You'll Transform Your Body And Crush Your Goals With This 12-Week Dumbbell Strength Plan
You’ve been hitting the weights hard, knocking out biceps curls and lunges—but you’re not seeing the results you want. It’s a common problem, and one that often requires shelling out money for a personal trainer to address. That’s why Women’s Health created The Woman’s Guide to Strength Training: Dumbbells, a free perk when you sign up for our WH+ Premium All Access Membership. This book will guide you through a 12-week dumbbell strength-training plan designed to help you get the results you’re looking for. It’s basically like having a personal trainer in your back pocket for every workout—and for a fraction of the cost.
Here’s what you’ll get in the book:
A 12-week dumbbell strength-training program for all levels
Strategies for how to tailor your routine to fit your goals
An easy guide for figuring out how much weight to lift to maximize your gains
Expert-backed advice on how to tap into the mind-muscle connection to make every rep more efficient
Bonus: Your Women's Health + Premium All-Access subscription unlocks our full library of exclusive challenges and guides, 450+ streaming workouts, unlimited access to WomensHealthMag.com, and a subscription to the print magazine.
Why devote yourself to a dumbbell-exclusive workout program? Well, dumbbells can do everything a room of fancy gym equipment can do—and more. “Unlike weight machines, which often focus on a single muscle, dumbbells allow you to move in a wider range of motion while isolating a single muscle or incorporating movements that simultaneously work various body parts,” says program creator Nellie Barnett, CPT, in the book.
And while all resistance training strengthens your stabilizer muscles, which keep you steady and lower your risk of injury, dumbbell exercises take it a step further. “They require your body to counter the weight you’re holding, especially when performing single arm or single leg movements,” Barnett says in the book. This functional training will make everything you do on your feet easier—from walking up the stairs to putting dishes away.
Ready to become your strongest self, inside and out? Here’s what to expect in The Woman’s Guide to Strength Training: Dumbbells, including the 12-week strength-training plan, and why this program really works.
Become a Women's Health+ Premium All Access member today to get free access to The Woman's Guide to Strength Training: Dumbbells and unlock our full library of WH Challenges and Guides.
Meet your trainer:
Nellie Barnett, CPT, is a glute specialist and the founder of Nellbells Fitness. An alum of theWomen’s Health Strength in Diversity class of 2023, she discovered her passion for fitness when strength training transformed her own life, both mentally and physically. As a trainer, she specializes in strength training to help women build muscle, move with ease, and take control of their life to thrive.
Your 12-Week Dumbbell Strength-Training Plan
This plan—designed for all fitness levels—features three different stages lasting four weeks each, as well as an optional two-week prep stage at the beginning. You’ll work out three to four times a week, with each strength-training session lasting about 30 to 45 minutes. All you need is three pairs of dumbbells (keep reading to figure out the right weight for you) and a yoga mat.
The book also includes suggestions for how to spend rest days and active recovery days. These recommendations will help you get the most out of this program—even when you’re not working out!
Here’s what to expect in each stage:
Weeks 1 and 2
Prep Stage: Proper Form
This stage is optional, but encouraged for those who don’t work out regularly. You’ll learn how to execute just two moves a day, so you can focus on mastering proper form. During week 1, you’ll use only your body weight to perform each move, and in week 2, you’ll use light dumbbells.
Schedule: Five strength-training days of two moves each
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Weeks 1 to 4
Stage 1: Mind-Muscle Connection
Engaging the right muscles is the first step to getting the results you want, decreasing your risk of injuries, and helping prevent muscle imbalances. That’s why this phase will train you to actively think about the muscles you’re using during each move—honing that mind-muscle connection. By the end of these four weeks, you’ll be fully locked in to each exercise, gearing you up to increase your intensity.
Schedule: Three strength-training days, one active recovery day, and three rest days
Weeks 5 to 8
Stage 2: Leveling Up
Now that you’re comfortable with each exercise, you can up the intensity with progressive overload. This is when you gradually increase the difficulty level to stimulate muscle growth—through more reps, more weight, greater frequency of workouts, and greater number of exercises. Hello, gains!
Schedule: Four strength-training days, one active recovery day, and two rest days
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Weeks 9 to 12
Stage 3: Bring the Heat
Turn up the intensity even more in this final stage with advanced techniques and heavier weights for optimal muscle growth and definition. You’re almost there!
Schedule: Four strength-training days, one active recovery day, and two rest days
Why This Program Works
It’s accessible. Dumbbells are inexpensive, and each session is under one hour.
The workout is approachable for any fitness level since it’s broken down into three distinct phases, which will make it feel more manageable and establish checkpoints for you to celebrate how far you’ve come.
It takes the guesswork out of creating a balanced exercise routine, with workouts, active recovery days, and rest days built in.
Since each of the three stages lasts four weeks, you’ll have enough time to get comfortable with each movement before ramping up the difficulty.
It’ll improve your strength and muscle tone with progressive overload, where you gradually increase the intensity of the workout.
It can help with injury prevention through strengthening your muscles and improving your balance.
Ready to try a strength training program that actually works? Join WH+ Premium All Access now to access 12 weeks of effective workouts.
Dumbbell Training FAQs
What size dumbbells do I need?
Start with a weight that feels manageable, meaning you can complete your reps with good form and feel challenged toward the end of each set. The last three reps of your set should be difficult, but you should still be able to maintain proper form—whether you’re doing 20 reps with light weight, 12 with medium weight, or 6 with heavy weight. For example, if you’re performing 10 reps and you’re already having trouble by the third (and/or you have sloppy form), decrease your weight. You can always increase it as you become stronger over time.
How long will it take to see results?
You’ll likely see improvements in muscle tone within 8 to 12 weeks of starting this plan. You’ll specifically see results once you’ve completed the program, because it’s designed with progressive overload in mind, which builds muscle, Barnett says. However, the more consistent you are with this program, the better your results are likely to be.
How should I eat while strength training?
Aim to eat colorful meals consisting of veggies, fruits, complex carbohydrates, and protein—specifically, try to consume at least 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, or 0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight, as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine. While you’ll probably have to tailor your intake to fit your own needs and goals, a general benchmark of 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal will help you stimulate muscle growth for those gains.
Well, what are you weight-ing for? Become a Women Health+ Premium All Access member to receive your free hard copy of The Woman’s Guide to Strength Training Dumbbells in the mail.
Photography by Eli Schmidt. Styling by Rose Lauture. Hair and Makeup by Paige Achkov.
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