This 6-step dumbbell workout makes life easy in the gym - and it's all you need to get stronger

Woman doing gym dumbbell workout, holding dumbbell in contraction against her body, wearing workout clothes.

If you have limited time or have hit the Saturday morning rush and all your favourite machines are taken, this simple gym dumbbell workout is a great go-to for boosting full-body strength.

Dumbbells are some of the simplest pieces of gym equipment - and undoubtedly some of the best. Not only can you boost strength using a pick of the best dumbbells but as they are free weights, rather than fixed to a machine, you'll find your balance and mobility get better too.

We've asked expert personal trainer and strength training specialist Evelyn Sekajipo at Ultimate Performance for her recommended gym dumbbell workout. Whether you've got 20 minutes to work out or an hour, you can make progress with these exercises, she says.

Gym dumbbell workout

1. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

This exercise works the glutes (buttocks) and hamstrings (back of your thighs), and it's suitable for doing in a dumbbell workout for beginners too, says Sekajipo, who recommends this exercise to anyone who wants to "bullet-proof" their lower body.

Here's how to do it:

• Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your body, with your palms facing towards your body.
• Bring your shoulder blades back and down, as if you're tucking them into your back pockets.
• You should feel the dumbbells in contact with your thighs and there should be a soft bend in your knees. Look at the floor in front of you.
• Push your hips backwards and bend forward at the hips. The movement should come only from the hips and you should feel a noticeable increase in hamstring tension. Keep your back straight, with your shoulder blades engaged.
• Lower the dumbbells as far as possible until you reach the end of your range of motion. You have reached the end of your range of motion when you can go no further without the lower back rounding or the knees moving.  
• Pause for a moment, drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to return to the start position.
• Make sure to “press” the weight upwards with the feet rather than yanking with the upper body. 

You will need:

Most people will need two sets of dumbbells for this workout: one (heavier) pair for lower-body exercises and one (lighter) pair for upper-body exercises. You'll also need a bench, which you'll typically find near the dumbbells.

Expert tip: Be careful to avoid one of the most common mistakes with this exercise. "Avoid over-arching at the top of the movement," she Sekajipo. "Your lower back muscles will be working but you should not feel them throughout the movement."

2. Dumbbell Incline Chest press

A chest-press exercise on an incline emphasises muscles in the front of the shoulders, upper chest, and triceps (back of the arms).

Here's how to do one, according to Sekajipo:

• Pick up the dumbbell and sit on the 45-degree bench with them resting on your thighs, close to your hip crease. Position your feet shoulder-width apart, under or behind your knees and flat on the floor.
• Lean back, using your thighs to get the dumbbells into position, level with your chest.
• Push them up above you into a 'stacked' position, with your wrist, elbow and shoulder all aligned.
• Your shoulders and glutes should be touching the bench, and there will be a small gap between your lower back and the bench.
• From the stacked position at the top, "pull" the dumbbells down towards your chest with the arms at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees to your torso. You have reached the end of your range of motion when you can no longer lower the dumbbells without the shoulder rounding forwards.
• Pause before reversing the motion, under control, to return to the start position.

Expert tip: "Ensure you don't 'shrug' the weight up at the top. This reduces shoulder stability and increases the risk of injury," she says. "Focus on keeping the shoulder blades tucked down throughout."

3. Dumbbell heel-elevated goblet squat

This is one of the many types of squats you can do to focus on your lower-body muscles, including the quadriceps (thighs) and glutes.

You may even find this one to be easier than learning how to do a squat in the standard position as you can get deeper into the movement when you lift your heels.

If you don't have wedges in your gym, you could always use weight plates from the barbell rack.

Here's how to do it:

• Set up the wedges so that they are about hip-width apart and so that your heels are slightly lifted off the floor. Keep your chest up and core engaged.
• With both hands, hold a dumbbell in front of your chest like a goblet using your palms under the actual weight rather than holding the handle.
• Keeping the back straight and core engaged, sit the hips back and bend your knees to lower down into the squat position. Allow your knees to track forward over the toes.
• Try to come down to parallel or lower, keeping the weight in your heels.
• Drive up to the starting position.

Expert tip: "The set-up of a goblet squat will vary significantly between individuals depending on your leg proportions and range of motion," says Sekajipo. "Finding the right set-up for you may take some trial and error, so you may find it useful to enlist the help of a PT to check you are using the correct form."

4. Incline bicep curl

No gym workout would be complete without a bicep exercise, says Sekajipo. "However, as the biceps aren't a big priority for many women, this workout only includes one exercise, which should be plenty to strengthen this target area."

Here's how to do it:

• Pick up the dumbbells and sit on the bench. Let your arms hang by your sides and hold the dumbbells with either an underhand or neutral grip.
• Point your chest up and pinch your shoulder blades back together, positioning your elbows directly below your shoulders.
• Curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders, keeping your upper arms still and wrists straight throughout the movement.
• Pause for a moment and focus on contracting (squeezing) your biceps.
• Reverse the motion under control and return to the starting position.

Expert tip: Many people naturally bring their arms forward if they start to struggle at the top of a bicep curl, but you should try to "keep your arms still and elbows fixed below your shoulders", says the specialist, as this will keep the most tension on your biceps.

5. Dumbbell split squats

"An absolute must for anyone wanting to develop lean, toned legs. It's also a great exercise to get strong with before moving onto the more complex barbell back squat (which may not suit all individuals)," she says.

It can also help build balance and even development in both legs, as well as target the glutes, she adds.

Here's how to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands by your sides holding the dumbbells.
• Step backwards and place your toes on the floor, with shoelaces facing down and heel raised.
• Drop your back knee towards the floor and drive your front knee forward to close the gap between your hamstrings and calf.
• In the bottom position, your front foot should be flat and your back knee bent at 90 degrees and one to two inches above the floor.  
• Pause at the bottom, keeping the upper body braced and tension in your legs.  
• Push through the front leg to reverse the motion (imagine closing a pair of scissors) to return to the start position.  

Expert tip: It's more stable to step backwards when getting into position rather than forwards, especially if you're carrying heavier dumbbells. And if you're struggling with your mobility, the trainer suggests "elevating the front heel with a wedge to allow a greater degree of motion".

6. Dumbbell chest-supported row

This one is for your back muscles, helping to build strength in the upper body and improve posture.

Here's how to do it:

• Place your dumbbells on the floor at the head of the bench.
• Adjust the bench so the larger part sits at an incline of about 45 degrees.
• Sit face down on the bench, making sure that your chin clears the top edge.
• Bend your legs and drive your feet into the floor.
• Pick up the dumbbells one at a time and let your arms hang fully extended by your sides, with your palms facing inwards.
• Press your hips into the bench, lift your chest up slightly and look at the floor just in front of you.
• Pinching the shoulder blades together, keep the elbows pointed out at a 45-degree angle.
• Pull the dumbbells into your body until your elbows can't travel any further back without your shoulders rotating inwards or upper back rounding.
• Pause for a moment and focus on contracting the upper back.
• Reverse the motion under control and return to the start position.

Can you build muscle with dumbbells only?

Yes absolutely, says Ultimate Performance's Evelyn Sekajipo. The great thing about a gym dumbbell workout is that you only need these weights and a short amount of time to build muscle, which is what we mean by 'toning'. However, it's important to focus on a few things to make sure that happens:

• Progressive Overload: When you can do each exercise with your chosen weight, you have to make it harder to continue to see progress, a process known as progressive overload. "Since your workout duration is short, this can be achieved by using heavier dumbbells, incorporating advanced techniques like supersets or drop sets and reducing rest time," says Sekajipo.
• Focus on compound movements: "These are exercises that simultaneously target different muscle groups - ones that I’ve described and demonstrated as above," she says.
• Frequency: If you're only doing a short workout, you should aim to do it more than once a week. How often you should lift weights will vary from person to person, but generally, the experts suggest working out at least three times a week to see results.
• Time Under Tention (TUT): As well as increasing your weight, doing more reps, and working out for longer, you can achieve progressive overload by spending more time under tension. This is a common feature of Pilates with weights workouts too, which is why they can also be good for boosting strength. "Slowing down your repetitions - for example, lowering the weight in three to four seconds - increases muscle tension and enhances growth," says Sekajipo.