The dumbbell HIIT workout that burns fat and builds muscle
If you want to burn stubborn belly fat and sculpt lean, hard and defined muscles look no further than this 20-minute dumbbell HIIT workout you can do at home or the gym to look and feel fantastic, says New Body Plan fitness director Joe Warner
The next time you only have a spare half an hour and want a quick-fire workout to get those feel-good endorphin hormones flowing, give my five-move dumbbell HIIT workout a go.
It’s the perfect combination of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and weight lifting. So you’ll torch a ton of calories quickly, as well as work all your major muscle groups hard. And you’ll also get the cardiovascular health benefits. The result? You’ll take a big step towards the fitter, leaner and stronger body you want.
You can find everything you need to know to smash this dumbbell HIIT workout below. So what are you waiting for? All you need is a pair of dumbbells, a little bit of space and a big desire to give the next 20 minutes everything you’ve got.
Don’t have dumbbells? Try this no-kit-need home bodyweight workout instead!
Prefer to do a gym session? Here’s my big-impact chest and back gym workout, or if you want to build big, strong and defined arms, don’t miss my tried-and-tested biceps and triceps workout!
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How to do our fat-torching dumbbell HIIT workout
Do the following moves in order, starting with the dumbbell squat to curl and finishing with dumbbell swings. Do 10 reps of each move then move on to the next exercise. There is no rest between moves, but you get a rest at the end of each circuit.
How many dumbbell HIIT workout circuits should I do?
Beginner: 1-3 circuits
Intermediate: 2-4 circuits
Advanced: 3-5 circuits
Elite: 5+ circuits
How long should I rest at the end of each dumbbell HIIT circuit?
Beginner: 3-5 minutes
Intermediate: 2-4 minutes
Advanced: 1-3 minutes
Elite: 1 minute
The dumbbell HIIT workout for rapid results
1 Dumbbell squat to curl
How to do the dumbbell squat to biceps curl
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, and with your back straight and abs engaged. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with straight arms and your hands outside of your thighs. Keeping your chin and chest up bend your knees and push your bum backwards to squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground. Push down through your heels to stand back up, while – with your elbows tight to your sides – also curling the weights up, so they reach shoulder height once you are back standing fully upright. That’s one rep. Go immediately in to the next rep, lowering the dumbbells back down as you squat down then curl them back up as you stand back up. Do 10 reps then go straight into the next move.
2 Dumbbell lunge to press
How to do the dumbbell lunge to shoulder press
Stand tall holding a dumbbell in each hand held at shoulder-height with your palms facing forward. Engage your abs to keep your body stable then take a step forward with your left leg then bend both knees to lunge down, while also pressing the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight. Press back off your front foot to reverse the lunge back to the start position, lowering the weights back down to shoulder height as you return. That’s one rep. Alternate your leading leg with each rep. Do 10 reps then go straight into the next move.
3 Dumbbell press-up
How to do the dumbbell press-up
Get into the standard press-up position but instead of placing your palms flat on the floor, grip a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing. Engage your abs and glutes, then bend your elbows to lower your chest down towards the ground. Go as low as you can then press back up powerfully to return to the start position. That’s one rep. Take your feet wider to make the move easier; bring them closer together to make it harder. Do 10 reps (if you can’t do 10 then do as many as you can do) then go straight into the next move.
4 Dumbbell renegade row
How to do the dumbbell renegade row
Stay in the press-up position gripping a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your body in a straight line from head to heel and without rotating to the side, row the dumbbell in your left hand up until it’s by your side. Lower the weight back down. That’s one rep. Alternative with side your row up with each rep. Again, take your feet wider apart to make the move easier. Do 10 reps then go straight into the next move.
5 Dumbbell swing
How to do the dumbbell swing
Stand tall holding a dumbbell in your left hand with your arm straight and in front on your body. Keeping your chest up, hinge at the hips to lean your chest forward while moving the dumbbell back between your legs. Powerfully stand back up straight by moving your hips forward and, keeping your arm straight, swing the dumbbell up to chest height. Control the weight as it swings back down between your legs, hinging your hips again as it does, then go straight in to the next rep. Do 10 reps, switch the dumbbell to your right hand, and do another 10 reps. Rest then repeat!
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