30-Minute Full Body Dumbbell Workout

Who says you need to be in the gym to really push yourself? Max out your workout even when you’re pressed for time with this intense full-body dumbbell routine that’ll develop muscle and burn some serious body fat at the same time.

All you need is a pair of dumbbells, a mat and a spare 30 minutes. The workout begins with a five-minute mobility round followed by two longer-full body rounds, before ending on a finisher of four minutes. Each exercise involves 45 seconds of work and ends with 15 seconds’ rest.

Mobility:

Squat to Walkout:

Start standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart
Squat twice, and on the second squat place your hands on the floor and walk out
Walk out into a high-plank position and engage your core
Walk back into your feet and repeat the movement

Hand Release Press Ups:

Start in the press-up position, with your hands under your shoulders
Slowly drop to the floor and rest your chest
Release your hands briefly
Return your hands, push the floor away and repeat

Kneeling Row:

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and position yourself on all fours
Engage your core and keep the neck and spine inline
Pull one arm with the dumbbell in towards your chest
Slowly release back to the start, and repeat with the opposite arm

Squat Jump to Walkout:

Start standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart
Squat twice and on the second squat, place your hands on the floor and walk out
Walk out into a high-plank position and engage your core
Walk back into your feet and repeat the movement
The difference with this exercise is each squat is accompanied by a jump, making it a jump squat

Dumbbell Swings:

Hold a dumbbell in both hands
Just like a kettlebell swing, keep your back and neck in line and swing between your legs
Your chest will face the floor
Kick through the hips and glutes, swinging the dumbbell around chest height

Full Body Round One

Reverse Lunges:

Stand upright with dumbbells in each hand, feet together, and take a big lunge backward with your right leg, lowering your hips towards the floor
Bend both knees to 90-degree angles. The back knee should point towards but not touch the floor, and your front knee should be directly over the ankle
Power through this position and continue until standing again

Hammer Curls:

Hold the dumbbells with your palms facing into your body
Curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders, keeping your palms inwards
Return to the lower part of the move and repeat
Keep your elbows tucked in and still

Front Squats:

Hold the dumbbell upright close to your chest and stand with your feet about hip-width apart
Start to lower your body, bending at the knees
Go until you have reached full depth, then drive up through your heels
Squeeze your glutes when you reach the top

Neutral Shoulder Press:

Start with the dumbbells level with your shoulders
Keep your palms facing inwards in a neutral position for the wrists
Keeping the palms facing in, push the dumbbells overhead
Return to the start and repeat

Stiff Leg Deadlifts:

Place your feet hip-width apart and have a slight bend in your knees
Hold the dumbbells out in front of you with your palms facing you
Keep your spine straight and squeeze your shoulder blades together
Start to lower your body, hinging at the hip and keeping the dumbbells in contact with your legs
Keep going until you are in the middle of your shins
Keeping the spine neutral, drive up through the heels to full extension and squeeze the glutes

Bent-Over Row:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
Lean forward until your chest faces the floor
Keep your shoulders back, neck and spine in line
Keep your elbows tucked in
Pull the dumbbells in towards your midriff and squeeze the shoulder blades
Lower and repeat

Split Squats:

Start with your legs split, one in front of the other
You’re looking to replicate the top part of a lunge
Concentrating on one leg, drop your rear knee towards the floor
Return to the start of the move and repeat until the completed reps on one leg

Wide Bicep Curls:

Start in the same position as a bicep curl, instead keep your hands away from the body with your elbows tucked in
The difference here is the curl is starts away from the body, but the elbows are tucked in with the dumbbells coming up towards the mid-biceps area
Lower and repeat

Clean and Press:

Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart
Hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip
Clean the dumbbells by kicking to form the hips to the shoulders
Using your legs for some extra power, push the dumbbells overhead
Return to the shoulders before bringing back down to the start position

Full Body Round Two

Reverse Lunges:

Stand upright with the dumbbells in each hand, feet together, and take a big lunge backward with your right leg, lowering your hips toward the floor
Bend both knees to 90-degree angles. The back knee should point towards but not touch the floor, and your front knee should be directly over your ankle
Power through this position and continue until standing again

Front Squats:

Hold the dumbbell upright close to your chest and stand with your feet about hip-width apart
Start to lower your body, bending at the knees
Go until you have reached full depth then drive up through your heels
Squeeze your glutes when you reach the top

Hammer Curls:

Hold the dumbbells with your palms facing into your body
Curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders, keeping your palms inwards
Return to the lower part of the move and repeat
Keep your elbows tucked in and still

Arnold Press:

Hold a pair of weights in front of your shoulders, palms facing your body
The start position should look like the top portion of the dumbbell curl
In one fluid motion, raise the dumbbells and rotate the palms of your hand to face forwards
Keep lifting until your arms are extended straight above you
Pause and then reverse the move and repeat

Stiff Leg Deadlifts:

Place your feet hip-width apart and keep a slight bend in your knees
Hold the dumbbells out in front of you with your palms facing inwards
Keep your spine straight and squeeze your shoulder blades together
Start to lower your body, hinging at the hip and keeping the dumbbells in contact with your legs
Keep going until you are in the middle of your shins
Keeping your spine straight, drive up through the heels to full extension and squeeze the glutes

Split Squats:

Start with your legs split, one in front of the other
You’re looking to replicate the top part of a lunge
Concentrating on one leg, drop the rear knee towards the floor
Return to the start of the move and repeat the completed reps on one leg

Upright Rows:

Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at arm's length in front of your waist, palms facing toward inwards
Slowly lift the weight in front of your torso, keeping it close to your body, until your elbows reach shoulder height
Pause, then reverse the movement, lowering the weights back to the starting position

Crossbody Bicep Curls:

Hold the dumbbells with your palms facing into your body with a slight lean forward to allow space for the movement
Curl the dumbbells towards your opposite shoulder, across your body
Return to the lower part of the move and repeat
Keep your elbows tucked in and still

Close Squats:

Start with your feet close together but not touching
Hold the dumbbells by your sides
Slowly squat keeping your back straight and pressing your heels into the floor
Once your legs are parallel, push the floor away and stand tall
Repeat

Pop Squats:

Start with the same foot position as the close squat
Jump and widen your feet slightly wider than shoulders and as you do, touch the floor with your fingertips
Push back up and jump, bringing your feet together
Repeat the movement with no rest

Finisher

Renegade Row to Press-Up:

Start either on your knees or in the full press-up position
Your hands will be resting while holding the dumbbells
Start by pulling one dumbbell into your body as a row
Once you return the weight to the floor, perform a press-up
Repeat with the opposite arm

Plank to Sumo Squat:

Start in a high press-up position, holding the dumbbells in your hands
Bring your legs in with your feet close to the dumbbells
Keeping your back straight, stand tall with the weights like a sumo deadlift

Squat Press:

Holding the dumbbells on your shoulders, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
Squat until the legs are parallel
As you stand tall, push the dumbbells overhead into a shoulder press
Repeat the movement

Man Maker:

This movement combines all the finisher exercises into one movement
Start either on your knees or in the full press-up position
Your hands will be resting and holding the dumbbells
Start by pulling one dumbbell into your body as a row and repeat with the opposite arm
Once you return the weight to the floor, perform a press-up
Bring your legs in, with your feet close to the dumbbells
Keeping your back straight, stand tall with the weights like a sumo deadlift
Next, squat until the legs are parallel
As you stand tall, push the dumbbells overhead into a shoulder press
Repeat the movement

Take Home Message

Think you’re up to the challenge of this circuit workout? Then give it your best shot. If you really push yourself, you should engage all your muscle groups and get your heart rate going. And it’s only going to take up 30 minutes of your time, so it’s a great way to fit some exercise into your morning routine or lunch break.