Honestly speaking, You don’t need a ton of weight to make a living room workout worthwhile. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and some bands and you’re completely ready to go. Check this amazing article out.
Sometimes, there’s just no way for you to make it to the gym—but that shouldn’t mean that you should skip out on getting a good workout in at home. That’s a simple fact that has become abundantly clear to even the most unimaginative exerciser during the coronavirus pandemic when most fitness facilities across the country closed their doors.
If you’re lucky (or you’re an iron-pumping international superstar), you might have a garage full of racks, weights, and machines to keep your fitness routine strong at home. But not everyone has the square footage or the cash for their own personal sweat space, so you might have to get creative.
If you don’t feel like running on the roads around your neighborhood and you’re sick of pushups and bodyweight squats, invest in a set of dumbbells (if and when they’re available, that is). An adjustable pair like any of these options can be incredibly versatile and take up about as much space as a small box in a corner.
Check out these workouts that use dumbbells—and household items you can grip just like dumbbells, like water jugs, backpacks, and more—can help you to get in better shape.
Iso-to-Reps Biceps Mayhem
This routine shows how versatile dumbbells can be, even when they’re outside of the classic gym environment. Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. uses isometric holds to build up the time under tension—a go-to technique for building muscle—then pumps up your arms even more by packing in extra reps with a drop set scheme.
- Start standing, holding either dumbbells or water jugs wrapped in your towels at your sides.
- Curl up until your forearms are parallel with the ground, focusing on rotating your palms so they face the ceiling. Hold for 8 seconds.
- Do 8 biceps curl reps, continuing to focus hard on rotating your palms so they face the ceiling.
- Let your palms face each other. Curl up until your forearms are parallel to the ground. Pause and hold for 8 seconds.
- Do 8 hammer curl reps.
- That’s 1 set. Rest 45 seconds. Do 3 sets.
Home Arm Pump Workout
Another routine from Samuel, this workout uses a couch and dumbbells (or a load you have handy) to blow up your arms. Give the full routine a try and you’ll be flexing in no time.
Warmup
Child’s Pose w/ Thoracic Rotation – 1 set each side, 30 seconds on, 30 off
Bear Crawl Y-T-Is – 1 set per side, 30 seconds per side
Workout
Superset 1 – 4 sets
Elevated Bodyweight Skullcrusher – 30 seconds
Halfway Pause Biceps Curl – 30 seconds
Rest 15 seconds (or rest 45 seconds if you don’t have load for biceps curls)
Superset 2 – 3 sets
Halfway Pause Elevated Bodyweight Skullcrusher – 30 seconds
Half-Full Hammer Curl – 30 seconds
Rest 15 seconds (or a full 45 seconds if you don’t have load)
Superset 3 – 2 sets
Double-Explode Close-Grip Pushups – 30 seconds
Mixed-Style ISO-to-Reps Curl – 5-second biceps curl halfway hold, then 5 biceps curls, then 5-second hammer curl halfway hold, then 5 hammer reps
10-Pound Dumbbell Workouts
There is one drawback to the workouts above, though: Adjustable dumbbell sets aren’t cheap, and they can be hard to find. Likewise, you might not have any gear on hand that you can grip like a dumbbell that weighs any more than 10 or 15 pounds. That’s just fine. There’s no weight requirement for a good dumbbell routine, so a quality pair of 10-pounders can handle the task—if you’re up to put the work in, that is.
Check out this video to see just how many moves you can do with nothing but a pair of 10s (or again, water bottles, cans, etc.), some open space, and creativity.
If you’re not up to creating your own circuits, start with these three — built from the moves demonstrated above — to begin.
The Shadowboxer Circuit
Perform each move for 10 reps without pausing. Rest for 2 minutes after completing all five. Repeat 4 times for 5 total rounds.
Jumping Jack
Jab
Left punch, right punch is 1 rep.
Hook
Left punch, right punch is 1 rep.
Uppercut
Left punch, right punch is 1 rep.
Jack Curl
The Lumberjack Circuit
Perform each move for 10 reps without pausing. Rest for 2 minutes after completing all five. Repeat 4 times for 5 total rounds.
Diagonal chop
Chop left, chop right is 1 rep.
Upward chop
Chop left, chop right is 1 rep.
Rotational chop
Chop left, chop right is 1 rep.
Downward chop
Chop left, chop right is 1 rep.
Low Rotational chop
Chop left, chop right is 1 rep.
The Power Thrasher Circuit
Perform each move for 10 reps without pausing. Rest for 2 minutes after completing all five. Repeat 4 times for 5 total rounds.
Vertical Jump
Single-Leg Power Jump
Left leg jump, right leg jump is 1 rep
Split Squat Jump
Left leg jump, right leg jump is 1 rep
Twisting Skater Jump
Left leg jump, right leg jump is 1 rep
Bound to Backward Jump
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