Build muscle and boost your metabolism with this five-move dumbbell workout
Strengthen your whole body, work your core, and burn fat in just 15 minutes
Finding time for a long workout or extended gym session can be tricky. Fortunately, you don't have to spend hours training to see results, especially if you use this five-move dumbbell routine to develop strength and burn fat.
If you're training at home, you'll need a set of the best adjustable dumbbells. These weights are easily customizable, allowing you to use the progressive overload technique to get stronger over time. Plus, they're more convenient to store than fixed load weights.
Alternatively, use these beginner strength training tips to choose your ideal load from fixed-weight dumbbells at the gym. You'll want to select a weight that'll challenge you but that you can lift without affecting your form.
Then, you're ready to start fitness YouTubers Tiff x Dan's five-move dumbbell routine. It's designed to work muscle areas all over your body to help build lean, practical muscle, and raise your heart rate to boost your metabolism.
The aim is to complete three rounds of five moves, training for 40 seconds before taking a 20-second rest. Dan demonstrates all the moves, too, so you can perfect your form before starting.
Watch Tiff x Dan's five-move dumbbell workout
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This workout style is known as high-intensity interval training (HIRT), a blend of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength exercises. Lifting intensely for short bursts works your muscles, but it has other benefits.
The 40-second period increases your heart rate, so you burn more energy during your workout. But sustaining this elevated heart rate by yourself with minimal breaks between moves has longer-lasting effects on your metabolism for all-day fat-burning.
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But the moves Tiff x Dan have built into the program also play a crucial role. Activities like dumbbell swings, renegade rows, and burpee snatches are all forms of compound exercises that work multiple muscles simultaneously.
These moves are part of why you can achieve a muscle-building workout in as little as 15 minutes, like Tiff x Dan's routine. Combined with the fat-burning potential of HIRT, it's an effective way to hit your fitness goals, even when you're tight on time.
If you have one of the best kettlebells to hand, you could also learn how to do kettlebell swings and switch them into the routine. The off-center weight helps work your abs to build core strength, while also giving you a metabolism-boosting full-body workout.
James is a London-based journalist and Fitness Editor at Fit&Well. He has over five years experience in fitness tech, including time spent as the Buyer’s Guide Editor and Staff Writer at technology publication MakeUseOf. In 2014 he was diagnosed with a chronic health condition, which spurred his interest in health, fitness, and lifestyle management.
In the years since, he has become a devoted meditator, experimented with workout styles and exercises, and used various gadgets to monitor his health. In recent times, James has been absorbed by the intersection between mental health, fitness, sustainability, and environmentalism. When not concerning himself with health and technology, James can be found excitedly checking out each week’s New Music Friday releases.
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