The Primal Dumbbell and Bodyweight Muscle Building Workout is a fullbody program that can be performed at home, or at a gym with limited equipment. This workout is for beginners who have very little strength. It can be run successfully until you no longer have enough dumbbell weight to allow for basic progression.

To perform this workout you will need:

  • Adjustable dumbbell handles. Also called spinlock dumbbells, these handles can be purchased at Wal-mart, Amazon or any local sporting good store for a reasonable price. Average cost is $20 to $30 per pair.
  • 140-150 pounds of “standard” weight. You will want to have at least a 70 to 80 pound capacity for each dumbbell. Purchase “standard” plates. New York Barbell sells plates for as low as $1.00 per pound, but you may be able to find used plates locally in the paper, or on Craigslist.
  • Chairs. Find two sturdy chairs that will serve as a solid base when performing chair dips.
  • Pull up bar. This is optional but a very useful piece of equipment to have. Pull up bars can be found at Wal-mart, or any local sporting good store for a very low price.

If you take the time to find used standard plates for your dumbbells, it is possible to build an effective home gym for under $100. With 70-75 pound dumbbells you could theoretically use this program for up to 1-2 years before needing to move on to a gym, or purchasing more weight.

Primal Dumbbell and Bodyweight Muscle Building Workout

This muscle building workout utilizes an A/B format. While it is a fullbody routine, you will be alternating exercises every other workout.  It can be run twice a week, or on 3 non-consecutive days as well. Each session will require approximately 60-70 minutes of gym time.

  • 2 days per week. Workout on Monday and Thursday.
  • Every third day. Rotate between A and B workouts every third day. This approach works well if you have a flexible schedule and don’t need to workout on the same days each week.
  • 3 Days per week. Workout on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Workout A
Workout B
Dumbbell Lunge 3 x 8-12
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 x 8-12
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 x 6-10
Push Ups 3 x Max
Pull Ups 3 x Max
One Arm Dumbbell Row 3 x 6-12
Dumbbell Clean and Press 3 x 6-10
Seated Arnold Press 3 x 6-10
Chair Dips 3 x Max
Dumbbell Curl 3 x 6 to 12
Planks 3 x 60 Seconds
Sit Ups 3 x 10-25

Important Note: Never train to failure. Stop each set when you feel like you may not be able to complete the next rep, or stop a set when you feel your exercise form is becoming sub-par. Performing sloppy reps leads to injury.

Workout Notes:

Focus on progression. using good form, push yourself on every set for as many reps as possible. Stop each set when you believe like you may not be able to complete the next rep. NEVER train to failure. It’s not needed.

Pull Ups and Push Ups. I wouldn’t recommend performing more than 25 reps per set. If you get to the point where these exercises become too easy, you will need to either shorten the rest between sets to make them more difficult, or replace the exercise altogether.

If you can’t do pull ups, or have no access to a pull up bar, perform two arm bent over dumbbell rows.

Chair Dips. Place one chair to your left and one to the right. Sit on the floor and place your hands on the seat of the chairs. Using only your arms, press yourself up. With a controlled motion, lower yourself back down and repeat.

Sit Ups. If you can perform 25 reps fairly easily, you can place either a dumbbell or plate on your chest to made the exercise more difficult.

A Note On Available Dumbbell Weight

If you have limited resources and a limited amount of dumbbell weight, you will need to get creative to build muscle. One of the best ways of doing this is to decrease rest between sets.

For example, let’s pretend you are able to perform dumbbell bench presses using 70 pounds fairly easily. In fact, you can knock out 3 sets of 10 reps without feeling challenged.

At this point, and because you have no additional weight, I would recommend restricting rest between sets. Break up your 30 total reps into 5 rep sets, and rest only 15-30 seconds between each set. This 30 rep pattern would look like the following:

  • DB Bench Press, 70′s x 5 reps.
  • Rest 15-30 seconds.
  • DB Bench Press, 70′s x 5 reps.
  • Rest 15-30 seconds.
  • DB Bench Press, 70′s x 5 reps.
  • Rest 15-30 seconds.
  • DB Bench Press, 70′s x 5 reps.
  • Rest 15-30 seconds.
  • DB Bench Press, 70′s x 5 reps.
  • Rest 15-30 seconds.
  • DB Bench Press, 70′s x 5 reps.

If this pattern of restricting rest becomes too easy, it’s time for a gym membership or to purchase more weight. Muscle building requires progression in some form or fashion. Once you stop challenging your body, your body will stop responding.

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