4 Quick Dumbbell Only 10 Minute Workouts
Yes, it’s possible to do a 10 minute workout with JUST dumbbells or a single dumbbell, and still make progress in your health. Welcome to Health and Hobbies!
Whether you’re short on time or truly want to challenge the thought that a good workout has to be 90+ minutes long, I’ve got you covered!
I created these workouts as my own challenge when I was short on time working a bakery 3a-11a shift. I was low on energy, motivation, want to workout and even interest in fitness at all. Which is NOT me! Because I still had the thought that if it wasn’t in a gym, with a lot or specific equipment for AT LEAST 60 minutes, it wasn’t a good workout.
So, I challenged that thought. I went out into our garage gym, looked at the equipment I had, and decided to challenge myself with keeping it simple.
Set a timer for 10 minutes.
Pick 3 exercises.
Do each exercise for 10-15 reps.
Repeat until the timer goes off.
Go inside.
And that’s what I want for you too! Even if you’ve been working out for years, this is a different challenge for you to just create or recreate that habit of movement.
You may not see crazy results, but you WILL stay active, maintain your athleticism (even a little) and feel better after moving for just 10 minutes.
Now, let’s dive in!
What kind of dumbbell you need
When it comes to having the right dumbbells at home, that’s where I’m a bit picky. I had to look long and hard (not really but a little) to find the exact style I love. And that’s a rubber coated hex dumbbell.
It’s traditional CrossFit style for me, and I just fell in love with that dumbbell shape. It doesn’t roll when you put it down, it feel comfortable to move, just all of it!
Check out my Home Fitness Essentials for more ideas on the basics
And if you know, you know. Once you’ve experienced the perfect equipment for you, it’s hard to get it out of your head. So I bought a pair of #35 as that’s a good in-between for me where it’s movable, but not for every exercise. For example, a strict shoulder press I can only do with one #35 dumbbell.
This is also an example of doing CrossFit in the past. That was the RX weight (I can’t say what it is now, but I feel #35 is a good place to work towards).
But unless you have money to invest in multiple sets of dumbbells, I recommend choosing a weight that you can do MOST exercises with for 10-12 reps. This would be using both dumbbells or a single one.
For example, if you can do 15 squats with both dumbbells but only 5 shoulder presses with one, I would get that weight. If you could do more than 20 reps for 3 rounds and not feel challenged, go up in weight.
There’s no for sure right or wrong way to choose your set of dumbbells, and if you can invest in more then don’t overthink this! But if one set is all you can afford financially or space wise, get a challenging weight.
Ignore all of this if you have access to a gym, obviously!
Beginner and Advanced friendly reminders
Whether you’re just getting started with working out or coming back from time away, these workout ideas will be beneficial for you. But be aware and focused on form ALWAYS!
If you’re just getting started, keep the weights light, move slow to get familiar with the form, and figure out how your body feels doing these exercises. Once you’ve gone through them a few times, then you can start adding weight when you’re familiar and confident with the exercise.
If you’ve worked out in the past and are coming back from a long break, I want you to be conservative with your weights. It’s annoying how even a little time away can take more strength than you’d like, so take it slow and see how you feel.
Again, this can be a different challenge to see what you can accomplish in just 10 minutes. So start slow and light, then progress from there.
Check out my Progressive Overload framework to have a better understanding of simple progressions
Once you’re comfortable with the exercises, and depending on what type of workout you want to have, you can adjust things from there.
If you want to focus on building strength, use heavier weights with few reps.
If you want to focus on conditioning, use lighter weights and move quickly.
If you want to focus on just getting a workout done, stick with 12-15 reps for each. I’ll break down more specifics and ideas with the workouts, but I want you to decide exactly how you want your workout to look and go from there.
Dumbbell Workout 1
If you want to build strength: 8-10 reps
If you want to build stamina and cardio: 15-18 reps
If you want to just go through the motions: 12-15 reps
The 3 exercises for workout 1:
- Curl to Press
- Floor Press with Hip Raise
- Gorilla Row
Dumbbell Workout 2
If you want to build strength: 5-8 reps
If you want to build stamina and cardio: 15 reps
If you want to just go through the motions: 10-12 reps
The 3 exercises for workout 2:
- Push Up to Row
- Weighted Toe Touch
- Push Press
Dumbbell Workout 3
If you want to build strength: 8 reps each side
If you want to build stamina and cardio: 12-15 reps each side
If you want to just go through the motions: 10-12 reps each side
The 3 exercises for workout 3:
- Snatch
- Side Lunge
- Weighted Step Up
Dumbbell Workout 4
If you want to build strength: 8-10 reps
If you want to build stamina and cardio: 16-18 reps
If you want to just go through the motions: 12-14 reps
The 3 exercises for workout 4:
- Weighted Sit Up
- Thruster
- Walking Lunge
You can find more workout ideas with the video breakdown on my YouTube channel playlist, Done in 10.
Now, where do you go from here? You can sure do these exercises on repeat for the next few weeks if you’d like to just get started!
If however, you’d like a bit more structure in the gym, I’d check out my 4 Week Gym Routine, or my Hybrid Training Program for a bit more variety with your workouts.
I also have longer versions of these as well as much more in my 20 minute workout ideas list.
Of course, none of this will help you out if you don’t work on creating the routine and habit over time. And if you’d like more accountability to create a realistic healthy lifestyle, be sure to join my Diary! We’re focusing on monthly challenges to create a solid healthy baseline that we can grow and solidify over time.
You can check out exactly what we’re going to focus on in my Year of Health and Hobbies blog post. I look forward to seeing you in the next challenge!
