AKHADA

15 Minute Dumbbell Workout

  • Intermediate
  • 4 or 2 days a week
  • About 15 min
  • Dumbbells

Updated

An older man doing a goblet squat with a dumbbell in his garage

About this routine

Two quick dumbbell days with three lifts each. The upper day is bench press, bent over row and seated shoulder press. The lower day is goblet squat, Romanian deadlift and step up.

For people with a pair of dumbbells, a bench or sturdy chair, and 15 minutes. Best once you know the basic moves. If you are brand new to weights, start with a beginner dumbbell routine and lighter weights.

The week

4 days a week

Upper and lower twice each. Every muscle trained twice a week.

  1. MUpper
  2. TLower
  3. WRest
  4. TUpper
  5. FLower
  6. SRest
  7. SRest

2 days a week

One upper and one lower day. On a busy week, the full body workout below twice also works.

  1. MUpper
  2. TRest
  3. WRest
  4. TLower
  5. FRest
  6. SRest
  7. SRest

The workouts

Before you start

If you have a medical condition or an injury, check with a doctor before starting a new exercise routine.

Stop any exercise that causes pain, dizziness, or strain somewhere you don't expect it.

3 exercisesAbout 15 minIntermediate

Warm-up, about 5 minSee moves
  • Spot jog45 seconds
  • Jumping jacks30 seconds
  • Arm circles10 each way
  • Shoulder circles10 reps
  • Cat-cow8 slow reps
  • Light practice set of Dumbbell Bench Press1 to 2 sets
  1. 1

    Dumbbell Bench Press

    3 × 8 to 12 repsChest

    How to do it
    1. Lie on your back on a flat bench, feet flat on the floor, a dumbbell in each hand by your chest.
    2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and keep them on the bench.
    3. Press the dumbbells up until your arms are almost straight.
    4. Lower them slowly back to the sides of your chest.
  2. 2

    Dumbbell Bent over Row

    3 × 8 to 12 repsMiddle back

    How to do it
    1. Put one knee and the same-side hand on a flat bench. Plant your other foot on the floor.
    2. Hold a dumbbell in your free hand, arm straight down. Keep your back flat, close to level with the floor.
    3. Tighten your stomach and pull the dumbbell up toward your hip, elbow close to your side.
    4. Lower it slowly until your arm is straight.
    5. Keep your back still. Do not twist to lift the weight. Do all reps, then switch sides.
  3. 3

    Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press

    3 × 8 to 12 repsShoulders

    How to do it
    1. Sit on a chair or bench with a backrest, feet flat on the floor.
    2. Hold the dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward.
    3. Tighten your stomach and press the dumbbells up until your arms are almost straight.
    4. Lower them slowly back to shoulder height.
    5. Keep your back against the backrest. Do not lean back to push the weight up.
Cool-down, about 3 minSee moves
  • Easy walk1 minute
  • Chest stretch30 seconds
  • Triceps stretch30 seconds each side
  • Child's pose30 seconds

3 exercisesAbout 15 minIntermediate

Warm-up, about 5 minSee moves
  • Spot jog45 seconds
  • Jumping jacks30 seconds
  • Hip circles8 each way
  • Leg swings10 each leg
  • Glute bridge10 reps
  • Light practice set of Dumbbell Goblet Squat1 to 2 sets
  1. 1

    Dumbbell Goblet Squat

    3 × 8 to 12 repsQuadriceps

    How to do it
    1. Hold one dumbbell upright against your chest, both hands under the top end.
    2. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and tighten your stomach.
    3. Sit your hips back and down until your thighs are level with the floor, or lower if your heels stay down and your chest stays up.
    4. Push the floor away to stand back up.
    5. Keep the dumbbell against your chest the whole time.
  2. 2

    Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

    3 × 8 to 12 repsHamstrings, Glutes

    How to do it
    1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
    2. Soften your knees and tighten your stomach.
    3. Push your hips back and let the dumbbells slide down your legs, keeping your back flat.
    4. Go down until you feel a stretch in the backs of your thighs, usually around knee height.
    5. Squeeze your bottom to stand back up. Stop if you feel it in your lower back.
  3. 3

    Dumbbell Step up

    3 × 8 to 12 repsQuadriceps, Glutes

    How to do it
    1. Stand facing a sturdy step, low bench or chair, a dumbbell in each hand by your sides.
    2. Put your whole foot on the step and push through it to stand up on top.
    3. Keep your chest up. Do not lean forward over your front knee.
    4. Step back down slowly with the other foot. Do all reps on one leg, then switch.
    5. Use a light weight. If you have to push off your back foot or your chest drops forward, go lighter.
Cool-down, about 3 minSee moves
  • Easy walk1 minute
  • Quad stretch30 seconds each leg
  • Hamstring stretch30 seconds each leg
  • Glute stretch30 seconds each side

Rest and progress

Rest between sets

  • Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Take the longer end on squats and Romanian deadlifts.
  • On the step up, do one leg then the other, and rest after both.

How to progress

  1. Pick dumbbells you can lift for the bottom of the rep range with one or two reps left in the tank.
  2. Add a rep each session. When every set reaches the top of the range, move up to the next pair of dumbbells.
  3. If the next pair is too big a jump, stay at the top of the range and slow the lowering to 3 seconds until it feels easy.

Swaps

No bench
Dumbbell Alternating Floor Press, lying on the floor. Sit on a sturdy chair for the shoulder press.
No box for step ups
The bottom step of a staircase works. Hold the rail with one hand if you need to.
Romanian deadlift tires your lower back
Go lighter and stop the dumbbells just below the knees.
Only one dumbbell
Goblet squat and one-arm rows work with one. Do the press one arm at a time.

One session instead of two: Quick Dumbbell Full Body

Four lifts for 2 sets each: goblet squat, bent over row, Romanian deadlift and floor press. No bench needed. Good when you can only train two or three times this week.

4 exercisesAbout 15 minIntermediate

Warm-up, about 5 minSee moves
  • Spot jog45 seconds
  • Jumping jacks30 seconds
  • Arm circles10 each way
  • Hip circles8 each way
  • Bodyweight squat10 reps
  • Light practice set of Dumbbell Goblet Squat1 to 2 sets
  1. 1

    Dumbbell Goblet Squat

    2 × 8 to 12 repsQuadriceps

    How to do it
    1. Hold one dumbbell upright against your chest, both hands under the top end.
    2. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and tighten your stomach.
    3. Sit your hips back and down until your thighs are level with the floor, or lower if your heels stay down and your chest stays up.
    4. Push the floor away to stand back up.
    5. Keep the dumbbell against your chest the whole time.
  2. 2

    Dumbbell Bent over Row

    2 × 8 to 12 repsMiddle back

    How to do it
    1. Put one knee and the same-side hand on a flat bench. Plant your other foot on the floor.
    2. Hold a dumbbell in your free hand, arm straight down. Keep your back flat, close to level with the floor.
    3. Tighten your stomach and pull the dumbbell up toward your hip, elbow close to your side.
    4. Lower it slowly until your arm is straight.
    5. Keep your back still. Do not twist to lift the weight. Do all reps, then switch sides.
  3. 3

    Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

    2 × 8 to 12 repsHamstrings, Glutes

    How to do it
    1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
    2. Soften your knees and tighten your stomach.
    3. Push your hips back and let the dumbbells slide down your legs, keeping your back flat.
    4. Go down until you feel a stretch in the backs of your thighs, usually around knee height.
    5. Squeeze your bottom to stand back up. Stop if you feel it in your lower back.
  4. 4

    Dumbbell Alternating Floor Press

    2 × 8 to 12 repsChest

    How to do it
    1. Lie on your back on the floor, knees bent, a dumbbell in each hand by your chest.
    2. Rest your upper arms on the floor, elbows angled slightly in toward your body.
    3. Press one dumbbell straight up, then lower it as you press the other.
    4. Lower until your upper arm touches the floor, then press again.
    5. Keep your back on the floor and move slowly.
Cool-down, about 3 minSee moves
  • Easy walk1 minute
  • Chest stretch30 seconds
  • Quad stretch30 seconds each leg
  • Child's pose30 seconds

Questions

Is a 15 minute dumbbell workout enough to build muscle?

It can be, if the sets are hard. Research finds muscle growth is similar with lighter and heavier loads when sets are taken close to failure. Four sessions a week trains every muscle twice.

How long does each workout take?

About 15 minutes including rest, after a 5 minute warm-up.

What weight dumbbells should I use?

Whatever lets you reach the bottom of the rep range with one or two reps left. Most people need a heavier pair for the lower day than the upper day.

Can I do this at home?

Yes. The floor press replaces the bench press, a chair works for the shoulder press, and the stairs work for step ups.

Should I do upper and lower or the full body workout?

Upper and lower if you can train four times a week. The full body workout if you can only train two or three times.

More routines

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Sources

The Akhada team picked these exercises from our catalog of 7,000+ demonstrated movements. A strength coach reviewed the step-by-step cues for every exercise in our starter routines, these included. The schedule and the progression follow the research below.

  1. Training each muscle twice a week builds more muscle than once a week. That is why the 4 day schedule comes first.

    Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 2016.

  2. Muscle growth was similar with light and heavy loads when sets were taken to failure. That is why a home pair of dumbbells goes a long way.

    Schoenfeld, Grgic, Ogborn and Krieger. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2017.

  3. Multi-joint lifts go before single-joint ones, and load goes up once you beat the target reps. That is the order and the progression rule here.

    American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults (position stand). Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2009.