Dumbbells Only (Home): how it works
Three full-body sessions a week with just adjustable dumbbells and a bench. Everything you need to build muscle at home.
Who it suits
Home trainers with a pair of adjustable dumbbells and a bench (flat and incline helps). No barbell, rack or machines needed.
How the week runs
Every other day (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday), rotating three full-body days: goblet squats, Romanian deadlifts and split squats for legs; presses, rows and flyes for upper body; plus shoulders, arms and calves.
How to progress
When you hit the top of the rep range on every set, go up a dumbbell size. Once you’ve maxed out your dumbbells, slow the lowering part of each rep to three seconds, or add reps.
MaxLift suggests each set’s weight from your last session, and adjusts the next set after every set you log: short of the target reps, it drops; well over, it goes up.