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The 2-dumbbell workout to lose weight and get the perfect body

You only need two dumbbells to transform your body into a fat-melting machine.

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  • 45-60

  • 12

  • Yes

Man performing pushups on dumbbells
Westend61 / Getty

Every year around January, flocks of newly minted gym-goers will descend upon their local sweatboxes, insistent on finally losing the last 10lbs. They’ll load up on new gear, sign up for a shiny new membership, and then consign themselves to three months of misery in cardio machine hell. No wonder so many people quit the gym in March.

But we’re here to tell you that there’s a better way to burn fat while building muscle—and this method will go nowhere near an elliptical machine or a treadmill.

Our suggestion? Pick up two dumbbells and get hammering with this workout, the second in our Spring Trim-up workout program. This workout focuses on shoulders and core, but you’ll hit plenty of other muscle groups, including your legs, chest, back, and biceps. With a workout like this, you’ll be seeing results far faster—and sticking to your New Year’s resolutions all year long.

For the full Spring Trim-up workout program (with more videos), check out mensfitness.com/trimup. And if you’re really insistent on losing the weight this year, make sure you check out our roster of weight-loss advice.

Routine

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The Workout

Chest, arms, shoulders, back, abs workout

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 1 of 12

Shoulder Press

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
15 on each side
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 2 of 12

Single-Leg Row

Equipment
Rope Attachment
Sets
3
Reps
15
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 3 of 12

Leg Raise

Equipment
Bench
Sets
3
Reps
15
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 4 of 12

Lateral Raise

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
3
Reps
15
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 6 of 12

Swiss Ball Crunch

Equipment
Swiss Ball
Sets
3
Reps
15
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 7 of 12

Renegade Row

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
3
Reps
20
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 8 of 12

Dumbbell Squat Front Raise

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
3
Reps
15
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 9 of 12

Farmer’s Walk

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
3
Reps
50 yards
Rest
30 sec.
Add shrug hold to end of each walk.
Exercise 10 of 12

Bench Dip

Equipment
Bench
Sets
3
Reps
20
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 11 of 12

Punches

Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
20
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 12 of 12

Burpee

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
12
Rest
0 sec.
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