I’m so excited to share more workouts with you guys now that I’m programming for Y2 Strength. The workouts are perfect for sharing on my blog because they require minimal equipment and space. The only equipment we are using right now is dumbbells and bands and the workouts are done on yoga mats. Super efficient! I know so many of you appreciate workouts like this that you can do at home, in your own little space at the gym or while traveling. I’m aiming to share one every week or every other week! 🙂
While I love bodyweight workouts and find them to be super effective when I don’t have much to work with, I can’t stress enough the value of adding a few sets of dumbbells to your home exercise equipment. They are relatively inexpensive considering how much variety and intensity they can add to your workouts. For Y2 Strength we are working with a range from 5-20 pounds.
Since I know that photos make it much easier to follow along with a workout than just writing out the exercises, I put together a graphic that provides photo demonstrations along with written instructions to guide you through this dumbbell workout.
Let’s get to it!
33-Minute Total Body Dumbbell Workout
Basic overview: this is a total body workout that features 10 movements that are each performed for 1 minute for a total of 10 minutes per round. Once you complete each 10-minute round, you will take 90 seconds of rest before starting the next. The movements alternate between upper and lower body so know that when you get really fatigued towards the end of the minute that relief is coming!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Minute one: squat to lateral leg raise. Holding one dumbbell at your chest or with bodyweight only, squat and as you lift up perform a lateral leg raise. Alternate sides each time you squat. Be sure you try to point toes forward on the lateral leg lift and not up to the ceiling so that you’re maximizing the work in the abductors.
- Minute two: push ups. Knees or toes. Perfect form!
- Minute three: curtsy lunge on the right. Stand on your right leg. Holding two dumbbells by your sides or using bodyweight only, take a short step with your left leg behind you and to the right a bit so that your thighs cross. Keep your knee and ankle aligned and avoid letting the knee cave in or pitch to far over to the side to keep this safe for the knee. When you come back up you can either step both feet together or lift the left knee into the chest (like demonstrated in the photo) to make it a little more challenging. Really focus on engaging the glutes!
- Minute four: overhead tricep extension.
- Minute five: curtsy lunge on the left.
- Minute six: bicep curl.
- Minute seven: donkey kick. Place one dumbbell behind the knee or work with bodyweight only. Come to all fours with shoulders stacked directly over the wrists and gaze between then hands. Keep your hips square as you lift your right heel straight up to the ceiling and perform small pulses up and down. Keep the knee lifted off the ground the entire time. 30 seconds each side.
- Minute eight and nine: single arm dumbbell row. Kneel down with your left knee in front. Place your left forearm on your left thigh and hold a dumbbell in your right hand. Keep your gaze directly in front of your left foot. Draw the right elbow straight back, keeping it close to the rib cage. Really think about using the upper back and not your bicep or momentum to perform the movement.
- Minute ten: side raise to rotator raise. Start with dumbbells out in front of the hips. Lift them away from you into a side raise, leading with the elbows and not the wrists. Once you’ve found the side raise position, rotate the dumbbells up to make an L-shape with each arm. Retrace the steps to come back down to start position. Note, this will be your lightest weight selection! You want this to be super controlled with perfect form. Think moving like a robot here.
My classes loved this workout and I was definitely sore in a good way from it! Let me know if you have any questions and I’d love your feedback if you try it out.
What exercise equipment do you have at home?
What’s your favorite dumbbell exercise?
