borchert.

How to do it:

• Set your dumbbells at either side of your feet, which should be a little wider than hip-width apart.
• Hinge at your hips and bend your knees to pick up your dumbbells, keeping your back flat and your chest lifted.
• Grasp your dumbbells, then extend your hips and knees to stand up straight again, with the dumbbells held at your sides.
• Pull your shoulder blades back, engage your core and keep an upright posture as you walk forward.
• Walk for 45 seconds, changing direction where necessary.
• Then, hinge at the hips and bend your knees to lower your dumbbells back to the floor.

2. Shoulder press

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Rest: 30-45sec

“This shoulder exercise targets the deltoids, trapezius and triceps,” says Borchert.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
• Hold your dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing forward.
• Brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
• Extend your arms to press the dumbbells overhead, making sure you don’t arch your back.
• Lower the dumbbells with control.

3. Overhead triceps extension

Sets: 3 Reps: 15 Rest: 30-45sec

Borchert explains that “this move recruits all three heads of the triceps.”

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding one dumbbell vertically, with both hands cupping the highest end of the dumbbell.
• Engage your core and lift the dumbbell overhead, keeping your elbows close to your ears.
• Bend your elbows to lower the dumbbell behind your head, keeping your upper arms stationary.
• Extend your arms to lift the dumbbell overhead again—you should feel a little pull in the triceps at the top of the movement.

4. Biceps curl

Sets: 3 Reps: 15 Rest: 30-45sec

“Biceps curls target the biceps brachii when using a standard, supinated (palms-up) grip,” explains Borchert.

How to do it:

• Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing forward.
• Engage your core.
• Keeping your upper arms pressed against your torso, bend your elbows to lift the dumbbells toward your shoulders.
• Don’t twist your hands as you lift—keep your palms in position.
• Lower the dumbbells with control back to the start.

Beyond a basic biceps curl, I used to feel stuck on what to do when faced with the dumbbell rack, often opting for a kettlebell workout or gym machines instead.

I imagine I’m not alone in this, which is why it’s useful to have a professional share their experience on how to use dumbbells for the best results.

Luckily for you, Ngo Okafor, celebrity trainer and founder of Iconoclast Fitness, has shared a circuit that goes back to basics with three moves that cover four fundamental movement patterns—a squat, lunge, push and pull—and hit most major muscle groups.

Give it a go and let us know in the comments how you fare.

How to do the full-body dumbbell circuit

Perform three rounds of the following three exercises.

1. Squat press
2. Stationary lunge
3. Bent-over row

Rest for 10 seconds between exercises, and for 30 seconds between rounds.

1. Squat press

“The squat press is a highly efficient full-body movement that combines lower-body strength with upper-body pressing and cardiovascular conditioning,” says Okafor.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells by your shoulders.
• Engage your core.
• Push your butt back and bend your knees to lower until your hips are in line with your knees, keeping your chest upright.
• Push through your heels to stand back up, pressing the dumbbells overhead.
• Lower the weights back to your shoulders.

2. Stationary lunge

“Lunges improve unilateral strength, balance, coordination and lower-body muscular endurance,” says Okafor.

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Take a large step back, adopting a staggered stance.
• Bend both knees to lower, until your rear knee is just above the floor.
• Push through your front foot to extend your legs.
• Complete all your reps on one side, then repeat on the other side.

3. Bent-over row

“Rows strengthen your posterior chain and upper back muscles, which are critical for posture, shoulder health and balanced strength development,” says Okafor.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing.
• Hinge forward from your hips, keeping your back flat and shoulders retracted.
• Pull the dumbbells to your ribcage, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
• Lower the weights slowly.

While some of us would love to have the toned arms of Jennifer Aniston (my personal arm inspo celeb), training the muscles in your upper body is about more than just aesthetics.

I recently talked to a physical therapist who described the upper body as your “main interface with the physical world”, so it pays to keep it strong and functional. The PT suggested a workout for seniors to begin reclaiming upper-body muscle, but what if you’re of working age and want to invest some of your time maintaining the muscle you have?

So I asked Rosie Borchert, a NASM-certified personal trainer for REP Fitness, for a short but effective upper-body workout.

“This quick, simple workout will efficiently target the major muscle groups and get the most out of your time,” says Borchert.

“It’s an upper-body dumbbell circuit that hits your shoulders, back, biceps and triceps. I’ve also added a finisher to tax your chest,” she says.

How to do the 10-minute upper-body workout

You will need dumbbells for this workout.

Set a timer for nine minutes, then perform the first four exercises as a circuit, resting only when you need to. Borchert suggests aiming for three rounds in nine minutes, but always move with control to ensure good form. Here are the four exercises:

1. Standing shoulder press x 10
2. Bent-over row x 10
3. Overhead triceps extension x 10
4. Hammer curl x 10

For the final minute, complete as many push-ups as possible.

How to do the exercises

1. Standing shoulder press

Reps: 10

Targets: Deltoids, trapezius and triceps

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with a slight bend in your knees.
• Hold dumbbells by your shoulders, with your palms facing forward.
• Keeping your chest upright, engage your core and squeeze your glutes.
• Exhale as you press the dumbbells overhead, without arching your back.
• Inhale as you bring the dumbbells back to your shoulders.

Form tip: Adjust the angle of your elbows for best results—point them forward and raise them slightly rather than flaring them straight out to the sides as you press.

2. Bent-over row

Reps: 10

Targets: Latissimus dorsi, rhomboids and trapezius

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells with your palms facing.
• Engage your core and hinge forward from your hips, pushing your hips back, maintaining a neutral spine throughout.
• Exhale as you lift the weight toward your ribs, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
• Inhale as you lower the dumbbells back to the starting position with control.

3. Overhead triceps extension

Reps: 10

Targets: Triceps brachii

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding one dumbbell vertically, cupping the top head of the dumbbell in both hands.
• Lift the dumbbell overhead—this is your starting position.
• Inhale as you bend your elbows to lower the dumbbell slowly behind your head.
• Exhale as you extend your elbows, lifting the dumbbell back to the starting position.

Form tip: Keep your upper arms stationary throughout the movement.

4. Hammer curl

Reps: 10

Targets: Brachialis and brachioradialis

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing
• Engage your core and move your shoulders back and down.
• Exhale as you bend at your elbows to lift the dumbbells to your shoulders.
• Inhale as you lower the dumbbells back to the start.

Form tip: Avoid rotating your wrists.

5. Push-up finisher

Time: 1min Reps: As many as possible

Targets: Pectoralis major, triceps brachii and anterior deltoids

How to do it:

• Set your hands about shoulder-width apart on the floor, arms extended and your legs extended behind you.
• Engage your core, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
• Inhale as you bend your elbows to lower your chest to the floor, allowing your elbows to move to the sides, so your upper arms are at a 45° angle to your torso when seen from above.
• Exhale as you push yourself back to the start.

You might not notice it, but you twist (and resist twisting) your body all the time in everyday life. When you drive and reach behind you (in my case, to pass snacks to my kids in the back), carry groceries or change direction while walking, you are performing spinal rotation.

This movement helps to protect your spine and keep your muscles flexible and resilient, reducing stiffness often linked to back pain.

Adding intentional and controlled twisting into your fitness routine through rotational and anti-rotational exercises is a fantastic way to strengthen your core and protect your spine for the long term.

In the workout below, the woodchop squat trains your core to generate power through rotation, while the dumbbell press-out works the opposite way—teaching your body to resist movement (anti-rotation) and remain as stable as possible.

Master both movement patterns and you won’t just build strength, you’ll boost stability, balance and resilience in your core. Rotation and anti-rotational exercises also target the deep core—often overlooked abdominal muscles that support and stabilize your spine, protecting it from injury.

Standing abs exercises—like the ones featured in the 15-minute workout below—are effective as they engage your whole body, forcing your hips, core and even your feet to stay stable as you move.

Over time, you’ll notice the difference in how well and comfortably you move through your day.

The workout

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds (changing sides halfway through for single-sided moves), followed by 15 seconds of rest. Complete each circuit twice and take 30 seconds of rest before moving on to the next circuit.

All you need is a pair of dumbbells at moderate-light weight (3-5kg). You want to feel your core working rather than your arms taking over the move.

Circuit 1:

• Woodchop squat
• Standing oblique twist
• Cross-body punch

Circuit 2:

• Dumbbell press-out
• Stir the pot
• Overhead press and single-leg balance

Circuit 3:

• Dumbbell halo
• Squat hold and punch
• Side crunch

How to do the moves

1A. Woodchop squat

Sets: 2 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in both hands over your right shoulder.
• Move the weight diagonally down to your left hip, as you bend your knees and push your hips back to lower into a squat.
• Push through your feet to return to standing, lifting the dumbbell back to your right shoulder.
• Swap sides after 15 seconds.

1B. Standing oblique twist

Sets: 2 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in both hands at chest height.
• Twist your torso to one side. Return to the center, then rotate to the other side.

Trainer tip: Move slowly and with control, avoiding jerky movements.

Make it harder: Perform the exercise with your arms held straight out in front of you.

1C. Cross-body punch

Sets: 2 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding light dumbbells in front of your shoulders, palms facing.
• Turn your torso to the left and punch your right arm across your body to your left side.
• Then turn your torso to the right and punch your left arm across to your right side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

2A. Dumbbell press-out

Sets: 2 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the weight with both hands horizontally at your chest.
• Extend your arms forward at shoulder height.
• Bring the dumbbell back to your chest.
• Continue at pace.

2B. Stir the pot

Sets: 2 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the handle of a dumbbell in both hands, so the dumbbell is vertical.
• Move the dumbbell out to the left and forward, then back and to the right, keeping it at shoulder height and drawing an imaginary circle with the dumbbell.
• Change direction halfway through the set.

2C. Overhead press and single-leg balance

Sets: 2 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in your right hand over your shoulder.
• Extend your right arm to press the weight overhead.
• Bend your left knee and raise it up to hip height, lifting your left arm out to the left side or placing it on your hip to balance.
• Hold for time, then switch sides.

3A. Dumbbell halo

Sets: 2 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell horizontally in both hands just above your head.
• Slowly circle it around your head.
• Change direction halfway through the set, or alternate directions after each repetition.

3B. Squat hold and punch

Sets: 2 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding light dumbbells in front of your chest.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as close as your mobility allows.
• Holding this squat position throughout, turn your torso to the right and punch your left arm across your body to your right side.
• Return to the center, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Trainer tip: This move is more challenging than in circuit one as you’re holding a squat position throughout, challenging your core and leg muscles to maintain your balance.

3C. Side bend

Sets: 2 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Moving from your hips, bend to the left, lowering the dumbbell in your left hand down your left side, feeling a stretch in your left side.
• Using the muscles on the right side of your torso, straighten back up, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

In January, model and endurance athlete Kori Sampson swept to victory in the debut season of Trainer Games—a six-episode reality competition to crown the next iFIT trainer.

Described as the world’s toughest job interview, the London fitness professional prevailed, reaching a mountaintop summit ahead of his rivals.

Speaking to Fit&Well, the newly minted iFIT trainer credited his background in long-distance running and ultramarathons for his success.

But, he says, a solid grounding in strength training was also essential—and he’s shared a comprehensive full-body workout that he says will build resilience, strength and injury-preventing muscle.

“Although my main sport is running and ultrarunning, I like to train like I’m bodybuilding in the gym, which was my first love,” he says.

“I believe [resistance training] is essential for maintaining muscle and strength, especially while training for races.”

Sampson says he typically completes one push, one pull and one legs workout every week, and he’s digested this down into an efficient seven-move routine when short on time, or tapering for a race, he uses this seven-move routine for maintenance.

How to do the workout

Before getting started, Sampson recommends preparing the body with dynamic movements that will replicate the exercises detailed in the main session.

For example, this could include performing 30-45 seconds of bodyweight squats, good mornings, single-leg deadlifts, push-ups and bent-over rows with light dumbbells.

The workout detailed below begins with two supersets, meaning you should perform exercises A and B back-to-back with minimal rest.

Sampson uses a descending rep range from 12 to six for each of these exercises, ensuring adequate volume and intensity to encourage muscle and strength gains.

For these, perform one warm-up set with a light weight, then pick a weight that allows you to perform 12 reps with good form. Increase the weight slightly and perform 10 reps. Do the same again for eight reps, and again for six.

You should be able to hit these rep targets but not perform many more reps at each weight to ensure it is challenging enough for your ability.

“For beginners, I’d really focus on form over weight,” he adds, stressing the importance of performing each exercise with good technique, reducing the weight you lift if necessary.

The workout concludes with a tri-set of dumbbell exercises, targeting the shoulders, triceps and biceps. As with the superset, perform these moves back-to-back, then rest and repeat.

1A. Dumbbell squat

Sets: 4 Reps: 12-10-8-6 Rest: 0sec

• Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, toes pointing slightly out, holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing.
• Brace your core and keep your chest facing forward as you sit your hips back and bend your knees to lower.
• Keep your weight centered over your mid-foot, your heels down, your knees wide apart and your back in a neutral position to avoid rounding or over-arching.
• Descend as far as you can while keeping your heels on the floor.
• Push the floor away through your heels and mid-foot to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top.

1B. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Sets: 4 Reps: 12-10-8-6 Rest: 60sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
• Engage your core and slightly retract your shoulder blades to brace your upper back muscles.
• Keep your back neutral as you hinge at the hips and push your butt back to lower the weights along your legs.
• Only lower as far as you can while keeping your back flat and keep your gaze on the floor in front of you rather than looking straight ahead.
• Reverse the movement by driving your hips forward to straighten up, finishing the rep by squeezing your glutes, but avoiding leaning back at full extension.

2A. Dumbbell bench press

Sets: 4 Reps: 12-10-8-6 Rest: 0sec

• Lie on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand beside your chest, palms facing toward your feet.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor and back imprinted into the bench.
• Inhale, then as you exhale, powerfully press the weights above you.
• Pause, then slowly lower the weights with control to the start position.

2B. Dumbbell bent-over row

Sets: 4 Reps: 12-10-8-6 Rest: 60sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing.
• Engage your core and slightly retract your shoulder blades to brace your upper back muscles.
• Keep your back neutral as you hinge at the hips to lower the weights down your legs.
• Your legs—and in particular your hamstrings—should be working to maintain a stable position, rather than your lower back.
• Lift the dumbbells to your torso, squeezing your back muscles at the top of the lift.
• Pause for a second, then lower the weights under control.
• If you feel tightness building up in your lower back, straighten up, reset and then resume the set.

3A. Dumbbell lateral raise

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Rest: 0sec

• Hold a relatively light pair of dumbbells by your sides, palms facing each other.
• Brace your core, then raise the weights out to the sides to shoulder height.
• At the top of the lift, slightly tilt the front of the dumbbell down to fully target the lateral deltoids in your shoulders.
• Lower the weights with control.

3B. Dumbbell skull crusher

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Rest: 0sec

• Lie on a bench holding dumbbells above the top of your head, with your arms extended.
• Keeping your upper arms still, bend your elbows to slowly lower the dumbbells to either side of your face.
• Extend your arms back to the start position, using the triceps in the back of your upper arms to power the movement.

3C. Dumbbell biceps curl

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Rest: 60sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing forward.
• Keeping your upper arms pinned to your torso, bend your elbows to lift the dumbbells to your shoulders.
• Pause and squeeze your biceps hard at the top of the lift, then lower the dumbbells to the start position under control.

Of all the exercise techniques I use when training clients (and myself), slowing down the movements is one of my favorites. And I’m not the only fan.

“Tempo training is excellent because it increases time under tension,” says Steven Chung, physical therapist at VSI Spine Solutions in Reston, Virginia.

“Slowing down your reps—especially during the eccentric lowering phase—forces your muscles to work longer per rep, which is a major driver of muscle growth (hypertrophy) and strength.”

Chung explains that this approach also helps to improve technique and control. “Intentionally slowing down means you can’t rely on momentum to do the move,” he tells Fit&Well.

“This exposes your weak points, and it also forces you to maintain good positioning, ultimately cleaning up movement quality.”

It is also an effective way to strengthen weak spots in the body. “Tempo training puts the emphasis on the hardest part of a movement—for example, the bottom of a squat—which helps to build strength where you’re typically weakest,” adds Chung.

Does that sound appealing? Chung suggests starting with the following five exercises and explains how to incorporate tempo training when doing them.

Tempo training workout for beginners

Chung has chosen “compound, functional movements that we perform on a day-to-day basis.” You will need dumbbells for some of the moves. The five exercises are:

1. Goblet squat
2. Push-up
3. Split squat
4. Romanian deadlift
5. Floor press

“Squatting mimics daily tasks like sitting, standing and lifting heavy objects. The push-up and dumbbell floor press target the chest, shoulders, triceps and core, which mimics daily tasks like pushing doors open.

“Split squats mimic the unilateral (single-sided) nature of running, sprinting and jumping, helping people improve performance in these areas. They also mimic the daily task of kneeling down to tie your shoe or to get to a lower cabinet.

“Romanian deadlifts require proper hip-hinge movement, which improves the mechanics and efficiency when lifting heavy items.”

Chung suggests employing a 3-2-1 tempo. To put that into practice:

• Take 3 seconds to lower: this part of the exercise is known as the eccentric phase, where the muscle lengthens under tension.
• Pause for 2 seconds: this part of the exercise is known as the isometric phase, the static pause between the muscle lengthening and shortening.
• Take 1 second to lift: this part of the exercise is known as the concentric phase, when the muscle is shortening.

Chung suggests aiming for between three and five sets, with six to eight reps in each set, and a one to two minute rest break between sets.

Start at the lowest end of the range, then gradually add more reps or sets over subsequent workouts as you get stronger.

1. Goblet squat

Sets: 3-5 Reps: 6-8 Rest: 1-2min

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly out, holding a weight against your chest with both hands.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your back straight, chest facing forward, and knees aligned over your toes.
• Pause when your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as close as your mobility allows.
• Push through your feet to stand upright.

2. Push-up

Sets: 3-5 Reps: 6-8 Rest: 1-2min

• Begin on all fours, placing your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Step your feet back one at a time so your body is in a straight line from head to heels.
• Engage your core and squeeze your glutes to maintain this position, ensuring your hips don’t sag or pike throughout the movement.
• Inhale as you bend your elbows to lower. Seen from above, your upper arms should form a 45° angle with your torso.
• Pause when your nose is just above the floor.
• Exhale as you push through your palms to extend your arms and return to the starting position.

3. Split squat

Sets: 3-5 Reps: 6-8 Rest: 1-2min

• Stand with one foot in front of the other, about shoulder-width apart, with your rear foot on your toes.
• Engage your core.
• Bend both knees to lower your hips straight down, keeping your chest facing forward.
• Pause when your rear knee is just above the floor. Your front knee should be directly above your front ankle.
• Push through your front foot to rise back to the starting position.

4. Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3-5 Reps: 6-8 Rest: 1-2min

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back to lower the dumbbells down your thighs, keeping your back flat.
• Pause when you feel a stretch in the back of your thighs.
• Squeeze your glutes and push your hips forward to lift the dumbbells back to the start.

5. Floor press

Sets: 3-5 Reps: 6-8 Rest: 1-2min

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells above your chest with your arms extended, palms facing toward your feet.
• Engage your core.
• Bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells.
• Pause when your upper arms are just above the floor.
• Extend your arms to lift the dumbbells back to the start.

Light dumbbells are one of the most convenient pieces of home workout equipment, but you may feel like you quickly outgrow them.

However, there are plenty of ways to use light weights so they still pose a challenge, such as this workout by Pilates instructor Bianca Wise, who recently launched a workout series on ALO Wellness Club.

“This program uses classic Pilates precision with circuit-style training,” Wise tells Fit&Well.

“The beginner-friendly workout builds strength, improves coordination and elevates your heart rate in under 15 minutes.”

Below, she’s shared a workout inspired by the programme.

Bianca Wise’s 15-minute dumbbell workout

The workout is a mix of bodyweight moves and light weight exercises, although all moves can be done without weights if required.

You’ll need a mat and a pair of light dumbbells: 3lb (1kg) hand weights are ideal, but you can even use a couple of water bottles or food cans if you don’t have dumbbells at home.

Start with Wise’s quick warm-up, then do two rounds of circuit one, followed by two rounds of circuit two.

Complete each of the moves for 45 seconds before moving straight onto the next move, taking a short rest between rounds as needed. Finish with Wise’s cool-down.

The workout should take around 15 minutes to complete, depending on how long you rest for between circuits.

Warm-up

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Take a few deep breaths in.
• Slowly roll down through the spine, letting your head and arms hang heavy toward the floor. Bend your knees as needed.
• Roll back up one vertebra at a time.
• Repeat five times.
• Finish with 10 gentle arm circles in each direction.

Circuit one

Complete each move for 45 seconds, moving straight onto the next move. Complete the entire circuit twice, taking rests between rounds as needed.

1. Modified reverse burpee

Time: 45sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart at the top of a mat.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to sit on the mat, placing your hands on the floor behind you.
• Roll back onto your upper back and shoulders.
• Roll back up to standing and jump straight up.

2. Downward dog to plank

Time: 45sec

• Start in a high plank position, on your hands and toes, with your legs extended, shoulders directly above your wrists, and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Push back through your hands and lift your hips, keeping a soft bend in the knees, so your body is in an inverted-V shape.
• Slowly shift forward back to a high plank position, with your shoulders over your wrists.
• Alternate between these two positions.

3. Kneeling push up

Time: 45sec

• Get on your hands and knees, with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to knees.
• Engage your core, then bend your elbows to lower your chest.
• Extend your arms to press back up to the start.

4. Kneeling arm pulse

Time: 45sec

• Kneel, holding light weights (or no weights) by your sides.
• Set your shoulders back and down.
• Move your arms backwards a few inches, then return to the start.
• Continue at pace, pulsing your arms, squeezing your triceps (the muscles on the back of your upper arms).

Circuit two

Complete each move for 45 seconds, moving straight onto the next move. Complete the entire circuit twice, taking rests between rounds as needed.

1. Standing leg kick

Time: 45sec

• Stand holding light weights by your sides (if you struggle with balance, place your hands on a wall instead of holding dumbbells).
• Shift your weight onto your right foot and slowly lift your left leg behind you.
• To make it more challenging, bend your elbows and lift your right arm in front of you and your left arm behind you in a running motion.
• Return to the starting position with control, then repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

2. Seated abs twist

Time: 45sec

• Sit on the mat with your knees bent and heels on the floor, holding a light dumbbell in both hands in front of your chest.
• Engage your core and lean your torso back to 45°.
• Extend your arms to hold the weight in front of you.
• Rotate your torso slowly from side to side, keeping your hips and knees stable and pointing forward throughout.

3. Kneeling triceps kickback

Time: 45sec

• Kneel on the mat holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Hinge forward from your hips, keeping your back flat, and letting your elbows bend but keeping your upper arms pressed against your torso. This is your starting position.
• Extend your arms to lift the dumbbells behind you.
• Pause and squeeze your triceps.
• Slowly bend your elbows to return to the start.

4. Modified plank hold

Time: 45sec

• Lie on your front propped up on your forearms with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders.
• Engage your core and lift your hips so your body is in a straight line from head to knees. (For more of a challenge, lift your knees as well.)
• Hold this position, making sure your hips don’t rise or sag.
• Focus on your breathing and take breaks as needed.

Cool-down

• Circle your arms a few times, taking deep breaths.
• Lift your right arm, then bend your right elbow to place your right hand at the base of your neck. Gently pull your right elbow to the left with your left hand to stretch your triceps.
• Repeat on the other arm.
• Perform a few shoulder rolls in each direction.

Shop light dumbbells

When you hear the words core workout, you may feel a chill run down your spine at the thought of endless variations on abdominal crunches. Trust me, I get it.

Sometimes, for me, it’s less about the crunches and more about my reluctance to get down on a gym floor covered in other people’s footprints and who knows what else.

In these cases, unless I see someone approaching with a mop, I choose standing exercises instead.

Thankfully, there are a lot of exercises you can do to target your core using just a set of dumbbells. What’s more, you’ll hit a range of other muscle groups in the process.

The following deep core workout was designed by NASM-certified personal trainer Joe Ghafari, who runs LGBTQ+ fitness retreats with Visiting Wrld.

Give it a try, and let me know in the comments how it goes.

1. Dumbbell squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, resting dumbbells on your shoulders with your elbows pointing forwards.
• Brace your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Push through your heels to stand back up.
• Squeeze your glutes, then begin the next rep.

Muscles targeted: Quads, glutes, hamstrings and the transverse abdominis.

“Dumbbell squats are arguably one of the best core exercises in existence,” says Ghafari. “The weight is trying to pull your torso forward, so your deep core and lower back muscles must fire rapidly to keep your spine aligned and upright.”

2. Dumbbell hammer curl to shoulder press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing.
• Keeping your upper arms close to your torso, bend your elbows to lift the weights to your shoulders.
• Pause briefly, then press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are fully extended.
• Slowly reverse the movements back to the start, keeping your body as still as possible.

Muscles targeted: Biceps, anterior and lateral deltoids and rectus abdominis.

“Pressing weight overhead shifts your center of gravity,” says Ghafari. “Your core has to act as a rigid pillar to prevent your lower back from arching.

“This exercise teaches your abdominals how to stabilize your spine under a vertical load.”

3. Dumbbell front raise and Y raise

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
• Keeping your arms straight, raise the dumbbells in front of you to shoulder height, then lower them slowly.
• For the next rep, raise the dumbbells outward at a 45° angle, then lower them slowly. That’s one rep.
• Alternate between the front raise and the Y raise.

Muscles targeted: Anterior deltoids, lower traps and core stabilizers.

“As you move the weights further away from your body, the leverage changes, and the weight tries to pull you off balance,” says Ghafari.

“Your core has to fight hard to prevent your torso from swaying backward, making this a stealthy anti-extension core drill.”

4. Dumbbell side bend

Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15 each side

How to do it:

• Stand holding a relatively heavy dumbbell in your right hand, with your left fingers lightly touching your left temple.
• Keeping your chest up and shoulders square, bend to the right from your waist, sliding the dumbbell down your leg.
• Ensure you don’t lean forward or backward.
• Use the left side of your core to pull your torso back to the starting, upright position.
• Complete all the reps on one side, then switch sides.

Muscles targeted: Internal and external obliques, quadratus lumborum.

“This exercise directly targets the spine’s lateral stabilizers,” says Ghafari.

“Having strong obliques isn’t just about aesthetics; it prevents lateral shear forces on your spine during everyday activities and lifts.”

Building a strong core is probably one of the most common goals among my personal training clients.

It’s a great goal to have. Strengthening the abdominal muscles supports the spine and pelvis and helps the body move effectively with less risk of injury.

And you don’t need to spend hours doing core exercises to see results. Just 15 minutes two to three times a week is enough.

To help you meet that target, I’ve created a 15-minute dumbbell core workout. It targets every layer of the core from the deep stabilizing muscles to the visible abs, while challenging your balance and coordination.

All you need are a pair of light dumbbells, a medium or heavy dumbbell, and a mat.

How to do my 15-minute dumbbell core workout

The moves:

1. Dumbbell dead bug
2. Kneeling front raise
3. Russian twist
4. Sit-up circle
5. Plank pull-though

Do each exercise for 40 seconds, followed by a 20 second rest. Complete three sets of each exercise before moving on to the next. The workout will take 15 minutes in total.

1. Dumbbell dead bug

Sets: 3 Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Lie on your back holding light dumbbells above your shoulders with your arms extended.
• Lift and bend your knees so they are directly above your hips and are bent to 90°.
• Engage your core, gently pressing your lower back into the mat.
• Slowly lower your right arm behind you while lowering and extending your left leg.
• Pause when your hand and foot are just above the floor, then return to the start with control.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Form tips: The movement should be slow and controlled. It’s important not to arch your back. If this happens, don’t lower your arm and leg so far. You can also do this move without dumbbells until you build up strength.

2. Kneeling front raise

Sets: 3 Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Kneel holding the ends of one dumbbell against your thighs.
• Engage your core and lean back until you feel some tension in your quads.
• Keeping your back straight and arms extended throughout, raise the dumbbell to shoulder height.
• Slowly lower the dumbbell to the start.

Form tips: Don’t use momentum to swing the weight up. Keep the movement slow and controlled and start with a light weight. If you can’t maintain a straight back, or you feel twinges in your back, don’t lean back until your core is stronger.

3. Russian twist

Sets: 3 Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Sit on the mat with your knees bent and heels on the floor, holding a dumbbell by the handle in both hands in front of your chest.
• Engage your core and lean your torso back slightly.
• Maintaining the angle of your torso, rotate your torso and the dumbbell to the right.
• Return to the center and continue to rotate to the left in a smooth movement.
• Continue rotating from side to side.

Form tips: Don’t round your back. Make sure you are moving your torso and not just your arms.

4. Sit-up circle

Sets: 3 Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, and your fingertips touching the sides of your head.
• Engage your core and lift your head and shoulders just off the floor and gaze at the ceiling, keeping your neck in a neutral position.
• Use your abdominal muscles to circle your head and shoulders.
• Change direction halfway through the 40 seconds.

Form tips: Don’t lift your head with your hands—the movement needs to come from your abs, not your neck. If this is too challenging to start, lower your head and shoulders back to the floor between circles.

5. Plank pull-through

Sets: 3 Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Get on your hands and knees, with a dumbbell just below your left hand.
• Engage your core and step your feet back so your body is in a straight line from your head to heels, and your shoulders are stacked over your wrists.
• Lift your right hand and reach across to pick up the dumbbell and move it to the right.
• Return your right hand to the floor and repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Form tips: This is an anti-rotation exercise, which trains your body to resist being pulled out of position, so keep your torso and hips as still as possible throughout. Widen your stance to make it easier.

I love the simplicity of dumbbells.

They’re versatile, straightforward to handle, it’s easy enough to work out what weight suits you best, and they’re great for weight training at home.

All of this also makes them great for people who are at the start of their fitness journey.

Denise Chakoian, a certified fitness trainer and owner of Core Cycle and Fitness LaGree, has compiled five dumbbell exercises that together hit every muscle group.

Even more enticing is that Chakoian’s workout is just five minutes long.

“They're all compound movements, meaning multiple muscles working at once, which is the best way to make a five-minute workout worth doing,” she says.

“The order is intentional too, starting with bigger, lower-body moves first, while you're fresh, with a core finisher at the end when everything else is tired.”

The exercises target the quads, glutes, hamstrings, back, shoulders, biceps and core, without repeating a single move. It’s advisable to add a quick warm-up before doing the workout.

If you have slightly longer to work out, add more sets of each exercise, or an extra round, or two—running through exercises one to five, then repeating them all again from the beginning.

Five-minute dumbbell workout

1. Squat to press

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your shoulders, palms facing, and engage your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your hips are in line with your knees, keeping your chest facing forward.
• Push through your feet to return to standing and press the dumbbells overhead in a single, fluid movement.
• Lower the dumbbells to shoulder height with control.

2. Renegade row

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Place your dumbbells on the floor and grasp the handles, with your shoulders directly above your hands.
• Engage your core and step your feet back so you are on your toes and your body is in a straight line from head to heels.
• Lift one dumbbell to your hip, bending your elbow and drawing it up past your torso, keeping your hips square and your legs still.
• Lower the dumbbell to the floor with control and repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

3. Romanian deadlift

Work: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Stand with your feet slightly closer than hip-width apart holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
• Bend your knees slightly, engage your core, then push your butt back, hinging at the hips to lower the dumbbells down your legs until you feel a slight stretch in the back of your thighs.
• Drive your hips forward to return to standing.

4. Reverse lunge with curl

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Step your right foot back and bend both knees to lower until your right knee gently taps the floor—your right knee should be directly under your right hip and your left knee should be directly above your left foot.
• Bend both elbows to lift the dumbbells to your shoulders.
• Reverse the movements to return to standing, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

5. Sit-up press

Work: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells with your upper arms on the floor by your torso, elbows bent to 90°.
• Brace your core and lift your torso, pressing the dumbbells overhead at the top of the movement.
• Lower back to the starting position with control.

If you want an exercise that trains your glutes, hamstrings, quads, core, lower back and even your grip, the deadlift is hard to beat. It’s a highly effective, full-body move—but for beginners, it can feel intimidating, especially since proper technique is essential.

Ben LaNeve, an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist and personal training lead at Life Time Annapolis, suggests starting with the dumbbell deadlift instead.

“You don’t need a barbell. You don’t need a weight rack. You don’t need a garage gym that looks like it belongs on YouTube,” he tells Fit&Well. “A pair of dumbbells and a few square feet of space will do just fine.” That makes it especially good for people who are new to strength training or if you’re working out at home.

One of the biggest benefits of the deadlift—dumbbell or otherwise—is how effectively it strengthens the posterior chain—the muscles along the back of your body. Building strength here can improve athletic performance, particularly for activities like running.

Additionally, LaNeve says, “this exercise improves core and bracing strength for squats and other lifts.”

The move also teaches what he names the most important movement pattern in strength training: the hip hinge. And it’s not just needed in the gym.

“Instead of squatting down or rounding your back to pick things up, you learn to push your hips back, brace your core and drive through your glutes. That’s how you safely lift a suitcase, a heavy box or your kid off the floor,” he says.

“And because the weight is free rather than fixed like a barbell or resistance machine, it makes your stabilizing muscles stronger. This helps improve balance and coordination while reinforcing proper lifting mechanics.

“By mimicking picking objects up safely it can help reduce the risk of lower-back pain when lifting things in real life.”

The irony is that people often avoid deadlifts because they worry about hurting their back. But when done correctly, deadlifts actually make your back more resilient because they strengthen the erector spinae—a group of muscles along both sides of the spine—the deep core stabilizers that act as a supportive corset around your middle, and the glutes, the large muscles in your butt that reduce stress on the lower back.

“This single move trains your glutes, hamstrings, quads, core, back and grip all at once,” LaNeve says. “For beginners, that’s a huge return on investment. More muscle working means more strength built and faster progress.”

For those just starting out, dumbbells are especially beginner-friendly. They’re easier to control than a barbell and allow you to focus on mastering the movement.

“Start light and master the hinge,” LaNeve advises. “Then add weight gradually.”

How to do a dumbbell deadlift

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
• Engage your core.
• Hinge forward from your hips, pushing your butt back, to lower the dumbbells down your legs—keeping your back straight and shoulders pinned back throughout.
• Pause when the dumbbells reach mid-shin level or when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings (in the back of your thighs).
• Push through your heels and drive your hips forward, squeezing your glutes, to return to standing.

To make it easier: Use light dumbbells or just your bodyweight to master the move first and to warm up before adding weight.

Trainer tips

• Keep your shoulders pulled slightly back and down.
• Maintain a neutral spine—imagine holding a straight line from head to tailbone.
• Keep the weights close to you throughout the move, tracking along your legs and shins.
• Engage your core, tightening it like you’re about to be poked in the stomach.
• Avoid rounding your back or locking your knees.
• If you feel the move mostly in your lower back, you might be rounding your back or not engaging your glutes or core enough.

Building strong, toned arms isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s one of the best things you can do for your long-term health and everyday functional strength.

If you’re not sure how to get started, this five-move workout with just a pair of dumbbells is one that midlife strength training coach Edwina Jenner recommends.

“This is my go-to session for strong and more defined arms because it focuses on fast and efficient moves in just three strong sets,” she tells Fit & Well.

While anyone can do this workout and see results, this style of upper-body work becomes increasingly important in midlife.

“From a physiological standpoint, women naturally lose muscle mass from their mid-30s and this accelerates as estrogen declines in perimenopause,” Jenner explains.

“If you’re not actively preserving and building your muscles, you will lose them and that impacts everything from metabolism to joint stability.”

Jenner’s routine focuses on movements that help build and maintain lean muscle, and improve muscle tone. At the same time, strength training workouts will support weight management and joint health.

As you get more comfortable with the moves, gradually increase the weight of the dumbbells you use from one workout to the next—this keeps the exercises challenging so you continue seeing results.

“Women will start to feel stronger within six weeks and they will start to notice better control, less fatigue and more confidence using weights,” says Jenner.

“At 12 weeks, they will begin to see significant development and strength gains provided they are consistent and progressively lift heavier weights to support progress,” Jenner adds.

By the third set of each exercise, the weight should feel challenging but still allow you to maintain good form and posture.

Jenner adds that this shouldn’t be the only upper-body workout in your weekly strength training plan.

“This routine focuses on triceps and biceps, but it doesn’t include larger compound movements for your chest, back or shoulders, which are important for overall strength,” she says.

Jenner recommends doing this sequence once per week, alongside one or two full-body or other upper-body workouts that include exercises such as rows, presses, and push movements to form a well-rounded training plan.

You can find three full-body dumbbell workouts in our strength training routine for beginners.

How to do the dumbbell arms workout

The five exercises in this arms workout are:

1. Crossbody curl
2. Triceps kickback
3. Hammer curl
4. Triceps extension
5. Single-arm biceps curl

1. Crossbody curl

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your thighs with your palms facing.
• Bend your right elbow to lift the dumbbell to your left shoulder.
• Lower slowly, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Trainer tip: Keep your elbow close to your body throughout the movement.

2. Triceps kickback

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Hinge forward from your hips, pushing your butt back and bending your knees slightly.
• Press your upper arms into your torso, and bend your elbows to 90°. This is your starting position.
• Extend your right elbow to lift the dumbbell behind you.
• Squeeze your triceps, then lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Trainer tip: Remember to keep your elbows high and reset them after each movement.

3. Hammer curl

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing.
• Bend your elbows to lift the weights to your shoulders.
• Lower slowly.

Trainer tip: Keep your elbows stable and close to your torso throughout.

4. Triceps extension

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the end of one dumbbell in both hands overhead.
• Bend your elbows to lower it carefully behind your head.
• Extend your elbows to lift the dumbbell back to the starting position, squeezing your triceps at the top.

Trainer tip: Keep your elbows pointing forward as you bend them.

5. Single-arm biceps curl

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your thighs, with your palms facing.
• Bend your right elbow to lift the dumbbell to your right shoulder.
• Lower slowly, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Trainer tip: Keep your elbows close to your body and avoid swinging.

Certified trainer and We Run coach Amanda Grimm says that strength training can make life easier.

Doing something as straightforward as dumbbell workouts builds functional strength for everyday life—especially useful in later years.

“In most cases, the intention of a dumbbell workout within your training session isn’t to get the physique of a bodybuilder, but to help make daily tasks easier—such as getting shopping out of the car, picking things off the floor, and even climbing the stairs without running out of breath,” she says.

Even a 15-minute dumbbell workout like the one below can make a significant difference to your joint health, especially when done regularly, she says.

“Try to complete the workout two to three times a week consistently to see improvements in muscle strength, bone, cardiovascular and even mental health levels.”

How to do this 15-minute dumbbell workout

Perform the following five exercises as a circuit, doing one exercise after the other, resting for between 15 and 30 seconds between exercises. Complete two rounds in total.

1. Romanian deadlift x 8-10
2. Goblet squat x 10-12
3. Shoulder press x 8-10
4. Reverse lunge x 6-8 each side
5. Bent-over row x 10-12

Aim to pick a dumbbell that allows you to perform every rep with good form, but the final few reps of each exercise should be hard work. This will probably mean you need a few pairs of dumbbells, or adjustable dumbbells.

Grimm recommends spending at least two minutes warming up with light mobility work to prepare your body for the movements ahead. Try some head, neck, arm and waist circles to prepare your joints.

1. Romanian deadlift

Reps: 8-10 Rest: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs.
• Engage your core and hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back, lowering the dumbbells down your legs.
• Keep your spine neutral, shoulders back and core engaged.
• Lower until you feel a stretch in your buttocks and the backs of your thighs.
• Press your feet into the floor, drive your hips forward to return to standing upright.

Trainer tips: It should take you two or three seconds to lower the weights to the bottom of the movement.

2. Goblet squat

Reps: 10-12 Rest: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly out.
• Hold one end of a dumbbell in front of your chest with your hands wrapped around the top end and your elbows pointing down.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower your butt as low as you can, keeping your back flat and chest upright.
• Pause and then push through your feet to stand back up.

Trainer tips: If your heels come off the floor or your knees go forward over your toes, try a wider stance to allow more space for your hips to sink. Aim for your hips to be in line with your knees or lower at the bottom of the movement.

3. Shoulder press

Reps: 8-10 Rest: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Hold dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing forward.
• Inhale and engage your core, then extend your arms up to press the weights overhead.
• Lower the weights slowly back to the starting position with control—don’t let gravity pull them down.

Trainer tips: The shoulder press can also be performed seated. If your back is arching pushing the dumbbells up, reduce your weight. Only increase the weight when you can keep your spine and core stable. Keep your core braced as you push the weights overhead.

4. Reverse lunge

Reps: 6-8 each side Rest: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Step one foot back, lowering your knee toward the floor.
• Keep your front knee directly above your ankle and your back and chest upright.
• Drive through your front foot to return to standing.
• Repeat on the other side and continue alternating to complete your repetitions.

5. Bent-over row

Reps: 10-12 Rest: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Hinge forward from your hips and push your butt back, keeping your back flat.
• Lift the weights to your hips, drawing your elbows past your torso.
• Pause and squeeze your shoulder blades.
• Extend your arms with control to lower the dumbbells.

Trainer tip: In this hinged position, your arms should be doing all the work so keep your core engaged and torso as stable as possible.

Shop dumbbells

There are many reasons why you might want to exercise, but maintaining functional strength and mobility as you age is one of the most vital, allowing you to live well and independently for as long as possible.

Muscle mass and bone density decline with age for everyone (although more rapidly in women), so strength work to maintain them should be non-negotiable.

You don’t need a bodybuilding program or a lot of home gym equipment—you can get an effective, full-body workout targeting major muscles and movement patterns with just one dumbbell.

Here’s a workout I program for my personal training clients, and do myself, that ticks those boxes.

How to do the workout

All you need is one medium-weight dumbbell for this workout.

If you have access to different weights and want an extra challenge, choose a heavier one for the lower-body moves and a lighter weight for the seated shoulder press that allows you to complete 10 repetitions on each side instead of five.

Complete the whole circuit three to five times in total, depending on the time available and your fitness capacity, taking one to two minutes of rest between rounds.

Workout overview

1. Goblet squat x 10
2. Goblet side lunge x 5 each side
3. Romanian deadlift x 10
4. Seated single-arm shoulder press x 5 each side
5. Single-arm farmer’s carry x 20-30sec each side

1. Goblet squat

Reps: 10

This is an all-around lower-body strengthener that also promotes hip and ankle mobility, and core activation.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing outward.
• Hold a dumbbell vertically close to your chest, palms under the upper head.
• Bend at your hips and knees to lower until your hips are in line with, or lower than, your knees.
• Keep your knees directly above your feet, and your weight in your heels, not your toes.
• Push through your feet to return to standing.

Make it harder: Increase the weight, add more repetitions or increase the pace of your squats without losing good form.

2. Goblet side lunge

Reps: 5 each side

This move supports hip mobility with lateral movement, and it activates and strengthens your core, back and upper body.

How to do it:

• Stand holding the dumbbell vertically close to your chest, palms under the upper head.
• Take a large step out to the side, bending your leading knee and pushing your hips back.
• Push through your leading foot to return to the center.
• Repeat on the other side.

Make it harder: Increase the weight you hold, drop lower to increase your range of motion or hold for a few seconds at the bottom of the lunge to increase time under tension.

3. Romanian deadlift

Reps: 10

This move activates, lengthens and strengthens the muscles in the back of your body (the posterior chain) that can weaken with age. The hip-hinging movement is also great for hip mobility and core strength.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the dumbbell in both hands in front of you.
• With a slight bend in your knees, push your hips back to lower the weight down your legs.
• Keep the weight close to your shins, your core engaged and your shoulders pinned back to avoid rounding your spine.
• Return to standing with control.

Make it harder: Increase the weight you hold, or slow your tempo as you lower the weight, and hold for a second at the bottom.

4. Seated single-arm shoulder press

Reps: 5 each side

A shoulder press builds upper-body strength and doing it seated offers more stability, allowing you to focus on your shoulders and using your core to help power the movement.

How to do it:

• Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you, or on a workout bench with a back support if available, holding a dumbbell at one shoulder.
• Engage your core, then push the dumbbell overhead.
• Lower to the starting position with control.

Make it harder: Increase the weight without losing good form, add more repetitions or slow the lowering portion of the movement.

5. Single-arm farmer’s carry

This single-arm movement trains your core to keep you stable and upright against the sideways pull of the dumbbell.

Time: 20-30sec each side

How to do it:

• Stand holding a dumbbell in one hand, core engaged.
• Walk for time or distance, keeping your posture straight.
• Repeat on the other side.

Make it harder: Increase the weight you hold without losing good form, and walk for longer or further.

Static holds like planks deserve their place in an evenly balanced workout routine, but they don’t totally prepare you for the rigors of everyday life.

Unless you're, say, attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the abdominal plank (currently standing at a tediously long 9 hours, 38 minutes and 47 seconds) you’d be better served by introducing an external load when strengthening your core.

Think about it. When you put your suitcase in the overhead cabin, you're using your core to support your spine as you heave a weight from the ground to overhead.

The same is true when carrying the shopping, transporting a toddler or one-strapping your backpack. These all rely on the core muscles around your spine to resist being pulled to the side, known as lateral flexion.

That’s why I like to incorporate a dumbbell or pair of dumbbells when training my core and working with clients—even relative beginners.

Here’s a 10-minute AMRAP core workout I’ve been enjoying lately.

What does AMRAP mean?

AMRAP stands for as many rounds as possible. With this workout, the idea is to perform 10 reps each of four exercises in a circuit. Rest as required, then start again with round two of the exercises—aim to keep moving with good form for the full 10 minutes.

Keep track of your score and note down how many rounds and reps you complete once the time is up, then try to beat your best next time.

How to do this AMRAP core workout

All you need is one pair of dumbbells—choose weights you feel you can comfortably hold overhead for 20-30 seconds.

While the goal is to post a high score, take your time with each exercise. Don’t rush, but practice every move with good form and your core (and spine) will thank you in the long run.

1. Plank pull-through

Reps: 10

Ironically, given everything I’ve written above, this first move involves starting in a plank position. But it also incorporates moving an external load from one side of your body to the other.

• Start in a high plank position, with your feet hip-width apart or wider, your arms extended with your wrists underneath your shoulders, your body in a straight line from head to heels and a dumbbell positioned by your right hand.
• Grasp the dumbbell with the left hand, then lift and move it across to the left side of your body, and set it down. That’s one rep.
• Engage your core and glutes to maintain stability as you shift the weight.
• Now use your right hand to move the dumbbell back across to the start position, and that’s rep two.
• Keep going for 10 reps in total.
• The wider the distance between your feet, the easier it will be to maintain balance.

2. Woodchop

Reps: 10

Practice lifting a weight from low to high across your body—then you'll be well set to shunt your suitcase into the overhead bin next time you fly.

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in both hands by your right hip with a slight bend in your elbows.
• Engage your core and glutes, and lift the weight diagonally across your body, keeping the slight bend in your elbows throughout and rotating your torso to the left.
• Follow the weight with your eyes to help maintain a neutral spine throughout, then lower back to your right hip under control.
• Perform five reps on one side, then switch sides.

Make it easier: If this feels too advanced, you can also perform this exercise kneeling on one knee. If you start with the dumbbell by your right hip, place your right knee on the floor.

3. Overhead march

Reps: 10 each side

A popular exercise for runners to help keep their midline strong and stable when fatigue sets in, this move will challenge your balance as much as your abdominals.

• Hold dumbbells overhead, with your elbows locked so that your spine and shoulder girdle is helping brace the weight, rather than just your shoulder muscles.
• Standing tall, march on the spot, bringing your knee to hip height with each step.
• Perform 10 steps on each side.

4. Side bend

Reps: 10

This exercise closely mimics a side plank, but from standing. It will target the oblique muscles that run down the sides of the torso that aid good posture and body alignment.

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in your right hand by your right-hand side, with your left hand on your left hip.
• Moving from your waist and keeping your hips in place, slowly bend to the right, lowering the dumbbell down your right leg—you should feel a gentle stretch down the side of your body.
• Now reverse the movement to stand tall.
• Complete five reps on one side, then switch sides.

While it’s fun to use all the machines and free-weights in a commercial gym, all most people really need to enjoy a comprehensive upper-body workout is a pair of dumbbells.

A set of dumbbells will challenge your pushing and pulling strength, while helping even out imbalances on either side of your body.

And, in my view, the simpler the routine, the better.

This 20-minute AMRAP workout is something I've come to rely on when training clients—or myself—due to its accessibility and overall effectiveness.

What does AMRAP mean?

AMRAP stands for as many reps (or rounds) as possible.

Set a timer for how long you want to work out for (20 minutes in this case) and perform as many rounds of the circuit as you can before the clock hits zero, resting as required.

Note your score, then try to beat it next time you perform the workout.

How to do this 20-minute upper-body dumbbell workout

This push-pull upper-body workout combines four moves:

1. Dumbbell push-up to target the chest and triceps.
2. High pull for the shoulders and upper-back.
3. Overhead press to target the shoulders from a different angle.
4. Bent-over row for the back and biceps.

Do 10 reps of each in turn to complete one round. Complete as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes.

I suggest using a pair of medium-heavy dumbbells, ones that allow you to perform 10 high pulls in one go, because that exercise is the toughest move of the circuit.

An approach I like to use is to set a target number of rounds to complete before I start. Having something to aim for helps me keep going as I start to tire.

Warm up thoroughly, mobilizing your chest, back, neck and especially your shoulders (here’s the warm-up routine I like to use).

Practice each move without weights, then with a lighter pair if you have any available.

I've detailed how to perform each exercise below, plus more beginner-friendly regressions.

If you feel strong enough to perform the main exercise at the start, try to resist the temptation to fall back to the regression, as it will slow your progress.

Instead, break the sets down into five or three reps at a time, while taking a bit more rest between sets.

That way you’ll know exactly what workout you performed so you can beat your total reps next time you perform it.

1. Dumbbell push-up

Performing a push-up on dumbbells creates a deficit so you can go deeper with each rep and target more muscle fibers than you can with hands on the floor.

• Place the dumbbells below your shoulders and take hold of them with your palms facing. Step your feet back so your body is in a straight line from head to heels.
• Engage your core and glutes and bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest.
• Push the floor away from you to drive up powerfully.

Regression: Wall or incline push-up

Make this easier by placing your hands on a wall or bench. The higher you place your hands the easier it will be.

2. Dumbbell high pull

Reps: 10

• Stand holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
• Engage your core and glutes to support your spine, then bend your elbows and raise them out to the sides to lift the dumbbells to chest height—you should feel your shoulders and upper back working to control the weight.
• Lower the dumbbells slowly.

Regression: One-arm high pull

If two feels too tough, use one weight at a time. Either alternate sides or drop one dumbbell completely and perform all reps on one side, then switch arms.

3. Overhead press

Reps: 10

Aim to keep these strict, without using momentum from your lower body.

• Stand holding dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing forward and elbows out to the sides.
• Engage your core and glutes to support your spine.
• Inhale, then as you exhale, press the weights straight overhead until your biceps are close to your ears.
• Keep your rib cage down as you raise the weights to avoid arching your back.
• Lower the weights under control and repeat.

Regression: Push press

If you need a helping hand—or shove—to get the weights up, drop into a quarter squat then drive up and use this momentum to press the dumbbells overhead.

Lower under control, bend your knees slightly to brace the weights, then continue straight into the next rep.

4. Bent-over row

Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Sit your hips back and hinge forward, keeping your back flat.
• Retract your shoulder blades to engage your upper back.
• Lift the weights to your hips, drawing your elbows past your torso.
• Pause, then lower under control.

Regression: One-arm bent-over row

You need reasonable core strength to maintain a flat back while performing this exercise, so if you're more of a beginner you can swap this for a one-arm bent-over row, performing 10 reps on each side.

Place one hand on a chair and step your feet wide apart to create a tripod stance. From here, lift one dumbbell to your hip, pause, then lower under control.

You can’t fix bad posture overnight. As well as adjusting the way you sit and stand, it’s important to strengthen the muscles in the upper body that support good posture and that takes time.

You’ll often see people talking about strengthening the core as an important element of improving posture, but according to Pilates and barre instructor Tara Riley, the upper-back muscles might be even more important, especially becaause upper-back exercises don’t feature in workouts as much as core ones.

“Our upper backs are often neglected because we think more about our core,” she says. “We always curl forward to work our core and we often don’t do exercises to make sure that our upper-back muscles are working hard enough and that we’re standing up straight,” she explains.

It’s also important that you train the entire core, not just the abdominal muscles. “A lot of people forget that their core is not just their abs,” says Riley. “Your core includes your back and part of your pelvis. So having a strong core is not just having a ripped six-pack.

“You have deeper ab muscles and you have muscles that run along your spine, and all of those muscles keep you standing up straight,” she adds.

Below, she’s shared a simple barre sequence designed to strengthen the upper back. It also engages the entire core.

Tara Riley’s barre sequence for upper-back strength

To follow this routine, you need a pair of light weights—2lb to 4lb (1kg-2kg) works well.

Try to complete this sequence without any rest to challenge your muscular endurance.

Part one:

• Stand in second position, with your feet wider than hip-distance apart and your toes turned out slightly, holding dumbbells in front of you at shoulder height, with your arms extended.
• Move into a plie by bending your knees to lower your body, keeping your hips and shoulders aligned. As you lower, open your arms out to the sides.
• Rise back to the start and bring the dumbbells back together.
• Complete eight to 16 reps.

Part two:

• Lower into the plie again, opening your arms out to the sides.
• Pulse up and down, bringing your arms back together, then pulse again, opening your arms wide.
• Continue for eight to 16 reps.

Part three:

• Lift your arms out to the sides and bend your elbows to 90°, so your elbows are at shoulder height and your wrists are directly above your elbows.
• Lower into the plie.
• Pulse up and down, while extending your arms overhead.
• Pulse up and down, bending your elbows back to 90°.
• Begin to pulse your hips and inch up and down again.
• Continue for eight to 16 reps.

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I’m a certified personal trainer, so it’s no surprise that I love going to the gym.

Unfortunately, finding time to work out is a little more complicated now that I have an eight-month-old son.

I try to exercise at home when I can’t make it to the gym, often grabbing a single dumbbell to save time and doing routines like this four-move sequence below.

It hits a lot of the major muscle groups and helps with stability and coordination, too.

How to do the single dumbbell workout

This workout is an AMRAP, which stands for as many rounds as possible.

Do each of the four exercises in turn to complete one round, completing as many rounds as possible 20 minutes.

You’ll need a moderately heavy dumbbell and an exercise mat for cushioning.

See how many rounds you can complete in 20 minutes, then challenge yourself to complete one more set the next time you try the workout.

Remember to get the all-clear from your medical team before starting any new exercise.

The exercises:

• Squat to single-arm overhead press x 10 each side
• Side lunge to single-arm curl x 10 each side
• Deadlift to single-arm row x 10 each side
• Glute bridge to single-arm chest press x 10 each side

Scroll down for step-by-step explainers or watch the video above to see the moves demonstrated.

1. Squat to single-arm press

Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in your right hand at your right shoulder.
• Engage your core, push your hips back and bend your knees to squat.
• Push through your feet to stand back up.
• Press the dumbbell up, straightening your arm.
• Lower the dumbbell back to your shoulder.
• Complete 10 repetitions, then switch to the left arm.

Trainer tips: If you’re working with a heavy dumbbell, try to make the movement fluid. Use momentum from your squat to help power the weight into the air. If you’re working with a lighter weight, pause after standing, then press the dumbbell overhead slowly.

2. Side lunge to single-arm biceps curl

Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the dumbbell in your right hand on the outside of your right leg.
• Engage your core and step your left foot to the side.
• Push your hips back, bend your left knee and keep your right leg straight to lower into a lunge, allowing the dumbbell to hang toward the floor.
• Return to standing and step your left leg in.
• Keeping your right elbow close to your waist, curl the dumbbell toward your shoulder.
• Perform 10 repetitions, then switch sides.

3. Deadlift to single-arm row

Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in your right hand by your side.
• Push your hips back and lean your torso forward, keeping your core engaged and your arm straight.
• Pull the dumbbell up to your right hip, then straighten your arm back down.
• Squeeze your glutes and push your hips forward to stand.
• Complete 10 repetitions, then switch sides.

4. Glute bridge to single-arm chest press

Reps: 10 each side

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and a dumbbell in your right hand.
• Engage your core, bend your right elbow and bring the dumbbell to shoulder level.
• Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips, so your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
• Press the dumbbell toward the ceiling, straightening your arm.
• Lower the dumbbell back to your shoulder.
• Lower your hips back to the floor.
• Complete 10 repetitions, then switch sides.

Four exercises, two medium-heavy dumbbells and your phone timer.

That's all you need to strengthen all your major muscle groups, while also starting to reverse the natural effect of sarcopenia (muscle loss) and osteoporosis (weakening bones) as you age.

Crucially, it's never too late to start, which you can do today with this 20-minute AMRAP workout which has become a staple of my training.

How to do this AMRAP workout

This is an AMRAP work, which stands for as many rounds as possible—so you have to perform a circuit of exercises as many times as you can within a set time limit.

This particular routine unites two lower-body and two upper-body exercises. It's designed to target multiple muscle groups and joints, while also helping you burn a good amount of calories.

It’s helpful to have a medium and a heavy set of dumbbells to hand for the workout—medium for the upper-body moves and heavy for the lower-body lifts.

If you only have one pair, that can work too, by slowing down the tempo of the lower-body exercises.

Before you start, perform a thorough bodyweight warm-up, paying special attention to the glutes, hamstrings and shoulders.

Good to go? Set a 20-minute timer and get stuck in, resting as needed, and noting down the total number of reps or rounds you accomplish.

Then, try to beat that target next time.

20-minute full-body AMRAP

The exercises are:

• Sumo deadlift x10
• Front rack squat x10
• Push press x10
• Push-up renegade row x10

Set a timer for 20 minutes, then perform the circuit of exercises as many times as possible, resting as needed.

Beginners may want to rest for 60 seconds between exercises, but if you're confident in your form you could do the exercises back-to-back then rest for 30 seconds between rounds.

If you need more detailed explainers for each move, scroll down to the step-by-step guides below.

1. Sumo deadlift

Reps: 10

• Stand over a pair of dumbbells with feet wide apart.
• Sit your hips back, bend your knees slightly and hinge forward to take hold of the dumbbells. Your back should be flat and core engaged.
• Retract your shoulder blades, then drive your hips forward to stand.
• Slowly lower the weights to tap the floor and repeat.

Benefits: A great exercise for the posterior chain muscles of the hamstrings, glutes and lower back, this version of the deadlift teaches safe lifting mechanics with a wide base for support.

2. Front rack squats

Reps: 10

• Stand holding the dumbbells at shoulder height, elbows pointing forward.
• Sit your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat, while keeping your knees wide apart.
• Push through the floor to stand and repeat.

Benefits: Holding the dumbbells at shoulder height, with elbows high, will place extra demands on your core to support your spine. If the weight is too heavy, drop one dumbbell and hold the other upright, in a goblet hold, keeping it close to your body.

3. Push press

Reps: 10

• Stand holding the dumbbells at shoulder height.
• Engage your core and glutes, then sit your hips back to lower into a shallow squat.
• Push through the ground and drive your hips forward to stand, harnessing this momentum to press the weights straight overhead.
• Focus on inhaling as you bring the weights down to your shoulders to help brace your core, then exhale as you drive up to stand and punch the weights overhead.

Benefits: Primarily an upper-body exercise, this move involves generating power from your lower body with a quarter squat, meaning you can lift more than when performing strict overhead presses.

4. Push-up renegade rows

• Position the dumbbells on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
• Assume a push-up position, holding the dumbbell handles rather than with your hands flat on the floor.
• Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor as far as your shoulder mobility allows.
• Push back up until your arms are straight, then row one dumbbell toward your hip, bracing your core and glutes to help maintain stability.
• The wider apart your feet, the easier it will be to maintain balance.
• Lower the weight to the floor, then switch arms, to complete one repetition.
• Make it easier by dropping your knees to the floor.

Make it easier: If you can't do the move above, you can adapt it by dropping to your knees. If that's still too hard, skip the row and perform a plank or push-up against a wall instead.

Benefits: Target your chest, back and core in one hit but pace yourself as this exercise demands a lot of your pelvis to maintain a stable posture.

I love a slow gym session, where I get to work through my favorite exercises and stretches at a leisurely pace. But on busy days, I turn to fast dumbbell workouts to get my body moving.

If you pick the right set of exercises, you can still challenge a lot of the major muscle groups in your body and mobilize your joints in 15 minutes or less.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at the workout below from Val Warner, who’s a certified trainer, pre/post-natal fitness specialist and the founder of the coaching platform Wellness by Val.

It targets your lower body, core, back and shoulders in just 12 minutes. It also works your hips, knees and shoulder joints through a wide range of motion—all while getting your heart rate up.

Warner says that beginners should perform the routine slowly and concentrate on getting good form for each move. Doing this will ensure you target the right muscles and minimize your risk of injury.

AMRAP 12-minute full-body dumbbell workout

This is an AMRAP workout, which means you’re aiming to complete the below routine for as many rounds as possible.

Set a timer for 12 minutes and do the following until the alarm rings:

• Dumbbell squat to press x 10 reps
• Single-arm dumbbell rows x 8 reps each side
• Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts x 12 reps
• Mountain climbers x 30 seconds

It’s a good idea to warm up before with a series of bodyweight squats, lunges, and torso rotations to make sure your body’s primed for movement. Or try this full-body mobility flow before you take on the AMRAP workout.

Follow the guides below on how to do the exercises.

1. Dumbbell squat to press

Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders.
• Bend your knees and push your hips back to squat, lowering until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.
• Push through your feet to stand back up and press the dumbbells overhead, straightening your arms.
• Lower the dumbbells to your shoulders and repeat.

2. Single-arm dumbbell row

Reps: 8 each side

• Stand with a dumbbell in your right hand.
• Step your left leg forward and bend your left knee, while keeping your right leg straight behind you.
• Lower your torso until it’s nearly parallel to the floor (keeping the back in a straight line).
• Brace your left elbow against your left leg for balance.
• Lower the dumbbell in your right hand toward the floor.
• Engage your core and row the dumbbell toward your ribcage.
• Lower the dumbbell and repeat for the required number of repetitions, then switch sides and repeat.

If you have a flat workout surface available, like a weights bench, you can perform a supported single-arm dumbbell row. This can help if you struggle with balance in the above variation.

3. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Reps: 12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your thighs.
• Keep a straight back and maintain a slight bend in your knees.
• Hinge at your hips, pushing your butt backward and slowly lower the dumbbells.
• Pause when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
• Squeeze your glutes and push your hips forward to stand.

4. Mountain climber

Time: 30sec

• Start on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders.
• Step your legs back so you’re in a plank position, with your heels, hips and shoulders in a straight line.
• Maintaining this straight line, lift your right foot and bring your right knee toward your chest.
• Straighten your right leg and place the right foot back on the floor behind you.
• Switch legs and repeat.

If you’re new to this move, do it slowly and make sure your core muscles are engaged so that you can hold steady in this position.

When you’ve gotten stronger, you can alternate legs rapidly to get your heart rate up.

I had my first baby seven months ago and since then I've been rebuilding my core.

I’m finally seeing some progress and feeling stronger than I did a few weeks ago, but one core exercise in particular has gotten really boring: planks.

While planks are an excellent deep core exercise, I find them tedious.

I decided to switch the move out for a few standing core exercises and it made a huge difference to my motivation.

Here’s why I’ll be coming back to these moves again.

Three standing core exercises

I picked up a moderately-heavy dumbbell and performed three sets of the following exercises:

1. Overhead dumbbell march x 10 each side
2. Standing twist with knee lift x 10 each side
3. Halo x 10

Here's everything I noticed after doing the routine.

1. I felt more of my core working

While my core muscles switch on during planks, I found that these standing exercises required deeper levels of engagement.

They challenged certain core muscles to stabilize my mid-body, while others moved my trunk through new movement patterns.

For example, the overhead dumbbell march and standing twist recruited deep stabilizer muscles like my transversus abdominis, while also firing up the obliques on the side of my abdomen.

2. My balance and mobility were challenged

Some of the exercises I chose required me to stand on one leg, which meant I was challenging my balance at the same time as strengthening my core.

I prefer moving balance exercises to static ones, as they force you to maintain equilibrium while moving—this is more applicable to real life, as we rarely lose balance while standing still.

The halo exercise also loosened up my tight shoulders. By the end of the third round, I had a much better range of motion and felt less restriction in the joint.

3. It was fun

These standing core exercises were far more engaging—and more fun!—than planks.

I had some upbeat music playing while I was going through them, and eventually I started to match my tempo to the beat. That made the circuits feel more like a dance than exercise.

By the time my next core day rolled around, I was actually excited to run through my standing exercises again.

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There are lots of equipment-free exercises you can use to train your core, like the simple plank and dead bug.

But it you want to increase the challenge to your muscles—without overtaxing them—you could add a little resistance.

Xanny Vargas, a certified trainer at Chuze Fitness, is a firm believer in the power of light dumbbells for strengthening the core.

“With the right focus, even very light dumbbells can challenge the front, sides, and back of your core,” she says.

I asked Vargas to share four key exercises that use light dumbbells to build a stronger core.

She suggested the following moves, which will challenge your balance and stability as well as your mid-body muscles.

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1. Standing good morning

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 Rest: 40sec

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a light dumbbell with both hands at chest height.
• Keep your knees and back straight still as you hinge forward from the hips, lowering your torso until it’s parallel to the floor.
• Push your hips forward to stand, then repeat.

2. Step-back with rotation

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each side Rest: 45sec

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a light dumbbell at your chest.
• Take a small step back with your right foot so you're in a shallow lunge, then rotate your torso to the left.
• Push through your left foot to stand.
• Repeat on the other side.

3. Standing leg lift with kick

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 each side Rest: 30sec

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a light dumbbell on each shoulder.
• Lift one leg in front of you and extend it to perform a kick.
• Switch sides and repeat.

4. Rotating dumbbell punches

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 12-15 (alternating) Rest: 30sec

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a light dumbbell in each hand.
• Rotate your upper body to the right and punch your right arm forward.
• As you rotate, let your feet swivel so that they follow the direction of your knees.
• Repeat on the other side.

One of the biggest hurdles to getting into an exercise routine is simply finding the time to do it.

In an ideal world, we’d all have plenty of spare hours for cardio, strength training and flexibility work. Realistically, most of us have to squeeze small bits of movement around our busy schedules.

One of the best ways to handle this is by setting aside 10-20 minutes every day for exercise.

This might sound like a short amount of time, but it can make a big difference to your body. Plus, it can help you develop a consistent routine.

Jenni Tardiff, master trainer at The Gym Group, recommends beginners start with this superset dumbbell sequence to build full-body strength at home.

Supersets pair exercises together, which you perform back-to-back, only resting after a set of each exercise is completed. It lets you get through more sets in less time, but it makes the workout harder.

How to do this 10-minute dumbbell workout

There are three supersets in the routine, and Tardiff has included an optional finisher in case you can spare another five minutes.

For each superset, perform the first exercise, then the second exercise with no rest in between. Then rest for 45-60 seconds.

Running through this sequence once should take a little under 10 minutes, but Tardiff says you can repeat it up to three times and add the optional finisher exercise for a longer, more challenging session.

Pick a dumbbell weight that makes the final few reps of each set manageable but challenging—you might need different weights for each exercise.

Even though you may be pressed for time, it’s still essential to warm-up first. This three-move warm-up routine from the National Academy of Sports Medicine is one of our go-tos.

Superset 1

1A. Goblet squat

Reps: 15-20 Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest.
• Bend your knees and push your hips back to lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as close to this level as your mobility allows.
• Drive through your heels to stand.

1B. Standing overhead press

Reps: 10-12 Rest: 45-60sec

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing forward and elbows out to the sides.
• Engage your core and, keeping your back straight throughout, extend your arms to lift the dumbbells overhead.
• Lower the weights back to your shoulders under control.

Superset 2

2A. Alternating dumbbell reverse lunge

Reps: 10-15 each side Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Step back with your right foot and bend both knees to 90° to lower.
• Stop when your right knee is just above the floor.
• Drive through your left foot to stand back up.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

2B. Dumbbell bent-over row

Reps: 10-12 Rest: 45-60sec

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells by your sides with a slight bend in your knees.
• Hinge forward at your hips and push your butt back to lower your torso until it’s close to parallel to the floor, allowing your arms to hang straight down, with your palms facing.
• Engage your core and move your shoulders down and back.
• Keeping a straight back throughout, lift the dumbbells to your ribs, keeping your elbows close to your body.
• Lower the dumbbells with control.

Superset 3

3A. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Reps: 10-15 Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with a slight bend in your knees.
• Engage your core and, keeping your back straight throughout, push your hips back to lower the dumbbells until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings.
• Drive your hips forward to return to standing.

3B. Dumbbell biceps curl

Reps: 10-12 Rest: 45-60sec

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing forward.
• Keeping your upper arms pinned to your torso, bend your elbows to lift the dumbbells to your shoulders.
• Lower slowly with control.

Optional finisher

4. Thruster

Sets: 8 Time: 20sec Rest: 10sec

• Hold dumbbells by your shoulders with your palms and elbows pointing forward.
• Bend your knees and push your hips back to lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as close to this level as your mobility allows.
• Drive up explosively by pushing through your heels, using the momentum to press the dumbbells overhead.
• Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders and immediately descend into the next squat.

This finisher uses Tabata timings. Tabata training asks you to work at maximum effort for the work intervals. Use this video to keep to the work/rest intervals.

This 20-minute AMRAP workout strips leg day back to its basics.

It features four moves, each chosen to target the biggest muscle groups in the lower body, to help you build functional strength.

It's a routine I've come to rely on when training myself or clients of all levels, thanks to its simplicity.

How to do this workout

This is an AMRAP workout, which means you need to complete as many rounds as possible of the following routine within 20 minutes:

• Goblet squat x10
• Sumo deadlift x10
• Glute bridge x10
• Reverse lunge x10 each side

I recommend using a pair of medium to heavy dumbbells for the moves.

You should be able to perform all 10 repetitions of each exercise in one go at the start of the circuit, but it will feel progressively harder as you work through the 20-minute block and fatigue sets in.

Crucially, how much you rest is up to you. You can cycle through the whole circuit in one go, then rest, or rest between exercises as you need.

Remember to warm up your lower body before the workout and practice each exercise without weights first, so you get the movement pattern right.

20-minute lower-body AMRAP

Goblet squat

Reps: 10

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes pointing out slightly.
• Hold the head of a dumbbell in both hands with fingers pointing up.
• Sit your hips back and bend your knees to squat, while keeping your chin up and chest facing forward.
• Drop your hips as low as you can, without your knees caving in or your back rounding.
• Push through your feet to stand.

Sumo deadlift

Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet wide apart and a pair of dumbbells between them.
• Push your hips back to hinge forward and pick up the dumbbells, keeping your back flat.
• Drive through your feet and bring your hips forward to stand.
• Slowly lower and repeat.

Glute bridge

Reps: 10

• Lie down with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Hold a dumbbell across your hips—it can help to rest the weight on a cushion.
• Keeping your knees hip-width apart, drive through your heels to lift your hips high.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top and ensure your body is aligned from shoulders to knees.
• Lower back down, tap the floor with your butt, then repeat.

Reverse lunge

Reps: 10 each side

• Stand holding your dumbbells at your sides, at your shoulders, or at your chest.
• Take a big step back and lower your back knee to gently touch the floor.
• Push through your front leg to return to standing.
• Alternate legs with each repetition until you've ticked off 10 on each side.

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If I’m honest with myself, I’ll choose a lower-body or core-focused workout over an upper-body one.

I find arm workouts difficult, because my wrists are weak and compared to the power in my glutes or quads, my biceps and triceps feel no stronger than when I was a 12-year-old.

This workout changed my mind.

Certified personal trainer for Life Time, Evie Gibeily, designed this routine for Fit&Well, explaining that she chose this combination of exercises to cover all the major arm muscles—biceps, triceps and shoulders—with a selection of push and pull movements.

“Together, they build both size and strength while improving shoulder stability and coordination. With minimal equipment, it’s a complete upper-body session that fits any home or gym setup,” she says.

Gibeily recommends working on your upper-body strength to preserve and improve your ability to lift and carry heavy objects, as well as supporting your posture. “Stronger arms reduce injury risk, enhance confidence in movement, and create a solid foundation for all other forms of training, including running, yoga and core work,” she explains.

For this workout, you will need a pair of medium-weight dumbbells. Gibeily recommends 8 to 15 lbs each, depending on your experience and the kind of challenge you want.

Do three sets of 10-12 reps with short rests, so make sure the dumbbells are heavy enough to make your final few reps difficult, but light enough to complete all of your sets with good form.

1. Biceps curl to press

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 30-45 seconds

“This compound move targets the biceps and shoulders simultaneously, improving upper-body coordination and pressing strength,” says Gibeily.

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing forward.
• Engage your core and bend your elbows to lift the weights to your shoulders, keeping your elbows pinned to your ribs.
• Once your dumbbells reach shoulder height, rotate your palms forward and press the dumbbells overhead in one fluid movement.
• Reverse the movement to return to the start.

2. Triceps kickback

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 30-45sec

“The triceps make up two-thirds of your upper arm, and this exercise isolates them effectively while reinforcing posture and stability,” says Gibeily.

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing, with one foot in front of the other.
• Hinge forward from your hips so your back is at a 45° angle to the floor, keeping your upper arms pinned to your torso, but allowing a bend in your elbow so the dumbbells hang down. This is your starting position.
• Straighten your elbows to lift the dumbbells behind you, squeezing the muscles in the backs of your upper arms.
• Pause, then return to the starting position under control.

3. Lateral raise

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 30-45sec

“This exercise builds width and definition in the shoulders while supporting scapular control and stability—crucial for joint health and pressing performance,” says Gibeily.

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells by your sides, with your palms facing and a soft bend in your elbows.
• Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lift the dumbbells out to the sides to shoulder height.
• Lower the dumbbells slowly with control.

4. Hammer curl

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 30-45sec

“This exercise targets both the biceps and brachioradialis in the forearm, building grip strength and balanced arm development.”

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells by your sides, with your palms facing.
• Bend your right elbow to lift the dumbbell to your shoulder, keeping your wrist straight and your elbow pinned to your torso.
• Lower the dumbbell slowly to the starting position, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

5. Overhead triceps extension

Set: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

“This movement focuses on the long head of the triceps, challenging shoulder and core stability for total upper-arm development,” says Gibeily.

How to do it:

• Hold one dumbbell overhead in both hands, with your arms extended.
• Engage your core and bend your elbows to lower the weight behind your head, keeping your upper arms as still as possible.
• Extend your arms to return to the start.

Everyone should strengthen their core muscles but it becomes a top priority in the postpartum period.

I had my first baby not too long ago, so my current fitness goals are to rebuild my abdominal strength and heal from nine months of pregnancy.

I’m also trying to strengthen muscles that support my lower back, as I have persistent aches and pains in the area.

I’ve made some great strides on the exercise mat, but the same planks, birddogs, and deadbugs have gotten monotonous.

I wanted to shake things up and challenge my abdominals in a new way, so I decided to add woodchops to my routine every day for two weeks.

As a result, my core feels even stronger than it did before pregnancy.

How to do woodchops

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-15 each side

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell.
• Bend your knees slightly.
• Bring the dumbbell to your left hip.
• With control, swing the dumbbell up and over to the other side of your body, so it’s above your right shoulder.
• Bring the dumbbell back to your left hip.

I wanted to be sure that doing woodchops every day was safe, so I asked Dr Jessica Magee, a board-certified clinical specialist in women’s health physical therapy.

“If you’re dosing more for coordination or endurance [using low load, high repetition], then it’s advantageous to perform these daily,” she says.

Taking this on board, I performed 15 repetitions of the move on each side with a light five-pound dumbbell.

But before adding anything new to your workouts, check in with your medical team. That’s especially important if you’re postpartum, like me.

Here's everything I noticed after doing this move for two weeks.

1. I felt my abdominals engage

While I’ve done woodchops in the past, I never really felt them in my abdominals as much as I did in my arms and shoulders.

After speaking more with Dr Magee, this made sense.

“I find a lot of people tend to prioritize the upper extremity component of the movement and therefore don’t get the benefit of trunk rotation and lower extremity [core] activation,” she told me.

I slowed down my tempo and focused on engaging my abdominal muscles throughout the movement, pausing between each repetition to breathe and re-engage.

Doing that made a world of difference, and by the end of my two-week experiment, I didn’t have to think about activating these core muscles–I was doing it automatically.

2. My lower back loosened up

My lower back has been sore and stiff since my teenage years and nine months of pregnancy certainly didn’t alleviate those issues.

The rotational movement of the woodchop actually helped to stretch and open up some of those stiffer parts of my lower back.

Strengthening the muscles around my trunk probably helped stabilize my lower back, too.

After just a few days, I was feeling less pain in the area and I was holding my son without the usual low back ache.

3. Squats were easier

Squats have been one of the hardest exercises for me post-pregnancy, especially if I’m doing them while holding dumbbells.

I didn’t anticipate that two weeks of woodchops would improve my squats significantly, but that’s exactly what happened.

I was able to increase my weight on goblet squats and overall, my lower-body workout days weren’t nearly as taxing as they once were.

Now that my two-week experiment is over, I can say that my body feels stronger than it did before pregnancy.

I’m able to hold planks longer, hold my son more easily, and stabilize my body better during movement.

I’m a busy mom who often only has 30 minutes to exercise, so I need to make each workout count.

To make my sessions more challenging (and more interesting) I rely on four strength-training techniques:

• A slower tempo: Slowing down increases the amount of time the muscles are under tension
• Pulsing movements: These movements help fatigue the muscles
• Angle switches: Switching the angle of an exercise can help isolate muscles
• Dead stops: Coming to a complete stop between repetitions of an exercise eliminates momentum, forcing you to use explosive strength to restart the movement

You can try these techniques for yourself in the upper-body workout below, which strengthens your core, arms, chest and shoulders.

The workout

Perform each exercise 12-15 times, completing two to three rounds in total.

1. Bottom half biceps curl
2. Dumb waiter
3. Pec flye pulse
4. Lying biceps curl
5. Tempo triceps extension
6. Dead-stop chest press

1. Bottom half biceps curl

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 12-15 Rest: 20-30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended by your sides and palms facing forward.
• Engage your core and keep your shoulders back.
• Keep your elbows close to your waist and bend your elbows to lift the weights.
• Stop when your elbows reach a 90° angle and hold for one second.
• Slowly lower the weights.

Technique: A slower tempo

2. Dumb waiter

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 12-15 Rest: 20-30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended by your sides.
• Bend your elbows to 90° and position your palms to face up.
• Keeping your elbows pinned to your waist, bring your hands out to your sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Reverse the move to bring both hands back to center.

3. Pec flye pulse

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 12-15 Rest: 20-30sec

• Lie on an exercise mat with a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees and keep your feet on the floor.
• Push your lower back into the mat to make sure your core is engaged.
• Raise the dumbbells above your chest and straighten your arms, positioning your palms to face each other.
• Slowly lower the weights out to your sides, keeping your arms straight.
• When your hands are a few inches above the floor, pause, then move your arms up and down in a small pulse movement.
• Bring your arms up back to the starting position and repeat.

Technique: Pulsing movements

4. Lying biceps curl

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 12-15 Rest: 20-30sec

• Lie on an exercise mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand, keeping your arms extended by your sides, palms facing up.
• Push your lower back into the mat to make sure your core is engaged.
• Bend your elbows to move the weights to your shoulders.
• Slowly extend your elbows to return to the starting position.

Technique: Angle switch

5. Tempo triceps extension

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 12-15 Rest: 20-30sec

• Stand holding a dumbbell in both hands.
• Bring the dumbbell up overhead, straightening your arms and bringing your elbows close to your head.
• Bend your elbows to slowly lower the weight behind you for a count of three seconds.
• Pause for one second when the weight reaches your upper back.
• Lift the weight back up quickly in one second.

Technique: A slower tempo

6. Dead-stop chest press

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 12-15 Rest: 20-30sec

• Lie on an exercise mat with your knees bent and feet on the floor, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
• Push your lower back into the mat to make sure your core is engaged.
• Bring your elbows out to either side of you on the floor and hold the dumbbells in line with your chest.
• Push the weights up until your arms are fully extended.
• Lower the weights back down until your elbows are back on the floor.
• Pause for one second before repeating.

Technique: Dead stop

Ever since training for and completing the London marathon two years ago, Jess Pritchard has been left with a nagging feeling that's been hard to shift.

“What started as a small niggle in my lower back turned into a persistent issue day-to-day,” the certified trainer and group exercise instructor tells Fit&Well.

An imbalance between her left glute, lower back and core became exacerbated by training and teaching Spin classes until the only option was to stop.

“Over time I realized I needed to rebuild the strength and control around my spine, pelvis and core,” she says. And plank exercises wouldn’t cut it.

“Planks are great for building baseline strength,” she continues. “They are really spine safe, so a great beginner core exercise that you can make harder with progressions.”

They are, however, static. As Pritchard points out, your core is called upon during all kinds of movement, like running, lifting, going up the stairs and getting up from sitting. To train the core properly, you need to reflect this multi-functional nature.

Going back to the drawing board, Pritchard devised a five-move core routine she now credits as restoring balance to her core and pelvis.

Instead of simply isolating muscles in a static pose like a plank, these combinations teach the body to move as one unit.

“These exercises train dynamic control and teach your body to resist unwanted motion,” she says.

“They bridge the gap between abs training and real-life movement. That has been key in reducing my pain, and helping me feel strong and able, and confident in moving.”

Strengthen your core with this five-move routine

Pritchard admits that these exercises are “fairly intermediate to advanced” but that you can make them more beginner-friendly by using a lighter weight or just your own bodyweight.

“Go slow and aim for precision,” she says. “The goal is to not rush but to build solid core foundations that actually support you long-term.”

This five-move core workout can be performed as a standalone workout or the moves can be used for a finisher at the end of your regular session.

Pritchard recommends performing three sets of each exercise, working for 40 seconds, then resting for 20 seconds.

“Sprinkle these across your week and keep repeating them for six weeks,” advises Pritchard.

1. Weighted deadbug

Sets: 3 Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Lie on your back and hold a light dumbbell in both hands above your stomach.
• Lift your legs and bend you knees, so your calves are parallel to the floor.
• Lift your upper back to engage your abdominal muscles, while pressing your lower back into the floor.
• Maintaining this position, lower and extend each leg, alternating sides.

“Deadbugs help build pelvic and core stability,” says Pritchard.

“To make this move easier, scrap the dumbbell and perform a bodyweight deadbug. Extend one arm and the opposite leg away from your body, then back to the center, then switch sides.”

If you find this tricky too, have a look at these beginner-friendly dead bug modifications.

2. Side plank hip lift

Sets: 3 Time: 40sec each side Rest: 20sec

• Lie on your right side, with your torso propped up on your forearm, with your elbow directly under your shoulder, and your left foot on top of your right foot.
• Lift your body to form a straight line from your head to your feet.
• Keep your other arm by your side or stretched toward the ceiling.
• Slowly lift and lower your hips.

“These target the oblique muscles that run down the side of your abs, helping build lateral core stability,” says Pritchard.

“Make it easier by simply holding a side plank for the full 40 seconds, rather than pulsing your hips up and down.”

3. Weighted sit-up to overhead reach

Sets: 3 Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
• Hold a dumbbell in both hands overhead.
• Engage your core and slowly lower your torso to the floor, keeping your arms vertical.
• Use your core to lift your torso back to the starting position.

“Adding a weighted overhead element to this sit-up forces your core and shoulders to work together to maintain a strong posture,” says Pritchard.

“Ditch the weight to make it more beginner-friendly, but keep your arms outstretched to learn the technique.”

4. Kneeling wood chop

Sets: 3 Time: 40sec each side Rest: 20sec

• Adopt a half-kneeling position with your left knee on the floor and your right foot flat on the floor in front of you, holding a dumbbell in both hands by your left hip.
• Engaging your core and, keeping your arms straight, lift the dumbbell diagonally up across your body, rotating your torso.
• Keep your eyes fixed on the dumbbell throughout.
• Slowly lower the weight to the start.

“Performing this move from kneeling increases the demands on all the core muscles, front and back, to stabilize your spine,” says Pritchard.

You can make it easier by replacing the dumbbell with a resistance band, attaching it to a sturdy anchor point and pulling it across your body in the same motion.

5. Overhead march

Sets: 3 Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Stand holding a light dumbbell overhead in your right hand, with your left arm outstretched to the side to help with balance.
• March slowly on the spot, bringing one knee to hip height, then the other.
• After 20 seconds, switch arms.

“I love these for training good posture. They are particularly effective for runners and people who sit down a lot [who need] to resist slouching,” says Pritchard

“To regress it, hold a light dumbbell on your shoulder, rather than pressing it overhead.”

Feel like it’s harder to put on muscle as you get older? You’re not imagining things.

“Maintaining muscle mass after 40 is more challenging due to hormonal changes, as well as a reduction in muscle fiber quality and muscle protein synthesis,” explains yoga and fitness instructor Reena Vokoun, founder of Passion Fit.

Couple this natural decline with a packed schedule of work and family duties and it suddenly becomes more difficult to keep on top of your muscle maintenance.

Strength training can help you stay strong, but if you want to feel your best, it’s important to do some mobility exercises and cardiovascular workouts, too.

Having an efficient workout that ticks all of these boxes is one way to keep your body moving well—and Vokoun’s three-move workout does just that.

The compound movements will target various muscles simultaneously, while also moving your joints through a wide range of motion.

“These exercises work your quadriceps, hamstrings, core, glutes, triceps, biceps, shoulders and lower back,” Vokoun says.

Perform it at a faster pace and it will test your cardio fitness, too.

The trainer recommends beginners start with bodyweight versions of each exercise until they have their form perfected, then add resistance bands or weights.

1. Squat and overhead press

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-12

• Stand with your feet facing forward, spaced shoulder-width apart.
• Engage your core and hold your weights at shoulder height.
• Bend your knees and push your hips back to squat.
• Stand and straighten your arms, pushing the weights overhead.
• Lower the weights to your shoulders and repeat.

Tip: If you have sensitive joints, don’t allow your knees to come out beyond your toes when squatting.

2. Reverse lunge with biceps hammer curl

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-12 per leg

• Stand with your feet together and core engaged.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing in.
• Step backward to lunge, bend your elbows and raise both weights to shoulder height.
• Push through your front foot to return to standing and bring the weights back to your sides.
• Repeat on the other side.

Tip: Both your back and front knees should form 90° angles when performing the reverse lunge. If you have sensitive joints, make sure your front knee stays behind your front toe.

3. Deadlift into upright row

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-12

• Stand with your knees slightly bent and your feet facing forward, a little closer together than shoulder-width.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting on your thighs with palms facing in.
• Engage your core and push your hips back to bend over, bringing the weights to mid-shin.
• Bring your hips forward to stand and lift the weights to your collarbone, bringing your elbows out to the side.
• Return to the starting position and repeat.

Tip: This is a hip-hinge movement, which means there should be minimal movement happening at your knee joint.

Dumbbell workouts are a brilliant way to build strength, particularly if you’re exercising at home. But if you’re cycling through the same moves over and over each week, you’re not just risking boredom, you could also be neglecting different muscles.

To help vary your routine and keep you motivated, expert trainer Roxanne Russell—who has produced over 700 dumbbell and kettlebell videos on her YouTube channel—has shared what she believes to be the most underrated dumbbell move. This move is a twist—quite literally—on the biceps curl.

“A good move that no one really does is the Zottman curl,” Russell tells Fit&Well. It looks a lot like a biceps curl, but a slight change in the movement means it also targets the forearms.

“It’s great for forearm strength but it still works the biceps,” says Russell.

Strengthening your forearms can have a positive effect on grip strength, which is essential for many things, from lifting weights to carrying heavy shopping. It’s also been linked to overall health and longevity in some studies.

How to do the Zottman curl

If you’re familiar with biceps curls, then the Zottman curl won’t be too difficult to get the hang of. As always, when learning a new move, start with a lighter weight than you're usually used to.

“If you do biceps curls with five kilos, just try with four kilos for the first time, see how you feel, and if it’s OK and you’re not too sore, increase the weight,” says Russell.

"Then work up to the weight that you would normally do with biceps curls," she adds.

How to do the move:

Reps: 12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing forward.
• Bend your elbows to lift the dumbbells to your shoulders, keeping your elbows pinned to your torso.
• When the dumbbells are at shoulder height, rotate your forearms so your palms are facing away from you, then lower the dumbbells slowly to your thighs.
• Rotate your forearms so your palms face away from you, then continue into the next rep.

When time or resources are against him, David Lloyd Clubs master trainer Jack Claxton turns to tri-sets.

This strength-building protocol involves performing three complementary exercises back-to-back.

It's an effective strategy to save time and boost muscle, which minimizes the amount of time you spend sitting around between exercises.

If you’re thinking about adding them to your own routine, Claxton suggests hitting your bigger muscle groups first and saving your isolation exercises, which target single muscles, for later.

“For example, think about training your chest and back first; your biceps and triceps last,” he says.

Below, he’s shared his go-to routine he calls his Busy Gym Dumbbell Workout.

“I use this workout with clients when I want to keep things simple or the gym is extra busy,” he continues. “And I've been using it all summer on holiday when equipment is limited.”

All you need to do it is a pair of medium dumbbells. Avoid picking a weight right at the top of your strength range or you'll burn out too fast.

The routine

1A Floor press
1B Upright row
1C Biceps curl

2A Bent-over row
2B Lateral raise
2C Dips

How to do it

Claxton recommends performing 10-12 reps of each exercise, working through moves 1A, 1B and 1C back-to-back.

Rest for one minute, repeat the tri-set three to four times in total, then move onto the second block and follow the same protocol.

If you have access to multiple weights, go heavier for the first move and lighter for the last. But if you just have one pair of dumbbells, aim to work for around one minute per exercise.

If the weight feels too light, slow the tempo right down to increase the time the muscles are under tension.

If too heavy, reduce the reps or swap for a bilateral lift, such as performing a biceps curl or front raise with one weight in both hands.

Train your glutes at least once a week. That’s the recommendation from certified trainer and Oner Active athlete Mia Green.

Made up of the gluteus maximus—the largest muscle in the human body—the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, together they form the buttocks and these three muscles are built for far more than just show.

Strong glutes help us squat, stand, walk, run, jump and hold a pain-free posture.

In a recent clip shared to her more than half a million Instagram followers, Green demonstrated a glute-focused dumbbell workout that has become a staple in her routine.

Speaking to Fit&Well, the 23-year-old says she recommends using this workout once or twice a week to “ensure you're not overtraining [the glutes] but that they are still receiving enough stimulus [to get stronger]”.

Green’s routine draws on four compound exercises that each target the glutes in subtly different ways.

• Romanian deadlifts involve a hinge motion, targeting the full posterior chain of the glutes, hamstrings and lower back to help develop functional strength.
• Next up, hip thrusts with a pulse hone in on the glutes, with the partial rep (the pulse) keeping the muscles under extra tension to promote growth.
• Green’s routine then moves on to Bulgarian split squats, requiring the glutes to stabilize the pelvis while targeting the quads, one leg at a time.
• She wraps up with wide-stance sumo squats that target the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus simultaneously.

While Green is clearly lifting some serious weight, she recommends anyone new to this workout or exercise generally to start light and focus on form first.

“It’s really important to note that your form still needs to be correct with whatever weight you’re using,” she says. The weight you lift and the number of reps you aim for should always come second to how you lift.

That said, once you’re comfortable with the exercises, Green suggests opting for a weight that means you’re near failure—being unable to complete any more reps with good form—in the last couple of reps of each exercise. “That’s best for muscle growth,” says Green.

Green can be seen using wrist straps with the first exercise. “I find them very helpful when lifting heavy where you may feel as though your grip strength is becoming a limiting factor,” she explains.

The straps, which are tied around the handle of the dumbbells and are often used in barbell training, allow a user to lift heavier with less tension and strain on their grip.

“This lets me focus more on the mind-to-muscle connection during exercise,” continues Green.

“I wouldn’t recommend straps for beginners, however, because their focus should be on form rather than lifting heavy, and building up your natural grip strength before starting to rely on straps.”

Lastly, Green warned that this workout is likely to trigger delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in your glutes and thighs. This is nothing to be worried about.

“When I get DOMS, I'll try and make sure I don’t train that area again until the sensation has subsided,” she says, adding that a warm bath with Epsom Salts or a massage usually speeds up the recovery process.

Mia Green's favorite Oner Active pieces

One of the best ways to look after your body is by doing regular strength workouts.

“Strength training keeps you strong, capable, and confident,” says Felicia Hernandez, a personal trainer for Eden Health Club in Greenwood Village.

“It helps you maintain muscle as you get older, supports your bones and joints, boosts your metabolism and makes everyday life easier.”

You don’t need to hit the gym to look after your body, either. There are plenty of workouts you can do with minimal equipment or simple household objects.

“You can make soup cans work if you have to,” says Hernandez.

Here are her top five favorite dumbbell/soup can exercises for herself and her clients.

1. Dumbbell goblet squat

Sets: 1-3 Reps: 5-10

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell at your chest.
• Bend your knees and push your hips back to squat down. Pause when your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Push through your heels to stand.

Targets: Legs, glutes and core

2. Dumbbell bent-over row

Sets: 1-3 Reps: 5-10

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells with your palms facing and arms straight, hanging down by your sides.
• Hinge forward at your hips until your torso is at 45°.
• Pull the weights up toward your ribcage and squeeze your shoulder blades at the top of the movement.
• Lower with control and repeat.

Targets: Back

3. Dumbbell chest press

Sets: 1-3 Reps: 5-10

• Lie on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Hold dumbbells roughly in line with your shoulders.
• Straighten your arms to press the dumbbells up.
• Slowly lower and repeat.

Targets: Chest, shoulders and arms

4. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Sets: 1-3 Reps: 5-10

• Stand holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing you.
• Hinge at your hips, pushing your butt back to lower your dumbbells to mid-shin, keeping them close to your body as you move.
• Squeeze your glutes and push your hips forward to stand up.

Targets: Hamstrings, glutes and core

5. Dumbbell overhead press

Sets: 1-3 Reps: 5-10

• Stand holding dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward.
• Press the dumbbells straight up until your arms are fully extended
• Lower slowly with control.

Targets: Shoulders and core

One of the best things you can do to stay healthy as you get older is to strength train. Regularly putting your muscles under stress with resistance—be that lifting weights or working with your bodyweight—keeps you stronger for longer and helps you to avoid some of the health risks that come with getting older.

That’s according to James Klein, a certified personal trainer at Life Time Gainesville, who told me why strength training is so important.

“Strength training is critical for overall health because it builds muscle mass, strengthens bones and enhances metabolic function, which collectively reduce the risk of chronic diseases like osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease,” he says.

He adds that by increasing our muscle strength and endurance, we can improve our joint stability, posture and balance, all of which lower the likelihood of injuries and falls, particularly as we age.

“Regular resistance exercise, such as the dumbbell workouts described, supports functional independence, promotes longevity and empowers individuals to perform daily activities with ease, making it a cornerstone of a vibrant, healthy lifestyle.”

Klein may be using heavy dumbbells to demonstrate the exercises, but you don’t have to! Choose a challenging weight, but one that allows you to complete all the reps with good form. Selecting the right weight is a fine art, so there’s nothing wrong with changing weights between exercises and even between sets. You can also perform the lunge and squat with just your bodyweight.

You will need a weight bench for some of the upper-body exercises, and you should find one at your local gym.

1. Walking lunge

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Step forward with your right foot and bend both knees until your left knee is just above the floor and your right thigh is parallel to the floor.
• Push through your right heel to stand and bring your left foot forward. Raise your left knee and balance momentarily on your right foot if you can, or place your left foot on the floor next to your right for less of a challenge.
• Repeat, leading with your left foot.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Why Klein recommends this exercise: “Walking lunges with dumbbells are excellent for building lower-body strength and improving functional mobility, as they mimic natural walking patterns while adding resistance to challenge balance and coordination,” says Klein. “This compound exercise primarily targets the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes with secondary engagement of the core for stability.”

2. Goblet squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned out, holding the end of one dumbbell at chest level in both hands, keeping your elbows close to your body.
• Bend your knees and push your hips back to lower slowly with control, keeping your chest up, until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
• Pause, then push through your heels to stand back up explosively, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Why Klein recommends this exercise: “Goblet squats are a highly-effective exercise for building foundational leg strength and core stability,” says Klein. He adds that by holding a dumbbell at chest height you are encouraging an upright posture and deeper squat depth.

“They primarily work the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and core muscles, while also engaging the upper back for posture support. This movement is ideal for overall health as it improves hip mobility, trains multi-joint activation and helps prevent lower-back issues by reinforcing proper squat mechanics, making it a staple for progressive strength gains,” he says.

3. Dumbbell shoulder press

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

• Sit on a weight bench with an upright back support, holding dumbbells at head height with your palms facing forward and your elbows at shoulder height and bent to 90°.
• Press the dumbbells straight overhead, extending your arms fully, keeping your core tight and avoiding arching your back.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height, controlling the movement.

Why Klein recommends this exercise: “The dumbbell shoulder press is a powerhouse for upper-body development, allowing independent arm movement to correct imbalances and build explosive pressing strength,” he says. “It targets the deltoids, triceps and upper chest, with core involvement for stabilization during the overhead lift.”

“This exercise enhances shoulder health by increasing joint stability and range of motion, supports better posture to combat desk-related slouching, and contributes to overall strength by improving functional pushing power needed for sports and daily tasks like lifting overhead,” says Klein.

4. Biceps curl

Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells by your thighs with your palms facing forward and a slight bend in your elbows.
• Keeping your upper arms stationary, bend your elbows to lift the dumbbells to your shoulders, squeezing your biceps at the top.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.

Why Klein recommends this exercise: “Double dumbbell biceps curls are a targeted isolation exercise that efficiently builds arm strength and muscle definition,” he says. “They primarily hit the biceps and brachialis, with some forearm engagement for grip strength.”

“Including this in a strength program promotes balanced upper-body development, enhances pulling power for compound lifts, and supports overall health by improving grip endurance.”

5. Dumbbell single-arm row

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side

• Stand with your right foot in front of your left, holding a dumbbell in your left hand. Hinge forward 45° from your hips, keeping your back straight, and place your right hand on the back of a weight bench for support.
• Using your back muscles, lift the dumbbell to your hip, bending your elbow and keeping it tucked into your body, squeezing your shoulder blade.
• Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the start.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

Why Klein recommends this exercise: “The dumbbell single-arm row builds upper-back strength and improves unilateral pulling power, as it allows focused engagement of one side at a time to correct imbalances and enhance posture,” he explains. “It primarily targets the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, traps and rear deltoids, with secondary activation of the biceps and core for stabilization.”

“This movement is excellent for overall health as it strengthens the muscles that support the spine, improves shoulder stability to reduce injury risk, and enhances functional pulling strength for daily tasks like lifting or pulling objects, making it a key component of a balanced strength program.”

6. Incline dumbbell chest press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12

• Lie back on an incline bench, set between 30° and 45°, holding dumbbells next to your chest, palms facing forward and elbows out to the sides.
• Press the dumbbells straight up to meet over your upper chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbows at the top.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the start.

Why Klein recommends this exercise: “The incline dumbbell chest press is outstanding for upper-chest development and overall pressing strength, as the angled bench emphasizes the clavicular head of the pectorals while allowing a greater range of motion than barbell variations,” he says. “It primarily engages the upper pectorals, anterior deltoids and triceps, with secondary core activation for stability.”

“This movement supports comprehensive health by building a strong, balanced chest that aids posture, prevents shoulder imbalances, and boosts metabolic rate through compound action, making it essential for athletic performance and injury resilience.”

There are dozens of leg exercises you could perform at home with dumbbells, and combined with multiple workout formats and fancy strength training techniques, you could work out every day of your adult life and still not exhaust all your muscle-building options.

But life’s too short, and a back-to-basics approach is plenty good enough for most of us. If that sounds appealing, check out this four-move workout from Jaleel Trotty, a certified trainer from Planet Fitness.

It features three fundamental compound leg exercises everyone should know how to do—the squat, Romanian deadlift and lunge—as well as calf raises so your lower legs don’t miss out on the action.

Add this routine to your week and Trotty told me that by preserving and building muscle mass with this type of strength training, you’ll ensure your body the foundation it needs to maintain stamina and stay active for longer.

Get your hands on a pair of relatively heavy dumbbells—your legs contain the largest muscles in your body after all. You’re aiming for a weight that makes the final few reps of a set feel challenging, but manageable. One Fit&Well contributor and PT recommends buying a pair of 30lb hex dumbbells if you don’t own home weights already.

1. Squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells.
• Bend your knees and sit your hips back to lower until your hips are in line with your knees (or as low as you can manage), maintaining a straight back throughout.
• Push through your heels to stand back up.

2. Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs.
• Maintaining a straight back, push your hips back to lower the dumbbells along your legs as far as you can without bending your knees further or rounding your back. You should feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings as you reach the end of your range.
• Pause, then squeeze your glutes to push your hips forward to return to standing.

3. Calf raise

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Rise onto your toes, lifting your heels as high as possible and shifting your weight onto the balls of your feet.
• Pause, then slowly lower your heels to the floor with control.

4. Lunge

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Take a big step forward and bend both knees to your rear knee is just above the floor.
• Push through your front foot to return to the start.
• Repeat, leading with the other foot, alternating sides with each rep.

Strength training is one of the best ways to future-proof your body and improve your quality of life.

But if you’re new to lifting weights or you’re returning to exercise after a long break, it can feel a little intimidating.

Fortunately, you don't need a gym membership or sophisticated home gym equipment to get started—just a pair of dumbbells.

Personal trainer Jennifer Jacobs has launched a 30-minute dumbbell workout program called Team Endure on the workout app Ladder—“it’s all about efficiency,” she tells Fit&Well.

Jacobs says you don't need to dedicate hours of time to build strength, especially as a beginner.

“When you’re getting started, you want to focus on foundational movement patterns that build strength and stability, and most importantly, confidence with weights,” she says.

Jacobs has shared three essential moves to help you build strength safely and gradually across your entire body.

The three-move dumbbell workout

This is a circuit workout, meaning you’ll complete all the repetitions for each move, then move straight onto the next. Rest, then repeat the circuit as many times as you’d like but aim to add more rounds over time as you get stronger.

The dumbbells you choose don’t have to be heavy—Jacobs suggests weights for each movement below.

“I would recommend starting light and focusing on form,” says Jacobs. “If your form isn't good then you expose yourself to the risk of injury and insufficient tension in the targeted muscle.”

1. Goblet squat

“This move teaches proper squat form while keeping your weight centred which is easier on the back and it helps build lower-body strength,” says Jacobs.

“You can make it even easier by starting with a box or a chair behind you so you can learn proper form and build confidence before progressing.”

Start with one 5lb dumbbell and work up to a 10lb dumbbell.

Reps: 10-15

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding one end of the dumbbell in both hands in front of your chest.
• Inhale as you bend your knees and push your hips back to lower until your hips are in line with your knees (if you’re using a chair or box, lower until your buttocks touch the surface).
• Exhale as you extend your legs to return to standing.

2. Half-kneeling single-arm dumbbell row

A row is a great move to build upper-body strength, but Jacobs suggests beginners avoid the full bent-over row, because this can put strain on the lower back.

Instead, she says it’s best to opt for a half-kneeling dumbbell row, with a slight forward lean in the torso.

“This is going to introduce pulling mechanics and build strength in the upper back and the lats, which is a key muscle group for most beginners because it’s undertrained. When you strengthen that, you also improve your posture,” says Jacobs.

Start with a 5lb dumbbell and aim to increase the weight over time.

Reps: 10-15 each side

• Start in a half-kneeling position, with your right foot in front and knee bent to 90°, and your left knee on the floor underneath your hips.
• Hinge at your hips so you’re leaning forward slightly, keep a flat back.
• Hold a dumbbell in your left hand, letting your arm hang straight down.
• Inhale to prepare, then exhale as you lift the dumbbell, bringing your elbow toward your ribcage.
• Lower with control. Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

3. Dumbbell floor press

Instead of lying on a workout bench to perform a chest press, Jacobs recommends performing it from the floor.

“It’s beginner-friendly and safe because the floor is the end point, then you drive back up over your chest,” she says. This means not overextending your upper body, which could potentially lead to injury.

“This will target the chest, triceps and the front of the shoulders,” says Jacobs. “If you want to do push-ups, this will help.”

Start with two 4lb dumbbells and work up to 10lb weights.

Reps: 10-15

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Hold dumbbells in line with your chest with your elbows bent and upper arms on the floor.
• Inhale to prepare, and as you exhale, extend your arms to lift the dumbbells straight up, aiming for the dumbbells to meet above your chest.
• Inhale as you lower with control.

The benefits of this workout

This is a full-body workout, helping you target a variety of muscles. “You have a push, pull and a lower body move here,” says Jacobs.

Push and pull movements are self-explanatory: pushing your arms away from your body, and pulling your arms toward you.

Each move targets different muscles, helping you build functional strength which supports everyday tasks, whether it’s pushing yourself up out of bed or pulling open a heavy door.

Aim to do this workout at least twice a week to start building strength, improving your posture and moving with more confidence.

When you’re ready for the next step, try this beginner-friendly home strength training plan.

Every muscle in the body plays a different role in helping you move and keeping you pain free.

Completely neglecting any of these muscles can lead to imbalances, where one muscle is too weak to perform its role and another must pick up the slack, which can often contribute to injury.

According to Ladder trainer Jennifer Jacobs, there’s one muscle that is often neglected in strength training workouts.

“I would say the most under trained muscle group, especially for women as we age, are our lats, so the sides of our back,” she tells Fit&Well.

According to Jacobs, popular upper-body exercises often don’t fully engage these muscles, “I think a lot of rowing movements, pulling movements, focus on the middle of our backs and upper traps and rhomboids—we really neglect the lats,” she explains.

To combat this, Jacobs recommends adding a move called the dumbbell pullover to your workouts.

“It’s a great way to improve mobility and strengthen your lats and shoulders, and improve your posture over time," she explains.

“This is the most underrated movement and the one I think people aren’t doing enough.”

How to do the dumbbell pullover

You’ll need a dumbbell for this exercise. “Start with something light,” says Jacobs. She says 10lbs is a good place to start, which shouldn’t feel too heavy when held in both hands.

Because Jacobs recommends performing it on the floor, you might also want to use an exercise mat to make it more comfortable.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor.
• Hold a dumbbell above your collarbones, with both hands cupping the head of the weight that’s closest to the ceiling and a slight bend in your elbows.
• Keeping the slight bend in your elbows throughout and moving with control, slowly lower the weight behind your head until the bottom of the dumbbell taps the floor.
• Lift the dumbbell back to the starting position.
• Complete 8 to 12 repetitions.

You’ll often see people doing this exercise lying on a workout bench, but Jacobs explains that it’s better to do it lying on the floor, particularly for beginners.

“A lot of times we see it on a bench, but the floor is going to offer the most support, because there’s only so far the dumbbell can travel over our head,” she says.

When doing the move on a bench, you might lose control, which can impact the effectiveness of the move, and potentially lead to injury.

When you can fully touch the dumbbell to the floor overhead 12 times, then it might be time to try it on a bench.

"Once you increase mobility, you can elevate yourself and add a bench," Jacobs says.

You can also do it with two dumbbells if you want to increase the difficulty, because then the arms have to work individually.

Add this move to your workouts at least twice a week and gradually increase the weight over time to see improvements in your lat strength.

I grew up doing my mom’s Jane Fonda workout videos with my sister in our living room.

If you’re in your late forties, you’ll remember the crunch was king back then—the more, the better!

When I wasn’t doing the video in my favorite neon yellow Lycra, I’d try to do 100 crunches a day. They never got easier—or more enjoyable.

Now, as a personal trainer, I know there are other ways to train your core that don’t involve a sit-up.

If you’re not a fan of crunches like me, you’ll love this standing abs workout by certified trainer Britany Williams.

She recommends moving your core work from the mat to standing because it “mimics real-life movements.”

How to do Williams’s core workout

You’ll need a set of dumbbells for this workout.

The moves:

• Overhead march: 3 x 8 reps per side
• Windmill: 3 x 10 reps per side
• Oblique twist to toe touch: 3 x 10 twists per side
• Standing ab chop: 3 x 10 reps per side
• Sumo oblique crunch: 3 x 8 reps per side

Why should you do standing core workouts?

Standing core workouts offer variety, encouraging you to exercise in multiple planes of motion rather than staying still in an isometric hold or simply crunching up and down.

“It’s not that standing abs exercises are inherently ‘better’ than abs exercises on the ground, but often when we think of the core we think of crunches and planks… and when in your everyday life do you find yourself in a plank? You don’t!” says Williams.

“Standing abs exercises translate to real-life movements that your core needs to be strong for—like carrying kids on our hips, rotating, reaching, and balancing on one leg [when we put on our shoes].”

Williams also says she finds it easier to progress her core exercises when using weights. When a move starts to feel easy, she simply increases the load.

Plus, standing core workouts are more accessible if you struggle with getting up and down from the ground or if you have wrist pain with moves like the plank.

“I find the types of exercises you can do on your back or in a plank or side plank position to be redundant and, after years of training, frankly sometimes boring! Adding in standing abs work makes it challenging and fun, which is always a win,” says Williams.

“Core strength supports posture, protects our spine, enhances balance, breath, pregnancy, and can reduce fall risks as we age.

“It’s so much more than just visible abs—core strength is about having a strong center to support everyday life.”

For more advice on how to get a stronger core, Williams has created a free five hacks for better abs guide.

As we get older, the way we need to move our bodies changes.

From around 50 upwards, it’s important to prioritize strength training to slow the loss of bone density and promote bone growth. Equally, we should all be doing some low-impact cardio to look after our heart health.

One problem that can get in the way of both regular cardio and strength training is weak knees, which can cause pain during exercises like squats and lunges.

However, you can still get a comprehensive workout even if you have sensitive joints.

I’ve created this full-body strength routine and there isn’t a squat or lunge in sight.

All you need to get started is a pair of dumbbells that are a challenging weight for you.

The workout

The moves

• Romanian deadlift
• Diamond press
• Hammer curl to overhead press
• Bear hover toe taps
• Single leg lowers

How to do the moves

Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Start with legs hip-width apart and dumbbells held in front of your thighs.
• Hinge at the hips as you push your butt back, feeling a stretch in your hamstrings (the back of your thighs).
• Keep the dumbbells close to your legs as your bend down, stopping at the shins.
• Pause for a second then drive through the hips, pushing them forward as you bring the weights back up the legs to starting position.

Diamond press

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Stand with legs hip-width apart, holding a single dumbbell with both hands at your chest.
• Brace your core as you fully extend both arms, pushing the weight up away from your chest at a 45° angle.
• Lower back to your chest.

Hammer curl to overhead press

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Stand with feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand, held at your thighs with palms facing in.
• Keep elbows pinned close to your waist as you curl the weights up towards your shoulders.
• From here, push the weights straight up until your arms are fully extended.
• Slowly, and with control lower the weights, then reverse curl them back down to the sides of your thighs.

Bear hover toe taps

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each leg

• Start on your hands and knees with shoulders stacked over your wrists and a straight back.
• Raise your knees until you are hovering a couple of inches above the mat.
• Once you feel stable, step your right foot back and tap the floor with your toes. Bring your foot back to the hovering position and do the same with the other leg.

If you struggle to get down on the floor, you can work your core muscles by doing this dumbbell overhead marches instead.

Single-leg lowers

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each leg

• Lie down on your back with your spine pushed into the mat, don’t allow your back to arch.
• Raise both legs up to the ceiling.
• Slowly lower your right leg down towards the floor.
• Then lower the left leg down as you raise the right leg back up to starting position.
• To make it easier, bend the knees to 90°.

If you’re looking to build strength but find yourself gazing forlornly at a pair of light dumbbells, wondering how they can help, I have good news. Research suggests that it doesn’t matter how light or heavy you lift, so long as you lift to the point of near failure.

That’s the lesson recently shared by certified trainer, Technogym ambassador and friend of the show James Stirling, also known as London Fitness Guy to his 1.4 million followers on Instagram.

Pointing to one small 2015 study on 18 well-trained young men, Stirling wrote that lifting light weights for 25-35 reps or heavy weights for 8-12 reps produced a similar muscle growth response so long as “the set was taken to the point where only 1-2 reps were left in the tank”.

“Most people say heavy [weights build more muscle] but the research says both work, as long as you’re pushing close to failure,” he added, while pictured wielding a heavy and light dumbbell in the accompanying video.

The study, published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, did however, find high-load resistance training to be superior for maximizing strength adaptations.

Stirling’s assertion neatly aligns with another more recent preprint by the same lead author that was published last year.

Brad J Schoenfeld and his fellow authors found that lifting weights within two reps of the point of failure, known as two reps in reserve (RiR), was the winning formula to build muscular endurance and strength.

Better still, the researchers, led by author Tom Hermann, found just two 30-minute sessions of resistance training a week is plenty to build size and strength.

How do you know when you’re close to failure?

Lifting close to failure taps into the principle of progressive overload, in which you consistently challenge yourself to lift near your maximum.

Repeating this process week upon week forces your muscles to adapt and become stronger. Muscle fibres grow, ligaments and tendons become more resilient, and strength increases.

But how do you know for sure when you're close to failure?

Stirling has two telltale signs:

1. The weight starts slowing down when you’re lifting it.
2. It feels like your muscles are on fire.

“Think of it like your car’s fuel warning light,” he writes. “Stop just before you're empty, not when you’re cruising.”

Use Stirling’s light weights workout to build full-body muscle

To illustrate this point, I asked Stirling for one of his favorite full-body workouts that can be practised with whatever weights you have at your disposal.

His session includes seven exercises, four of them combined into two supersets to keep muscles under increased tension if you’re making the most of light dumbbells.

“Perform three sets of each exercise, working close to failure on each,” Stirling tells Fit&Well. Rest for one minute between sets.

For the supersets, perform one set of exercise A, then move straight onto exercise B. After you finish the set of exercise B, rest for one minute, then return to exercise A and continue that pattern until you’ve completed three sets of each exercise.

Here are the moves, with either a link to our exercise guide, or a guide on our former sister site Coach.

• 1. Squat
• 2. Lateral lunge
• 3. Overhead press
• 4A. Chest press or floor press
• 4B. Triceps extension
• 5A. Bent-over row
• 5B. Biceps curl

Just remember that you should take each set close to failure.

“That will ensure enough load to build muscle, regardless of rep range, making this workout convenient if you want to try it at home or if equipment is limited,” says Stirling.

“Ensure you follow the principle of progressive overload,” he adds. “When it feels comfortable, increase the weights. Aim for small progressions in reps or the weights you lift.

“Or add more volume each week by increasing the number of sets you complete.”

Pilates is great for your mobility, coordination and balance, and it can help you build strength too.

However, because the practice generally features bodyweight-only moves, it’s not as effective for building muscle as lifting weights.

That’s why Carrie Ebers created her combined method at Hollywood-based studio Carrie’s Pilates, which blends Pilates principles with weight training and cardio.

The studio-based workouts use a machine called the Transformer 2.0 (a patent-pending take on the classic Pilates reformer machine), but Ebers tells Fit&Well that she frequently includes dumbbell exercises in class, too.

While these dumbbell moves aren’t necessarily Pilates-based, Ebers always incorporates one element of Pilates into her weight training: a slower pace.

“Go slow with the weights,” she says, explaining that she usually works to a pace of four counts to move into the exercise, and four counts to move out. She also recommends taking minimal rest between sets to challenge your muscles and keep your heart rate up.

Here are the moves Ebers recommends if you don’t have much time for strength training, but want to do some weighted exercises alongside your Pilates practice.

Three dumbbell moves to complement your Pilates practice

When you’re choosing your weights, Ebers suggests picking something that feels challenging—it should feel hard, but not impossible, to complete 10 repetitions of each exercise with good form.

“Start with five pounds, and then once you’re confident with that, increase the weights to seven pounds and eventually get up to 10 pounds,” she says.

1. Lunge and shoulder press

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-15 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Bend your elbows lift the dumbbells to your shoulders.
• Step your right foot back and bend both knees to lower until your right knee is just above the floor. Ensure your feet stay hip-distance apart.
• As you lunge, push the weights overhead.
• Reverse the movements, then repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

2. Weighted squat

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-15

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and your toes turned out, holding one end of a dumbbell in both hands by your chest.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower your hips as far as possible, keeping your chest facing forward throughout.
• Push through your feet to stand back up.

3. Weighted sit-up

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-15

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, a few inches away from your butt, holding a light dumbbell in both hands at your chest.
• Keeping your feet on the floor, raise your torso until you’re fully upright.
• Slowly lie back down and repeat.

Many people focus on building strength with exercise, but muscular endurance is just as important. While you need strong muscles to lift, push and pull things, endurance keeps muscles going for longer without fatigue and with less risk of injury—helpful when you’re carrying shopping bags across town or going for a long walk or hike.

One way to improve muscular endurance is to do workouts using lighter dumbbells for a higher number of repetitions and minimal rest, like the one I’ve created below.

You can do this arms workout with light weights as a standalone circuit or as a finisher. All you need is a pair of 3kg dumbbells like these ones from Amazon.

How to do the light weights arms workout

Do this workout as a circuit, completing 15-20 repetitions of each exercise one after the other taking as little rest as possible. That’s one round. Rest for 20 seconds, then start the next round, completing three rounds in total.

The moves:

1. Rainbow raise
2. Two-way raise
3. Dumb waiter to Y-raise
4. Triceps extension
5. Hammer curl to overhead press
6. Chest press to narrow press

Exercise guides

1. Rainbow raise

• Start standing with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in both hands by one shoulder.
• Lift the dumbbell over your head to the other shoulder.
• Continue, moving the dumbbell from shoulder to shoulder.

2. Two-way raise

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, with your palms facing you.
• Keeping your torso still, raise your right arm in front of you to shoulder height and your left arm out to the left side to shoulder height.
• Pause, then lower both with control.
• Repeat but bring your left arm up in front of you and your right arm out to the right side.
• Continue, alternating directions with each rep.

3. Dumb waiter to Y-raise

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells.
• Bend your elbows to 90° and tuck them into your waist, with your forearms pointing forward and palms facing up.
• Keeping your elbows tucked to your waist, rotate your forearms so they point out to the sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Extend both arms up and out to the sides, so you form a Y shape.
• Reverse the movements to the start.

4. Triceps extension

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms extended overhead and holding one dumbbell in both hands.
• Keeping your upper arms still, bend your elbows to slowly lower the weight behind your head.
• Extend your arms to lift the weight back overhead.

5. Hammer curl to overhead press

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your thighs, palms facing.
• Keeping your upper arms still against your torso, bend your elbows to lift the weights to your shoulders
• Extend your arms overhead to lift the weights straight up.
• Slowly lower the weights back to your shoulders with control, keeping your elbows pointing forward.
• Extend your arms and lower the dumbbells to the starting position.

6. Chest press to narrow press

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor, and your elbows bent, upper arms on the floor and dumbbells held just below your shoulders.
• Engage your core and push your lower back into the floor. Make sure your back doesn’t arch during the exercise.
• Extend your arms to push the dumbbells straight up.
• Rotate your arms so your palms face, then lower the dumbbells, tucking your elbows into your torso.
• Extend your arms to push the dumbbells straight up.
• Rotate your arms so your palms forward, then lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
• Continue, alternating between chest and narrow press with each rep.

There are countless workouts available online, from TikTok trainers promising bulging biceps to YouTube videos explaining how to get gorgeous glutes.

But many of them can include exercises that are tricky to get right, especially if you’re new to strength training or returning to weights after some time off.

This is when it can be helpful to go back to basics. This three-move sequence designed for Fit&Well by Breona Boyd, NASM-certified personal trainer and founder of Pivot Healthy Living, does just that.

“For beginners, dumbbells provide a controlled and approachable way to learn fundamental movement patterns like squatting, pushing, pulling, and hinging,” says Boyd, explaining that it allows beginners to focus on mastering proper form and building confidence.

“Unlike fixed machines or barbells, dumbbells enable unilateral training, where each side of the body works independently,” says Boyd.

“This independence is crucial for identifying and correcting muscle imbalances, preventing overcompensation, and promoting balanced strength development.”

She also points out that dumbbells help improve joint stability—requiring more control and coordination throughout each movement, which engages some of the smaller stabilizer muscles that sometimes get neglected when you’re following a gym machine workout plan.

How to do the workout

This workout is just three moves, but you’ll work a wide range of muscles across your body.

Concentrate on getting the form right throughout so take it slow. There’s no rush with this one, it’s all about mastering the basics.

Once you’re comfortable with this session, try our beginner workout plan with dumbbells for a three-workout-a-week routine.

1. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with palms facing you.
• Engage your core and pull your shoulders back and down to maintain a neutral spine.
• Keeping a slight bend in your knee and a flat back throughout, push your hips back to lower the dumbbells, keeping them close to your body.
• Lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, which usually happens when the weights are just below the knees or mid-shin level. Do not round your back or let the weights pull your shoulders forward.
• Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes as you push your hips forward to return to the start.

2. Renegade row

Sets: 3 Reps: 8 each side

• Place dumbbells on the floor shoulder-width apart.
• Get on your hands and knees with your hands directly under your shoulders, holding the dumbbells with your palms facing.
• Engage your core and straighten your legs into a high plank with your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Keeping your hips square and torso stable throughout, lift the right dumbbell to your ribcage, bending your elbow and keeping it tight to your body.
• Pause briefly at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the floor under control.
• Repeat on the other side and continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Trainer tip: If your hips twist or you feel your lower back sagging, widen your stance or drop to your knees.

3. Standing shoulder press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Hold dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing and elbows pointing forward.
• Engage your core and keep your spine neutral.
• Press the dumbbells straight up, keeping your palms facing. Your biceps should end up next to your ears and your head should remain in a neutral position—don’t push your chin forward.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the start.

Trainer tip: If you’re unable to keep your torso stable, perform the exercise seated to support.

This exercise is often performed with palms facing forward, but a neutral grip—where the palms face—is often more shoulder-friendly, especially for those with limited mobility or past shoulder issues.

There’s so much advice out there about how to train strength train, but when you’re a total beginner you don’t need fancy equipment or expensive gym memberships to see results.

All you really need is a pair of dumbbells, which you can use to target muscles across the entire body.

Jennifer Martin is a personal trainer and she says there’s a simple dumbbell routine she always recommends to beginners.

“These are exercises I incorporate into my strength workouts every single week,” she tells Fit&Well.

“These exercises are great because they will help you build muscle and feel stronger doing everyday activities,” says Martin.

We couldn’t agree more, and you’ll find many of the same exercises in our beginner workout plan.

How to do Jennifer Martin’s beginner strength workout

Ideally, you’ll have a few sets of dumbbells for this workout so you can use different weights for different exercises.

Martin recommends pairs of light (2-5lb), moderate (8-10lb) and heavy (10-15lb) dumbbells.

If you only have one set of weights, that’s OK too. Opt for a lighter set for the harder exercises and double up with two dumbbells on exercises that engage more muscle groups.

Martin suggests using your medium or heavy dumbbell for most of the exercises, apart from chest presses, where you might want to opt for lighter dumbbells. Use one medium or heavy dumbbell for the goblet squat and glute bridge.

Watch Martin’s Reel above to see the reps and sets for each move.

Shop dumbbells

How often to do this workout

This is a full-body workout, which Martin recommends for beginners, to ensure they’re consistently targeting a wide range of muscles. “Start with two to three total-body workouts per week,” says Martin.

“Make sure your last one to two reps are challenging,” says Martin. If they aren’t challenging, it’s probably time to increase the weight and Martin says that progressive overload—which involves increasing the weights you’re lifting over subsequent workouts—is how to make sure you get stronger.

Follow this advice and you’ll start to feel stronger in a matter of weeks.