5 Day Dumbbell and Bench Workout Plan: Beginner, Build Muscle
A 5-day program for beginners, aimed at building muscle.
- 5 days a week
- Hybrid
- Dumbbells and bench
- Works at Planet Fitness
- about 25–35 min
- No cardio
- You’ll need: adjustable bench, pull-up bar, dumbbells
- TRY Fitness is not affiliated with Planet Fitness.
Each week
Upper Push & Shoulders
- Seated Dumbbell Press — 3 × 8–10
- Dumbbell Bench Press — 3 × 8–12
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise — 3 × 12–15
- Incline Dumbbell Press — 3 × 10–12
- Overhead Dumbbell Extension — 3 × 10–12
- Side Plank — 3 × 1 min
Upper Pull & Lat Width
- Pull Up — 3 × 6–8
- One Arm Dumbbell Row — 3 × 8–12
- Dumbbell Pullover (Lat Focus) — 3 × 10–12
- Dumbbell Side Bend — 3 × 12–15
- Dumbbell Curl — 3 × 10–12
Legs & Glutes
- Goblet Squat — 3 × 8–12
- Dumbbell RDL — 3 × 8–10
- Dumbbell Split Squat — 3 × 10–12
- Glute Bridge — 3 × 12–15
- Plank — 3 × 1 min
Torso & Shoulder Width
- Standing Dumbbell Press — 3 × 8–10
- Chin Up — 3 × 6–8
- Pushups — 3 × 8–12
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise — 4 × 12–15
- Chest Supported Dumbbell Row — 3 × 10–12
- Hanging Leg Raise — 3 × 10–12
Lower Body & Core
- Dumbbell Front Squat — 3 × 8–10
- Single Leg Dumbbell RDL — 3 × 10–12
- Dumbbell Reverse Lunge — 3 × 10–12
- Dumbbell Side Bend — 3 × 12–15
- Side Plank — 3 × 1 min
Report card
- Weekly volume — on target. All 8 scored muscle groups sit in the 7–22 sets/week range.
- 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.
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