The Best Exercises Using Just Dumbbells And A Bench

In the past 5 years, the demand for home gyms has surged, whether that be for convenience, time benefits or for the preference of people able to exercise in a quiet environment (sometimes all 3).

Unfortunately, the amount of space and/ or money that people can use for a home gym is often limited. Sophisticated set-ups with power racks, barbells, plates and every type of conditioning equipment are often out of the picture. This begs the question, can you complete sufficient workouts with just some dumbbells and a bench?

We're here to tell you, you can!

Dumbbells are great for building muscle, strength, and often used for evening out imbalances from barbell work. A bench on the other hand will assist many movements, improve form or be a requirement for many exercises, giving you a lot of options for your training.

Indeed, a bench and dumbbells are all you need for a whole host of exercises that can help you improve strength, conditioning and help you towards your fitness goals.

Are Dumbbells And A Bench Enough For A Home Gym?

Absolutely. Whilst it is advantageous to have a complete home gym set up, it is not essential and you can certainly reach your strength or training goals with just some dumbbells and a bench.

The great thing about a bench and a few pairs of dumbbells is they take up much less room than a rack with plates and barbells. They can also be moved out of sight if your home gym is a part-time home gym and stored neatly in a corner.

Exercises With Dumbbells And A Bench

Here is an extensive list of the best dumbbell exercises with the use of a bench and dumbbells, along with some workout plan ideas for you to try yourself:

Chest & Back Focused Exercises With Dumbbells And A Bench

• Flat Dumbbell Press
• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Dumbbell Fly’s
• Chest Supported Rows (Single Or Double Handed)
• 1 Arm Supported Dumbbell Rows
• Decline Dumbbell Press
• Dumbbell Pullovers
• Feet Elevated Push-ups: Using Dumbbell handles for extra range of motion

Shoulder Dumbbell Exercises With A Bench

• Lateral Raises
• Front Raises
• Lying Reverse Dumbbell Fly’s
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Seated Shrugs
• Arnold Press
• Lying External Rotations
Seated Bent Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly’s
• Side Lying Lateral Raises With Bench Elevated

Arm-Focused Dumbbell Exercises With A Bench

• Bicep Curls
• Hammer Curls
• Skullcrushers
• Spider Curls
• Seated Tricep Kickbacks
• French Press
• Seated Zottman Curls
• Preacher Curls
• Narrow Grip Presses

Leg & Core Focused Dumbbell Exercises With A Bench

• Paused/ Box Squats
• Split Squats
• Feet Elevated Sit-Ups
• Raised Suitcase Deadlift
• Dumbbell Step-Ups
• Dumbbell Hip Thrusts
• Weighted Sit-Ups

There’s also a range of exercises that can be performed with just Dumbbells or just a Bench giving you more options in your training if this is all you have.

Exercises Ideas With Just Dumbbells

• Standing Variations For Many Of The Above Exercises
• Bent Over Rows
• Renegade Rows
• Weighted Calf Raises
• DB Deadlifts
• Goblet Squats
• Dumbbell Thrusters
• DB Lunges

Exercises Ideas With Just A Bench

• Leg Pull-Ins
• Bodyweight Squats/ Split Squats
• Push-ups (Decline or Incline)
• Planks Or Side Planks Decline or Incline)
• Tricep Extensions

3 Workout Ideas With Just Dumbbells And A Bench

Try these workouts below if you're looking for a challenge and only have a set of dumbbells or two plus a bench available. You can take 1-2 minute rest between sets or adapt the plans into a HIIT circuit. Move straight from one exercise to the next with 2-3 minutes between circuits before repeating. Make a note of the dumbbell weights used or total workout time and aim to beat it at your next attempt!

Workout 1 - Upper Body Focus

1. DB Bench Press: 3 x 6-8 reps
2. Chest Supported Rows: 3 x 6-10 reps
3. Arnold Press: 3 x 10-12 reps
4. DB Pullovers into DB Fly’s: 2 x 16-20 reps each
5. Skullcrushers: 3 x 15 reps
6. Spider Curls Into Bent Over Reverse Fly’s: 3 x 12-15 reps each

Workout 2 - Lower Body Focus

1. Goblet OR Box Squats: 4 x 6-8
2. DB Lunges: 3 x 8-10 each leg
3. Hip Thrusts: 3 x 10-12
4. Weighted Sit-Ups: 3 x 15
5. DB Step Ups Into Weighted Calf Raises: 3 x 20 each

Workout 3 - Whole Body Focus

1. Split Squats: 4 x 6-8
2. Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 x 8-10
3. DB Deadlifts Into Bent Over DB Row: 3 x 10-12 each
4. Dumbbell Thrusters: 3x15-20
5. Lateral Raises Into Chest Supported Rear-Delt Fly’s: 3 x 12-15 each
6. Hammer Curls Into Tricep Kickbacks: 2 x 12+ Each

Give these workout ideas a try or mix and match them to suit your training objectives and goals. Choose weights that you are comfortable using for all sets. If you are limited with the range of dumbbells you have, the workout may need to be tailored to the weights you have available.

Note: Supersets or sets with two exercises are not intended for use of the same weight and may be different to each other.

Having a complete range of equipment at your disposal is always great, however, if you have limited options and/ or space, you can get a great workout in with just dumbbells and a bench.

Shop our range of benches and dumbbells to get the essentials you need for your next workout.