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In the current world of fitness, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to equipment.
From state-of-the-art machines to all manner of affordable equipment for home, there are options for everyone.
One piece of equipment that has been around for decades is the dumbbell.
With a few pairs of these simple heavy lumps with handles, you can sculpt the physique you’ve been dreaming about.
This article is a guide to creating a strong, muscular, powerful physique with a dumbbell-only workout routine.
The 12 Week Dumbbell Workout Plan PDF in this article covers several phases of fitness training, all using only the simple dumbbell.
What is the purpose of the 12-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan?
The 12-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan (with pdf) is designed to take you through multiple phases of fitness.
The plan contains four distinct phases, guiding you from endurance through to explosive power.
The purpose of your free workout plan is to give those of you with limited access to equipment a chance to achieve your fitness goals.
What are the benefits of a dumbbell-only workout?
Related: Lower Back Exercises With Dumbbells
This dumbbell program has many benefits for those who do it in the gym or at home.
First, this program requires minimal equipment.
If you have access to a few sets of dumbbells (or adjustable dumbbells), and maybe a workout bench, you have everything you need to sculpt an athletic physique.
Dumbbells also have the benefit of engaging many stabilizing muscles as a free-weight, single-limb form of exercise.
Another benefit of a dumbbell-only workout plan is that it saves time. If you’re at home, you don’t need to set up or swap out a bunch of different equipment.
If you’re doing a dumbbell-only workout routine at the gym, you can often avoid waiting for specific machines or equipment.
Finally, a dumbbells-only workout is incredibly versatile. Using just dumbbells, you can build endurance, muscle mass, strength, and athletic power.
The 8 Best Dumbbell-Only Exercises
Related: 5 Day Dumbbell Workout Split
Because the 12-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan in this article has several phases, the exercises selected for this list have unique criteria.
Specifically, they’re some of the best at each phase of the program.
Read on to find out more about why each of these moves makes the list of best dumbbell exercises.
1. Dumbbell Walking Lunge
The first exercise on this list is amazing for building lower body endurance.
The walking lunge is a simple but effective exercise, training your entire lower limb and core musculature.
This exercise is also great for building balance and athletic ability.
How-To Perform Dumbbell Walking Lunge:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart
- Hold dumbbells either side of hips
- Step forward with one leg
- Flex knees and drop hips until rear knee comes to floor
- Keep front knee in line with ankle
- Press through heel to extend back up
- Step forward with other leg and repeat
Benefits: Functional movement pattern, trains balance, stretch while strengthening
Pro Tips: Keep the posture upright throughout the exercise and keep the feet hip-width apart to avoid losing balance.
2. Dumbbell Curl and Press
Next, we have the dumbbell curl to press, which combines a bicep curl with an overhead pressing movement.
This exercise recruits many upper body muscles while stimulating a good cardiovascular demand for a resistance exercise.
It’s foundational to many of the more advanced workout phases you’ll see in the later weeks of the program.
How-To Perform Dumbbell Curl and Press:
- Stand with good posture, core strong
- Supinate forearms so palms are facing forward
- Curl the dumbbells to the shoulders
- Rotate the arms outward until palms are facing forward
- Press the weights overhead with straight arms
- Reverse the movement to return to the starting position
Benefits: Pull and push exercise in one, good preparation for Olympic lifts
Pro Tips: Keep the upper arms tight to the torso during the curl and squeeze the glutes during the entire exercise.
3. Dumbbell Incline Press
The next upper body exercise on this list is an upper chest mass builder.
Using dumbbells for the incline press lets you get a superior range of motion in the exercise.
It also allows you to adduct your shoulders at the top, meaning you get better contraction and a better stretch under tension.
How-To Perform Dumbbell Incline Press:
- Lay on the incline bench with a dumbbell on each thigh
- Use the legs to lift the weights to the outside of either shoulder
- Extend the arms upward and bring the dumbbells together at the top
- Slowly control the weights down to either side of the chest
- Repeat for required repetitions
- Bring the weights to the knees and sit forward
Benefits: Develops upper pec fibers, allows a good stretch at bottom of movement
Pro Tips: Hold the top of the exercise as you contract the pecs hard, and pause at the bottom for a stretch under tension.
4. Bulgarian Split Squat
This single-leg exercise burns like nothing else, but with the advantage of putting slabs of muscle onto your thighs.
The split squat is great to do with dumbbells as they’re easier to keep balanced than a bar, but still provide a good way to add progressive overload.
For bigger quads, hamstrings, and glutes, this dumbbell move is a must-include.
How-To Perform Bulgarian Split Squat:
- Stand in front of a bench, with the rear foot on the bench and the front foot on the floor
- Hold a dumbbell on either side with the arms straight
- Flex the hip and knee to drop down
- From the bottom position, drive through the heel to extend back up
- Perform desired repetitions and repeat on other side
Benefits: Total leg developer, corrects any muscle imbalances between legs
Pro Tips: Keep the front knee in line with the ankle below it and don’t allow any deviation too far forward or to either side.
5. Dumbbell Overhead Press
When it comes to building pure strength, the dumbbell overhead press is one of the best exercises you can do.
Whether it’s seated or standing, the upper-body muscle recruitment required to press heavy weight while stabilizing the shoulders is huge.
This exercise will develop strong, stable shoulders ready for many other upper body athletic movements.
How-To Perform Dumbbell Overhead Press:
- Start with the dumbbells either side of the ears, palms forward, and elbows at 90 degrees
- Exhale and push the dumbbells upward until they nearly come together above the head
- Slowly control the weight down to the starting position again
- Repeat for the recommended reps
Benefits: Extra muscle recruitment from stabilizers, works each arm independently
Pro Tips: Try performing this exercise in the scapular plane with the elbows 30 degrees in front of the shoulders if you experience discomfort in the standard position.
6. Suitcase Squat
Like many other forms of squat, the dumbbell variation is the king of lower body exercises.
Some benefits of using dumbbells are the decreased load on the spine and the easier barrier to entry than something like a barbell squat.
You’ll also be building grip strength at the same time as you hold the dumbbells at your sides.
How-To Perform Suitcase Squat:
- Stand straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing the body
- Stand in a shoulder-width stance with the toes pointed slightly out
- Slowly lower the body down by sitting the hips back and bending the knees
- Continue until the thighs are parallel to the floor
- Push through the heels, exhale, and stand up tall
- Repeat for the desired repetitions
Benefits: Dumbbells allow more upright posture with less load on lower back
Pro Tips: Keep the head up at all times and don’t allow the knees to cave in toward each other.
7. Push Press
Moving onto more power-based exercises, one of the best dumbbell moves is the push press.
This athletic movement builds your ability to push, throw, and tackle – and to do it fast.
The advantage to doing the push press with dumbbells is that you don’t have to worry about clipping yourself on the chin with the barbell.
It’s also easier on the back to catch the weight on your shoulders rather than the bar on your collarbone.
How-To Perform Dumbbell Push Press:
- Stand in a hip-width stance with the dumbbells resting on the shoulders
- Keep the elbows in front of the body
- Bend the knees slightly and dip the body straight down
- Explode through the heels, knees, and hips
- Press the weight as fast as possible overhead
- Lock the arms out overhead and briefly hold the weight directly over the feet
- Lower the dumbbells under control back to the starting position and repeat
Benefits: Ties upper and lower body together to develop pushing power
Pro Tips: The power should come from the ground up; the press with the shoulders should be the easy part.
8. Dumbbell Single-Arm Snatch
Finally, we have another explosive dumbbell exercise, the snatch.
This exercise develops coordination and power from head to toe, with pretty much every major muscle group getting involved.
Again, the dumbbell single-arm snatch is great as it adds a rotational element to the core strengthening aspect of the movement.
It’s also more achievable for those without shoulder mobility to perform the advanced barbell snatch.
How-To Perform Dumbbell Single Arm Snatch:
- Place the feet shoulder-width on either side of a single dumbbell on the floor
- Reach one arm down and grab the weight with a straight back
- Sit the hips back and drive through the floor to pull the weight straight up
- Let the momentum carry the weight to a locked-out overhead position
- Stomp the feet as you ‘catch’ the dumbbell
- Control the weight back to the floor, keeping good spinal alignment
- Reset and repeat for reps
Benefits: Total body explosive pulling power, very athletic movement, great core exercise
Pro Tips: Start with a light weight and practice good technique before progressing this exercise. Engage the glutes and core muscles strongly to protect the back.
The Best 12-Week Dumbbell Workout Program
This program is a complete dumbbell fitness program, taking you through multiple phases of development. There are four phases, running from two to four weeks each.
Each phase targets a different element of fitness. They are ordered in a specific way to build on each other.
You can run through the program from start to finish, or try the different phases and spend longer developing those if it suits your goals.
Weeks 1-2: Muscular Endurance
First up, we have the muscular endurance phase. This will be a full-body program, training three days per week.
The goals of this phase are to build correct movement patterns, prep the joints, tendons, and connective tissues, and build some aerobic capacity for later phases.
Monday: Full-Body Workout 1
Warm-Up: General warm-up 5 mins, 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 arm circles forward/back.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| Goblet squat | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| dB bench press | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| Supported dB row | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| Curl + press | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| dB crunch | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
Estimated Workout Duration: 30 minutes including warm-up.
Tuesday
Rest or cardio 30-60 mins
Wednesday: Full Body Workout 2
Warm-Up: 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 arm circles forward/back.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| dB push up | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| dB walking lunge | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| dB bent row | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| dB OH tricep extension | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| dB Russian twist | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
Estimated Workout Duration: 30 minutes including warm-up.
Thursday
Rest or cardio 30-60 mins
Friday: Full Body Workout 3
Warm-Up: 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 arm circles forward/back.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| Renegade row | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| Coffin press | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| dB sumo deadlift | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
| Alternating hammer curl | 3×20 each side | 30-60 sec |
| dB boat hold | 3×20 | 30-60 sec |
Estimated Workout Duration: 30 minutes including warm-up.
Saturday
Rest or cardio 30-60 mins
Sunday
Rest day
Weeks 3-6: Muscular Hypertrophy
Next, we have the muscle-building phase of the dumbbell-only program.
The goal here is pretty simple: combine suitable resistance and metabolic fatigue to stimulate the muscle tissue to grow.
This phase is a step up from the last, with six total training sessions per week. It’s a PPL (push pull legs) split, performed twice through with unique sessions.
If you are unable to train six days, you can simply add rest days where necessary, completing the next session in line with each workout.
This means you can perform these workouts three, four, or five days per week as well.
Eat and sleep well, and these sessions will help you add muscle ready for the next phase.
Monday: Push Workout 1
Warm-Up: General warm-up 5 mins, 10 standing twists, 10 arm circles forward/back.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| dB cobra push up | 3-4×10-15 | 60-90 sec |
| dB shoulder press | 3-4×8-10 | 1-2 mins |
| Lateral raise | 3×12-15 | 1 min |
| dB triceps kickback | 3×10-12 each side | 1 min |
| OH triceps extension | 3×10-12 | 1 min |
Estimated Workout Duration: 30-45 minutes including warm-up.
Tuesday: Pull Workout 1
Warm-Up: General warm-up 5 mins, 10 standing twists, 10 arm circles forward/back, 1-2 warm-up sets first exercise.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| dB bent-over row | 3-4×8-10 | 1-2 mins |
| dB shrugs | 3×10-12 | 1 min |
| Seated rear delt fly | 3×10-12 | 1 min |
| Incline curl | 3×10-12 | 1 min |
| Concentration curl | 3×12-15 | 1 min |
Estimated Workout Duration: 30-45 minutes including warm-up.
Wednesday: Legs and Core Workout 1
Warm-Up: 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| dB squat | 3×12-15 | 1-2 mins |
| dB Bulgarian split squat | 3×8-10 each side | 1 min |
| dB side lunge | 3×8-10 each side | 1 min |
| dB Straight leg deadlift | 3×10-12 | 1 min |
| dB mountain climbers | 3×20 each side | 1 min |
Estimated Workout Duration: 30-45 minutes including warm-up.
Thursday: Push Workout 2
Warm-Up: General warm-up 5 mins, 10 standing twists, 10 arm circles forward/back, 1-2 warm-up sets first exercise.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| dB incline press | 3-4×8-10 | 1-2 mins |
| dB chest fly | 3-4×10-12 | 1-2 mins |
| dB bus drivers | 3×12-15 each way | 1 min |
| Lying triceps extension | 3×10-12 | 1 min |
| Close grip dB bench press | 3×12-15 | 1 min |
Estimated Workout Duration: 30-45 minutes including warm-up.
Friday: Pull Workout 2
Warm-Up: 10 standing twists, 10 arm circles forward/back, 1-2 warm-up sets first exercise.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| Incline supported dB row | 3-4×8-10 | 1-2 mins |
| One-arm row | 3-4×8-10 each side | 1 min |
| Lat pullover | 3×10-12 | 1 min |
| Close grip dB curl | 3×10-12 | 1 min |
| Alternating hammer curl | 3×12-15 each side | 1 min |
Estimated Workout Duration: 30-45 minutes including warm-up.
Saturday: Legs and Core Workout 2
Warm-Up: 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 1-2 warm-up sets first exercise.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| Suitcase squat | 3×8-10 | 1-2 mins |
| Reverse lunge | 3×8-10 each side | 1 min |
| dB sumo deadlift | 3×8-10 | 1 min |
| dB standing calf raise | 3×10-12 | 1 min |
| dB Russian twist | 3×20 each side | 1 min |
Estimated Workout Duration: 30-45 minutes including warm-up.
Sunday:
Rest day
Weeks 7-10: Maximal Strength
Now we’re going to take that newly added muscle tissue and put it to work.
This phase is about one thing: adding intensity. This comes from adding weight to your lifts consistently.
The workouts consist of fewer exercises, but they’ll take longer due to the necessary inter-set rest periods.
You’ll need to stick to these to let your energy systems recover and perform the next set. Make sure your form stays as close to perfect as possible as you add load to the exercises.
If you’re hitting the numbers by cheating, you’ll only risk injury – and that means no more gains.
A quick note here. Make sure the final week of this phase is a deload week, meaning you get plenty of rest, and only lift 50% of your normal numbers.
This will help your body recover and prepare for the final phase.
Monday: Full Body Workout 1
Warm-Up: General warm-up 5 mins, 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 arm circles forward/back, 2-3 warm-up sets first two exercises.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| dB squat | 5×5-6 | 3-5 mins |
| dB bench press | 5×5-6 | 3-5 mins |
| dB bent row | 5×5-6 | 3-5 mins |
Estimated Workout Duration: 60-90 minutes including warm-up.
Tuesday
Rest or cardio 30-60 mins
Wednesday: Full Body Workout 2
Warm-Up: 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 arm circles forward/back, 2-3 warm-up sets of all exercises.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| dB Bulgarian split squat | 4×6-8 each side | 3 mins |
| dB military press | 5×5-6 | 3-5 mins |
| dB deadlift | 3×5-6 | 3-5 mins |
Estimated Workout Duration: 60-90 minutes including warm-up.
Thursday
Rest or cardio 30-60 mins
Friday: Full Body Workout 3
Warm-Up: 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 arm circles forward/back, 2-3 warm-up sets of all exercises.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| dB incline press | 5×5-6 | 3-5 mins |
| One-arm row | 4×6-8 each side | 3-5 mins |
| dB squat | 5×5-6 | 3-5 mins |
Estimated Workout Duration: 60-90 minutes including warm-up.
Saturday
Rest or cardio 30-60 mins
Sunday
Rest day
Weeks 11-12: Explosive Power
Finally, we take everything we’ve built so far and use it to create a physique that not only looks great but performs at a high level.
These dumbbell-only exercises combine strength and speed, helping you be explosive on the field or in any other situation.
Also, they’ll recruit your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which happen to be the larger and more powerful type.
This phase completes the 12-week program, at which point you can cycle back through and build on this run, or pick your favorite phase and spend more time on it.
Monday: Upper Body Workout 1
Warm-Up: General warm-up 5 mins, 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 arm circles forward/back, 2-3 warm-up sets of all exercises.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| dB push jerk | 3×5 | 3-5 mins |
| Explosive single-arm bench | 3×5 | 3-5 mins |
| dB hang clean | 3×5 | 3-5 mins |
Estimated Workout Duration: 45-60 minutes including warm-up.
Tuesday: Lower Body Workout 1
Warm-Up: General warm-up 5 mins, 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 arm circles forward/back, 2-3 warm-up sets of all exercises.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| Sumo high pull | 3×8 | 2-3 mins |
| dB jump squat | 3×8 | 2-3 mins |
| dB jumping lunges | 3×8 each side | 2-3 mins |
Estimated Workout Duration: 45-60 minutes including warm-up.
Wednesday
Rest or cardio 30-60 mins
Thursday: Upper Body Workout 2
Warm-Up: 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 arm circles forward/back, 2-3 warm-up sets of all exercises.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| dB push jerk | 3×8 | 2-3 mins |
| Explosive single-arm bench | 3×8 | 2-3 mins |
| dB single arm snatch | 3×8 | 2-3 mins |
Estimated Workout Duration: 45-60 minutes including warm-up.
Friday: Lower Body Workout 2
Warm-Up: 10 standing twists, 10 leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 arm circles forward/back, 2-3 warm-up sets of all exercises.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
| Sumo high pull | 3×5 | 3-5 mins |
| dB jump squat | 3×5 | 3-5 mins |
| dB jumping lunges | 3×5 each side | 3-5 mins |
Estimated Workout Duration: 45-60 minutes including warm-up.
Saturday
Rest or cardio 30-60 mins
Sunday
Rest day
The 12 Week Dumbbell Workout Plan PDF
Pro Tips for Growing Muscles with Only Dumbbells
Related: Muscle Gain Workout Plan With PDF
Muscles Are Blind
Just as we mentioned in our ultimate calisthenics guide, your body doesn’t recognize what you use for resistance – only that there is resistance.
As long as you apply the principles in the 12-week program above, your muscles will respond by growing as they would with any other equipment.
Take Advantage
Dumbbells are free weights that provide a great range of motion, single-limb development, and accessibility.
Using these versatile tools allows you to get extra inches of ROM on most exercises as you’re not restricted by bars or machine frames.
Steady Progress
One thing to look out for with a dumbbell-only workout plan is to ensure you’re still progressing consistently.
For those with limited sets of dumbbells who can’t always add weight, use additional reps, slow tempo, or other advanced techniques to make the exercises harder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to build muscles with only dumbbells?
Dumbbells are one of the oldest forms of resistance training and can definitely be used to build muscle.
If you have access to a good range of weights with dumbbells, you can build a complete physique with no other equipment – guaranteed.
How to get ripped with only dumbbells?
In the same vein, you can use just dumbbells to get a shredded physique.
Dumbbells are more than enough to maintain (and even build) muscle mass while stripping body fat on your way to getting cut.
How heavy should dumbbells be to gain muscles?
For pure hypertrophy, the recommended range is anywhere from 6-20 repetitions, with the most common suggestion being around 8-12.
This means the dumbbells should be heavy enough to allow you to reach failure within that range.
If you can easily do more, it’s time to go heavier. Dumbbells usually increase by a weight of 2-2.5kgs, or 5lbs.
Closing Comments
So, what do you think about a dumbbell-only program? It’s a no-nonsense way to break free of gym memberships and expensive equipment.
Plus, having you work in planned phases helps increase your chances of success.
Let us know how you go with the 12-week dumbbell workout plan – or post any questions – in the comments.
If you know anyone who only has dumbbells to train with, be sure to send this program their way!
