Compound Dumbbell Exercises: 10 Great Workouts With Dumbbells

Not only is training with dumbbells convenient, but they can also give you a lot of variation. If you’re limited to training at home, a pair of dumbbells can cover you for a wide range of exercises.

Barbell exercises are great, and focusing on compound movements are an ideal way to build strength and mass. But the same compound movements can be replicated with dumbbells. You may also get a better range of motion which can result in more muscle tissue recruited and gains in lean muscle.

Here are 10 compound dumbbells exercises you need to be doing

Dumbbell Squat

The squat is one of the kings of all movements. It requires all the muscles of the lower body and also serves as a full-body exercise as it takes an all-out effort to execute. A barbell squat is an ideal choice, but this movement can easily be replicated with dumbbells. You would be using a lighter weight, but this will allow you to follow a strict form and get the most out of the exercise.

How To Do

Hold dumbbells up at shoulder level like you would with a bar for a front squat
Position feet shoulder-width apart with your head up and chest out
Inhale, clench your core, and lower under control until legs are at least parallel with the floor
Exhale and drive upwards pushing through your feet and heels until you’re back at the starting position.
Focus on keeping spinal neutrality and imagine you’re pushing the Earth away from you as you drive upward

Muscles Worked

Quadriceps
Hamstrings
Abdominals
Obliques
Adductor Magnus
Erectors
Calves
Glutes

Stiff-legged Dumbbell Deadlift

Stiff-legged deadlifts are a great way to target the hamstrings but still serve as a compound movement working back and arm muscles. This exercise is a great way to build leg and back strength and using dumbbells will help to improve your regular barbell deadlift. The dumbbells will also allow for a greater range of motion to get better hamstring recruitment.

How To Do

Hold a couple of dumbbells at your side standing up straight with legs spaced shoulder-width apart
Keep a slight bend in the knees and keep them stationary while keeping your back straight
Inhale and lower the dumbbells down over the top of your feet by flexing your hips and setting your glutes back
Keep leaning forward as if you were to pick up something off the ground and continue until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings
Inhale and start raising your torso back up again to the starting position

Muscles Worked

Hamstrings
Erectors
Glutes
Adductors
Hip Flexors
Trapezius
Rhomboids
Latissimus dorsi

Traditional Dumbbell Deadlifts

Compared to the stiff-legged deadlift, the traditional deadlift done with dumbbells will help to build more overall body strength and muscle. You won’t be able to lift as much as you would with a barbell, but you will be able to focus on form, core engagement, and flexibility as it takes some more coordination to execute the movement with two independent dumbbells. This is still a great power movement that will target a large majority of the muscles in the body. This may be a good exercise choice to focus on building more muscle.

How To Do

Start with a shoulder-width stance with two heavy dumbbells on the floor in front of you and pick them up to get to the starting position
Use an overhand grip and keep the dumbbells in front of your legs making sure to keep them in close contact throughout the motion
Inhale and start by bending your hips followed by bending your knees as your lower the weights under control downwards to the floor
Focus on keeping the back straight, exhale and drive upward pushing through your feet back to the starting position

Muscles Worked

Lats
Trapezius
Rhomboids
Erectors
Glutes
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hip Flexors
Abdominals
Obliques

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

A great compound movement that can be done either seated or standing. This pushing movement will target the deltoids and triceps. Dumbbells also allow you to get that wider range of motion that will be better at targeting the deltoids to build more strength and muscle. The movement also requires more balance of the dumbbells which helps to recruit smaller stabilizer muscles compared to barbell presses inflatable soccer field.

How To Do

Sitting in a chair, keep your feet flat and planted on the ground
Start with the dumbbells brought up to shoulder position and use your knees to hoist them upward if needed
Keep your back against the pad, head up, and elbows aligned with your hips
Push the dumbbells upward stopping just before your elbows lockout
Lower back under control making sure to keep your wrists straight and stop when the dumbbells are level with your head

Muscles Worked

Anterior deltoid
Medial Deltoid
Upper portion of the pectoralis major
Triceps

Dumbbell Rows

The dumbbell row allows for a greater range of motion compared to barbells which will get a better stretch on the lats. This will allow for more concentration and also allow for a great squeeze at the top to help push more blood in the muscle and ultimately, result in more muscle growth.

How To Do

Start with two dumbbells on the floor in front of you in a stance with feet shoulder-width apart
The grip will be overhand with the back straight and the knees bent
Grab the dumbbells, inhale and pull the dumbbells upward focusing on driving the elbows back behind you
Lift the dumbbells as close to your upper body as possible, pause at the top making sure to squeeze your shoulder blades backwards
Inhale and lower them back under control until you feel a stretch through the lats
Make sure to not lower down too far to the point your upper back starts to round

Muscles Worked

Lats
Rhomboids
Rear deltoids
Trapezius
Erectors
Biceps
Bracharodialis

Dumbbell Chest Press

One of the ultimate upper-body building compound exercises, the dumbbell chest press works the pecs, deltoids, and triceps all in one movement. You won’t be able to lift as much as a barbell bench press, but again, you will get a greater range of motion leading to more pectoral recruitment. You will need a bench, but you will be able to lower the dumbbells past where a barbell can go, resulting in better muscle fibre engagement through the upper body. This also requires a lot of control of the dumbbells which help target the muscles in a different way than a barbell and use more stabiliser muscles.

How To Do

Start sitting on a bench holding the dumbbells on your knees. You may need to lift each leg to get the dumbbells moving so that you can get to the starting position.
Lying flat on the bench, the dumbbells should be held horizontally starting next to your shoulders
Exhale and drive the dumbbells upward making sure to keep the wrists straight and stop just before your elbows lockout at the top
Pause for a second at the top of the movement and lower back under control until you feel a stretch through the pecs

Muscles Worked

Deltoids
Triceps
Pectoralis major
Pectoralis minor

Dumbbell Lunges

A great exercise to build strength, muscle, coordination, and athletic improvement. Dumbbell lunges are a top exercise that is tough to improve on with other equipment or barbells. They not only work the legs but help build balance through core recruitment. They help translate over to improve running, jumping, and all-around explosive power.

How To Do

Start by holding dumbbells parallel at your sides with your feet shoulder-width apart, head up, and chest out.
Start by stepping forward with the right foot far enough until you have a 90-degree bend in the leg while your back knee should almost be touching the ground
Exhale and push off your foot to return back to the starting position and then repeat with the left leg
Focus on keeping the head up, spine straight, and core engaged throughout the entire movement.

Muscles Worked

Quadriceps
Hamstrings
Calves
Adductors
Abductors
Erectors
Abdominals
Obliques

Dumbbell Squat Press

An ideal full-body movement that works the lower body and upper body at the same time; it basically works most muscles through your entire body. This builds power, strength, muscle, and coordination. It is also a great cardio exercise as it requires a lot of energy to perform and burns a lot of calories throughout.

How To Do

Hold a pair of dumbbells just outside your shoulders with your palms facing your ears, with feet spaced shoulder-width apart
Brace your core, inhale, and lower your body into a squat position until your thighs are at least parallel with the ground
Exhale and drive upward pushing through your heels and as you get halfway back to the starting position you can start to drive the dumbbells upward so as you return to standing, they have extended past your head
Stop at the top before your elbows have locked out, then return the dumbbells under control to their starting position as you begin to squat back down again

Muscles Worked

Quadriceps
Hamstrings
Glutes
Calves
Erectors
Hip flexors
Deltoids
Upper pectorals
Triceps
Abdominals

Clean & Press

A great full-body movement, but one that takes more skill and technique. The clean and press help to build explosive power by recruiting a lot of fast-twitch muscle fibres. It’s a great upper-body builder and helps improve athletic ability and power. A clean and press combine a squat, deadlift, and shoulder press into one movement.

How To Do

Starting position is with dumbbells on the floor, feet shoulder-width apart and hips and knees bent
Exhale, keep the back straight, core tight, and thrust upward bringing the dumbbells to your shoulders as you begin to go down into a squat. The dumbbells should now be in a front squat position in front of your shoulders
Quickly drive upward pushing through your heels as you push the dumbbells overhead as you reach the standing position making sure not to lock out your arms
Focus on not rounding the back, keep your head up, and chest forward throughout the exercise

Muscles Worked

Quads
Hamstrings
Glutes
Calves
Abdominals
Lats
Trapezius
Deltoids
Triceps
Erectors

Step Up Press

A great way to build more quad power and improve running and jumping ability. This movement will also be a great calorie burner and will build muscles through the legs and upper body. It combines strength, balance, coordination, muscle, and fat burning into one exercise.

How To Do

Stand in front of a bench or box holding two dumbbells that are hanging at your sides
Place your right foot onto the bench and bring the dumbbells up to shoulder height with your palms facing your head
Step upward off your right foot to bring the rest of your body up onto the bench
When on top of the neck, press the dumbbells upward stopping just before the elbows lock out.
Step off the bench starting with the right foot followed by the left foot, then repeat the motion this time stepping up onto the bench with the left foot and repeat the motion to make up one repetition

Muscles Worked

Quadriceps
Hamstrings
Glutes
Calves
Abdominals
Obliques
Adductors
Hip flexors
Erectors
Deltoids
Triceps

Personal Trainer Tips

These ten compound dumbbell exercises are not only a great way to switch things up from regular barbell use, but they can offer a new stimulus to build strength and muscle. As usual, it’s important to warm up beforehand with some light cardio and dynamic stretching to get the heart rate up and blood flowing to working muscles.

Start these exercises with light dumbbells at first so you can get used to the motion before moving up to heavier weights. Strict form is crucial with dumbbell compound movements as there is a possibility of the dumbbells moving about which can easily strain back muscles and cause injury. Core engagement will be extremely important to keep the body as safe as possible while performing the movements.

These exercises can also be done with higher repetitions to use them more as a great calorie-burning/body fat loss workout. You can also combine several of these compound exercises to create circuits for a cardio/muscle-building workout.