- With dumbbells at your sides, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and fee pointing slightly outward. Look straight ahead.
- Squat down until your upper legs are parallel with the floor by bending your knees, keep your back straight.
- With an explosive but controlled movement, push up through your heels and press the dumbbells above your head as you return to standing position.
- Still standing, slowly lower the dumbbells down to your chest and then down to your sides by extending your arms.
- Repeat.
Intermediate Upper Body Dumbbell Gain Workout
36 min
·
8 exercises
Build muscle and burn fat with this intermediate upper body dumbbell workout! Push every exercise close to failure — that\'s where the real gains happen. Hit your chest, arms, shoulders, and back with intense dumbbell sets designed to gain muscle and get you toned.
These are warm-up sets only!
1:00 rest
Aim for 4 seconds per rep here and use a weight that causes failure at 12 reps!
1:00 rest
Triple drop sets! Use descending weights that cause failure at 8 reps, 8 reps, and 10 reps.
1:00 rest
Again, hit 4 seconds per rep here!
1:00 rest
Triple drop sets! Use descending weights that cause failure at 8 reps, 8 reps, and 10 reps.
1:00 rest
Aim for 3 - 4 seconds per rep, take no rest once complete!
Get straight onto these! Pull all kinds of funny faces with this!
1:00 rest
You\'re almost there!
About this workout
Intermediate Upper Body Dumbbell Gain Workout is a free 36 min workout plan with 8 illustrated exercises for your abs, chest, legs and shoulders. Follow the workout online, save it to your WorkoutLabs Fit account or download it as a printable PDF.
Tap any exercise in the workout to see the muscles worked, clear exercise illustrations and step-by-step instructions. Each workout includes sets, reps, rest times and notes so you can follow the plan without guessing.
Workout details
- Duration: 36 min
- Exercises: 8
- Training focus: Abs, chest, legs and shoulders
- Equipment: Dumbbells
- Level: Intermediate
- Format: Interactive workout and printable PDF
For more ready-made training plans, try WorkoutLabs Fit. You can follow visual workouts, build your own routines, manage your training calendar and track your progress. Sign up today to claim your free week.
Questions about this workout
What equipment do I need for this workout?
You'll need dumbbells for this workout. Tap any exercise to see form instructions and possible substitutions if a piece of equipment isn't available.
How long does the Intermediate Upper Body Dumbbell Gain Workout take?
The full workout takes about 36 minutes, covering 8 exercises with prescribed sets, reps and rest periods. Using the built-in timers and auto-advance keeps you on pace from start to finish.
Is this workout suitable for my fitness level?
This is an intermediate workout, best suited to people with some training experience. Beginners can still follow it by reducing the weight, doing fewer sets or resting longer between sets – each exercise includes illustrated form instructions.
What muscles does this workout target?
This routine primarily works your glutes & hip flexors, quadriceps, shoulders, chest, neck & upper traps, abs. Tap any exercise in the workout to see a muscle diagram showing exactly which primary and secondary muscles it activates.
How often should I do this workout?
For gain muscle, get toned, aim to do this workout 2–3 times per week with at least one rest day between sessions. Progress by gradually adding weight or reps, and pair it with workouts for other muscle groups during the week.
Can I download or save this workout?
Yes – you can download this workout as a free printable PDF using the download button, or save it to a free WorkoutLabs Fit account to follow it on your phone, customize the exercises and track your progress.
Intermediate Upper Body Dumbbell Gain Workout
36 min
·
8 exercises
Build muscle and burn fat with this intermediate upper body dumbbell workout! Push every exercise close to failure — that\'s where the real gains happen. Hit your chest, arms, shoulders, and back with intense dumbbell sets designed to gain muscle and get you toned.
Dumbbell Squat Clean and Press
These are warm-up sets only!
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps, Shoulders
Secondary:
Hamstrings, Lower Back
Primary muscle group(s):
Shoulders
Secondary:
Calves, Glutes & Hip Flexors, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Quadriceps
- Shoulder-width stance. Tight core and flat back. Bend at the knees and hips. Lower yourself. Arms fully extended. Chest up and gaze straight ahead.
- Bring knees in and shoulders up. Drive hips forward. Keep the bar close to your body. Forcefully exhale and perform a full extension of the knees and hips.
- Use the momentum to bring elbows high. Rotate your elbows around and under the bar. Rack the bar across the front of your shoulders.
- Press the barbell above your head. Lower the bar.
Primary muscle group(s):
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps, Shoulders
Secondary:
Hamstrings, Lower Back
- With water bottles at your sides, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and feet pointing slightly outward. Look straight ahead.
- Squat down until your upper legs are parallel with the floor by bending your knees, keep your back straight.
- With an explosive but controlled movement, push up through your heels and press the water bottles above your head as you return to standing position.
- Still standing, slowly lower the water bottles down to your chest and then down to your sides by extending your arms.
- Repeat.
Incline Dumbbell Bench Chest Press
Aim for 4 seconds per rep here and use a weight that causes failure at 12 reps!
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest
Secondary:
Abs, Shoulders, Triceps
- Set up an incline bench so the back rest is at about a 45 degree angle.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip. (Palms facing away from you)
- Sit on the bench with your feet flat on the floor and your back and shoulders pressed firmly back against the back rest.
- Raise the dumbbells up to your shoulder level, keeping your elbows bent at 90 degrees.
- Push the dumbbells up and away from you using your shoulders and chest while straightening your arms.
- Continue raising the dumbbells until your arms are straight and the dumbbells are suspended above your chest. Hold for a count of one.
- Lower the dumbbells back towards your chest by relaxing your chest and shoulders while bending your elbows.
- Hold for a count of one
- Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest
Secondary:
Abs, Shoulders, Triceps
- Set up an incline bench in front of a weight rack, making sure you adjust the incline to a comfortable position. The back of the bench should be facing the weight stack.
- Sit on the bench placing your back firmly against the backrest.
- Using an overhand grip, grasp the bar with your hands spaced about twice your shoulder width apart.
- Lift the bar from the rack by pushing up with your chest muscles and hold it straight over your chest with your arms fully extended. This is the start position.
- As you inhale, lower the barbell slowly until it touches your upper chest.
- Hold for a count of one while squeezing your chest muscles.
- Return to the start position as you exhale, pushing the bar using your chest muscles. Hold for a count of one.
- Repeat.
If you are new at this exercise, you should use a spotter. If there is no-one available to spot for you, be conservative with the amount of weight you use. Do not let the bar drift too far forward. The bar to should touch down on your chest only. When performing this exercise, you should use a 2:1:1 count. That is a count of two on the downward movement. A count of one to hold and squeeze.a count of one for the upward movement.
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest
Secondary:
Abs, Shoulders, Triceps
- Stand between two cable stations with the dumbbell grip handles attached to the high pulleys on each side of you.
- Hold the handles with an overhand grip. Your arms should be outstretched.
- Bend your knees and hips slightly so that you are leaning forward, but not too far.
- Bend your elbows slightly and rotate your shoulders in towards the centre of your chest a little. Your elbows should be slightly behind you.
- Use a hugging motion, keeping your elbows in a fixed, bent position to bring the grip attachments together in front of your chest.
- Slowly return to the starting position until you feel a slight stretch in your chest muscles.
- Repeat.
Incline Dumbbell Bench Chest Press
Triple drop sets! Use descending weights that cause failure at 8 reps, 8 reps, and 10 reps.
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest
Secondary:
Abs, Shoulders, Triceps
- Set up an incline bench so the back rest is at about a 45 degree angle.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip. (Palms facing away from you)
- Sit on the bench with your feet flat on the floor and your back and shoulders pressed firmly back against the back rest.
- Raise the dumbbells up to your shoulder level, keeping your elbows bent at 90 degrees.
- Push the dumbbells up and away from you using your shoulders and chest while straightening your arms.
- Continue raising the dumbbells until your arms are straight and the dumbbells are suspended above your chest. Hold for a count of one.
- Lower the dumbbells back towards your chest by relaxing your chest and shoulders while bending your elbows.
- Hold for a count of one
- Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest
Secondary:
Abs, Shoulders, Triceps
- Set up an incline bench in front of a weight rack, making sure you adjust the incline to a comfortable position. The back of the bench should be facing the weight stack.
- Sit on the bench placing your back firmly against the backrest.
- Using an overhand grip, grasp the bar with your hands spaced about twice your shoulder width apart.
- Lift the bar from the rack by pushing up with your chest muscles and hold it straight over your chest with your arms fully extended. This is the start position.
- As you inhale, lower the barbell slowly until it touches your upper chest.
- Hold for a count of one while squeezing your chest muscles.
- Return to the start position as you exhale, pushing the bar using your chest muscles. Hold for a count of one.
- Repeat.
If you are new at this exercise, you should use a spotter. If there is no-one available to spot for you, be conservative with the amount of weight you use. Do not let the bar drift too far forward. The bar to should touch down on your chest only. When performing this exercise, you should use a 2:1:1 count. That is a count of two on the downward movement. A count of one to hold and squeeze.a count of one for the upward movement.
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest
Secondary:
Abs, Shoulders, Triceps
- Stand between two cable stations with the dumbbell grip handles attached to the high pulleys on each side of you.
- Hold the handles with an overhand grip. Your arms should be outstretched.
- Bend your knees and hips slightly so that you are leaning forward, but not too far.
- Bend your elbows slightly and rotate your shoulders in towards the centre of your chest a little. Your elbows should be slightly behind you.
- Use a hugging motion, keeping your elbows in a fixed, bent position to bring the grip attachments together in front of your chest.
- Slowly return to the starting position until you feel a slight stretch in your chest muscles.
- Repeat.
Dumbbell Overhead Shoulder Press
Again, hit 4 seconds per rep here!
Primary muscle group(s):
Shoulders
Secondary:
Abs, Triceps, Upper Back & Lower Traps
- Sit on a military press bench or bench that has a back support, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
- Place the dumbbells on top of your thighs with your palms facing down.
- Raise the dumbbells to your shoulders.
- Rotate your wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. This is the start position.
- As you exhale, push the dumbbells up and over your head by extending your arms until the dumbbells touch at the top of the movement.
- Pause for a count of one.
- Slowly return to the start position inhaling as you do so.
- Repeat.
This exercise can be performed standing or sitting on flat bench. For people with lower back problems, the version described is better.
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest, Shoulders
Secondary:
Triceps
- Holding a water bottle in each hand, stand straight, with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Raise the water bottles to head height by rotating your arms forward and up.
- Your triceps should be parallel to the floor and your elbows bent at 90 degrees. This is the start position.
- Keeping your back straight and using only your arms, extend through your shoulders and elbows to drive the water bottles straight up, exhaling as you do so.
- As your arms reach the fully extended position, bring them in towards each other until the water bottles touch lightly together.
- Hold for a count of one, while squeezing your shoulder muscles.
- In a controlled movement, return to the starting position, inhaling as you do so.
- Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Shoulders
Secondary:
Abs
- Place your left foot onto the middle of a resistance band. Step forward with the right. Tighten your abdominals and avoid arching your back.
- Press the handles of the resistance band up and stop once your upper arms are parallel with the ground, making a scarecrow formation. The band should be behind your arms.
- Slowly press the resistance band overhead. Do not lock out the elbows. Lower to the starting position and begin again.
Dumbbell Overhead Shoulder Press
Triple drop sets! Use descending weights that cause failure at 8 reps, 8 reps, and 10 reps.
Primary muscle group(s):
Shoulders
Secondary:
Abs, Triceps, Upper Back & Lower Traps
- Sit on a military press bench or bench that has a back support, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
- Place the dumbbells on top of your thighs with your palms facing down.
- Raise the dumbbells to your shoulders.
- Rotate your wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. This is the start position.
- As you exhale, push the dumbbells up and over your head by extending your arms until the dumbbells touch at the top of the movement.
- Pause for a count of one.
- Slowly return to the start position inhaling as you do so.
- Repeat.
This exercise can be performed standing or sitting on flat bench. For people with lower back problems, the version described is better.
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest, Shoulders
Secondary:
Triceps
- Holding a water bottle in each hand, stand straight, with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Raise the water bottles to head height by rotating your arms forward and up.
- Your triceps should be parallel to the floor and your elbows bent at 90 degrees. This is the start position.
- Keeping your back straight and using only your arms, extend through your shoulders and elbows to drive the water bottles straight up, exhaling as you do so.
- As your arms reach the fully extended position, bring them in towards each other until the water bottles touch lightly together.
- Hold for a count of one, while squeezing your shoulder muscles.
- In a controlled movement, return to the starting position, inhaling as you do so.
- Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Shoulders
Secondary:
Abs
- Place your left foot onto the middle of a resistance band. Step forward with the right. Tighten your abdominals and avoid arching your back.
- Press the handles of the resistance band up and stop once your upper arms are parallel with the ground, making a scarecrow formation. The band should be behind your arms.
- Slowly press the resistance band overhead. Do not lock out the elbows. Lower to the starting position and begin again.
Rest
0:00
Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes
A
Aim for 3 - 4 seconds per rep, take no rest once complete!
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest
Secondary:
Abs, Shoulders, Triceps
- Holding a pair of dumbbells, sit on a flat bench and slowly lower yourself back.
- Keep a tight core as you push the dumbbells above your chest. The dumbbells will be facing one another and held together.
- With a slight bend in the elbow, open up your chest and slowly lower the dumbbells to the sides.
- When the dumbbells are parallel with the ground, pause, and return to the starting position.
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest
Secondary:
Abs, Shoulders, Triceps
- Stand between two cable stations with the dumbbell grip handles attached to the high pulleys on each side of you.
- Hold the handles with an overhand grip. Your arms should be outstretched.
- Bend your knees and hips slightly so that you are leaning forward, but not too far.
- Bend your elbows slightly and rotate your shoulders in towards the centre of your chest a little. Your elbows should be slightly behind you.
- Use a hugging motion, keeping your elbows in a fixed, bent position to bring the grip attachments together in front of your chest.
- Slowly return to the starting position until you feel a slight stretch in your chest muscles.
- Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Chest
Secondary:
Shoulders, Triceps
- Sit on a pec deck machine with your back flat against the back rest.
- Grip the handles and make sure your arms are parallel to the floor. If not parallel,adjust the seat or handles accordingly. This is the start position.
- Exhale and slowly push the handles together squeezing your chest to the middle as you do so. Hold for a count of one.
- Inhale as you return to the starting position in a controlled movement.
- Repeat.
This exercise can be performed using an exercise band or pulleys. There are a variety of different machines with different placement of your forearms. With these, place your forearms on the pad, with your elbow bent to 90 degrees. Perform the exercise by squeezing your elbows together.
Two Arm Dumbbell Front Shoulder Raises
A
Get straight onto these! Pull all kinds of funny faces with this!
Primary muscle group(s):
Neck & Upper Traps, Shoulders
Secondary:
Abs
- Holding a pair of dumbbells with an overhand grip, stand tall with your chest up and core braced.
- Begin by lifting the dumbbells in front of you. Keep the abdominals contracted as you raise the dumbbells. Feel the contraction in the shoulder muscles.
- Once the dumbbells reach shoulder height, pause and slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position.
Primary muscle group(s):
Shoulders
- Stand straight holding a water bottle in each hand with an overhand grip.
- Hold the water bottles in front of your thighs with your palms of the facing your thighs. Keep your arms fully extended. This is the start position.
- Raise the left water bottle out and upwards, while keeping a slight bend in your elbow. Your palms must always face down for this exercise.
- Continue raising the water bottle until your arm is a little above parallel to the floor. Exhale as you are raising the water bottle.
- Pause for a count of one.
- Inhale and slowly lower the water bottle to the start position.
- As you lower the left water bottle, begin to lift the right water bottle, duplicating the movement.
- When both water bottles have been raised and lowered in a cycle, that is one repetition.
- Repeat.
Primary muscle group(s):
Shoulders
- Holding the handle of a resistance band in each hand, step on the middle of the band with both feet. Stand up straight with a tight core and flat back.
- Begin by lifting your hands straight up in front of you with an overhand grip. Be sure to keep a slight bend in the elbows at all times.
- Pause at the top to feel the contraction then slowly lower the bands to the starting position.
Dumbbell Weighted Leg Pull-Ins
You\'re almost there!
Primary muscle group(s):
Abs
Secondary:
Glutes & Hip Flexors
- Stand a dumbbell on one of its plates about 2 feet away from the edge of a bench and sit comfortably on the edge of that bench, using you hand-grip for support. Fully extend your legs towards the dumbbell.
- Using your amazing foot-eye coordination, pin each foot underneath the top plate of the standing dumbbell, on either side of its bar.
- Bring your knees in towards your chest, taking care not to drop the dumbbell in the process, and hold them as close as you can to your chest for 1 second.
- Extend the legs back down towards the floor to the starting position.
Workout done!
Exercises done
of 8
Total time
Access 1000+ more workouts, build your own plans and track progress with Fit
Start my free week
Free 7-day trial • No charge today
We're not done yet!
Exercises done
of 8
Approx. time left
32:15
You can switch gender of illustrations here
Got it
Swap that with...
What's new
Recently added
- Copy calendar contents between clients (Jan 19)
- Disable messaging for individual clients (Jan 19)
- Sort your client list in a few practical ways (Jan 19)
- Message multiple or all of your clients at once (Jan 17)
- 10 new exercises (Jan 10)
- Sidebar 'notepads' for privates notes (Dec 23)
- Supersetting functionality (Nov 22)
- 15 new exercises (Nov 12)
- Clients can now move workouts (Nov 7)
- 15 new exercises (Oct 10)
- 9 new exercises (Sep 14)
- 10 new exercises (Aug 30)
- Share workouts on Instagram and browser notifications (Aug 29)
Coming soon
- Your branding in client email notifications
- Share workouts on Pinterest
- Tools and resources to help you find new clients
Get more updates on Twitter
Uh oh! 5 workouts in your calendar will be permanently overwritten. Proceed?
The 5 mile run at the park with Mary custom activity will be deleted. Proceed?
Permanently delete ALL FUTURE WORKOUTS and activities in your calendar? This cannot be undone.
You've used your
5 free workouts limit. Start a free 7-day Fit trial to keep training, save workouts and build your own plans 👍
5 free workouts limit. Start a free 7-day Fit trial to keep training, save workouts and build your own plans 👍
Free 7-day trial • No charge today
Committed? Upgrade to yearly and save 25%!
Our yearly subscription is only $89.95 – $29.45 less than paying monthly*. That’s only $7.49/mo!
*$9.95/mo x 12 months = $119.40
OMG YES! Switch to yearly
, join thousands of users worldwide!
★★
★★
★★
★★
★★
4.5 user rating
Enjoy hundreds of workouts
or edit and create your own
Follow simple illustrations
with videos and written instructions
Manage your calendar
to get fit on your schedule
I'm committed 💪
$89.95
per
year
year
Comes to $7.50/mo
Save 25%
Best value &
popular option
popular option
One step at a time
$9.95
per
month
month
billed monthly
Where should we send
the workout link? 📲
the workout link? 📲
We’ll never call or send spam, and your number will
remain private. 🔒 or view the workout here
remain private. 🔒 or view the workout here
We’ll never call or send spam, and your
number will remain private. 🔒
number will remain private. 🔒
Delete forever?
Yep, toss it!