9 Muscle Building Dumbbell Exercises For Seniors – Full Body

Over 50 & looking to build muscle? Awesome, me too.

This article features 9 of the best dumbbell exercises for anyone over 50** who wants to improve their strength & build some muscle from top to bottom.

(** – Truth be told, these weightlifting exercises & the accompanying workouts offer excellent results for anyone in any age group.)

Instructional videos & a couple of sample workout routines I put together are included too.

 

9 great dumbbell exercises for seniors

* Dumbbell Squat
* Dumbbell Chest Press
* Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
* Dumbbell Shoulder Press
* Dumbbell Pullover
* Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension
* Dumbbell Biceps Curl
* Dumbbell Weighted Crunch
* Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise

 

What’s next

Up ahead we’ll get into each of these 9 dumbbell exercises in detail, including proper form & tips to maximize your results while performing each of them.

And as I mentioned there’ll be workouts too.

Next I’ll explain why I consider these dumbbell exercises a great group to build an effective total body workout around, and what a few of the benefits they provide us are.

Program Note: Feel free to use the Table of Contents links (above) to jump to the sections you’re interested in. There’s a green“Scroll to the Top” button in the lower right hand corner to get back up here too.

Science resources included

As is my custom here on heydayDo, I will provide links to all of the relevant sports science & medical resources, clinical studies, and nutritional data used in this article.

 

Best dumbbell exercises for seniors

Why these particular exercises?

Because as a group, these 9 dumbbell exercises provide a full body workout that can effectively increase your strength, build lean muscle, and reduce your body fat.

 

Compound exercises are the key

The first 5 exercises on that list I showed you above are all compound exercises:

• Dumbbell Squat
• Dumbbell Chest Press
• Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Dumbbell Pullover

This is an important distinction.

A compound exercise (as opposed to an isolation exercise) is one that utilizes more than one major muscle group and more than one body joint.

Why does this matter?

Because there are a number of benefits that you will provide yourself if you build your workout in such a way that the majority of your effort is spent performing compound exercises.

Below’s a set of the excellent Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Dumbbells, perfect for multi-exercise dumbbell workouts like this one.

Benefits of compound lifting exercises

Here are a few of the good things coming our way when we incorporate these types of exercises into our routine.

 

Get stronger & build muscle faster

In their Position Stand for Progression Models in Resistance Training, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends the use of compound exercises (aka multiple-joint exercises) for the core of any strength training program with hypertrophy (muscle growth) as one of its goals (1).

 

Compound exercises burn calories better

Isolation exercises aren’t as effective at burning calories as compound movements are, as noted by the American Council on Exercise, among others (2).

For an example of this, compare the dumbbell squat exercise that I recommend for our workout to a popular piece of gym equipment, the leg extension machine.

Both work your legs, so this is a good comparison.

The dumbbell squat is a compound exercise that utilizes multiple joints and several leg & hip muscles, while the leg extension machine isolates your quadriceps muscle while you sit there.

The squat requires a lot more effort, energy, & oxygen use out of you while performing it than the leg extension does.

That energy is paid for in calories.

 

More effort = more cardiovascular benefit

Performing a lot of compound exercises in every workout will improve your cardiovascular function, given the amount of energy & oxygen they require that I just mentioned.

Your heart rate will be up during a compound exercise.

And it will stay up throughout your workout, provided you keep your rests in between sets within recommended guidelines.

Thus while you’re busy getting stronger, you’re improving your heart & lung health too.

 

Improve your functional fitness

“Functional fitness” refers to day-to-day activities & movements.

Compound exercises improve your ability to perform these daily tasks more easily and more safely.

Again, this is because these exercises recruit multiple joints and multiple muscle groups.

And all these moving parts need to be coordinated in such a way so as to perform these strength training exercises properly.

This is a big help for all of us who are north of 50 years old.

We’ve seen how our stability, balance, coordination, & general strength isn’t what it was back when we were 40, let alone 30.

Compound exercises make us stronger and more able to confidently handle life’s physical activities with greater self-reliance, whether it’s

• running around with the dog
• unloading a ton of groceries
• climbing flights of stairs
• moving a heavy piece of furniture.

 

Build around our compound exercises

So by creating the right combination of sets & reps (repetitions) within our 9-exercise routine, the 5 compound exercises can be well over ⅔ of our total workout volume…which is great.

This puts us in a good position to realize our training goals of getting stronger, building lean muscle, and losing some fat along the way too.

 

Dumbbell exercises for seniors: tutorial & videos

OK, now we’ll look at each of these exercises individually and in more detail here.

I’ll be going through them in the same order as I listed them, which will also be the same order you’ll find them in the sample workout programs I’ll be providing.

This is no accident.

Not only is this workout front-loaded with the 5 compound exercises, they are arranged in descending order from the highest intensity exercise on down.

So “first up” honors goes to the dumbbell squat, because the squat is the queen of compound exercises.

(The ExRx links I provide in the next section will open in an adjacent browser tab, and feature a 10-second looping demonstration video of the exercise along with detailed written instructions & tips on form.)

1. Dumbbell Squat

Key thoughts:

Keep your body engaged & upright, don’t tilt forward with head & shoulders.

The video’s tip about keeping your knees from extending past your toes is a biggie.

Given our age, I understand if you have stiff knees or weak hip muscles.

So if you can’t get all the way to where your thighs are parallel to the floor, don’t sweat it.

Keep your form excellent and squat down as best you can.

ExRx link

 

2. Dumbbell Chest Press

Key thoughts:

I agree with the video in principle regarding not letting the elbows go far below the level of your shoulders, because too far can give your shoulder joints the blues big time if you have any shoulder issue.

However, I think the gal in the video could’ve gone a couple of inches lower with her elbows without putting the shoulder area at risk.

A teeny bit of stretch there is beneficial for your chest muscles, but we each have our own point where we stop lowering the dumbbells so as to avoid any pain.

ExRx link

 

What if I’m at home and don’t have a bench?

No worries, I gotcha covered.

First, I have an article here on heydayDo I wrote Dumbbell Chest Exercises Without A Bench.

In it I offer 5 alternatives to using a weight bench that you probably have in your home already that you can use.

(All of the exercises in this workout can be done at home without the need for a weight bench, though having one can certainly boost your results. If not, just get a little creative and that article of mine tells you how.)

 

Second, you can buy a lightweight but durable weight bench for really cheap directly from L.A.-based Flybird Fitness.

They sell their home gym equipment on Amazon for a nice price, but they offer big discounts when you buy on their site.

The bench above comes 800 lb. capacity, but it’s light as a feather & folds down to 9″ flat. Recommended by Men’s Health, CNET, Forbes Magazine, & Healthline too.

 

Third, you can watch these videos on how to do a chest press on something other than a bench.

For example, you can do it on the floor:

 

Or you can do it on a Swiss ball if you have one:

 

3. Dumbbell Bent-Over Row

If you can keep your back angled & straight at the same time – like shown in the video – you can go for it with 2 dumbbells at once.

The second video shows an excellent alternative using just one arm at a time.

You bang out your reps with one arm, then turn around on the bench (or whatever you’re using) and perform your reps with the other arm.

Two-arm version of the bent-over row:

 

And here’s how you do the one-arm version of the bent-over row:

ExRx link (one-arm)

 

4. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

You can do this standing like she does in the video or sitting at the edge of the bench.

Standing is good for using your core & legs to stabilize you during the movement.

If you choose to sit, maintain erect posture – tighten your abs & core muscles, and don’t slump or roll your shoulders forward.

ExRx link

 

5. Dumbbell Pullover

This is a classic exercise that works your chest & your back, and activates your arm muscles as well (4).

It feels good to do too: the big stretch is real nice considering we’ve just worked out our chest, back, & shoulders in the previous 3 exercises.

I like this exercise so much I wrote a whole article about it — The Amazing Dumbbell Pullover. In it I go over its benefits, form variations, & more.

Check it out if you’re interested.

It’s the last of our five compound exercises, and is a great one to finish them off with before we head into the four isolation exercises.

 

If you need a non-bench alternative for this exercise, here’s a clever idea from The Buff Dudes: they use a camping cooler.

Tip: A nice comfy towel is handy when using a household item with a hard surface for any exercise.

This link here should take you to the right spot in their video.

If it doesn’t, their dumbbell pullover segment runs from 2:35 – 3:18 in this one.

ExRx link

 

6. Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension

Key thought here:

Keep your upper arms still and let your elbows function as a lever as you lower the dumbbells down on either side of your head.

If you don’t keep your upper arms from moving, you’ll start using more of your shoulder muscles to bring the dumbbell back up.

Since this is a triceps isolation exercise, we don’t want that.

ExRx link

 

7. Dumbbell Biceps Curl

Key thoughts here:

Everybody & their grandmother (literally) does these.

It’s a simple movement that’s easy to imitate.

But I saw a lot of poor form going on in commercial gyms over the years.

Just a couple of important points to stay on track:

* Make sure your shoulders are back & upright. Again, don’t let them roll forward.

* Keep the elbows in place. The gal in the video wants you to lock your elbows, and that’s a great idea. If they’re an inch or two off your hips but you don’t move them, that’s good too.

* Stabilize your arms. Same as with the triceps extension exercise: if you start moving your upper arms around, your shoulders will do the work, and you don’t want that here.

This is a biceps isolation exercise.

 

“All I gotta do is…act naturally”

So says the old song.

As I said, in this biceps video she advises you to lock your ams at your sides and keep your palms facing directly forward.

I’d humbly suggest that in addition to that approach, you can also loosely drop your arms to your sides naturally, and start from there.

When you turn your palms out from that position, you’ll see that your wrists are now a few inches away from your hips and your arms are pointing out a little at an angle.

This is a very comfortable & natural position to be in for you & your biceps while you’re doing curls.

 

One last helpful biceps thing:

You can get a better pump in your biceps if, instead of taking the dumbbells all the way up, you stop just an inch or two before that.

That way you keep constant tension on the biceps muscle, since otherwise it gets to relax a little when you take the dumbbells all the way up to your shoulders.

ExRx link

 

8. Dumbbell Crunch

This version of the dumbbell crunch is also called the long-arm dumbbell crunch for obvious reasons once you’ve seen the video.

The extra weight in your hands adds to the resistance your ab muscles are dealing with, and this is a good thing.

Notice how little you’re actually moving, yet you’ll still definitely feel it in your abs.

 

And a variation:

And here’s another version of the weighted crunch where the gal is using a medicine ball and holding it close to her.

As they mention, you can do the same thing with a dumbbell.

Some people can’t get a comfortable position for the dumbbell on their chest, hence the long-arm version we just looked at previously.

Key thought:

Abs are muscles.

You may or may not be hiding them beneath a layer or two of fat, but everyone has abs.

And you treating them like the muscle group they are – making them stronger and bigger – will pay big dividends for you, both in your appearance and in the overall strength of your upper body core too.

ExRx link

 

9. Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise

Since we use our calves all day every day whenever we’re walking around, they’re pretty strong for most people.

So don’t be surprised if you can use a much heavier pair of dumbbells than the woman in the video is using.

This video has a nice idea to increase the intensity of the exercise.

The little bounce she does without touching the floor keeps constant tension which is good for your calves.

I’ll also suggest holding at the top of the movement for several seconds at a time.

Say every 5-6 reps or so you try and stay up in flex mode for 5-10 seconds.

Variation

In the ExRx demonstration video below, note that the guy is only holding one dumbbell.

This is because he’s using what looks like an aerobic stepper to increase his range of motion.

In other words, he can sink his ankles lower than his toes off the edge of the stepper.

And this increases his ability to stretch the calf and also to have a longer distance when he’s pushing back up off the balls of his feet.

He only has one dumbbell so that he can maintain his balance with his other arm.

I do 2-dumbbell calf raises off the edge of a step sometimes but it’s not a real easy move for me, and maintaining proper balance is the challenge.

ExRx link

 

Things to consider regarding dumbbells

Are you at home or do you belong to a gym? I ask this to see what kind of dumbbells you have access to.

At a gym you’re good to go, since they have a pair of every weight you’d ever need, but very few of us have the room or desire for that in our living space.

At home many people work out with adjustable dumbbells, since they take up no space & you can easily switch the amount of weight you need during your workout.

I mention all this because ideally you’ll be using different amounts of weight for each exercise. This is because you’ll have muscle groups that are stronger or weaker than each other.

(For example, most people’s legs are stronger than their arms, & your chest muscles probably are too.)

Bowflex set the standard for high quality & easy-to-use dumbbells almost 20 years ago, when they came out with their adjustables that had their innovative weight selector dial.

It sure makes getting the ideal weight for every exercise you do a breeze:

If you don’t own a pair of adjustable dumbbells, you’ll need to figure out a way to be able to do these these exercises with all of the proper weights so that you can make real progress.

 

Buying dumbbells

I wish I had a pair of those Bowflex 552s, but instead I have a mix & match bunch of used dumbbells I’ve collected over the last 25-30 years. Here are some of them:

The oldest ones develop rust holes from being exposed to salty ocean air, and end up losing some weight & needing to be replaced.

Over the past decade or so, I have found some good deals on used dumbbells in the Amazon Warehouse, where returned items end up.

And here are a few of their top-rated dumbbells.

Last update on 2024-10-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

 

Different exercises, different weights needed

So with these 9 exercises, you’ll be needing a variety of weights.

For instance, you’ll be able to squat a lot more than you can curl with your biceps.

And so on.

And in order to build muscle & get stronger, you’re going to need weight sufficient enough to make you work hard &/or hit failure in the appropriate rep range for each exercise.

In other words, you don’t want a weight so light that you can breeze to 15 reps no problem.

As you get stronger, you’ll have days where you can get 15 reps in with a particular exercise, and that’s great!

But that’s a message we need to heed and take action on, because we are progressive resistance training.

 

Progressive resistance training

That 15 rep set I just talked about is a signal that you need to increase the weight for that exercise a little the next time you work out.

And your decision to bump up that weight is at the heart of progressive resistance training, which is the slow & steady increasing of intensity (the weight you’re lifting) and the volume (the # of sets & reps) you’re doing.

Progressive resistance training is the mode you want to be in with your workouts: always bumping up the weight anytime it gets too easy to do (e.g., 20 reps is too easy).

Your increases will be in very small increments, but they will add up over time.

At some point in the not-too-distant future you’ll look back and go

“Wow! Look how much stronger I am”, or “My body looks so much better now compared to then”, etc.

For all of your sets, you’re going to want your reps within an 8-12 range for beginners, or a 6-10 rep range for intermediates.

 

At first, there’ll be a feeling out period

When you first start out, you won’t know what weights are the right ones for you to hit your 8-12 rep target.

Don’t sweat it, you’ll figure it out as you go.

You’ll have days where you have those 15 rep sets I mentioned, and you may have some down days where everything’s harder to come by.

Tip: Diet & rest/recovery have a lot to do with how you feel come the next workout.

Over time you’ll get a feel for hitting your target reps by adjusting your weight accordingly.

And no worries, it’s not an exact science – you have some leeway as long as your goal direction is on point.

Another tip worth passing along: Keep track of your workouts. Write down the weight used and how many sets & reps you do for every exercise.

That way you’ll know when it’s time to bump the weight up a little, or add another set…as well as track your progress over the long haul.

 

Full body dumbbell workouts for us Over 50 

I put together both beginner and intermediate routines, and provide examples of weekly workout schedules you can apply these dumbbell workouts to.

Both use the same 9 dumbbell exercises we’ve looked at, but the training frequency (# of times per week) and the volume (# of sets & reps) are different.

Sports science research has shown that as far as strength & muscle improvements go, our bodies respond differently to strength training, depending on our level of fitness. (5)

Hence the different training volume between a beginner & an intermediate weightlifter.

 

Beginner dumbbell workout guidelines

* Do this workout 3 times per week, with 4 off days per week.

* Always rest at least a day in between.

* So your choices are Mon-Wed-Fri, Tue-Thu-Sat, or Wed-Fri-Sun.

* Do the exercises in the order written.

* Again, keep an eye on your weights so you don’t have a lot of 15-20 rep sets, but give yourself grace to figure it out in the beginning. It’ll take a little time to get wired, so don’t stress on it.

* I’m getting strict here: 60 seconds of rest between sets.

Time this.

At 45 seconds, you should get in position to start your next set right at 60.

This is important.

Squat                                          2 sets of 8-12 reps

Chest Press                              2 sets of 8-12 reps

Bent-Over Row                      2 sets of 8-12 reps

Shoulder Press                      2 sets of 8-12 reps

Pullover                                   2 sets of 8-12 reps

Lying Triceps Extension   2 sets of 8-12 reps

Biceps Curl                            2 sets of 8-12 reps

Weighted Crunch               2 sets to failure*

Standing Calf Raise           2 sets of 15-20

(*to failure –  If this term is new to you, “to failure” simply means you do as many as you can ‘til you poop out, and that’s one set.)

“Pump Up The Volume”

After several months on the beginners’ program, or if you’re already acclimated to some weightlifting, you can take your workout volume up a notch.

You’re going to need to anyway at some point, in order to continue building strength & muscle.

This intermediate program will boost the number of sets & reps you perform per week per muscle group.

One of the best ways to do that is to split the body parts up, and train each of them twice per week.

This is to allow for adequate recovery time for your muscles, so that you feel strong and that they grow.

There are countless variations of this approach, so I’m showing just one logical example.

I’m basing it on the principles laid out by the American College of Sports Medicine (6).

 

Intermediate dumbbell workout

* These 9 dumbbell exercises will be split over two days, which you will do twice per week. So you’ll be lifting 4 times a week, with 3 off days.

* This is known as a 4-day workout split. This weekly plan is sometimes called a “Monday Thursday, Tuesday Friday” schedule.

* Your “life” schedule may require you to use different days of the week than this; that’s totally cool. Just honor the same amount of rest/recovery that this schedule provides for each muscle group.

* The goal is to have 2 off days minimum for every muscle group. In the version I’m showing you, there’ll be a 2-day recovery followed by a 3-day recovery for each muscle group every week.

* Do the exercises in the order written.

* You’re more experienced now, so staying on top of the various weights you’re lifting for each exercise is easy.

* We’re going a little heavier and dropping your rep range to 6-10 reps per set**.

* We’re still strict with our 60 second rest time in-between sets. Be ready to go before the minute is up, then start right at 60.

This is important. (Oops, I said that twice didn’t I…😉)

** 6-10 reps per set – This is because sports science has shown that working out in an intensity zone (intensity = the amount of weight you’re using) similar to this is optimal for strength & muscle gains (7).

 

Mon – Thu

Chest Press                           4 sets of 6-10 reps

Shoulder Press                    4 sets of 6-10 reps

Pullover                                  3 sets of 6-10 reps

Lying Triceps Extension** 4 sets of 6-10 reps

Weighted Crunch               3 sets of 6-10 reps

 

Tue – Fri

Squat                                      4 sets of 6-10 reps

Bent-Over Row                  4 sets of 6-10 reps

Biceps Curl**                      4 sets of 6-10 reps

Standing Calf Raise         3 sets of 12-15 reps

 

Program Note:

** – You can add some variety to your arm exercises now that you’re up to 4 sets per muscle group, and I’ve written a tutorial+workout article featuring 7 additional arm exercises, 4 for your triceps & 3 for your biceps.

The link to that article is down below this in the Wrapping Up section, or you can click here.

Feel free to swap in any of the exercises in that article for the two I’ve already shown you, and you can do two exercises for two sets apiece for both your triceps & biceps if you like as well.

 

Get a good warmup in first

A sufficient warmup is an important part of any strength training program, and 10 minutes coasting on a stationary bike isn’t going to cut it.

The goal of a pre-lifting warmup is to get the blood flowing into all of the muscles & joints you’re going to be using in today’s strength training workout.

That way when your weightlifting begins, your joints & muscles are warm, lubricated, and ready to go.

And since we’re older models, we definitely need a good warmup beforehand.

I like to warm up by taking a very light weight & doing one high rep set (25 reps or so) of each of the exercises I’m going to do that day.

I’ll follow that up with a couple of minutes of using resistance bands (that are light) or Therabands to do some stretching exercises too, especially for my shoulders.

 

Another idea: dynamic movements

Here’s a video of a dynamic mobility/flexibility warmup from Jeff Cavaliere at Athlean X.

This is just an example, but note the 10 short drills and see how the whole body gets prepared for the workout ahead.

You can make up your own or find something similar online to copy too.

These are dynamic stretching exercises not static stretches, meaning I keep moving versus holding the stretch in one position for X number of seconds.

 

Doing something similar that’s appropriate for your level of fitness for 8-10 minutes or so will make a big difference when your lifting starts; I can vouch for that.

Going forward: More over 50 workout routines

As you become comfortable with these movements & advance in your weightlifting, I encourage you to learn more exercises than those I’ve shown you here.

It’s important to note however, that the compound lifting movements in this article are fundamental to your muscle & strength progress and should not be abandoned. 

But there are many exercise variations you can do as well, and having this variety has kept me from getting bored over my 40 years of working out.

me at 62 

 

Other Over 50 workouts & exercise ideas

Here are a few workout ideas I regularly use beyond the compound dumbbell exercises I showed you earlier:

7 At-Home Dumbbell Exercises for Flabby Arms Over 60 (or Any Age)

HIIT For Seniors

And below are a couple of workout articles where I share my personal weightlifting approach. These may be of interest to you if & when you’re looking to take your weight training program up a notch or two:

5×5 Workout for the Over 50 Year Old

How I Plan To Build Muscle After 60

In that 5×5 Workout article I share a number of additional exercises for each muscle group that I do on a regular basis in my various** lifting programs.

(various** – I change my weightlifting routine every 6-8 weeks or so these days.)

 

FAQ

Here are answers to a few of the commonly asked questions regarding older adults weightlifting, using dumbbells, etc.

 

Related articles here on heydayDo

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Do Resistance Bands Build Muscle As Well As Free Weights?

NitroTech Whey Gold Taste Testing Review

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Mystery No More: Do You Take Creatine On Rest Days Or Not?

 

Wrapping Up

I hope my dumbbell exercises for seniors article is useful to you, and that the workout sections are helpful too.

I wish you well on your fitness journey.

– greg