You don’t need to be a push-up pro to build upper body strength and muscle. There are plenty of other great exercises to target your upper body, and this dumbbell workout features six moves to help you do just that.
The workout focuses on the chest and triceps, using exercises that challenge these muscle groups to stimulate growth while enhancing your overall upper body strength and physique.
All you need is a pair of standard dumbbells or, for added versatility, a set of the best adjustable dumbbells, which allow you to increase the weight as you progress and incorporate progressive overload into your training.
Fitness trainer Stacey Roberts demonstrates each exercise in detail to help you master proper form. Roberts' workout is designed for use at home and includes clever adaptations, like using pillows or a couch instead of a gym bench, so you can train just as hard at home as you would at the gym
Watch Stacey Roberts' 6-move dumbbell workout
You will complete 10-12 reps of each exercise and perform three sets of the entire routine. Focus on perfecting your form and keeping the movements slow and controlled. Pausing at the most challenging part of each exercise adds time under tension which can help stimulate muscle growth.
Be sure to take breaks between exercises to let your muscles recover. During these rest periods, watch Roberts’ demonstration of the next move to prepare, or take a moment to hydrate with water or electrolytes from your water bottle.
To make the routine home-friendly, Roberts substitutes a bench with the floor. This adjustment also makes it beginner-friendly. For example, performing chest flys and skull crushers on the ground instead of a bench reduces the range of motion and provides more control, helping to prevent injury. Just be sure to roll out one of the best yoga mats to make things more comfortable.
For the narrow press and chest press, she uses stacked cushions to mimic the height of a bench when it has been raised at an angle for certain moves. Meanwhile, for the final two exercises, elevated push-ups and tricep dips, Roberts uses a bench, but you can easily substitute this with a couch.
If you like this routine but fancy switching things up from the ground and trying an all-standing strength session instead, check out this 15-minute standing dumbbell workout for the upper body.
More from Tom's Guide
- I tried the 4-7-8 breathing technique every day for 2 weeks — here’s what happened to my mind and body
- Forget the gym — you just need 15 minutes and 1 kettlebell to build a stronger core with this standing ab workout
- No Reformer? This 10-move Pilates abs workout uses just a foam roller to sculpt a stronger core at home
