You can do it with just a pair of dumbbells. To build a stronger, more powerful upper body, you only need a pair of dumbbells and not a lot of weightlifting contraptions.
You can train all of your upper-body muscles without a bench and some dumbbells.
If you want your upper-body dumbbell workouts to be effective, you need to do the exercises correctly, use the appropriate amount of weight, and do the right number of sets and reps.
You can also organize your exercises into an upper-body dumbbell circuit to make your workouts more efficient.
Dumbbells are the most easy to use and convenient training tool, you can get a perfectly good workout without going to the gym and spending hundreds of dollars on a membership. Dumbbells have some unique traits that other weight-training equipment doesn’t offer, so using only dumbbells for your workout is a great challenge for beginning lifters and a solid change of pace for more advanced trainees.
The Dumbbell Advantage
Before starting to lift weights, it is important to warm up in order to reduce the risk of injury. Lifting weights with dumbbells engages more muscles than lifting with other equipment, so even though you may not be able to lift as much weight, you are still working hard.
If you're working on perfecting your symmetry, you'll quickly notice any imbalances between your two arms. Be prepared to work on your weaker arm more, which will help improve your symmetry overall.
Dumbbells provide a longer range of motion than barbells, which results in better overall muscular development.
Equipment for a Full Upper-Body Dumbbell Workout
The following exercises require dumbbells to complete.
- Dumbbells
If you're working out from home, you probably don't have a full set of dumbbells to use.
In this scenario, the best solution would be to invest in a set of adjustable dumbbells, or two to three pairs of dumbbells that come in different weights. If you're not sure what weights would be best to start with, a common suggestion is to go for a pair of 10 lb, 30 lb, and 50 lb dumbbells.
- A flat or adjustable bench.
If you want to do this upper body workout at home with weights, you can use a flat bench. If you want extra back support while doing overhead pressing exercises, however, it is best to use an adjustable bench.
Warming Up for an Upper-Body Dumbbell Workout
Doing a thorough warm up before your first exercise in each workout accomplishes several things:
- It helps you troubleshoot your form and “groove in” proper technique.
- It increases the temperature of and blood flow to your muscles, which can boost your performance and thus muscle and strength gain over time.
You don't need to warm up before every exercise when you do an upper-body dumbbell workout.
You should warm up before your first exercise in each workout so that you are prepared for the rest of your workout.
Here’s the protocol you want to follow before your first exercise of the workout:
- Estimate roughly what weight you’re going to use for your three sets of the exercise (this is your “hard set” weight).
- Do 6 reps with about 50% of your hard set weight, and rest for a minute.
- Do 4 reps with about 70% of your hard set weight, and rest for a minute.
Do all of your hard sets for your first exercise, and then the rest of the exercises for that workout. You only need to warm-up for your first exercise.
How to Do This Workout as an Upper-Body Dumbbell Circuit
This technique is called super-setting and it is a great way to make your workouts more time efficient.
I like to use antagonist paired sets when doing supersets, which means alternating between two exercises that work different muscle groups. I rest for shorter periods of time between sets than I would for regular supersets, so I can finish and leave the gym more quickly.
Instead of completing your workout as one circuit including all exercises with little to no rest in between, you complete several mini circuits. This means you alternate between just two exercises at a time, resting for a longer period in between sets.
You could do a set of dumbbell bench press, wait one to two minutes, and then do a set of one-arm dumbbell rows. You would continue to alternate between the two exercises until you finish all of your sets.
This lets you switch the sets you're using for one exercise as a break for the muscles you're using in another exercise. So your “dumbbell bench press muscles” can rest while your “dumbbell row muscles” are working, and then vice versa. You don't have to rest as much in between sets, which helps you finish your workout faster while still building strength.
The key is to go back and forth between the two moves, completing all your reps on one exercise before moving on to the next. The following upper-body dumbbell circuit has two paired exercises, which are marked “A” and “B”. The exercises should be completed by alternating between the two moves, and all reps for one move should be completed before moving on to the next.
After you finish the first pair of exercises, take a break for the given amount of time, then do the next pair of exercises. Repeat this until you finish all the sets for that pair of exercises, then move on to the next pair and repeat the process.
The Best Full Upper-Body Workout with Only Dumbbells
Before you learn how to do the individual exercises, take a look at the whole workout so you know what to expect:
1B. Seated Row: 3 sets of 4-to-6 reps with 60-to-90 sec rest 1C. Overhead press: 3 sets of 4-to-6 reps with 60-to-90 sec rest Perform the following three exercises in a circuit format, resting 60-to-90 seconds between each exercise. Complete three total circuits. For the dumbbell bench press, do three sets of four to six reps with a 60-to-90 second rest in between. For the seated row, do three sets of four to six reps with a 60-to-90 second rest in between. And for the overhead press, do three sets of four to six reps with a 60-to-90 second rest in between.
1B. Three sets of four-to-six reps of the one-arm dumbbell row, resting for 60-to-90 seconds in between sets.
Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 8-to-10 reps with 60-to-90 sec rest 2B. Seated Row: 3 sets of 8-to-10 reps with 60-to-90 sec rest Bent Over Row: 3 sets of 8-to-10 reps with 60-to-90 sec rest 2C. Leg Curl: 3 sets of 8-to-10 reps with 60-to-90 sec rest Leg Extension: 3 sets of 8-to-10 reps with 60-to-90 sec rest Do three sets of 8-to-10 reps of Arnold Presses, with 60-to-90 seconds of rest in between each set. Then, do three sets of 8-to-10 reps of Incline Dumbbell Presses, with 60-to-90 seconds of rest in between each set. Next, do three sets of 8-to-10 reps of Seated Rows, with 60-to-90 seconds of rest in between each set. Then, do three sets of 8-to-10 reps of Bent Over Rows, with 60-to-90 seconds of
For dumbbell pullovers, do three sets of eight to ten repetitions, resting for 60 to 90 seconds in between sets.
Do 3 sets of biceps curls with 10-12 reps and 60-90 seconds of rest in between.
For the overhead triceps extension, do three sets of 10-12 reps, resting for 60-90 seconds between sets.
Now let's get into the details.
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
By training one arm at a time, you can use a little body english to recruit more muscle fibers and generate more force than when using both arms simultaneously.
To do this exercise, lean forward at the waist with one knee and the same-side hand on a flat bench. Keep your other foot on the floor beside the bench and grasp a dumbbell in the same-side hand, allowing the weight to hang straight down with your arm fully extended. Pull the weight toward your hip, keeping your elbow in close. Pull your elbow as far back as you can, squeezing your shoulder blades together for a full contraction, then lower the dumbbell along the same path. Repeat for reps, then switch arms.
A common mistake people make when doing this exercise is to bring the dumbbell straight up to their shoulder. However, the best line of pull is up and back toward your hip. That provides a greater range of motion and time under tension for the stubborn lower lats.
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press
The following chest exercise is proven to help build mass. You will quickly be able to tell if one side of your pecs is stronger than the other, but you will have a longer range of motion with this exercise than with the barbell version because you can press both up and in rather than just up.
This exercise is done by lying face up on a bench with your feet on the floor. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand just outside your shoulders, then press the weights up and together, stopping when they’re an inch or so away from touching. Slowly return to the start position.
Don’t let the dumbbells touch at the top of each rep, as this will release tension on the pecs and encourage you to rest briefly at the top of each rep. Leave a few inches between the weights so that your pecs don’t get a chance to relax.
Since you're not holding a barbell, you can draw your elbows all the way back outside your ears. This puts more emphasis on the middle delts, which will make you appear wider. With a barbell, your elbows have to travel forward so the bar clears your face, which works more of the front delts than the middle delts.
Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward, just above shoulder level. Press the weights overhead in an arc, making sure not to let them touch. Lower under control back to the starting position.
Forming a 90 degree angle with your arms is not the stopping point, you should continue the motion until your elbows are pointing towards the floor and the weights are just above shoulder level. This is safer for your shoulders and more muscle fibers are recruited.
The movement in this exercise should only be a few inches. The movement should be fluid and controlled, not explosive. The neutral (palms-in) grip is used to keep your arms and shoulders in the most comfortable and safest position possible.
Stand up holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, with your palms facing in. Keeping your chest up and abs tight, shrug your shoulders straight up toward the ceiling, squeezing your traps at the top. Then, reverse the motion, slowly letting the weights lower your shoulders as far as possible.
Seated One-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Extension
It is beneficial to have your arm overhead when working the triceps as it engages the long head of the triceps, which is the largest muscle on the back of the arm. This is the case regardless of what type of equipment you are using.
To do this exercise correctly, sit up straight on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grab a dumbbell and hold it overhead with your arm fully extended. Only bend your elbow and lower the weight behind your head until your arm forms a 90-degree angle. You should feel your triceps stretch, then press back up to full-arm extension and squeeze your tri's hard at the top. Repeat this for the desired number of repetitions, then switch arms.
To avoid putting too much stress on your triceps, keep your elbows close to your body when doing the two-arm version of this exercise.
Alternating Dumbbell Curl
The alternating dumbbell curl allows you to perform supination at the top of the move, which is a better way to contract your muscles and encourage growth.
To do this exercise correctly, stand up straight holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Keep your chest up and your elbows close to your body, then curl one dumbbell up towards the shoulder on the same side. As you do this, twist your wrist upwards. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top of the curl, then lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. Repeat this with the other arm.
The most common error people make when performing this movement is trying to bring the weight up too high, which pulls the elbow away from the side. However, this recruits the front delts and lessens the isolation on the biceps. Keep those elbows back!
Dumbbell Wrist Curl
The wrist curl is performed last so that the forearms don't fatigue and prevent a good grip when training other larger muscles.
To do this exercise correctly, sit at the end of a bench with your forearms resting flat on it. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing upward, and allow the weights to roll to your fingers. Use your wrists to curl the dumbbells back to the starting position.
To stretch your forearm muscles more, grip the weight so your thumb is on the same side of the dumbbell as your fingers. Doing this lets you move your forearm more and stretch the muscles more.
