Full-Body Dumbbell Strength Workout For Women - In the Gym Or at Home

This full-body dumbbell strength workout is geared towards women and can be done at home or in the gym. The dumbbell workout targets mostly the posterior chain (back of the body) to help improve posture and strength. With only five dumbbell exercises this strength workout for women takes about 25-30 minutes.

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As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, staying strong is important to me. It's why I love resistance training and work out the way I do (along with all these other benefits!). Maintaining and improving my strength makes me feel good, it allows me to keep up with my girls and it keeps me injury-free.

But to be honest, being strong takes work. It's not something that comes easily and that makes me feel even better. I want both my girls to grow up loving exercise, movement and always feeling like they can (just one of the reasons I work out with my toddler). For me, resistance training does that.

Want to know more about easing in or starting to strength train? Read more about it and check out the tips in the video below.

Don't want to read? JUMP to the workout.

What Is A Strength-Based Workout?

Many women are familiar with using circuit workouts. These workouts are done quickly and usually combine 4-7 exercises to be done back to back without rest.

While circuit workouts can leave you breathless, sweaty, and fatigued when your goal is to develop sheer strength you need to both lift weights but also rest and recover between sets. The goal isn't to get through the full-body dumbbell strength workout as fast as possible but to really engage and activate the muscles during the exercises.

[bctt tweet="The goal isn't to get through the workout as fast as possible but to really engage and activate the muscles during the exercises." username="fitasamamabear"]

Likewise, the purpose of this full-body dumbbell workout for women is to really focus on using, recruiting, and strengthening your muscles throughout each and every repetition. 

It is this style of workout that over time, gives your muscles the lean, toned look most women strive for. Learn more about toning and how it really works.

You need to focus and develop your mind-muscle connection. And while you can definitely become stronger if you complete this workout as a circuit (back to back exercises), you'll target your muscles just a bit differently if you slow it down, lift a bit heavier and rest between sets.

So instead of rushing your way through the exercises, take your time and feel each and every repetition. Make yourself work for it but not fully fatigue your muscles. It's a delicate balance but a great one.

Exercises In The Full-Body Dumbbell Strength Workout For women

I chose these dumbbell exercises because they're simple, most people know them and they're effective. Exercises like the front squat are critical for everyday movement (especially with kids). In fact, most of the exercises are part of the five movements every mom needs to master.

These are exercises that help busy moms:

• carry kids easier
• ease back pain
• do the things they enjoy

It's natural for me to focus more on the back of the body (posterior chain) because most people are weaker there due to poor posture, pregnancy, desk jobs, and a lack of activation. Training the posterior chain also helps prevent injury. Improve posture and more specifically train the glutes.

Most of the exercises focus on muscles we normally overlook when going through a circuit (the upper back muscles and the hamstrings and glutes). But it's these muscles that keep us strong and healthy which is why it's important not just to do them but to really feel them working as you use them.

How To Use This Full-Body Dumbbell Strength Workout

This full-body dumbbell workout is best performed at a slow and controlled pace. Try to challenge yourself with your weights while maintaining proper form and engage each muscle within the exercise.

Ideally, this strength workout is performed with straight sets. This means that you'll complete all the prescribed sets and repetitions of one exercise before moving on to the next.

However, if you're severely short on time, you can use the exercises like supersets (two exercises back to back). Thus, this would pair an upper and a lower exercise for the first two groups and thus you shouldn't be too fatigued to keep your weights heavy.

Make sure you're giving lots of time between sets (1-2 minutes) for your central nervous system to recover.

For this workout, if you're not hitting the gym you're going to need some equipment! I snag a lot of my equipment from Pro Source and if you use code "mamabearfit" you'll save fifteen percent on the best price on the site!

The Dumbbell Workout For Women

A1. DB front squat                       3 sets x 8 6 6 reps

B1. Bentover DB Row                 3 sets x 8 6 6 reps

C1. DB Lunge                               3 sets x 8 reps

D1. Standing Shoulder Press     2 sets x 8 reps

E1. DB Romanian Deadlift          2 sets x 10 reps

F1. Single Leg Hip Thrust           2 sets x 12 reps

For the exercise, perform eight repetitions of a dumbbell front squat. Rest for one minute and then perform six repetitions. Take a rest for one more minute and finish by performing another six repetitions. Rest. Then, move on to the bentover rows.

Note: when the repetitions go down (8/6/6) the weights your holding should go up.

Need a warm-up? Learn more about warm-up exercises and how to make them effective! Plus grab a five-minute warm-up.

How Often Should I Use This Dumbbell Strength Workout For Women?

You can use this full-body dumbbell strength workout in two ways. The first is to use this workout and perform it three times each week (on non-consecutive days to give your body rest) for a total of 4-5 weeks.

Or, you can combine it with two other workouts and make that your weekly routine. Meaning:

Monday: this dumbbell workout for strength

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: strength workout for a strong back

Thursday: rest

Friday: dumbbell workout for strong legs

You would then repeat that workout routine for 4-5 weeks before you either changed your workouts, variations of the exercises or your weights to keep progressing towards your goals.

Don`t forget to pin this 30-minute full-body dumbbell strength workout for women!

Shelby aka Mama Bear

fitasamamabear

Meet Shelby – a Certified Strength Coach who has spent the last 10 years teaching women how to show up for their goals.

Her website, Fitasamamabear.com is a crucial resource for busy moms who need help making fitness and healthy living practical.

Learn how an everyday smoker and fast food junkie turned into a super fit mom of 3. If you want to send Shelby a message, visit her contact page.

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