Workouts that require minimal equipment are often overlooked, but they can be just as effective, if not more, for building strength, muscle, and overall fitness. You don’t need a gym full of kettlebells, resistance bands, dumbbells, or bulky machines to achieve impressive results. This routine proves that point by utilizing just two dumbbells, all in a quick 17-minute session.
Build Muscle Power
For serious muscle growth and increased strength, consistency is key. Progressive overload—gradually increasing your training volume—is essential to prevent plateaus. This can be achieved by adding more reps, sets, or weight to each session. Over time, this will challenge your muscles to continue adapting and growing stronger.
This three-move workout easily fits into your existing training plan. To keep progressing, adjust the intensity by increasing the weight as you get stronger. Repeating the same routine with the same load won’t yield continued progress, so gradually increasing the weight is crucial if you’re making this dumbbell workout a regular part of your regimen.
Understanding the 3-Move Dumbbell Workout
For the best results, use a set of adjustable dumbbells, which allows you to adjust the load as necessary. If adjustable dumbbells aren’t available, medium-to-heavy hex dumbbells will also do the trick. Below, we break down each of the three exercises used in this routine:
1. Farmer’s Walk
The farmer’s walk is one of the most functional strength exercises you can do—essentially, it’s weighted walking. Hold a moderately heavy dumbbell in each hand and walk forward while maintaining an upright posture. Focus on keeping your spine tall, avoiding any excessive leaning or arching.
When carrying heavier weights, you may find shorter, quicker steps more effective. However, stride length is a personal preference. Throughout the movement, engage your shoulders by pulling them back and down, keep your chest lifted, and activate your core and glutes. This exercise challenges your grip and forearm strength while being easier on the hands compared to kettlebells due to the thinner handles.
The key is maintaining a strong posture without breaking stride or setting the weights down during the walk.
2. V-Sits
V-sits are a bodyweight core movement that targets your abdominals and hip flexors as your hands and feet come together to form a “V.” This exercise also works the obliques, back, quads, hamstrings, and shoulders, making it a full-body control movement.
To perform a V-sit, lie flat on your back with your arms and legs extended. Brace your core, then lift your arms and legs together into a seated position. At the top, aim to tap your hands and feet before lowering back down with control. If needed, bend your knees and draw them toward your chest. You can also alternate by lifting one arm and the opposite leg at a time.
3. Devil Press
The devil press is an intense full-body exercise that tests your strength, power, and endurance. Start by holding a dumbbell in each hand and dropping into a burpee, lowering your chest to the floor between the weights. Push back up, jump your feet just behind the dumbbells, and swing them slightly between your legs.
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From here, drive the dumbbells overhead in one powerful motion. Lower the weights with control and repeat. The movement requires significant core activation, but most of the power should come from your legs as you thrust the dumbbells upward. The devil press combines a burpee with a dumbbell snatch, rather than the traditional overhead press.
The Workout Structure
Begin with 2 reps each of the devil press and V-sit. Increase the reps by 2 each round, moving from 2 to 4 to 6 reps. Complete each set without resting between exercises.
When you need a break, perform a 100-meter farmer’s walk. Use this as a reset, then take a 10-20 second rest to shake out your arms before returning to the main exercises.
Restart from 2 reps or continue from where you left off—either option works. Maintain a steady pace throughout the workout, avoiding starting too aggressively. While the focus is on muscular endurance, your cardiovascular fitness will also be tested. Select an appropriate load to prevent early fatigue.
Can This Dumbbell Workout Build Muscle?
Traditional muscle-building programs often include 4 to 8 exercises, primarily focusing on compound lifts like squats or bench presses, supplemented with accessory movements. These routines typically use 6 to 12 reps per set across 3 to 4 sets. Over time, variables like exercises, weights, and reps are adjusted to keep challenging the muscles.
While this approach is effective, it’s not the only way to build muscle. Training styles like CrossFit, which combine lifting, gymnastics, and conditioning, can also lead to significant muscle development.
Muscle growth depends on consistent challenge, adequate stimulus, protein intake, and recovery. Movements like the devil press engage multiple major muscle groups across the upper body, lower body, and core, making them ideal for full-body strength and conditioning. Over time, this workout can lead to noticeable gains in strength, power, and endurance, in addition to muscle growth.
