4 Day Dumbbell and Bench Workout Plan: Beginner, Build Muscle
A 4-day program for beginners, aimed at building muscle.
- 4 days a week
- Upper/lower
- Dumbbells and bench
- Works at Planet Fitness
- about 35–40 min
- No cardio
- You’ll need: adjustable bench, pull-up bar, dumbbells
- TRY Fitness is not affiliated with Planet Fitness.
Each week
Upper A (Width & Horizontal Focus)
- Dumbbell Bench Press — 3 × 8–12
- One Arm Dumbbell Row — 3 × 8–12
- Pull Up — 3 × 4–6
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise — 3 × 12–15
- Rear Delt Fly — 3 × 12–15
- Dumbbell Curl — 3 × 10–12
- Overhead Dumbbell Extension — 3 × 10–12
Lower A (Quad & Glute Focus)
- Goblet Squat — 4 × 8–12
- Bulgarian Split Squat — 3 × 8–12
- Dumbbell RDL — 3 × 8–12
- Glute Bridge — 3 × 10–15
- Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise — 3 × 12–15
- Plank — 3 × 1 min
Upper B (Vertical & Incline Focus)
- Incline Dumbbell Press — 3 × 8–10
- Chin Up — 3 × 6–10
- Seated Dumbbell Press — 3 × 8–12
- Chest Supported Dumbbell Row — 3 × 10–12
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise — 3 × 12–15
- Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extension — 3 × 10–12
- Incline Dumbbell Bicep Curl — 3 × 10–12
Lower B (Hinge & Unilateral Focus)
- Dumbbell RDL — 4 × 8–12
- Dumbbell Split Squat — 4 × 8–10
- Glute Bridge — 3 × 10–15
- Standing Calf Raise (Bodyweight) — 3 × 12–15
- Plank — 3 × 1 min
Report card
- Weekly volume — worth a look. Chest gets too little work.
- Movement patterns — on target. Every movement pattern this goal cares about is covered.
- Training frequency — on target. Every high-volume muscle is trained 2x/week or more.
- Rep ranges — on target. The intensity mix fits this goal.
- Structural balance — on target. Push:pull and quad:hinge ratios are balanced.
- Recovery spacing — on target. Hard sessions for each muscle are spaced at least a day apart.
- Session workload — on target. No session is overloaded — the weekly work is sensibly distributed.
- Rest & session time — not assessed. Estimated session times — rest periods aren't stated, so pacing wasn't judged.
- Conditioning — on target. No conditioning — fine for this goal, though 1–2 easy sessions a week would cost nothing and buy health.
- Progression plan — not assessed. A written program doesn't show how loads should move week to week — progression gets assessed once the program is being tracked.
More workout programs · Workout plan builder · Rate my workout routine