If you've got just ONE dumbbell at home for training, fear not...there is a LOT of effective training you can do with it.
Right now, I give to you a collection of of my favorite workouts and unique exercises that you can do with just a single dumbbell (or you can sometimes sub in a kettlebell, in many cases).
These are taken from several books of mine, if you're interested in more info:
This workout runs through a cycle of exercises using just one dumbbell. It covers severy major muscle group in your body and is extremely demanding...even with light weight!
You'll rotate through one-arm dumbbell floor presses (both sides) to one-arm dumbbell rows (both sides) to reverse lunges (each leg). Not only do you hit the muscle groups, you hammer your core the entire time with anti-rotational training.
This is a simple exercise that looks a lot like manual labor. You'll scoop-shoulder a dumbbell then stand up in a split squat. Lower, switch legs then repeat. This hammers the core and upper body at the start (by "scooping" up the dumbbell to the shoulder) then lower body on the way up and down in the split squat.
What I've come up with here is a way to get most of the benefits of the Upright Row without the problems for the shoulder joint. It's a great upright row alternative. This is done by using a dumbbell instead of a barbell and holding it in a very particular way so that you change the action at the shoulder joint, minimizing stress in the joint.
All you need is one dumbbell and a small patch of floor space...you'll hit every major muscle group in your body (including core) with a variety of rep ranges and you'll be done in less than 20 minutes.
You're going to rotate between three exercises...a One-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press, a One-Arm Dumbbell Row and a One Dumbbell Reverse Lunge.
Between these three exercises, you cover just about everything. In terms of execution, it's going to be done non-stop countdown style...meaning you'll start with 10 reps through each exercise (10 reps on each arm on the press and the row) then 10 reps on each leg on the reverse lunge.
Planks are an excellent "starter" exercise for abdominal training. They're very effective for developing bracing strength in the core and tightening up the abs in general. However, what do you do once the normal plank gets too easy? This variation is an excellent option...adding weight via a dumbbell set between your calves.
This exercise is one of the best core strengthening exercises I've ever found. It will dig into the deep muscles of your core to work the support/bracing function of those muscles as well as the anti-rotation and stabilizing function.
This is a killer combination of resistance-cardio and lateral movement training. It's an incredible exercise for athletes looking to improve their side-to-side strength and power, as well as their conditioning.
This exercise is going to work two functions of the core at once and VERY strongly...your bracing core strength and your anti-rotational strength. Your legs will be targeted isometrically, maintaining your body position, while you shift a heavy dumbbell from one leg to the other, which will put MASSIVE loading on the core (working the bracing/anti-flexion function of the core).
This circuit uses heavy weight, low reps, and covers all your major bodyparts in a simple, 3 exercise circuit. You'll get NO rest during the entire time period (I recommend at least 15 minutes), which will kick your metabolism into overdrive VERY quickly and help you burn fat FAST. Plus, as a bonus, you're going to get an AMAZING core workout due to the single-dumbbell work you'll be doing.
The best core work is very similar to manual labor...moving, carrying and shifting weight in a way that demands plenty of core support and activation. This exercise does exactly that. You're going to be picking a dumbbell up off the ground and loading it up on to your leg. That's it.
Now, let me just start by saying right up front, this is one is a horribly awesome abdominal exercise. It combines a variety of different patterns of tension and loading into a single, multi-stage exercise. It requires serious abdominal strength to even perform a single rep. It's definitely not for the faint of heart.
This is a phenomenal core exercise targeting two distinct aspects of abdominal training. It's going to be build core support strength while also targeting the six-pack abs.
The One-Arm Dumbbell Row is a classic upper back exercise. This variation of it is going to add an additional challenge to the movement, bringing in the core (abdominals and lower back) and lower body (primarily glutes and hamstrings),
This exercise will literally CRUSH your core...that's why it's the name of the exercise! It puts MASSIVE tension through the entire upper body with a specific focus on the core, based on where and how you hold the resistance. Because you're not actually going to HOLD the resistance...you're going to CRUSH the resistance (or at least try to!).
This is a great exercise for training to run faster. You'll be putting direct resistance on the hip flexors by loading the thigh with a dumbbell. Then you're going to EXPLODE the leg up with the dumbbell resting on top of it.
Instead of setting your non-working hand on a bench, you will instead be setting your hand flat on a wall in front of you, then supporting your body using an isometric plank type of hold.
This version of the Dumbbell Row is very simple...and VERY effective specifically for targeting the lower lats. All you need for this one is a single dumbbell.
If you can do more than 10 bodyweight chin-ups, if you want to keep progressing in mass and strength, you're ready to start adding weight. There are several ways to do this...hanging plates from your waist via a belt, wearing a weighted vest, or setting a dumbbell between your feet. Here's how to set up the dumbbell between your feet.
This is a great "starter" exercise for explosive training. It's much more accessible than a regular Olympic snatch as there is not nearly as much technique involved.
This exercise is a powerful one...time-efficient training at it's best! It's going to work your lower body, core and some of your upper body all in one shot. It's real "functional" training that actually isn't useless. It's also excellent for "metabolic" type training (i.e. training targeted for fat loss rather than building strength or muscle).
I, too, would be leery of an ab exercise that has the phrase "throw-up" in it. But you didn't come here for easy, useless exercises, did you! Don't worry - you're NOT going to be throwing up in the gastric sense of the word (I hope!) but instead you'll be throwing up the dumbbell and catching it in a very specific (and very safe) way.
There's a better way to target the inner thighs/adductors...and it's NOT that machine that always seems to be facing the front door of the gym... It's a free weight exercise that uses the adductors as they're meant to be used...in a compound movement where you're actually MOVING (unlike that machine).
