- Focus
- Upper body
- Sets
- 20
- Time
- about 45 min
- 1Dumbbell Floor Press4 × 10–15
- 2Dumbbell Fly on Floor3 × 12–15
- 3Dumbbell Shoulder Press4 × 10–15
- 4Dumbbell Lateral Raise4 × 12–20
- 5Overhead Triceps Extension3 × 12–15
- 6Dumbbell Front Raise2 × 12–15
Dumbbell Week: one pair of 5 kg dumbbells
Light dumbbells.
Slow reps.
Real work.
A four-day training week built for a single pair of dumbbells. Every rep runs on a 3-1-1 tempo: 3 seconds down, 1 second still, 1 second up. That slow lowering is what keeps light weights challenging.
- Training days
- 4
- Sets a week
- 80
- Minutes a session
- 45–55
- Tempo, in seconds
- 3-1-1
Watch the tempo
Goblet Squat
4 × 12–20
Tempo for every rep: lower for 3 seconds, pause for 1 second, lift for 1 second.
The week
4 sessions, 3 rest days
Chest + shoulders + triceps on Monday, legs on Tuesday, back + biceps on Thursday and full body on Friday. Session times are estimates at the plan's tempo with 60 seconds of rest between sets.
- Monday: Chest + Shoulders + Triceps
- Tuesday: Legs
- Wednesday: Rest
- Thursday: Back + Biceps
- Friday: Full Body
- Saturday: Rest or light walk
- Sunday: Rest or light walk
Tuesday
Legs
- Focus
- Lower body
- Sets
- 21
- Time
- about 55 min
- 1Goblet Squat4 × 12–20
- 2Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift4 × 12–15
- 3Reverse Lunge3 × 10–15 per leg
- 4Bulgarian Split Squat3 × 8–12 per leg
- 5Standing Calf Raise4 × 15–25
- 6Dumbbell Glute Bridge3 × 15–20
Thursday
Back + Biceps
- Focus
- Upper body
- Sets
- 20
- Time
- about 45 min
- 1One-Arm Dumbbell Row4 × 10–15 per side
- 2Dumbbell Bent-Over Row3 × 12–15
- 3Dumbbell Pullover3 × 12–15
- 4Dumbbell Reverse Fly3 × 15–20
- 5Dumbbell Biceps Curl4 × 10–15
- 6Hammer Curl3 × 10–15
Friday
Full Body
- Focus
- Lower + upper
- Sets
- 19
- Time
- about 45 min
- 1Goblet Squat3 × 15–20
- 2Dumbbell Floor Press3 × 12–15
- 3One-Arm Dumbbell Row3 × 12 per side
- 4Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift3 × 15
- 5Dumbbell Shoulder Press3 × 12–15
- 6Hammer Curl2 × 15
- 7Overhead Triceps Extension2 × 15
The tempo
3 seconds down. That is the workout.
Every exercise in the plan uses the same rhythm. Slowing the lowering phase keeps your muscles working for longer on every rep, which is how a light pair of dumbbells stays hard.
- 3s
Lower
Control the weight down and count it out. This is where most of the work happens.
- 1s
Pause
Hold still at the bottom. No bouncing out of the stretch.
- 1s
Lift
Lift smoothly in one go, without swinging or leaning.
The slow lowering phase is where 5 kg becomes hard.
The floor limits depth, so the control on the way down is what makes it work.
Dumbbell Biceps Curl
Tempo for every rep: lower for 3 seconds, pause for 1 second, lift for 1 second.
Weekly volume
Where your 80 sets go
Each exercise names the muscles it targets and the ones that help. Here is how the whole week adds up, muscle by muscle.
Most direct work
Shoulders, Lats and Quads, with 13 main-target sets each
Only worked as helpers
Abs, Lower back, Traps and Forearms
- Want direct traps work? Add the Dumbbell Shrug.
Sets per muscle, per week
- Main target
- Helping muscle
Progression
When it gets easy, change one thing
Stay with a level until the end of every set feels hard, then move one step along. Change one lever at a time so you can tell what made the difference.
The rule
Final 2-3 reps should feel hard while form stays good.
- 01Add repsWork toward the top of each rep range before changing anything else.
- 02Slow the loweringStretch the 3 second lowering to 4 or 5 seconds.
- 03Add a pauseHold still for a second at the hardest point of the rep.
- 04Use one arm or one legSingle-side versions put the whole dumbbell on one limb.
- 05Add another setOne more set on the exercise that feels easiest.
Also in the library
Four extra moves
Not part of the weekly plan, but ready when you want to swap an exercise or add a finisher. Same tempo, same form guides.
Front view
ExtraExtra
Beginner · Bodyweight
Push-Up
- Main target: Chest
- Also works: Triceps
- Also works: Shoulders
- Also works: Abs
Can stand in for Dumbbell Floor Press or Dumbbell Fly on Floor
Extra
Beginner · Dumbbell
Concentration Curl
- Main target: Biceps
- Also works: Forearms
Can stand in for Dumbbell Biceps Curl or Hammer Curl
Extra
Beginner · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Step-Up
- Main target: Quads
- Also works: Glutes
- Also works: Hamstrings
Can stand in for Goblet Squat or Reverse Lunge
Ready when you are
Grab the dumbbells. Count to three.
The workout screen walks you through every exercise, set by set, with the tempo running and a rest timer between sets.
