Sometimes the less equipment you use in a workout, the better the results. Minimal equipment workouts require less set-up and faff throughout, and they allow you to pay full attention and time to each exercise. And, of course, it means you don't have to rely on a gym membership to get it done.
With this in mind, we've found the perfect upper-body workout that demonstrates how you can get a great strength-building session by using just a set of dumbbells. The workout comes from popular online trainer Kayla Itsines and uses five exercises to tone, sculpt and build muscle in the upper body muscles.
All you need to follow along is a pair of dumbbells that will challenge you, but make sure it's a weight you can confidently lift with good form for the full duration of the workout. If you're looking to do regular dumbbell strength sessions at home, we recommend investing in a pair of the best adjustable dumbbells which are space-efficient and make moving up or down weight mid-workout fuss-free.
What is the Kayla Itsines' Dumbbell Upper Body Routine?
We have listed the five exercises below and the number of repetitions Itsines recommends doing for each. Don't get too comfortable after completing round one because there are three rounds in total to sweat through.
Take your time, allow short rests in between each move and be sure to lean on Itsines' demonstrations (which you can catch below) to make sure your form feels strong and stable throughout the full workout.
- Alternating Shoulder Press: 20 reps (10 each side)
- Hammer Curl: 12 reps
- Side & Front Raise: 12 reps
- Overhead Tricep Extension: 12 reps
- Bent Over Row: 12 reps
- Repeat for three rounds
Anyone with a gym membership knows that visiting during peak hours can make it difficult to access the equipment you need. If you're new to the gym, it can also be intimidating to navigate the layout and learn how to use the various machines. However, one thing that's always readily available is dumbbells in the free weight section, and this upper body routine is designed to simplify your strength training sessions using just those.
If you're looking to target multiple muscles in your upper body, then you're in luck as this simple dumbbell circuit targets muscles in the shoulders, arms and back. With a mix of pushing and pulling exercises, you'll have the opportunity to improve your muscle strength and endurance all the while contributing to muscle growth and tone.
The workout also includes both compound movements and isolation exercises. If you've ever wondered if one is better in the isolation vs compound exercises debate, the main thing you should note is that each offers different benefits. Compound moves work more muscles at a time, building more muscle and burning more calories in a shorter amount of time. In this workout, the bent-over rows are a great example, which targets multiple muscles in the back and arms.
Meanwhile, isolation exercises allow you to isolate a specific muscle and can help correct muscle imbalances, improve your lifting form, or help strengthen a particualr area of the body after an injury. An example of an isolation exercise in this Itsines upper body routine is the hammer curl, which hones in on strengthening the biceps.
In short, this workout will help you build both strength and muscle across your upper body. If you want to take things up a notch in your training, you can gradually begin to increase the weight size and use the progressive overload technique to avoid hitting a plateau.
More from Tom's Guide
- This 5-minute calisthenics workout will strengthen your core in 4 moves
- This 3-move stretching routine will develop healthy shoulders and strengthen your upper body
- I tried this 20-minute lower-body workout to strengthen my legs and core
