The 30-Minute Dumbbell Workout to Build Your Chest | Muscle & Fitness
Dumbbell workouts solve a lot of logistical problems. With dumbbells, there’s no need to wait for machines, enlist a spotter, or find a place to install a suspension trainer. You don’t even need a gym membership as long as you have a bench and a parking spot’s worth of space. Adjustable dumbbells, relatively unusual 15 years ago, now are commonplace and affordable, eliminating the need for an expensive, space-sucking rack of iron at home. Best of all, dumbbells work for pretty much every lift. So while kettlebells or barbells might be ideal for some lifts, dumbbells are usually an adequate substitute for those moves—and preferable for others. And if you don’t have an adjustable bench at home, try propping up one end of the bench on a sturdy support, like cinderblocks or bricks.
Now you’re ready for a chest workout just about anywhere—hotel gym, garage, or backyard.
How It Works
This 30-minute dumbbell workout to build your chest is designed as a circuit workout. You’ll hammer through 4 total circuits of these seven moves. To produce maximum results with minimal time, rest only briefly—about a minute or so—between circuits.
Pete Williams is a NASM-certified personal trainer and the author or co-author of a number of books on performance and training.