It's nice to have access to a load of different weights, but one dumbbell is all you really need to strengthen your entire body, as long as you have a good workout to do with it.
This six-move workout from fitness trainer Kat Boley is definitely one such workout. Using one dumbbell, it works all the major muscle groups in the body in just 20 minutes, and along with building strength, it will also boost your cardio fitness thanks to the fast pace.
Boley suggests using a fairly heavy dumbbell for the workout, since you’ll be wielding it in both hands. She’s using a 25lb weight, but pick whatever suits your fitness level — if you have one of the best adjustable dumbbells, you change the weight as and when required during the workout.
Other than your dumbbell, you don’t need any kit for the workout, though using a yoga mat will be worthwhile if you’re on slippery floors.
Watch Kat Boley’s 6-move dumbbell workout
Boley demonstrates all six moves in the workout in her Instagram post, so it’s worth watching each video to get an idea of the form for each exercise.
You do three rounds of the six moves in total, resting briefly between each exercise and taking a longer one-minute break between rounds.
Perform eight to 10 reps of each move — when alternating sides for an exercise, that means doing eight to 10 reps in total, so half that on each side.
Here are the six moves you’ll be doing in the workout:
- Plank walkout to dumbbell row
- Split squat thruster
- Push-up to plank drag
- Curtsey lunge with biceps curl
- Dumbbell deadlift and jump
- Calf raise thruster
One thing I always like about Boley’s workouts is that she uses combination exercises to target multiple muscle groups in both the upper and lower body in the same movement.
So you do squat thrusters, rather than just squats, or lunges with biceps curls. This means that short workouts can be more effective in the range of muscles worked.
If you keep the pace high during this session, you’ll raise your heart rate throughout, improving your cardio fitness and burning a lot of calories. You can treat it as a HIIT workout, or you can go slow and take longer breaks to make it more of a pure strength session.
If you want a core-focused workout, this 15-minute session also requires only one dumbbell, while this 20-minute supersets workout is another great full-body session that just uses one weight.
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