Hail to the Dumbbell, Part 2 - Meat Sticks Edition

Hope you enjoyed the first workout in our dumbbell-only PPL series, covered in last week’s post. Today we’re going to dive right into part two, legs. Most folks just getting started in fitness will ignore legs and focus only on vanity muscles like chest & arms. Short list why you shouldn’t do this:

• You put yourself at risk of lower body injury
• You’ll look physically imbalanced
• Huge legs are the sign of a true man
• Your core will be weak

And one more thing before we dive in...

CARDIO

IS

NOT

A

REPLACEMENT

FOR

WEIGHT

TRAINING

LEGS

Would you go to the gym and do 1000 reps of curls with a 2lb pink dumbbell?

No. Thus, running = awesome for endurance, cardiovascular health, a hobby… bad for strength.

Now that we got that out of the way. Let’s build some wheels, dumbbell-only style.

Rest periods 60-90 seconds, strict.

Exercise 1 - Squat

2 high-rep warmup sets (15-20 reps)

5 sets 8-12 reps

1 AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) Aim for 20-30

To kick things off we are going to do the granddaddy of all leg movements, the squat. Out of all 4 of my readers, precisely 0 will sit through this entire 23 minute video but I HIGHLY suggest checking out Mark Rippetoe’s squat primer:

Again, it’s barbell-focused but many of the cues & guidance will apply over to dumbbell squats.

Here’s a good, short video guide for how to modify the movement to be done with dumbbells.

Your focus should be placed on getting the form right. Getting a full range of motion or “ass to grass” as it’s called. At this point your ROM is going to be far more important than the poundage. If you’re trying to figure out a good ROM, start by doing what’s called a “third world squat” like this chump:

 It’ll help you stretch and figure out how deep you can really go before loading up the weight.

Exercise 2 - Goblet Squat

5 Sets 8-12

Here’s a good video. Similar to a regular squat but by putting the weight in front of you and high up on your body, you will activate your core (abs and lower back) and put a bit more focus on your quads. My tips are:

• Keep your weight on your heels, just like Rippetoe said in the video
• Don’t let the weight pull you forward
• Actively think about bracing your abs and lumbar when doing the movement. Like this: Up, big breath inhale, flex abs, down & exhale, Up, repeat.

Exercise 3 - Dumbbell Glute Bridge

4 Sets 8-10

These are kind of the red headed stepchild of leg workouts because no one wants to be the guy air-humping in the gym. Here’s the deal. I avoided these for years and finally sucked it up and started doing them early in 2017.  Since then, my squat is up, my deadlift is up, my glutes are firmer & stronger, my hams are bigger.

TL;DR - Don’t be a pussy. Air-fuck the shit out of these.

Put the dumbbell across your pelvis where the Scott puts the bar in the video. If it’s uncomfortable for you, no shame in using a yoga mat or a pillow underneath. Make sure you really give yourself a SOLID 1 second squeeze at the top of these, I usually squeeze the last one of each set until failure (10 seconds or more).

Exercise 4 - Romanian Deadlifts (RDL)

4 Sets 8-10

In my last post I talked about “regular” deadlifts which put more focus on the lower back. RDL’s are a slight variation which will shift the tension to your hams & glutes. These are also called “stiff leg” or “straight leg” deadlifts. But let me be clear: DO NOT LOCK YOUR KNEES!

You can put the dumbbells in front of you to mimic the barbell in the video. I like a narrow grip for this, probably to the point where the dumbbells are touching one another. Keep in mind that when you deadlift with a barbell, it’s typically at your shoelaces. So I recommend putting the dumbbells at your sides, lifting up, and then doing the exercise keeping the weights close to your body (vs. starting with the dumbbells in front of your toes which is a weird angle).

I like to do these with a slightly larger ROM than the guy in the video- going all the way down until the weights on the barbell are ALMOST touching the floor (in the case of dumbbells, ALMOST crushing your feet), and then popping back up.

Exercise 5 - Lunges

4 Sets of 10 for each leg (20 “steps”)

Do you have a driveway or other area where you can safely walk 10 steps up and back? If so, I highly recommend doing lunges that way vs. walking in place. The movement is pretty self explanatory, here's a video if you aren't familiar.

One thing I like to do is experiment with HOW far I step out in front of myself. Sometimes I will start with doing huge steps, opening my hips way up and really feeling that stretch everywhere (watch out for putting a big shock on that front knee). Other times I’ll go heavier and do pretty normal sized steps. These are an absolute killer.

Exercise 6 - Step Ups

2-4 sets of 10 for each leg  

At this point, if you’ve been doing things right, your legs are going to be GASSED. This is an excellent way to finish up your workout. Note that in the form video, Scott is only using 30 lb weights as a highly trained athlete. So start with bodyweight for these and maybe add in some light weights.

I have 2-4 sets listed because I’ve been known to almost fall off the stool and leave the gym after 2 of these because my legs are so dead.

Exercise 7 - Calf Raises

5 Sets of 20-25

This is kind of a bonus exercise because even if your legs are dead, you should still be able to bang this out. It’s shorts season, boys! Calves can’t be ignored. Here's a video:

I would recommend something higher than a single 2x4, probably double that to allow greater ROM. The way I like to program these is to do 10 with absolutely perfect form, all the way down until my heels almost touch the floor and then back up on the balls of my feet with a 1-2 second squeeze. Then when my calves are about to explode, I do 10-15 more really fast.

Congrats! You made it through a GRUELING leg workout. Go have a big shake and eat some carbs. Flex your quads in a mirror when no one is looking. Do you have quad vascularity yet? Better hit 'em again next week.

Catch you next week for part 3 - PUSH!

Welcome Back & Hail to the Dumbbell, Part 1

In my quest to one day become the world's first personal trainer who isn't creepy or broke or both, I've decided to take all of the mediocre advice, stolen workouts, and unenthusiastic supplement/diet guidance I provide friends piecemeal and put it in one place for reference. So, Iron is my Girlfriend is back. Bitches.

In my re-inaugural post I'm going to address an open request from a friend who has recently gotten (back) into fitness. He's got a lot of shit going on between a kid, wife, work etc. so he decided the best way he would reliably be able to toss some steel around would be to purchase a set of those adjustable dumbbells for his basement and a bench. Not my ideal setup, but I've gotten good training sessions in with less. My challenge is to put together a dumbbell-only program that will help him pack on a little muscle and offer him a secondary option to cardio as he continues to embrace a fit lifestyle.

Given he's still doing a ton of cardio to drop some fat, I am going to suggest a 3 day a week classic PPL (Pull-Push-Legs), but I'm going to mix it up by making it superset-only. This will allow him to get far more work in a 60 minute period AND get his heart rate up more, simultaneously working towards his fat loss goals.

As he's just getting back into the swing of things, you'll see I'm not getting too fancy with the rep ranges. He can ease into heavier stuff later, but forming that foundation of good form is critical.

If I analyzed every exercise choice you'd be reading this blog long into the night- so I'm going to drop the workout, and do some commentary on various exercises in separate posts. Without further ado...

DUMBBELL ONLY PPL, 1 OF 3 - PULL

60-90s rest between sets
5 Supersets with strict 60-90s rest in between

Superset 1

• Dumbbell Deadlift - Form video 
• Dumbbell Pullover - Form video & Relevant article

This is a good way to get started. The adjustable dumbbells don't go up too high so we aren't talking about max effort singles and doubles here- just a great all around lift for your entire back. Combined with the lat stretch & pump from pullover, you have a great way to get blood into your back and get into your workout.

I highly suggest reviewing Mark Rippetoe's Deadlift How-To Video. Even though you're using DBs a lot of the cues and tips still apply. He's the king for a reason.

Superset 2

• Bent Over 2-Arm Dumbbell Row - Overhand, pulled to where the bottom of your pecs meet your abs 
• Bent Over 2-Arm Dumbbell Row - Underhand, pulled to your belly button

Here is the best row video I've found, which can be easily translated to dumbbells. Only difference is that I would NOT suggest the method of letting the weight rest on the ground for a second between reps. There's merit to this, but something to be added in later and something I'd only do with a barbell. Instead I'd use the method he suggests at 3:15.

This one gets your entire back. You want to remain bent over 90 degrees with the top half of your body parallel to the floor, and really keep cheating/momentum to a minimum. I don't mind a little cheating to squeeze out a few extra and go beyond failure, but you have to be able to do at least 8 good ones for the set to count.

On the first exercise you really want to focus on pulling with your mid-back, squeezing your shoulder blades together hard. You'll want your elbows mostly flared out to the side. See 1:20 in the video for more detail.

On the second, it's all about lats. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides and get your hands out to the sides of your abdomen at belly button height. 

Superset 3

• Mock T-Bar Row
• Single Arm Dumbbell Row

T-Bar rows are one of my favorite back exercises. While not particularly relevant to the strict dumbbell version I'm including here, I suggest watching this video of prime Ronnie Coleman doing them just for pump up purposes.

I do this myself with dumbbells all the time but couldn't find a good video of it  (it's no longer a "T-Bar row" at this and more of a "Neutral Grip Mid-Back Row" but I digress). Basically what I want you to do here is:

• Bend a little bit past 45 degrees at the waist.
• Let your arms hang with two dumbbells in front of you with a neutral grip (palms facing one another)
• With the two dumbbells touching each other  in front of your sternum, row them up to your pecs. The heel of your hand should be at about nipple level and your elbows should be about 45 degrees (in the middle of pointing towards the wall behind you and the walls on your sides).
• Pull the dumbbells towards your body (should be physically touching your chest) and squeeze that shit for a 1 count.
• Repeat.

With the Single Arm Row, there are literally thousands of videos and guides to this exercise. Using momentum vs. not using momentum. Full stop at the bottom vs. continuous tension, bending over 90 degrees, 60, 45, 30, etc. All of these variations have their merits at the right time and place. But for this program, aimed at a beginner with limited poundage available, we're going to go for a very strict, lat focused option.

Here's a solid video for a foundation.

I suggest going even lighter with a 1sec pause at the back, and resisting the urge to rotate your shoulders, instead opting for keeping them squared up towards the floor. Basically, minimize this:

This superset is hitting two areas of your back. You're crushing your mid back in the first exercise, then your lats in the second. My mid-back has always lagged so I'm partial to hitting it first in the superset, but if you find yourself wanting a bigger wingspan feel free to change up the order.

Superset 4 - Note: Higher Rep Range, 5 Sets of 12-20 reps

• Dumbbell Face Pulls - Form Video
• Rear Delt Flye

Now we're getting into the shoulder portion of the Pull workout. You're just going to do 1 superset as you'll be hitting your shoulders again this week during the Push portion. This is going to focus on your rear delts, which are SUPER important for getting that 3-D cannonball shoulder look.

With the face pulls, don't be a hero. Go light, and focus on pulling your shoulder blades together hard. This is a really healthy movement for your shoulder and will help to strengthen your rotator cuff, protecting you from injury. Start borderline "why am I doing this" levels of light weight, and work your way up a little bit as you go down in reps. Typically for these my scheme will look something like 20 20 15 12 12.

For the rear delt flyes, while I kind of want to punch this guy in the face, here is a good video to give you an idea of what I'm looking for. The difference is that instead of crossing your arms like he does, I want you to line up the dumbbells on the same plane- stop when they are about a foot away from one another at the bottom and raise them back up using your rear delts and even giving it a little squeeze in your rhomboids. Hold it at the top for 1 second. I never am able to do 20 with the hold so usually I'll do 10 really strict, then when my delts give out I'll do 10 more without the pause, even getting a tiny bit of momentum (the very end would be the time you want to cross your arms, to get a few extra).

Last point, is that you don't need to be raising up 90 degrees like a T. Everyone's put together just a little different, so you may feel it better if you're arms are slightly lower than that, all the way to 45 degrees. Up to you and what you feel.

Superset 5

• Dumbbell Bicep Curl
• Reverse Grip Dumbbell Curl

Your biceps will be toast from all the rowing, so I'm going to start off with 5 (super)sets of dedicated bicep work and we can reassess later. It seems like a tiny amount, but keep in mind biceps are a small muscle that responds well to a small amount of sets.

For the first exercise, I'm going back to my boy Scott Herman. Follow his form exactly (video below). It might not give you the most insane pump, but since I have changed my curl form to match this, I have seen significant improvement in both size and strength. Don't be a hero! Stick to your rep ranges with clean form.

Video here, skip to 2:30.

For the second exercise, Scott's doing them at 6:22 with a barbell. Do the same motion with your dumbbells, using reverse grip and using a FULL range of motion. This will hit your biceps from a different angle AND crush your forearms. Win-win.

That's it for me today, hope this was informative, look out for the second part in the series next week.... LEGS!