People work out for a lot of different reasons. For Gabby Allen, a trainer and TV star, it’s to feel good about herself. The creator of the female-focused app Shape Up told Fit & Well, “Exercise is a big part of how I take care of myself.” “Exercise makes me proud of how I look: I feel strong and confident in my body, and I’m not afraid to say that working out makes me feel good about myself.” I’m happy with the work I’ve done. You might like a woman doing a reverse lunge with a small blue dumbbell in each hand and wearing khaki leggings and a crop top. There are plans in the background of the living room. This full-body beginner dumbbell workout from a certified kinesiologist and movement expert will help you get stronger.
Woman working out with dumbbells at home
A master trainer says that this dumbbell workout can help you get stronger all over your body in just 10 minutes. A woman in a sports vest is holding two heavy dumbbells at her shoulders. This 20-minute home dumbbell workout will help you build strength all over your body at any age. Allen, who became famous on the UK show Love Island and recently won Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, says, “I want to show people what hard work can do and how it can improve your life in so many ways—physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
“Start small,” she says. “You don’t have to change your whole diet, cut out your social life, and start drinking three green teas a day all at once!”
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I Was 68 and a Total Beginner. This Plan Made Me Stronger and More Muscular in Less Than a Month.'
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“Start by adding two workouts a week to get you going, and then make sure you stay active every day, even if it’s just making sure you hit your step count.”
She says that exercise is more effective if you enjoy it. Find something you like to do, like going to classes, making a workout plan just for you at the gym or at home, or running. No matter what it is, having fun is the most important thing. “You’ll be much more likely to stick with it if you like it!”
And she has a great piece of advice for clients when they start to lose motivation. “I tell them the same thing I tell myself: You could have been 20 minutes into a workout by now if you hadn’t been wasting time.
What to read next: A woman is doing a reverse lunge with a small blue dumbbell in each hand and her body turned to the side of the camera. She is wearing khaki leggings and a crop top. There are plans in the background of the living room.
This full-body beginner dumbbell workout from a certified kinesiologist and movement expert will help you get stronger.
Woman working out with dumbbells at home
A master trainer says that this dumbbell workout can help you get stronger all over your body in just 10 minutes.
A woman in a sports vest is holding two heavy dumbbells at her shoulders.
This 20-minute home dumbbell workout will help you build strength in your whole body at any age.
Now is the time to change into your workout clothes, grab some dumbbells, and start Allen’s full-body workout.
How to do this dumbbell workout for your whole body
There are six exercises in the workout:
- Squat with a goblet
- Reverse lunge with dumbbells
- Row with a dumbbell bent over
- Pressing a dumbbell over your head
- Crunch on a bike
- Sit up
Allen has set up this workout as a circuit, so do each move once to finish one round. Do three rounds in all.
Allen has given you suggested times for different levels of fitness so you can match the workout to your level and make it harder as you get stronger.
- Beginner: 15 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest
- Intermediate: 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest
- Advanced: work for 45 seconds and rest for 15 seconds
1. Squat with a goblet
Put your feet shoulder-width apart and point your toes out a little.
With your hands cupping the top of the dumbbell, hold the weight up to your chest.
To lower, bend your knees and push your hips down, like you’re sitting in a chair.
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To get back to the starting position, squeeze your glutes and push through your heels.
2. Reverse lunge with dumbbells
Stand up straight with dumbbells at your sides.
Take a step back with your right foot, then bend both knees until your right knee lightly touches the floor.
Push off with your left foot to get back to the starting position, but keep your knee slightly bent.
Keep going until the time you set for yourself is up, and then do it again on the other side.
3. Bent-over row with dumbbells
Put your feet together and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
With your arms extended and palms facing each other, hinge forward from your hips, keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent.
Pull the weights toward your hips with control while keeping your elbows close to your body.
Lower the weights in a controlled way.
4. Pressing a dumbbell over your head
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold dumbbells at head height. Your elbows should be bent at a 90° angle and your palms should be facing forward.
Put the weights over your head by straightening your arms and bringing the dumbbells closer together.
Take control and move the opposite way back to the start.
5. Crunch on a bike
Put your hands behind your head, raise your legs, and bend your knees.
To bring your right elbow closer to your left knee, turn your torso to the left and stretch your right leg.
Do the same thing on the other side, and keep going, switching sides with each rep.
6. Do a sit-up
Put your knees up and your feet flat on the floor while you lie on your back.
Put your hands next to your ears, tighten your core, and lift your chest toward your knees while keeping your back straight.
Slowly go back down to where you started.
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