Home workout plan
I've been running this routine for a while now and it's the one I keep coming back to. Adjustable dumbbells, a bench, and a pull-up bar. That's it.
It's not fancy. But it covers everything, it's easy to progress, and I can actually stick with it for months without overthinking things.
What you need
- Adjustable dumbbells (or a small range of fixed ones)
- A bench that goes flat and incline
- Pull-up bar — or just do dumbbell pullovers if you don't have one
Warm up
I do these before every session. Takes maybe 3 minutes and it's worth it — everything just moves better once you're loosened up.
| Exercise | |
|---|---|
| Arm rotations |  |
| Elbow rotations |  |
| Wrist rotations |  |
| Hip rotations |  |
| Head rotations |  |
Nothing fancy. Just get the joints moving through their full range a few times each.
The split
Push, pull, legs. Six days a week.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Push | Pull | Legs | Push | Pull | Legs | Rest |
If 6 days feels like too much, just rotate through at whatever pace works. I've done this as a 4-day thing and it still works fine.
Push day
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | What it hits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DB Chest Press (flat) | 3 x 8-12 | Chest, triceps |  |
| DB Incline Fly | 3 x 8-12 | Upper chest |  |
| Arnold Press | 3 x 8-12 | Shoulders |  |
| Overhead Tricep Extension | 3 x 8-12 | Triceps |  |
I like Arnold presses more than regular overhead press here. You get more range of motion and they just feel better on my shoulders.
Pull day
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | What it hits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pull-Up (or DB Pullover) | 3 x AMRAP | Lats, upper back |  |
| DB Bent-Over Row | 3 x 8-12 | Mid back |  |
| DB Reverse Fly | 3 x 8-12 | Rear delts |  |
| DB Shrug | 3 x 8-12 | Traps |  |
| DB Bicep Curl | 3 x 8-12 | Biceps |  |
On rows — think about pulling your shoulder blades together at the top. Not just moving the dumbbells up and down. It took me a while to actually feel my back working on these.
Leg day
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | What it hits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goblet Squat | 3 x 8-12 | Quads, glutes |  |
| DB Lunge | 3 x 8-12 | Quads, glutes |  |
| Single-Leg Deadlift | 3 x 8-12 | Hamstrings, glutes |  |
| Calf Raise (single leg) | 3 x 8-12 | Calves |  |
I throw in hanging leg raises every other workout too — 3 sets of 10-15.
Legs day is honestly the hardest to keep interesting with just dumbbells, but goblet squats and lunges get surprisingly brutal at higher weights.
How to progress
Pretty simple:
- 3 working sets per exercise
- ~90 seconds rest between sets
- Stay in the 8-12 range
- When you hit 12 reps on all 3 sets with good form, bump the weight up next time
That's it. Don't overthink this part.
When the dumbbells aren't heavy enough
This happens eventually with most home setups. Here's what I do:
- Push the rep range up to 15-20
- Add a 4th set
- Cut rest to 60s or even 45s
- Slow the lowering phase — 3-4 seconds down
- Switch to single-arm or single-leg variations
- Add a pause at the hardest point of each rep
You can also elevate your heels on squats with a plate or a book. Hits the quads way harder.
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