Unless you have some serious dedication, are a personal trainer, or are simply someone who thrives off of routine, you may occasionally find yourself struggling to work out at home. But with gyms still keeping their doors firmly closed around much of Australia, many of us have no other choice than to use our back yard or spare bedroom as a personal workout space.
Celebrity trainer Sam Wood recently told DMARGE that it’s important to have this space “where you can consistently lay out your mat and your bands or your dumbbells, and you actually put yourself in a better psychological situation where you say ‘I’m here to do my workout.'”
But what about the workouts themselves?
If you’re currently at a roadblock with regards to what workouts you can effectively complete at home, may we suggest some simple workouts posted to Instagram by fitness trainer Jeremy Scott – owner of Jeremy Scott Fitness – to your attention? And all you need is a pair of dumbbells.
Oh, and 30 minutes of time to spare for a mighty home dumbbell workout.
This 30-minute non-stop dumbbell workout at home is one that will seriously test your strength and stamina, but is also one that will help you work on your muscular size and strength. Classed as an AMRAP workout – As Many Rounds As Possible – Jeremy asks of us to see just how many rounds of his gruelling dumbbell workout at home we can complete in the 30-minute time frame.
Check out Jeremy Scott’s 30-minute home dumbbell AMRAP workout in the video below
The dumbbell exercises are as follows:
- 20 x dumbbell close curls: Kneel down and hold one end of a dumbbell with your palms facing up. With your torso upright and keeping your upper arms close to your body throughout the movement, curl the dumbbell up towards your chin, bending at the elbow.
- 15 x dumbbell reverse V push-ups: Putting yourself into a narrow push-up position, grasp a dumbbell in each hand and position them into a reverse V shape (flip the V upside down and you’ll get the idea). Perform push-ups as you normally would, slowly lowering your body down and pushing back up with power.
- 30 x DB reverse lunges (total): Lunges are a great movement to torch your legs and core. For these, rest a dumbbell on each shoulder and lightly hold in place. With your torso upright and starting in a regular standing position, move one leg back behind you and squat down so that the leading leg bends to a 90-degree angle. You want the knee of the trailing leg to get as close to the floor as possible, without touching it. You may find you need to adjust the length of your reverse stride, depending on your height.
- 20 x Alt. kneeling DB presses: Getting back into a kneeling position, hold a dumbbell in each hand and hold them with palms facing inwards above your shoulders. Alternating each arm, press each dumbbell straight up until your arm is straight. Return to the starting position before pressing the opposite arm.
- 30 x DB row pick-ups (total): This exercise requires just one dumbbell. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and place the dumbbell in the middle of your feet. Bend your upper body, using your hips to act as a sort of hinge, so that your torso is almost parallel to the floor. Grab the dumbbell with one hand and pull/row it upwards towards your hip. Once it reaches hip-height, return it the middle starting position and repeat with the opposite arm.
If that all seems a little too much for you, then Jeremy does have a secondary dumbbell workout at home that might be more up your street, as it gives you more time to rest in-between exercises.
It’s another circuit, comprising four exercises, which you perform for 60-seconds each, with 30-seconds rest in between each exercise. The aim is to complete 5 rounds.
Check out Jeremy Scott’s 60-30 dumbbell workout at home in the video below
The home workout dumbbell exercises are as follows:
- DB floor press: Lie down with your back on the floor, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing inwards) and push up until your arms are straight. Lower them back down until your elbows touch the floor and repeat.
- DB alternate snatch: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and place a single dumbbell in the middle of your feet in front of you. Bend down, using your hip as a hinge and pick up the dumbbell with one hand. Launch it up above your head and return to the floor before repeating with the opposite hand.
- DB squats: Rest a pair of dumbbells on your shoulders and perform a squat movement. Ensure your knees push outwards as you squat down – imagine you’re sitting down on a chair – and try and get your bum to go below the point of your knees.
- DB supinated bent over rows: Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a supinated grip (palms facing upwards). Bend your knees slightly and bend your torso over, using your hip as a hinge, so your torso is almost parallel with the floor. Row both dumbbells at the same time up towards your hip. It can help to think more about pulling your elbows behind you.
Supersized arms and shoulders await.