If you’re looking for a two days dumbbell workout program, you came to the right place. Recently, I’ve created various “2 days a week dumbbell workout” plans for beginners. So, you can download one of the programs if you want to gain strength and mass.
Something is always better than nothing. So, doing dumbbell workouts out even two days a week can help you build strength, increase lean mass, and improve overall fitness.
The primary goal of a general fitness enthusiast is to feel active, strong, and productive. And you can achieve these with a healthy diet and workouts.
I’ve designed a complete series of dumbbell workout programs. So whenever you get more than two days for exercise, you can follow one of the routines below:
If you do dumbbell exercises without a workout bench, you can follow this routine.
Summary of 2 Day Dumbbell Workout Routines
Routine Types | 1. Push/Pull 2. Upper/Lower Split 3. Full Body |
Program Duration | 8 Weeks |
Equipment Required | Dumbbells and Flexible Workout Bench |
Goal | Build/Maintain Strength and Mass |
Level | Beginner to Intermediate |
Targeted Gender | Men and Women |
One Session Duration | 45-60 minutes |
Rest Between sets | 1-3 minutes |
Related: 30 Day Dumbbell Workout Plan With PDF
Push/Pull 2 Days a Week Dumbbell Workout
Week 1
Day 1 (Muscle to work on: Chest, Shoulder, Triceps and Quads)
- Dumbbell Squat: 3 sets of 10-12 reps each
- Dumbbell Lunges: 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- Dumbbell Floor Press: 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Dumbbell Overhead Press: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps
Day 2 (Muscle to work on: Back, Biceps, and Hamstring)
- Dumbbell Deadlift: 3-4 sets of 6 to 8 reps
- One-arm Kneeling Dumbbell Rowing: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- Alternate Dumbbell Bicep Curl: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Prone Incline Dumbbell Curl: 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- Dumbbell Pullover: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps
Week 2
Day 1 (Chest, Shoulder, Triceps, Quads, and Glute)
- Dumbbell Front Squat: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- One-arm Dumbbell Overhead Extension: 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Dumbbell Overhead Press: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Dumbell Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- Dumbbell Hip Bridge: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Day 2 (Back, Biceps, Forearms, and Hamstring)
- Dumbbell Deadlift: 3-4 sets of 6 to 8 reps
- Dumbbell Bent-over Row: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- Dumbbell Reverse Fly: 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- Standing Dumbbell Curl: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- Concentration Curl: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- Dumbbell Wrist Curl: 2 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- Dumbbell Leg Curl: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
2 Day Split Dumbbell Workout
The 2 Day split dumbbell workout will allow you to work on your upper and lower body separately.
So if you want to focus on the upper and lower body individually, you can follow this schedule.
Week 1
Day 1 (Upper Body)
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
- Dumbbell Pullover: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell Overhead Press: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell Reverse Fly: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- One-arm Kneeling Dumbbell Rowing: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Day 2 (Lower Body)
- Dumbbell Squat: 4 sets x 12-15 reps
- Dumbbell Lunges: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets x 6-8 reps
- Dumbbell Glute Bridge: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Calf Raises: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Week 2
Day 1 (Upper Body Dumbbell Workout)
- Dumbbell Deadlift: 4 sets x 6-8 reps
- Dumbbell Bent-over Row: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Biceps Curl: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Arnold Press: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Facepull: 2 sets x 6-10 reps
- Tricep Kickbacks/One-arm Overhead Tricep Extension: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Side Bend: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
Day 2 (Lower Body Dumbbell Workout)
- Dumbbell Sumo Squat: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- DB Reverse Lunges: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Step-up: 2 sets x 6-10 reps
- Single-Leg Dumbbell Deadlift: 3 sets x 6-8 reps
- Dumbbell Hip Thrust: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Calf Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
Full Body Dumbbell 2-Day Workouts
Week 1
Day 1
- Dumbbell Squat: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
- Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
- Dumbbell Pullover: 2 sets x 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell Overhead Press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
- Dumbbell Bent-over Rowing: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
- Dumbbell Reverse Fly: 2 sets x 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadift: 3 sets x 6-8 reps
Day 2
- Dumbbell Lunges: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell Deadlift: 3 sets x 6-8 reps
- One-arm Kneeling Dumbbell Rowing: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
- Arnold Press: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Biceps Curl: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell Glute Bridge: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
Week 2
Day 1
- Dumbbell Sumo Squat: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Step-up: 2 sets x 6-10 reps
- Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Front Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Bent-over Rowing: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Standing Dumbbell Oblique Twist: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Calf Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
Day 2
- Dumbbell Deadlift: 4 sets x 6-8 reps
- Dumbbell One-arm Dumbbell Rowing: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Arnold Press: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly: 3 sets x 6-10 reps
- One-arm Overhead Tricep Extension: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
2 Day Dumbbell Workout Plan PDF
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Routine Should You Follow?
All three routines are effective and help you increase strength, build muscles, and improve overall fitness. Depending on what you like, you can do one of them.
You can also do them concurrently. For example, you can do push/pull during the first two weeks, upper/lower split for the next two weeks, and then 2 day full-body dumbbell workout routine for the next couple of weeks.
When Should I Increase Workout Frequency?
Exercising three to five times a week is needed to achieve the results faster. So it would help if you increase the workout frequency whenever you get a chance to work out more than twice a week.
Is Doing 2 Day a week Dumbbell Workout Builds Muscle?
Working out 2 days a week is not enough to build muscles, whether you work out with dumbbells, barbells, or machines.
A study suggests that the major muscle groups should be trained at least twice a week to maximize muscle growth.1Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016 Nov;46(11):1689-1697. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. PMID: 27102172. And it can only be achieved if you work out more than two times a week.
Another study suggested doing resistance training more frequently increases muscular hypertrophy in trained men. 2Schoenfeld BJ, Ratamess NA, Peterson MD, Contreras B, Tiryaki-Sonmez G. Influence of Resistance Training Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2015;29(7):1821-1829. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000970
So, working out two days a week isn’t enough and will take longer to see the visible results.
References
- 1Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016 Nov;46(11):1689-1697. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. PMID: 27102172.
- 2Schoenfeld BJ, Ratamess NA, Peterson MD, Contreras B, Tiryaki-Sonmez G. Influence of Resistance Training Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2015;29(7):1821-1829. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000970