Help an absolute beginner out - Dumbbell workouts/routines?

Brigante37

I'm very new to fitness as a whole. I want to start weight training - with an aim of improving strength, eventually being toned and firm with some muscle. I'm not expecting/aiming to be super ripped.

I have a set of adjustable dumbbells and some protein shake has just arrived. I already run about 10k spread over just 2 days per week. I'm eating well, getting my vitamins and have a high protein intake. Bearing all of this in mind (sorry, I've wrote as much as I thought might be relevant - I'm new to all of this!), could anybody take the time to suggest some exercises I can do at home with my dumbbells? Or a beginner's routine/circuit based on your own experiences?

Any help/tips/replies would be a massive help, cheers

rainbowbow

I think you could try something like the "30-day shred" by jillian michaels, "you are your own gym" by mark lauren, and there are surely countless plans on bb.com.

As far as specific exercises, how heavy are your actual dumbbells?

lishie_rebooted

Nerd fitness beginner bodyweight routine, made more difficult with your dumbbells

Brigante37

rainbowbow wrote: »

I think you could try something like the "30-day shred" by jillian michaels, "you are your own gym" by mark lauren, and there are surely countless plans on bb.com.

As far as specific exercises, how heavy are your actual dumbbells?

Thanks, I'll check those out! My dumbbells are at 10kg each, which I can exercise with comfortably - but can go to 14kg.

lishie_rebooted wrote: »

Nerd fitness beginner bodyweight routine, made more difficult with your dumbbells

Thanks, I'll have a look now.

LaurenAOK

Here is my current lifting routine, which is all with dumbbells (minus two exercises I do with machines at the gym). It's an upper/lower split. I only lift two days a week right now and I run four days a week because I'm training for a marathon, so I keep my lifting pretty light. It might be a good option for a beginner though!

Upper body:
Incline dumbbell chest press (3 sets of 12 reps)
Overhead dumbbell triceps extension (3 sets of 12 reps)
Bent over dumbbell row (3 sets of 12 reps)
Dumbbell bicep curl (3 sets of 12 reps)
Seated dumbbell shoulder press (3 sets of 12 reps)
Push-ups (3 sets of 10 reps)
Reverse crunches (3 sets of 15 reps)

Lower body:
Dumbbell rear lunges (3 sets of 12 reps)
Dumbbell goblet squat (3 sets of 12 reps)
Dumbbell deadlift (3 sets of 12 reps)
Standing dumbbell calf raise (3 sets of 16 reps)
Glute kickback (4 sets of 25 reps)
Plank (1 set as long as I can hold it)

I also second the notion of the 30 day shred or a similar workout DVD! Good luck and have fun finding out what you like!

anachronicles

When I first started lifting I did the 30 Day Shred. I think this is a really great place to begin because Jillian explains proper form and the workouts progress over time. I saw an increase in my endurance in the first week and definitely felt stronger and more confident using weights by the end of the program. The only negative review I have of 30 Day Shred is that the workouts can get a little monotonous because it's the same thing everyday for while, but otherwise it's a great program.

I also recommend the videos on Fitness Blender because they also explain form well and provide alternate exercises so that you can tailor each workout to your own level of experience/desired intensity.

gracielynn1011

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html

Try this one. I used it for several months last year and enjoyed it and made great progress. I only changed it up because I was able to purchase more equipment and expand.

Brigante37

Cheers for all the replies - plenty to look in to now/bookmark and not just blindly searching for stuff on Google!
Seems to be a strong consensus that '30 Day Shred' would be good to start with - I'll read in to it and try to see/read some results from a male perspective.

Thanks again for all your help