Build muscle and strength with this quick, but effective, three day full body dumbbell training program.

 

We all want to make build muscle, increase strength, and lose unwanted body fat. However, not all of us have the time to train five or six days a week, spending 90+ minutes at the gym each session.

Does that mean you’ll never be able to achieve the lean, muscular physique you’ve always wanted?

 

HELL NO!

 

You can make dramatic changes to your body composition, build muscle, and enhance strength, power, and performance in only three workouts a week. Best of all, you’ll be able to make these kinds of epic gains using nothing but a pair of dumbbells.

 

How is this possible?

 

By using a full-body training program.

 

What is a Full Body Workout?

 

A full-body workout is one that trains each of the major muscle groups of your body in one workout.

 

Rather than training one or two muscle groups (i.e. chest and triceps, back and biceps, etc.), you train all the major movers in one total body training session. So, within a single training session, you’ll perform a variety of movements that train the chest, back, shoulders, legs, biceps, and triceps. To make sure you get the most bang for your buck, you’ll be using mostly compound exercises, like the squat, bench press, dumbbell row, and overhead press.

 

Two other reasons why you’re going to love full-body workouts is that they are incredibly simple to program and follow, and full-body workouts don’t require a massive time commitment on your part. Most full-body workouts are finished in under an hour and only require you to train three non-consecutive days per week.

 

Basically, full-body workouts are ideal for the busy person who wants results but don’t want to get mired down in the minutiae of figuring out the “best” training split or wasting hours performing 10 different variations of curls on arm day.

 

Full-body workouts get you in and out of the gym, and on with the rest of your day.

 

 

Benefits of Full Body Dumbbell Workouts

Less Soreness

If you’ve ever trained using the traditional bro split (if you’re like most lifters, you probably have), you’ve no doubt experienced the debilitating soreness that accompanies each muscle group the day after training said muscle group.

 

Bro splits revolve around training one (maybe two) muscle groups per day and hammering them into submission with a lot of volume. While this method definitely has worked to

 

Wouldn’t it be great if you could achieve the same results, but without as much soreness?

 

You can, when using full body workouts.

 

Full-body workouts reduce daily training volume in favor of higher frequency. So, instead of hitting your chest or legs with 20 working sets in a single workout, those working sets are spread over three days worth of training.

 

Seeing as volume is the primary driver behind muscle hypertrophy, so long as you get in enough total weekly volume you will get bigger and stronger. Frequency plays a secondary role to volume, but by spreading the volume out over the whole week, you still make gains but miss out on a lot of the misery associated with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

 

Greater Recovery

Building on the first point, another advantage to full body workouts is the increased muscular recovery rates. One of the main reasons why some people fail to make gains in size and strength with their current workout program is due to the fact that their body never adequately recovers from one workout to the next. Your ability to progress is directly tied to your ability to recover and repair muscle tissue from one workout to the next.

 

Full body dumbbell workouts are perfect for the individual with less than stellar recovery abilities. Each muscle group is worked just hard enough to get the desired training effect without damaging it so much that it takes you 6 or 7 days to fully recover and be fit to train again.

 

There’s also no back-to-back training days when using a full body dumbbell workout program. You get at least one day off in-between each full body workout, and when combined with reduced daily volume for each muscle group, it allows for better recovery, and ultimately greater growth and performance.

 

Great for Home Gyms

One of the reasons people can’t make it to the gym regularly is that they simply don’t have the time available to drive to the gym, change, workout, stretch, shower, change, and then drive home. Add all of that up, and it can waste close to 2 hours of your day. And, that’s not including those times when you get tied up chatting with other gym members at the front desk.

 

Full body dumbbell workouts don’t require a fancy gym or expensive machines or even a full stack of weight plates. All you need is some heavy dumbbells. This can either be in the form of adjustable dumbbells (i.e. PowerBlocks, Bowflex Select Techs, etc.) or a fully loaded rack of dumbbells.

 

That’s it.

 

As such, full body dumbbell workouts are ideal for home gyms, which also eliminates the excuses of not having time to drive to the gym. So, not only are you saving time and money by not going to the gym, you also eliminate the excuse of not having time to train. Everything you need to get results is right in your very own home.

 

And don’t think just because you don’t have access to a squat rack, smith machine, or cable station that you can’t get in an effective workout.

 

You can still perform squats, lunges, chest presses, rows, overhead presses, curls, and tricep extensions using dumbbells. As an added bonus, you’ll also benefit from training each limb independently and correct and imbalances from one side of your body to the other.

Increased Schedule Flexibility

If you’re the kind of person who has more things to do in a day than time to do them, chances are you end up missing workouts. If you’re following an upper/lower split or traditional bro split, missing a workout here or there can really wreak havoc on your progress.

 

The next time you train you have to decide whether you’ll perform the workout you missed or just move onto what’s next in your training program. Over time, this can lead to some rather serious muscle imbalances.

 

However, with full body dumbbell workouts, if you miss one day, it’s not that big of a deal, because of the very next training session, you’ll be working all of your major muscles groups. And, since you’re only training three days per week, you can miss one day and then still have time the rest of the week to get in all of your training sessions. This is yet another reason why full body workouts are an ideal training option for those who have busy or irregular schedules.

Periodization

Every training program can work, but every program isn’t right for everyone and not every can work forever. Even when following the “best” training program, you will plateau.

 

If you’ve been following the traditional bro split or upper/lower split for several months now, but haven’t really been seeing progress like you initially did. You might have hit a sticking point or plateau.

 

When you hit these stalls, changing up your training program can do a world of good for body and mind. Undertaking a new training schedule helps freshen up your fitness routine that may have been stale and complacent. Additionally, by switching to full body workouts, you’re giving your muscles a new stimulus with which they must adapt.

 

 

 

Great for Dieting & Fat Loss

When you’re actively cutting (trying to lose body fat), you’re consuming fewer calories than your body needs. This can put a serious kink in your body’s ability to recover from training. Yet, you know that in order to preserve lean muscle mass while dieting, you have to eat a high protein diet and continue resistance training -- so skipping your workouts isn’t really an option.

 

Full body dumbbell workouts are ideal for fat loss phases as they have you training all of your muscles multiple times per week, but don’t tax them so hard on any given day that recovery is hindered.

 

Focus on the Essentials

When training using full body workouts, you only have time to focus on those lifts that really matter. There’s no time to waste doing the latest gimmick you see on social media. Full body workouts utilize the basic bread-and-butter lifts that have been proven time and time again to build muscle and strength. Each workout you will perform will consist of heavy compound lifts to stimulate the maximum amount of muscle in the least amount of time.

 

Total Body Dumbbell Training Overview

This full body dumbbell only workout focuses on using compound lifts to maximize muscle overload while minimizing time commitment and equipment needs. You can perform this workout at home, on the road, or at your favorite gym.

 

Here are some important tips for maximizing progress:

 

1. Make every set count
   For every set of every exercise, push for as many quality repetitions as possibly. End your set when you feel like you might fail on the next rep or unable to complete that repetition with complete control of the weight.
   
   

2. Progression
   Every workout, you should be pushing to complete more reps or use more weight than you did the previous time performing that workout. When you hit the top end of the rep range on your first set of an exercise, add weight. For example, if an exercise calls for 8-10 reps for 3 sets, and you can perform 10 reps on your first set, increase the weight used the next time you perform this exercise.
   
   

3. Avoid Failure
   Do NOT train to failure. Train to the point at which you cannot complete another full repetition with good form.
   
   

4. Monitor Rest Periods
   Part of progression entails tracking your rest periods. As such, make sure to track your rest periods during your full-body dumbbell workouts. The rest time in between sets for each workout in this program should be 60 seconds.
   
   

5. Diet Dictates Results
   If you are looking to build muscle and add size, you MUST eat in a caloric surplus. If you want to lose body fat, you must eat at a deficit. Resistance training provides the stimulus for your muscles, but it’s what you put in your mouth on a daily basis that will dictate what happens with your weight.
   
   If you need help figuring out your caloric requirements, click here to read more about calculating your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).

 

30 Minute Total Body Dumbbell Training Program

 

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Supplements for Full Body Dumbbell Workouts

Nutrition, training, and sleep are the major factors that influence what kind of results you get from your fitness. However, we all have shortcomings, whether it be in our diet, or our ability to really push ourselves in the gym.

 

That’s where supplements come in. Supplements help “fill in the gaps” and address those shortcomings, allowing you to push harder in your workouts, recovery faster, and hit your nutrition goals.

 

When performing full body dumbbell workouts, here are a handful of options to aid your quest for gains:

 

Mega Pre Black

To get your mind and muscles energized and prepared for the tough workouts ahead, it helps to have the proper training fuel in your system. There’s no better way to get prepared for your workouts than Mega Pre Black.

 

Mega Pre Black is a high energy, high performance pre workout that will have you ready to tackle the most daunting full body dumbbell workouts. Take one scoop of Mega Pre Black about 30 minutes prior to training and get ready for a pre workout experience like no other.

 

Intracell 7 Black

Training all of your major muscle groups in a single workout requires a lot of energy, stamina, and determination. This is part of what makes full body workouts so tough. If you’re not fueled up properly, there’s no way your muscles will be able to sustain a high level of performance from start to finish.

 

Intracell 7 Black is the ultimate intra workout training fuel, scientifically formulated to help you perform at a high level throughout your entire workout. Intracell 7 includes 20g of fast-digesting, high performance carbohydrates alongside essential amino acids, hydration agents, and nitric oxide boosters. The result is a intra workout supplement that delivers what your body needs when it needs it most.

ISOLIT

Protein is essential to muscle growth and recovery. Whether you’re looking to build muscle or lose fat, protein should be at the top of your list.

 

ISOLIT is a high quality whey protein isolate that delivers 25 grams of pure whey protein in each serving. ISOLIT can be used anytime of day to hit your protein requirements and serves as a great post workout shake. It mixes up effortlessly and tastes phenomenal.

 

If you’re looking for the best tasting whey protein on the market, this is it!

 

EAA Sleep

Sleep is critical to optimal recovery and growth, yet so many of us struggle to get a quality night’s sleep, whether it be due to stress, an overactive mind, or just watching too much TV late at night.

 

EAA Sleep is your daily nighttime sleep and recovery aid that quiets a troubled mind and gently lulls your body to sleep. Also included in EAA Sleep is a full complement of essential amino acids to support muscle repair and growth while you sleep.

References

1. Crewther B, Heke T, Keogh J. The effects of two equal-volume training protocols upon strength, body composition and salivary hormones in male rugby union players. Biology of Sport. 2016;33(2):111-116. doi:10.5604/20831862.1196511.