Build Your Best-Ever Body at Home With Our Dumbbell-Only WFH Athlete Training Plan

Photo credit:

With COVID-19 restrictions lifting and gyms now open, your first impulse may be to plunge headlong back into training’s old normal. But we wouldn’t be surprised if a year’s worth of dumbbells thrown around at home, bodyweight gains made in the garden and kettlebell playtime in the park has made you rethink the way you approach your physical fitness.

Gyms are incredible places, and we will always be the first to advocate for their importance. Yet it’s undeniable that they also present barriers to entry, be they financial, geographical or time-bound. And as we move into the era of hybrid working, there will inevitably be days when getting to the gym just isn’t an option for some people.

So, we propose a hybrid form of fitness. Hit the gym when you can and gorge on what you’ve missed over the past year – specialist equipment, changing room banter, or just the chance to get out of the house. Then, on the days you’re working from home, make use of our minimal kit, high-yield workouts, all designed to be tackled any time, anywhere.

Whether you want to burn through a quick lunchtime conditioning session, have half an hour to gird yourself against the work-from-home niggles, or are dead set on a 30-minute strength session, we have your back – and all you need is a single dumbbell. So, whatever your job set up, you’ll always have a workout you can rely on to make genuine fitness gains.

WORKOUT #01: YOUR LUNCHTIME SNACK

Start a timer and get moving. This rapid-fire workout launches you straight into some intense conditioning work that will blast away the last of the morning’s cobwebs.

Here, you’ll be using the EMOM (“every minute on the minute”) format. Every 60 seconds, start a new movement. Perform the prescribed reps, rest for what’s left of the minute and switch movements with each new minute. Cycle through the entire circuit four times, for a total of 16 minutes. Get it right and you won’t want to do another rep. Let’s go.

WORKOUT #02: THE BIG EVENING PUMP

Blow off some serious steam once the laptop is shut for the day with this bumper half-hour session. Consider it your one-stop shop for both an upper-body pump and a calorie-crushing hit. For part one, follow an AMRAP (“as many reps as possible”) structure. Work back and forth between the movements for 16 minutes. Take two minutes’ rest, then move on to part two. This time, go for maximum-effort bouts of each move for 40 seconds, before resting for 20 seconds, alternating movements and repeating for a sweat-drenched total of 12 minutes.

WORKOUT #3 GIVE IT SOME LEGS

With a solid upper-body pump ticked off for the week, you’re now officially out of excuses: let legs day commence. In less than half an hour, this workout addresses structural weaknesses, builds power and balance and will take you a long way towards building a bulletproof body. For part one, follow an AMRAP structure. Set a timer for 15 minutes and work between the two moves as many times as you can, resting only as necessary. For part two, keep the clock running but switch to the EMOM format, alternating between the two moves for 10 minutes. You can have a sit-down later.

You Might Also Like

• The 23 Best Foods to Build Muscle

• 10 of the Best Waterproof Boots to Buy in 2019

• 6 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health