Introduction
I have spent years working in gyms and working out in gyms, but now that I am older, I prefer to workout at home and save the time it takes to walk to the gym, get changed, put my stuff away in a locker, showered and waiting for machines.
This 3-day dumbbell workout plan will give you the freedom to work out whenever you want without worrying about whether someone is looking at you or waiting for the machine you are on.
It will help you build muscle to help you burn fat, it will target your full-body, and you have the benefit of using a workout plan for fat loss written by a personal trainer.
Dumbbell workouts are important for muscle building or toning, as you can change resistance to keep pushing your body further to achieve greater gains.
The purpose of a 3-day dumbbell workout plan
A 3-day dumbbell workout plan is a strength training plan that will help you build muscle, lose fat, and improve muscle tone.
Having a plan takes away the guesswork and puts you firmly on track to achieve your goals.
Another purpose of a 3-day full-body plan is to add variety to your workout program and experiment with split routines.
A split routine is where you focus on a group of muscles and exhaust them in one training session.
The type of overload these muscles will experience will be different from that of a full-body workout, where the load is distributed evenly over the entire body.
A split routine is something to consider down the line when you become advanced in strength training.
For now, we are going to focus on a 3-day full body workout because it is important to get your whole body used to strength training before doing a split routine.
A three-day routine will reduce the chances of you overdoing it and becoming injured.
Principles to make your 3 day dumbbell workout successful.
Start your 3 day full body workout program slowly initially for your safety.
If you are new to working out, the first five to six workouts will be the worst, as you will be sore after each workout.
Start with lighter weights so that you can work on developing the correct form and technique. This will also allow your bones, ligaments, and tendons to develop along with your muscles, avoiding the risk of injury.
Also, you should see your doctor first before undergoing any exercise regime. After the first three weeks have passed, consider pushing on to the next phase.
The next phase is applying progressive overload through failure. As a beginner, this is an important transition that you must make, as it will determine the overall outcome of the results you will gain.
3 Day Full Body Dumbbell Workout Plan for Beginners To Build Muscle & Lose Weight
This is a beginner 3-day dumbbell workout, so it will focus on compound exercises designed to work multiple muscle groups.
The plan is to rest at least a day in between each exercise session.
Day one
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | Rest |
| Bent over row | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Squats | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Dumbbell bench press | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Lunges | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Bicep curl | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Overhead triceps extension | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
Demonstrations of all exercises
Bent over row
Squats
Dumbbell bench press
Lunges
Bicep curl
Overhead tricep extension
Day two
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | Rest |
| Upright row | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Curtsey lunge | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Pec fly’s | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Side lunges | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Lateral raises | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Skull crushers | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
Demonstrations of all exercises
Upright row
Curtsey lunge
Pec flys
Side lunges
Lateral raise
Skull-crushers
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Day three
| Exercise | Reps | Sets | Rest |
| Dumbbell rear delt fly | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Dumbbell deadlift | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Incline dumbbell bench press | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Dumbbell stiff legged deadlift | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Shoulder press | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
| Zottman curl | 15 | 3 | 45 seconds |
Demonstrations of all exercises
Dumbbell rear delt fly
Dumbbell deadlift
Incline dumbbell bench press
Dumbbell stiff leg deadlift
Shoulder press
Zottman curl
Tips to success with your workout routine
Work to failure!
I have had plenty of clients in the past who, before training with me, never knew how hard they could push themselves or did not try to push themselves out of fear.
If they were to set a program of three sets of twenty reps, they would comfortably do twenty reps on all three sets, feeling they had achieved their objective.
However, I’m afraid that’s not right. When you are set three sets of twenty, you should be able to complete twenty on your first set.
The second set should be difficult, and you achieve sixteen, and on the last set 12 or 14.
It’s okay to fail because this is how your body adapts.
You are probably thinking that if the goal were to do three sets of 20, then you would have failed, and this is a bad thing. However, this doesn’t seem right.
With exercise, you are trying to destroy to rebuild. When I say destroy, I do not mean injure yourself.
However, at the end of the workout you want your muscles to come to the realisation that to perform better and not fail, that it will need to improve.
After being destroyed, the body will rebuild the muscles back better and stronger than they were before.
Overtime, your body will look and feel better.
Importance of progression and increasing weights on your full body dumbbell workout
We have talked about working to failure, and to do this, you must increase your weight frequently. As mentioned, before you can lose weight, you must give the body a reason to change, and you will do this by increasing your Weight to make it harder for yourself.
For best results, you should aim to increase your Weight by 2% every two to three sessions.
These small increases will not amount to much initially, but over time, you will be lifting heavier and seeing a change in your body.
Muscle growth and testosterone
At this stage, you may wonder if you are going to get big muscles. The answer is no.
The reason for this is that, as a woman, you are going to find it hard to build muscle. After all, you have less testosterone than men.
You have 10% of the amount of testosterone in men.
There are always exceptions to this rule, though. For example, if you are very sporty, like Serena Williams or Dinah Asher-Smith, you will see muscle growth.
However, most women will not, and instead you will see an increase in definition and muscle tone throughout your body.
Other ways to progress your workout schedule.
After about four weeks, you will want to make this workout harder. You can try a new workout, but it may be worthwhile to continue with this routine to build on your technique.
Increase frequency.
One of the principles we learn as personal trainers is FITT, which stands for:
- Frequency
- Intensity
- Time
- Type
If we increase the frequency from three days a week to four or five, you will make the workout harder.
Increase the number of sets.
You can increase the number of sets from 3 to 4 sets, which will mean that you are doing even more volume.
Decrease the rest period.
The program is currently set so that you have 45 seconds after you do each exercise. Try decreasing this to 30 seconds of recovery.
Try a superset.
A super set is where you use your rest period to work another muscle. Usually, you work muscles that are opposite each other.
For example, if you work the biceps, your opposite muscle is your triceps, so you can do an exercise for your triceps.
An example from this program is if you are doing day one of the program and you are bent over row. Rather than resting for 45 seconds, you can do squats.
After you do your squats, you can go back to doing bent over rows.
Conclusion
The benefits of doing a three-day dumbbell workout at home are that it will save you time going to the gym, help build strength, and increase muscle tone. Initially, start by using light weights so that you can work on developing good form and technique.
Once you have developed your technique, you will need to overload your muscles by selecting an appropriate weight, and then ensuring that you are increasing your Weight every two to three sessions.
I know that this may sound daunting at first, but I know that you can do it. I was a beginner at one point along with every other person that has changed their bodies with workouts like this.
How did you find this article?
Remember that I am here to help, so please feel free to let me know how you are doing in the comments section of this post.
If you want more workouts, try my seven-day fat loss accelerator.
I am rooting for you to do well, and I will give you all the support you need.
With love, from your personal trainer.
🙂