3-day full body dumbbell workout plan at home
Three full-body workouts a week for 8 weeks, for beginners with dumbbells and an adjustable bench: every set, rep range and RIR written out.
This is the home version of the 3-day full body plan: every exercise needs nothing more than dumbbells and an adjustable bench, with no barbell, machines or pull-up bar. Each day starts with a different leg exercise (goblet squat, split squat, dumbbell deadlift), then a press and a row, and finishes with the smaller muscles (shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs): six exercises and 16 working sets, about 40-45 minutes. Without a bar there are no pull-ups or pulldowns, so the back gets three different rows instead.
| Split | Days a week | Level | Weeks | Minutes | Sets a week | Equipment | In the app |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full body | 3 | Beginner | 8 | ≈40–45 | 48 | Dumbbells, Bodyweight, Adjustable bench | Full body · 3 days · Dumbbells |
Track this plan for free in SmartWorkout
The same exercises, sets, reps and RIR, ready in the app. Logging, rest timer and history are free. Automatic progression suggestions: Premium.
In the app: Plans → Full body · 3 days · Dumbbells
Good fit if
- You train at home with dumbbells and an adjustable bench.
- You are new to strength training or coming back after a long break.
- You can train three times a week, about 40-45 minutes each time.
Take another plan if
- You train at a gym: take the 3-day full body plan, which uses machines and the barbell squat.
- You have no dumbbells, or only one light pair: this plan needs dumbbells you can make heavier as you get stronger.
- Your weights already go up only every week or two: take the 4-day dumbbell upper/lower plan for intermediates.
Weekly schedule
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Body A | Rest | Full Body B | Rest | Full Body C | Rest | Rest |
Missed a day? Do the next session in order: the app runs the sessions in sequence.
Moving the days? Keep at least one rest day between day C and day A: both have the goblet squat and a deadlift.
The plan, week 1
Week 1 is calibration: pick a weight for the bottom of each range with one more rep in reserve than later. The RIR column shows week 1 → week 2 onwards; the grid below shows what changes in weeks 2-8.
Tempo 3-0-1-0: 3 s lowering, 0 s pause in the stretch, 1 s lifting, 0 s pause in the squeeze. X: lift as fast as you can while staying in control.
What RIR means →How to read tempo →
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Tempo | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WUWarm-up sets | 2 × 8 | – | – | 1:00 | |
A Dumbbell Goblet Squat | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 3-1-1-0 | 2:00 | Hold one dumbbell upright against your chest and sit down between your knees. |
B Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 3-0-1-0 | 2:00 | |
C Dumbbell Neutral Grip Incline Bench Row | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 3-0-1-1 | 2:00 | |
D Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift | 2 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 3-1-1-0 | 2:00 | Hips back, knees soft, dumbbells close to your legs; stop before your back rounds. |
E Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 2 × 10–20 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-1-1 | 1:00 | |
F Dumbbell Biceps Curl | 3 × 10–15 | 3 → 2 | 3-0-1-0 | 1:00 |
16 working sets · ≈45 min
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Tempo | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WUWarm-up sets | 2 × 8 | – | – | 1:00 | |
A Dumbbell Split Squat | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 3-0-1-0 | 1:30 | Sets and reps are per leg: finish one leg, then the other, then rest. That makes day B a few minutes longer than its estimate. |
B Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 3-0-1-0 | 2:00 | |
C Double Dumbbell Bent Over Row | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-1-1 | 2:00 | Flat back, torso leaning forward. It sits on day B, the day without a deadlift, so your lower back is fresh. |
D Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension | 2 × 10–15 | 3 → 2 | 3-0-1-0 | 1:00 | |
| EDumbbell Biceps Curl | 3 × 10–15 | 3 → 2 | 3-0-1-0 | 1:00 | |
F Dead Bug | 2 × 10–20 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-2-0 | 1:00 | Keep your lower back pressed into the floor and lower the opposite arm and leg slowly. |
16 working sets · ≈40 min
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Tempo | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WUWarm-up sets | 2 × 8 | – | – | 1:00 | |
A Dumbbell Deadlift | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 2-1-1-0 | 2:00 | Unlike the Romanian deadlift on day A, bend your knees and lower the dumbbells to the floor, back flat. |
B Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 3-0-1-0 | 2:00 | |
C Dumbbell Bent Over Row | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-1-1 | 2:00 | |
| DDumbbell Goblet Squat | 3 × 8–12 | 3 → 2 | 3-1-1-0 | 2:00 | Hold one dumbbell upright against your chest and sit down between your knees. |
E Dumbbell Incline Rear Lateral T Raise | 2 × 10–20 | 3 → 2 | 2-0-1-1 | 1:00 | |
F Standing One Dumbbell French Press | 2 × 10–15 | 3 → 2 | 3-0-1-0 | 1:00 | Hold one dumbbell overhead with both hands and lower it behind your head, elbows pointing forward. |
16 working sets · ≈45 min
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Week by week
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase | Calibration | Build | Build | Build | Build | Build | Build | Build |
| RIR | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Working sets | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 |
| What to do | Find your weights | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight | Reps, then weight |
| Done: Full Body A | ||||||||
| Done: Full Body B | ||||||||
| Done: Full Body C |
No planned deload: beginners recover between sessions at this volume. If two sessions in a row go backwards, take an easy week.
Saved only in this browser. The app keeps your weights and reps.
Worked example: Dumbbell Deadlift
Sample numbers of a simulated lifter, worked through with the manual rule on this page.
| Week | Weight | Reps per set | RIR | Next session |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 kg | 8 · 8 · 8 | 3 | Calibration done: add reps |
| 2 | 20 kg | 9 · 9 · 9 | 2 | Add reps |
| 3 | 20 kg | 10 · 10 · 10 | 2 | Add reps |
| 4 | 20 kg | 11 · 11 · 10 | 2 | Add reps |
| 5 | 20 kg | 12 · 11 · 11 | 2 | Last sets catch up |
| 6 | 20 kg | 12 · 12 · 12 | 2 | All sets at the top: 22 kg |
| 7 | 22 kg | 9 · 9 · 9 | 3 | Add reps |
| 8 | 22 kg | 10 · 10 · 10 | 3 | Next run starts at 24 kg |
How to progress on this plan
The simplest method that works on any plan: double progression. Keep the weight and add reps while you finish your sets with the reserve in the RIR column. When every set reaches the top of the range, add one step and build the reps up again.
- Dumbbell Goblet Squat 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
- Dumbbell Bench Press 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
- Dumbbell Neutral Grip Incline Bench Row 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 2 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when both sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
- Dumbbell Split Squat 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 × 8–12 at RIR 2: when all 3 sets reach 12 reps at RIR 2 or easier, add 2 kg next session.
- Isolation exercises (10–20 reps) follow the same rule. With light dumbbells, the next pair can be too big a jump: use the in-between weight, or stay and go 1-2 reps above the range for a week or two.
- The goblet squat (days A and C) and the biceps curl (days A and B) keep the same sets and reps on both days, so each session builds on the last one, whichever day it was. So the goblet squat gets two chances a week to add a rep.
- On the lighter presses one dumbbell step is a big jump: 8 to 10 kg on the shoulder press is 25% more. Right after a step your reps drop back towards 8; the table below says what to do if they fall under it.
- The lateral raise (day A) and the rear-delt raise (day C) come once a week with 10-20 reps, because on a 6-8 kg dumbbell the next pair is 25-33% heavier. They will mostly gain reps in this block; take the next dumbbell when both sets reach 20 reps at RIR 2.
- After week 8, run the plan again with week 1 as calibration: enter a week-8 set in the starting-weights calculator below.
What to do next session
| You logged | Next session |
|---|---|
| All sets at the top of the range with the planned reserve | One weight step up |
| Below the top, with the planned reserve | Same weight, +1 rep on the sets that allow it |
| One rep less in reserve than planned | Same weight and reps: repeat the session |
| Sets below the range, or RIR 0 when the target was 2 | Keep the weight; if sets fell below the range, one step down |
| No progress for 2 sessions | Check rest and honest RIR; after a 3rd session, about −10% and build back up |
Your starting weights
Enter a recent set of the exercise: weight, reps and how many reps you had left. You get the week-1 weight for the bottom of the range with one rep more in reserve, from the widely used RPE chart (RTS).
Weekly volume per muscle
Working sets per muscle in a regular week, counted the way the app counts them: a set is 1 for a muscle the exercise trains directly and 0.5 for one it trains indirectly. Warm-ups don't count.
- Chest6 · 2×/wk
- Back9 · 3×/wk
- Quadriceps9 · 3×/wk
- Hamstrings5 · 2×/wk
- Gluteus9.5 · 2×/wk
- Side delts5 · 2×/wk
- Rear delts5 · 1×/wk
- Biceps6 · 2×/wk
- Triceps7 · 2×/wk
- Front delts7 · 1×/wk
- Calves–
- Abs2 · 1×/wk
- Trapezius7 · 1×/wk
- Lower Back5 · 2×/wk
Abs and calves are optional. From 10 sets a week the app labels a muscle "High volume": above its default target and still productive.
Substitutions
Choose your substitute in week 1 and keep it for all 8 weeks: the app tracks progress per exercise. Each substitute trains the same muscles directly, so the volume above stays the same.
Adapt the plan
- Short on time
- Skip the curl on day A (it comes back on day B), the dead bug on day B or the French press on day C: the lying extension and the presses still give the triceps 5 sets a week. Each skipped exercise saves about 4-6 minutes; keep the first four exercises of every day as written.
- Bulking or cutting
- Keep the plan as it is in both. On a cut, aim to hold your weights: reps that drop by one or two are normal, and you can skip the last set of the isolation exercises if recovery suffers.
- Bringing up one muscle
- For glutes, add 2 sets of dumbbell hip thrusts (upper back on the bench, dumbbell on your hips) at the end of day B, the shortest session: about 4 minutes. For any other muscle, add 2-3 weekly sets for it only, in sessions that already train it. At a gym, the glute and leg priority version of the 3-day full body plan goes further.
- Over 40
- Warm up a little longer before each day's first leg exercise, and keep one more rep in reserve on the squats and deadlifts for the first few weeks. Take the full rest. Joints decide the pace, not the calendar.
The same plan in the app
The app opens exactly this plan: all 8 weeks, the same targets, week 1 calibration included. Its description in the app:
A beginner full body (FBW) plan for home: three workouts a week (Mon, Wed, Fri), about 55-60 minutes each, with dumbbells and an adjustable bench only, no barbell or machines. 8 weeks: week 1 is calibration (pick weights that leave 3 reps in reserve, RIR 3), weeks 2-8 at RIR 2. Progression: add reps first; once every set reaches the top of its range at the target RIR, take the next heavier dumbbells you have.
Free: the plan, logging weight, reps and RIR, the rest timer, history, previous results and the calculators.
This page teaches the manual method. With Premium, the app suggests the weight and reps for every set after each workout, from the weights, reps and RIR you logged, including week-1 calibration and the deload. Its suggestions can differ from this simple rule because it uses more of your data.
Track this plan for free in SmartWorkout
The same exercises, sets, reps and RIR, ready in the app. Logging, rest timer and history are free. Automatic progression suggestions: Premium.
In the app: Plans → Full body · 3 days · Dumbbells