This Three-Day Push/Pull/Legs Dumbbell Plan Builds Size Quickly
Welcome to the Men’s Health Dumbbell Club, your weekly plan for a fitter, stronger body, using just two dumbbells. Your weekly dose of dumbbell goodness drops every Monday, 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 simply get stuck in to our latest offering — week 48 – and follow the programme from here.
New This Week…
This week we'll be repeating our EMOM (every minute on the minute) and 'push/pull/lower' combination from last week, aiming to beat our previous rep 'scores' and elicit progressive overload. If you were able to complete all reps at the higher end of the rep range for any given movement last week, attempt to ramp up the weights this week.
A reminder of the format: you'll start a stopwatch and perform the prescribed reps of a movement, resting for the remainder of the minute before moving onto the next movement. Once you've completed all four movements, start again from the beginning. Repeat for eight total rounds/32 minutes.
We’re sticking with the same movements from our ‘push/pull/lower’ split – with the first session targeting your chest, shoulders and triceps. Session two will hit your legs and core, before finally lighting up your back and biceps in session three.
DAY ONE (W48/D1)
After a thorough warm-up grab your 'bells, start the clock and get to work.
1. Overhead or Push Press x 6-10 reps
Clean your dumbbells onto your shoulders, palms facing in. Take a breath and create tension in your core. (A) Dip at the knees and use your legs to help (B) press your dumbbells overhead. Lower with a strict controlled tempo to your shoulders and repeat. If your weights feel a little too light, don’t use any drive from the legs and focus on a strict press from the shoulders.
2. Dumbbell Floor (or Bench) Press x 10-12 reps
Next, head to the floor, lay flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Press the weights above you, 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. If you have a bench, use it.
3. Push-Up on Dumbbells x 12-15 reps
After your final press, drop your bells and flip over, assuming a long armed plank position. With your core tight and hands below your shoulders gripping your dumbbells (A), bend your elbows and slowly lower your chest to the floor (B). Keep your elbows close to your body as you push back up explosively. Focus on slowly lowering before explosively pressing back up, keeping your form strict throughout.
4. Tricep Dips x 15-20 reps
Chest and shoulders scorched, it’s time to stretch those sleeves. Sit upright on a bench or box, support your weight with your arms and walk your feet outwards, shifting off the edge (A). Lower your body until you feel a stretch across your chest (B). Push back up hard. For maximum effect, try a count of three down and one back up, squeezing your triceps hard at the top.
DAY TWO (W48/D2)
As with day one, warm-up adequately and jump straight in. If you have weights to choose from, pick a set of dumbbells or kettlebells that you can’t squat for more than 20 reps (without throwing up).
1. Front Squat x 10-12 reps
Clean your dumbbells onto the front of your shoulders (A). From here, drop into a front squat by pushing your hips back and bending at the knees until your thighs pass parallel to the ground (B), before driving back up explosively. Keep those dumbbells secured high, with a strong, upright torso throughout.
2. Romanian Deadlift x 10-12 reps
Drop your dumbbells at your sides, feet shoulder-width apart (A). With a slight bend in the knees, push your hips back and slowly lower the bells towards the ground (B), pinching your shoulders back and maintaining a flat back. When you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, pause and explosively return to an upright position.
3. Goblet Cyclist Squats x 12-15 reps
You might be dropping a dumbbell, but this one is half the weight and double the burn. Raise your heels up on a weight plate, block, or the heads of your other dumbbell. Keep your feet within six inches of each other, heels close together. Hold your dumbbell close to your chest. Squat down until your thighs pass parallel to the ground, (A) stand up explosively, stopping just short of locking your legs out to keep the tension on the quads (B). Repeat. Push through the burn on this one, it’s worth it (we promise).
4. Laying (or Hanging) Leg Raises x 15-20 reps
Lay flat on your back with your heels just off of the ground, your dumbbells behind your head, gripping them as an ‘anchor’ (A). Keeping your feet together, ‘curl’ at the stomach, lifting your legs towards the ceiling until your hips peel from the floor (B). Pause here for a second before slowly lowering. Once you start, try to keep your feet off of the ground throughout. If you have a bar to hang from, use it.
DAY THREE (W48/D3)
If you have a selection of weights, pick a pair that allows you to perform around 20 (total) renegade rows in your first set, but no more. Feel free to grab a lighter set and perform two-handed curls for the finale, just ensure you note this down.
1.Renegade Row x 12-20 reps (total)
Drop into a press-up position with your hands on your bells and midline tight (A). Shifting your weight onto your left hand, row the right dumbbell towards your hip (B). Pause briefly, then lower the weight under control. Repeat on your left side (each row equals one rep)
2. Bent-Over Row x 10-12 reps
100 renegade rows ticked off, stand tall with your dumbbells at your sides. Hinge forward until your torso is almost parallel to the ground and allow the dumbbells to hang just below your knees (A). Maintaining a flat back, row both dumbbells towards your hips (B), squeeze your shoulder blades down and back before slowly lowering your bells back to the start position. Repeat.
3. Dumbbell Hang Cleans x 8-10 reps
Stand up and hold your dumbbells at your side. Hinge at the hips to lower them to your knees (A). Stand back up explosively with a slight jump, coming right up onto your toes and using the momentum to pull the dumbbells on to your shoulders (B). Stand up straight, then lower under control to your sides and repeat.
4. Single Dumbbell Bicep Curl x 15-20
Still standing tall, drop one of your ‘bells. Grip the remaining bell with both hands, holding the outer ‘heads’ and palms facing each other (A). With minimal momentum, curl the dumbbell upwards until it’s beneath your chin (B). Squeeze here and lower the weight under control, fighting it all of the way. Keep repping out, squeezing those biceps as hard as possible until you can’t eek out another rep.
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