Home Fitness Dumbbell Program

Prepare a pair of adjustable dumbbells (5-25kg adjustable for boys and 2-15kg adjustable for girls). Practice three times a week for 40-50 minutes each time. You don’t have to jump or disturb the neighbors. If you persist for 2-3 months, the changes in your arm lines, core strength, and waist and abdominal tightness will be much more obvious than if you spend half a year on the treadmill.

I personally tested it during the two months of the lockdown two years ago, and I practiced blindly at first. Today I remembered to do two sets of curls, and tomorrow I found an internet celebrity and practiced for 10 minutes. Not only did it not work for half a month, but my shoulder also hurt for almost a week because of incorrect movements. Later, I asked a former fitness instructor friend for a plan, and I modified it to suit my home situation. I have been using it to this day. I also tried different training logics in the process. The pitfalls I encountered can be a reminder to everyone.

First, let’s talk about a point that’s causing quite a stir on the Internet right now: Should I train all parts of my body every time, or should I train the upper and lower body separately on alternate days? I tried both for half a year. To be honest - if you can only squeeze out 3 days a week and can't spare 1 hour each time, choose full-body training. Do 2 sets of each of the four categories of pushing, pulling, squatting, and core movements. All muscle groups are taken into account, and there will be no situation where the legs become thicker or the arms become thinner after training. ； If you can even out 4-5 days a week and sit down and practice slowly for an hour each time, choose to separate the upper and lower bodies. For example, train the upper body on Monday, the lower body on Wednesday, the upper body again on Friday, and add a core on Sunday. The muscle-building efficiency will be about 15% higher than that of full-body training. Don’t listen to one school saying that the other is wrong. It all depends on your own time and needs. There is no distinction between superior and inferior.

What I recommend to many friends who work from 9 to 5 are the 3 exercises that are suitable for most people’s time. Let’s talk about a few movements that don’t require a large space. Even if you rent a single room of 10 square meters, you can do it with a yoga mat spread out:

For pushing movements, I usually choose the dumbbell bench press. I just lie on the yoga mat. There is no need to buy an extra bench press. Place a thin pillow under the waist to just support the curvature. Don’t aim for heavy lifts. Stop the dumbbell when it reaches the sides of the chest when falling. Don’t force it down to the shoulders. A netizen told me before that he was trying to lift 15kg but couldn’t hold it firmly and hit his ribs. It hurt for almost a month. It was really unnecessary.

Don’t always do curling exercises for pulling exercises. Practice more bent-over dumbbell rowing. Keep your waist straight and don’t collapse. I used to do it with a hunched back, and my waist was more sore than my back after the exercise. Later, I changed it in front of the mirror in the entrance hall for almost two weeks before I found the right feeling. After doing the back exercise, I felt that my shoulders were not slumped even when I put on a shirt the next day. The effect is better than any Internet celebrity correction belt.

To squat, just do a goblet squat. Just hold the dumbbells on your chest. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Don't buckle your knees inward. I always followed suit and squatted to the end. My knees hurt for several days. Later, I asked a friend who is a rehabilitation practitioner and said that if ordinary people don't have competitive needs, squatting until parallel to the ground is enough to stimulate the muscles. There is no need to pursue deep joint injuries.

For the core, you don’t have to do crunches. Just take a dumbbell and do the farmer’s walk. Walk around the living room twice with dumbbells in both hands. The core is stretched throughout the whole process. It is more tiring than doing 100 crunches, and it won’t hurt your cervical spine. Sometimes I can walk around twice while watching TV dramas without delaying my work at all.

You don’t have to hold a stopwatch when taking a break between sets. I usually drink water, pet my cat twice, and just wait for about a minute. If I feel that I was out of breath in the last set, it’s okay to rest for an extra 30 seconds. I don’t need to be so stuck like in the gym. Originally, home fitness is for freedom, but if the requirements are too demanding, I can’t persist.

Oh, by the way, another controversial point is whether to practice on an empty stomach? I have tried to practice on an empty stomach in the morning, and I have also tried to take an hour off after get off work to practice. To be honest, if you do not have hypoglycemia, practicing on an empty stomach is more efficient in burning fat. But if you feel dizzy when you wake up in the morning, you should eat a banana and practice again instead of forcing yourself. The last time I practiced on an empty stomach, my vision went black halfway through, and I almost dropped the dumbbell on my feet. It was not worth the gain.

I have friends who have been practicing this plan for 3 months, and have lost 4 points of body fat, and their arms can be stretched out even when wearing a T-shirt. Some friends have given up after practicing for a month because they found it too slow. In fact, the core of practicing dumbbells at home is not how perfect the plan is, but how you can persevere. Even if you are tired and do two less sets, it is still better than just lying down. Really, you don’t have to watch those anxiety-provoking videos about “getting your waistline in 7 days”. A pair of adjustable dumbbells costing hundreds of dollars and spending 3 nights a week are more effective than any fancy fitness black technology.