The Best Home Dumbbell Workouts

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.

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. Not everyone has the square footage or the cash for their own personal sweat space, however, 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 for your home. An adjustable pair like these from Bowflex can be incredibly versatile and take up about as much space as a small box in a corner.

There is one drawback, though: Adjustable dumbbell sets aren’t cheap. If your home-based lifts have a budget, you’re probably not going to spring for anything with a price tag pushing triple digits.

That’s just fine. There’s no weight requirement for a good dumbbell routine, so a quality pair of 10-pounders like these from Amazon 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, 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