You don't need the gym – build muscle at home with two dumbbells and these five exercises instead

ActiveWorkoutsYou don’t need the gym – build muscle at home with two dumbbells and these five exercises insteadA pair of dumbbells is one of the best pieces of home gym equipment you can ownWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

A pair of dumbbells is one of the best pieces of home gym equipment you can own

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Man performing dumbbell squat on grass at home

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Some people would have you think that you can’t build muscle without a gym membership or training with lots of swanky-looking equipment, which is just total cr*p. Using apair of dumbbellsat home is just as effective at building strength and muscle, as thisstudyin the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows. If you want to get started, then this five-move workout from Fitness Trainer and STRNG App Founder, Lisa Jean, can help.

For this workout you’ve got five dumbbell exercises to work through, all of which arecompound exercises, so you’ll work multiple muscles meaning you get more bang for your buck. Rest for 60-90 seconds between each exercise, then two minutes between each set. We’ve also added in an alternative core exercise, as the initial one is quite advanced and not the most back-friendly. Here’s your workout:

Make sure you replenish your body afterwards with some carbs and protein (aprotein powderis an easy way to get a decent amount of protein in) as it can help reducedelayed-onset muscle soreness. Keen to schedule another full-body workout for later in the week? Try this15-minute dumbbell workoutfor those days you’re tight on time, but just need to move your body, or if you want to park the weights here’s abodyweight strength circuit.

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