How to exercise your entire body with just one dumbbell

As a strength and conditioning coach, I can assure you that there are just as many exercises you can perform with one dumbbell as there are with two. In fact, with a single dumbbell, you can efficiently exercise your complete body in just 10 minutes.

I’ve included five exercises below that you may perform in order to develop stronger legs, hips, arms, shoulders, and core. Read the thorough explanations of each exercise to become comfortable with the signals and any necessary adjustments, then follow along with me as I walk you through each exercise in the video above.

Getting ready to work out

It’s crucial to choose a weight that will allow you to complete all the repetitions of the exercise with proper technique. That entails avoiding movements that make up for weak or fatigued muscles in the area you are attempting to train, such as swinging your back while performing a bicep curl while using the momentum of your back muscles to curl the weight up.

You want to stay away from compensations since they might result in harm! Watch this video to learn more about choosing the proper weight.

Be mindful to ease back into exercising whether you’re new to it or have taken a hiatus. For a safe and efficient route back to fitness that makes working out a pleasant aspect of your living, check out my series on how to rejuvenate your routine.

Applying the 5 exercises

Unless otherwise specified for exercises that don’t alternate sides, perform eight to ten repetitions of each exercise on each side of your body. Try to breathe in through your nose and out through either your mouth or nose during the exercise, whichever is more comfortable for you.

The most oxygen will be provided and your endurance will be improved when you breathe through your nose.

By viewing this video and reading this series on breathing better, you may learn more about efficient breathing strategies.

1. Goblet squat

Place your feet hip-width apart as you stand. Each hand should be cradling one end of the dumbbell as you hold it in your palms at chest height.

Step your feet slightly apart, opening your hips at a comfortable squatting angle.

As you kneel down to a position where your hips line just below your knees (if that isn’t possible, see the modification below), inhale and then hold the breath.

Breathe out as you push through your feet to stand up again.

Maintain a balanced weight distribution over your feet, legs, and hips.

How to change: Use a low chair or strong box as a basis to squat down and softly sit on with each repetition if deep squatting is challenging.

2. Balancing single-leg Romanian dead lift

While standing on your left leg, hold the dumbbell at your side with your right hand.

Extend your right leg behind you as you inhale and hold the breath as you hinge from your hips to bend over halfway, creating a long line with your chest and back leg that is parallel to the floor.

Exhale as you engage your hips and core to bring your body back to a standing posture by stabilizing with your standing leg.

On the other side, repeat.

How to change: Maintain a gentle bend in both legs if the back of your legs are too tight to straighten one or both of them. You may carry out these exercises without any weight while clutching a wall’s side to aid in balance.

3. Plank with alternating row

As you lift the dumbbell to produce a rowing motion with one arm, adopt a plank posture with your feet slightly wider than hip width apart to assist balance the weight and action.

With your right hand, hold the dumbbell firmly on the ground. Exhale as you raise the weight by bending your elbow and pulling it in a rowing action against your rib-cage.

Breathe in as you straighten your arm, putting the weight back on the floor with your hand still supporting it.

To prevent your low back from arching, stabilize through your core.

Before transferring to the left side, perform the repetitions on the right side again.

How to change: You should be on all fours and in a basic hands-and-knees stance for this exercise.

4. Lateral lunge with overhead press

In what is referred to as a “racked” position, stand with the dumbbell on your right hand, held up at shoulder height and lightly resting in your shoulder.

With your right leg straight and your left leg bent into a half squat, step your left leg out laterally to the left and place your left hand on your hip.

You push off your left leg, returning to a standing position with both feet still pointing straight ahead.

The dumbbell should then be raised above your head and placed back at your shoulder in the racked position.

Two breaths are needed for each repetition: one from standing, one held as you do the lateral lunge, and one released as you push yourself back to standing. As you lift the weight above while standing, take another breath.

Before moving the weight to the opposing hand and doing the lateral lunge on the opposite side, complete all of your repetitions on the same side.

How to change: If the overhead press is too strenuous, cut it back.

5. Seated twist and tap

Kneel down on the floor with your knees touching and your feet touching the floor as well.

Like with the goblet squat exercise, hold the weight at your chest with one end at each end.

As you exhale, swivel to the right and drop your arms to touch the weight on the side of your body to the floor.

Exhale, then inhale again and move to the left after returning to the center.

To assist stabilize your hips and core and ensure that you are rotating from your middle back rather than your low back, try to maintain your knees pushed together for the whole set of movements.

Instead of performing two sets of eight to ten repetitions on each side, you will perform one alternating set of 16 to 20 repetitions since you are alternating the exercise side to side.

How to modify: Place a folded towel or yoga block between your knees if it is too difficult to keep them together.

Conclusion

Use a double fist instead of a single fist if your single dumbbell is too heavy for this exercise at this time; you can tap it on the floor as you spin if it is.

One round of this sequence should take you between eight and twelve minutes, depending on how fit you are right now and how these movements feel. Never haste; always pay attention to form. Repeat this circuit two to three times every exercise, two to three times per week, for the optimum benefits.