The days between Christmas and New Year can leave you torn between enjoying the last of the festivities and craving a bit of routine. It’s the perfect time to shake off some indulgences and get your body moving before the New Year. If you're looking for a quick way to fit in some exercise, this four-move dumbbell workout has your name on it.
All you need is a pair of dumbbells and this routine from Built By Becky. Becky specializes in minimal-equipment workouts, making this perfect for anyone far from a gym over the holidays or who prefers to exercise at home.
The focus of this routine is on building strength and definition in your upper body and core. It's not a HIIT session, so there is no need to feel any pressure to give your all under timed intervals. Instead, you will move deliberately, emphasizing time under tension and really feeling your muscles at work.
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Half-kneeling shoulder press into half-kneeling hammer curl
3 sets of 8-12 reps -
Bird dog rows superset with tabletop plank knee taps
3 sets of 8-12 reps each arm /12-20 total knee taps -
Single-arm skull crusher variation
3 sets of 8-12 reps -
Seated 'around the world' superset with push-ups
2-3 sets of 12 reps each
In the demonstration videos, you’ll see that Becky is lifting quite heavy, but you don't need to do the same. She is a coach who has been training for years, and the weight you use should be relative to where you are in your strength journey.
If you’re doing this routine at the gym, you’ll have access to dumbbells in a range of weights and can adjust the load for each exercise. At home, one set of dumbbells that you can comfortably use for all the moves will be perfectly fine. You're still moving and engaging your muscles.
But if you want to work with a range of weight sizes at home without taking up lots of space, adjustable weights are also a great option because you can increase or decrease the load as needed. If that sounds useful for your home workouts, check out our guide to the best adjustable dumbbells.
How to get the most out of this workout
To maximize the benefits of this workout, aim for purposeful reps. Your core should stay lightly braced to support your spine, while the working muscles do the heavy lifting. If you feel yourself relying on momentum or losing control, that’s your cue to adjust your weight or technique.
This workout includes supersets, which are pairs of exercises performed back-to-back with little or no rest. Supersets are a great way to keep your muscles working and your heart rate up, giving you a combination of strength and endurance benefits in a shorter amount of time.
To do supersets effectively, focus on good form and controlled movement for each exercise, and choose a weight that challenges you without causing strain. Alternating between muscle groups, like an upper-body move paired with a core-focused move, allows each set to work complementary muscles while giving others a brief recovery.
Finally, take a moment to acknowledge which muscles are being worked and give them a chance to recover. After the session is done, some light stretching, mobility work, or gentle movement can help reduce soreness the next day and help you maintain flexibility.
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