This Three-Day Workout Plan Builds Full-Body Muscle in 30 Minutes
Welcome to the Men’s Health Dumbbell Club, your weekly plan for a fitter, stronger body, using just two dumbbells. With workouts lasting from 20-40 minutes, and designed to add lean muscle, build fitness and increase strength, your weekly dose of dumbbell goodness drops every Monday.
Click here to head back and check out previous weeks, or simply get stuck in to our latest offering — week 34 – and follow the programme from here.
New This Week…
As with previous weeks, we’ll be repeating the workouts we tackled in the first half of this series, aiming to beat our previously achieved rep ‘scores’ and promote progressive overload, resulting in gains in strength as well as muscle growth. The TL;DR on progressive overload? If you’re seeing improvements on the page, improvements in the mirror aren't be far behind.
If this is your first week in the club, still take careful notes of your reps and come back to this workout in a few weeks time to test your progress. Each movement has a suggested rep range. Depending on the weights you have available, try to work towards the higher end of the range, coming close to failure.
How to Perform Density Blocks
Each 10-minute density block consists of two back-to-back movements designed to compliment each other. Your goal is to perform as many rounds as possible (with perfect form). Suggested rep ranges are given, choose your weights accordingly if you have access to a selection of dumbbells. If not, begin each block by ensuring you have around 3-5 reps still left in the tank, but keep your rest to a minimum until it becomes increasingly difficult to hit your target reps. Eventually you may have to drop the reps, but keep moving, keep grinding way, resting just long enough to make a note of how many reps you achieve in each set, creating a total for each movement at the end of each block.
Rest for 3-4 minutes between blocks — changing weights if necessary — before attacking each new block following the above guidelines.
Day One (W34/D1)
Warm-up, grab your dumbbells, set a countdown timer for 10 minutes and get to work on your first block. Rest as necessary to keep your form on point, but push yourself hard. At the end of each round, make a note of how many reps you performed for each movement.
Rest for 3-4 minutes before moving into the next block.
1A. Alternating Hang Snatch
x 16-20 (total)
Hinge down and grab your dumbbell from the ground between your legs, keep your knees soft and back flat (A). Explosively drive up through your hips and knees, generating momentum to help pull the dumbbell directly overhead in one fluid movement (B). Once locked out overhead, lower the dumbbell to between your legs, switching hands on the way down and repeating with the other arm. Alternate back and forth in this fashion, each arm equals one rep. Aim for 16-20 total.
1B. Push Press
x 10-12
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 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.
2A. Tempo Press-Ups on Dumbbells
x 15-20
Drop your 'bells to the ground and assume a long-armed plank position. With your core tight and hands gripping your dumbbells (A), bend your elbows and slowly lower your chest to the floor over a strict count of three seconds (B). Keep your elbows close to your body and pause for one second, feeling the deep stretch through your chest as you push back up explosively. Break your set when you can no longer control your descent or explode back up.
2B. Renegade Row
x 20-24 (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).
3A. Hammer Curl
x 6-10
Go slightly heavier here if you have a selection of dumbbells. If your dumbbells are too heavy, drop the reps but keep your form sharp. Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides (A), with minimal momentum and keeping your upper arms tight to your body, curl both dumbbells upwards, making sure your palms facing each other throughout (B). Lower both 'bells and immediately repeat.
3B. Single ‘Bell Crush Curl
x 15-20
Stand upright leaving one of your ‘bells on the ground, grip the remaining 'bell with both hands, holding the outer ‘heads’ 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.
Day Two (W34/D2)
1A. Double dumbbell deadlift
x 12-18
With a pair of dumbbells on the floor just outside of your feet, hinge down with a flat back and soft knees to grip them (A). Squeeze your lats and stand upright, picture ‘pushing the ground away’ with your feet (B). Take a deep breath and reverse the movement to the ground. Squeeze your empty fist to create tension on the opposite side. Avoid excessive rounding of the lower back throughout.
1B. Split Squat Jump
x 20-30 (total)
Step one foot backward and sink into a deep lunge with your rear knee lightly touching the floor (A). Next, explode upward, jumping into the air and switching legs mid jump (B) to land in a lunge position with the opposite leg forward. Repeat the movement, alternating legs each rep. Keep this movement as fast paced as possible, focussing on maximising the height of each jump.
2A. Front Squat
x 10-15
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.
2B. Romanian Deadlift
x 10-15
Stand tall with your dumbbells at your sides, feet at shoulder width (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.
3A. Burpee over ‘Bells
x 15
No rep range here, just aim to perform exactly 15 reps, as quickly as possible, with good form. With both dumbbells on the floor next to you, step back and hit the deck into a press-up position. Lower your body until your chest touches the floor (A). Stand back up and jump powerfully over the dumbbells (B) – driving through your hips when you take off. Land and immediately drop to the floor and repeat. The dumbbells keep you accountable for the height of each jump.
3B. Goblet squat
x 15
Again, no rep range, just go for 15 and get stuck back into those burpees.
Stand tall holding a dumbbell close to your chest in the ‘goblet’ position (A), take a step forward with one leg, bending at the knee until the back knee gently touches the ground (B). Stand up explosively, pause and repeat with the opposite leg. Alternate legs unless otherwise other stated.
Day Three (W34/D3)
1A. Dumbbell Floor (or Bench) Press
x 10-12
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.
1B. Hang Cleans
x 10-12
Stand up and hold your dumbbells at your side. Hinge at the hips to lower them to your knees (A). Stand back up with a slight jump, using the momentum to pull the dumbbells on to your shoulders (B). Stand up straight, then lower under control to your sides and repeat.
2A. Tempo Press-Ups on Dumbbells
x 15-20
Drop your 'bells to the ground and assume a long-armed plank position. With your core tight and hands gripping your dumbbells (A), bend your elbows and slowly lower your chest to the floor over a strict count of three seconds (B). Keep your elbows close to your body and pause for one second, feeling the deep stretch through your chest as you push back up explosively. Break your set when you can no longer control your descent or explode back up.
2B. High Pull
x 10-12
Stand tall with your dumbbells at your waist, in front of your body. (A) Keeping your core tight, hinge forward slightly before explosively standing back upright and pulling the dumbbells up towards your chin, driving your elbows up and back (B). Slowly lower back down to your waist under complete control. Avoid simply dropping your dumbbells back to your waist to build more muscle and avoid injury. If your dumbbells feel light, avoid the help from your hips and simply stand tall and pull the weights up by driving your elbows to the back of the room.
3A. Bench/Box Dip
x 15+
Aim to max out on each set of these. Sit on the edge of a box or bench with your legs outstretched. With your hands next to your hips, support your weight with your arms as you shift off the edge of the box (A). Flex at the elbows to lower your body until you feel a stretch across your chest (B). Straighten your arms explosively to push back up. Elevate your feet and put your dumbbells in your lap to increase the difficulty.
3B. Laying (or Hanging) Leg Raises
x 15-20
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 to perform these, use it.
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