Dumbbell Transformation Journal
Exercise Index
All Chest Exercises
1. Lie down on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and bring them to your chest with your palms facing towards your feet.
3. From here, get into a glute bridge by pushing through your heels to lift your hips off the floor.
4. Engage your core muscles and press the dumbbells up towards the ceiling, extending your arms fully.
5. Pause briefly at the top, and then slowly lower the dumbbells back down to your chest.
1. Lie flat on your back on a bench or exercise mat, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest level with palms facing away from your body.
2. Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are extended, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
3. Pause at the top of the movement and then lower the dumbbells back down to chest level.
1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Palms should be facing away from your body.
2. Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are extended, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
3. Pause at the top of the movement and then lower the dumbbells back down to chest level, keeping your elbows slightly bent throughout the movement.
1. Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other.
2. Extend your arms out to the sides with a slight bend in your elbows, keeping your wrists in line with your elbows.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells down and out to the sides, maintaining a slight bend in your elbows and keeping your shoulder blades pressed down and back.
4. Pause at the bottom of the movement, then slowly bring the dumbbells back up to the starting position, squeezing your chest muscles as you do so.
1. Lie on a bench (or on the floor) with your head and shoulders supported, your feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell with both hands and extend your arms straight up above your chest.
2. Slowly lower the dumbbell back over your head until your arms are parallel to the floor, keeping your elbows slightly bent. Keep your core engaged and your back flat.
3. Pause briefly, then return the dumbbell back to the starting position by lifting it back over your chest.
1. Start by placing two dumbbells on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Get into a plank position with your hands on the dumbbells and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Lower your body towards the floor by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your body. Keep your abs tight and your glutes engaged to maintain a straight line with your body.
3. Push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms. Repeat for your desired number of reps.
1. Lie down on a flat bench and hold a pair of dumbbells at chest level with palms facing each other.
2. Squeeze the dumbbells together as hard as you can while pressing them upwards, keeping your elbows close to your body and your wrists straight.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to your chest and repeat for your desired number of repetitions.
1. Starting out in a regular push-up position, lower your body until your elbows are bent 90 degrees and chest is one to two inches from the ground.
2. Press up explosively so that the hands leave the ground. While in the air, bring your hands in towards your torso to land in a close grip push-up position.
3. Perform a push-up in the close-grip stance, before explosively pushing off the ground to land again in the wide-grip stance you started with.
4. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
1. Sit on an incline bench set to a 45-degree angle with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the dumbbells at shoulder level with your palms facing your chest.
2. Push the dumbbells upward, rotating your wrists so that your palms face forward by the time the dumbbells are fully extended above your chest. Ensure your arms are straight but not locked out.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, rotating your wrists back so that your palms are facing your chest by the time the dumbbells return to shoulder level.
1. Adjust the bench to a 30 to 45-degree incline and lie face-up with your feet flat on the ground.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other and extend your arms straight above your chest.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells out to your sides, keeping your arms slightly bent, until you feel a stretch in your chest.
4. Pause for a moment, then slowly raise the dumbbells back to the starting position, squeezing your chest muscles at the top of the movement.
1. Sit on an incline bench set to a 45-degree angle with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the dumbbells at shoulder level with your palms facing your chest.
2. Push the dumbbells upward, rotating your wrists so that your palms face forward by the time the dumbbells are fully extended above your chest. Ensure your arms are straight but not locked out.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, rotating your wrists back so that your palms are facing your chest by the time the dumbbells return to shoulder level.
1. Find an elevated surface, such as a bench or step, and place your hands shoulder-width apart on the surface, with your feet on the ground behind you.
2. Make sure your body is in a straight line from your head to your heels, with your core engaged and your glutes squeezed.
3. Slowly lower your body towards the bench, bending your elbows and keeping them close to your sides.
4. Once your chest reaches the bench, push yourself back up to the starting position, straightening your arms.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
1. Stand upright with your knees slightly bent.
2. Place your hands together in a praying position in front of your chest. Your elbows should be pointing out to your sides and your fingers pointing ahead of you while pushing tightly against each other.
3. Slowly move your hands outward, away from your body, so that your arms fully extend while still positioned together and pushing tightly against each other.
4. To feel this movement to its highest extent, you want to be pushing your hands together as tightly as possible. You can try putting a weighted plate between your hands to increase the difficulty.
5. Bring your wrists back in toward your chest.
1. Start in a plank position with your hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your feet together or hip-width apart.
2. Lower your body down towards the ground by bending your elbows and keeping your core engaged. Keep your body in a straight line.
3. Push your body back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
4. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an underhand grip. Your arms should be straight down in front of your body, palms facing away from you.
2. Slowly lift the dumbbells up to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent and your palms facing up. Make sure to keep your shoulders down and avoid shrugging them up towards your ears.
3. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.