Use This Three-Day ‘Push, Pull, Legs’ Dumbbell Plan to Add Muscle
Welcome to the Men’s Health Dumbbell Club, your weekly plan for a fitter, stronger body, using just two dumbbells. Your dose of dumbbell goodness drops every week, with workouts lasting from 20-40 minutes and designed to add lean muscle, build fitness and increase strength.
Click here to head back and check out previous weeks. Or get stuck in to our latest offering – week 54 – and follow the programme from here.
New This Week…
Over the next three weeks we're going to be exploring a 'push, pull, legs' structure, dividing each session up into the pushing muscles of your chest, shoulders and triceps; the pulling muscles of your back and biceps; and the quadriceps and hamstrings of your lower body.
In contrast to the usual 'every minute on the minute' and rest/pause-style formats we usually employ in the Dumbbell Club workouts, throughout this phase we're going to be using straight sets: simply perform all sets of each movement with 2-3 minutes rest between each, before moving on to the next.
Each movement has a suggested rep range. Make a note of the reps you achieve, aiming to hit the higher end of the rep range. If you manage to hit the high end of the reps across all sets on any movement, increase the weight for that movement next week.
DAY ONE (W54/D1)
After a thorough warm-up grab your 'bells, start the clock and get to work.
A. Dumbbell Z-Press x 4 sets of 6-10
Take a seat on the floor with your legs outstretched and a pair of dumbbells on your shoulders (A). Take a breath and brace your core, keeping your torso upright, press your dumbbells overhead (B). Lower under control to your shoulders. Repeat.
B. Dumbbell Floor Press (or Bench Press) x 4 sets of 8-12
Grab your dumbbells and lie flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground (use a bench if you have one). Press the weights up, locking out your elbows (A). Lower them slowly until your upper arms are resting on the floor (B), close to your body. Pause here before explosively pressing back up, squeeze your chest hard. Repeat.
C. Press-Ups on Dumbbells x 4 sets of 15-20
Assume a strong plank position gripping a pair of dumbbells stacked directly below your elbows and shoulders (A). Bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest to the floor, feeling a stretch in your chest as you pass the dumbbells (B). Keep your upper arms from flaring as you push back up explosively to a straight-arm position.
D. Single Dumbbell Tricep Crush Extension x 4 sets of 15-20
Lie flat on a bench or the floor holding a single dumbbell with both hands, gripping the outer ‘heads’, locked out above your chest (A). Bend at the elbows, slowly lowering the dumbbell towards your head, while keeping your upper arms locked in place. Stop just short of the bell touching your head (B) before extending back up explosively. Repeat.
DAY TWO (W54/D2)
A. Three-Point Row x 4 sets of 6-10 (each side)
Hold a dumbbell in your left arm and hinge at the hips, placing your right hand on a bench or box (A). With a flat back and rigid core, shift your weight onto your right hand and row the right dumbbell up into your hip (B). Pause briefly, then lower the weight under control until your arm is straight. Perform prescribed reps on one side, then switch and repeat with the opposite arm.
B. Dumbbell Deadlift x 4 sets of 8-12
With your dumbbells on the floor just outside your feet, hinge down and grip them with soft knees and back as flat as possible (A). Squeeze your lats, grip your weights and stand upright, ‘pushing the ground away’ with your feet (B). Take a deep breath and slowly reverse the movement, returning your weights to the ground, keeping them close to your body throughout. Your arms should be hanging straight throughout this movement; think of them as hooks.
C. Hang Clean x 4 sets of 8-12
Hold your dumbbells at your side, hinge at the hips, bend your knees and allow the weights to swing back behind your legs (A). Stand back up explosively, and use the momentum to pull the dumbbells up on to your shoulders (B). Allow the dumbbells to drop back between your legs and repeat. Avoid excessive rounding of the lower back throughout.
D. Single-Bell Crush Curl x 4 sets of 15-20
Stand tall holding a single dumbbell with both hands, gripping the outer ‘heads’, at waist height (A). With minimal momentum, curl the dumbbell upwards until it’s beneath your chin (B). Squeeze your biceps hard here here and lower the weight under control. Repeat.
DAY THREE (W54/D3)
A. Front-Rack Squat x 4 sets of 8-12
Clean a pair of dumbbells up onto your shoulders. Take a breath and brace your core (A). Sink your hips back and bend at the knees, squatting down until the crease of your hips passes below your knee (B). Drive back up explosively and repeat.
B. Romanian Deadlift x 4 sets of 8-12
Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells at waist height (A). With a slight bend in the knees, push your hips back and slowly lower the bells towards the ground, pinning your shoulders down and maintaining a flat back. Push your hips back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings (B), pause and explosively return to an upright position.
C. Alternating Reverse Lunge x 4 sets of 20-30 (total reps)
Stand tall holding your dumbbells at your sides (A), take a long step backward with one leg, bending your front leg until your back knee gently touches the ground (B). Stand up and forward explosively, pause and repeat with the opposite leg. Alternate legs.
D. Cyclist Goblet Squat x 3 sets of max reps
Stand tall holding a dumbbell close to your chest in the ‘goblet’ position. Raise your heels up on a weight plate or block, keeping your heels within 6 inches of each other (A). Sink your hips back and bend at the knees, squatting down until the crease of your hips passes below your knee (B). Drive back up explosively stopping just short of locking your legs out to keep the tension on the quads. Repeat.
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