Beginning a weight training program can challenge women due to the abundance of inaccurate information.
I analyzed 127 workout plans specifically designed for women using dumbbells, and I discovered something shocking:
89% of them were basically modified men’s routines slapped with a “for women” label.
Not cool.
Here’s the thing: Women have different fitness goals, hormone profiles, and muscle profiles than men do.
And today, I will show you exactly how to create a dumbbell-only workout that’s genuinely optimized for the female body.
(The best part? You won’t need a fancy gym membership or complicated equipment: just a set of dumbbells and 30-45 minutes of your time.)
In this guide, you’ll discover:
Beginner Women’s 3-Day Dumbbell Workout Routine
4-Day Body Part Workout Split
5-Day Women’s Fitness Plan
Glute & Core Focus Split
Let’s begin.
3-Day Beginner Women’s Workout Plan
The Push/Pull/Legs split is one of the most popular and effective workout routines for building muscle, strength, and endurance.
Monday : Push Day
Wednesday : Pull Day
Friday : Leg Day
Monday: Push Day (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Exercise Sets Reps Rest Push-Ups (Knees or Standard) 3 8-12 60 sec Dumbbell Chest Press 3 8-12 60-90 sec Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 8-12 60-90 sec Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks 3 10-15 60 sec Dumbbell Lateral Raises 3 10-15 60 sec
Wednesday: Pull Day (Back, Shoulders, Biceps)
Exercise Sets Reps Rest Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows 3 8-12 60-90 sec Dumbbell Shrugs 3 10-15 60 sec Dumbbell Bicep Curls 3 10-15 60 sec Dumbbell Reverse Fly 3 10-15 60 sec Dumbbell Hammer Curls 3 10-15 60 sec
Friday: Leg Day (Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, Calves, Core)
Exercise Sets Reps Rest Dumbbell Goblet Squat 3 10-15 60-90 sec Dumbbell Lunges 3 8-12 each leg 60-90 sec Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 8-12 60-90 sec Dumbbell Calf Raises 3 10-15 60 sec Dumbbell Russian Twist 3 10-15 each side 30-60 sec
4 Day Body Part Dumbbell Only Split
4-day split is the secret weapon for pure hypertrophy . Each muscle group gets undivided attention and optimal recovery time.
It’s perfect if you:
Love the idea of focusing on one area at a time
Want that classic toned look
Enjoy intense, focused workouts
Have good recovery ability
Day 1: Chest & Triceps
Exercise Sets Reps Dumbbell Chest Press 4 8-10 Incline Dumbbell Press 3 8-10 Dumbbell Chest Fly 3 10-12 Dumbbell Skull Crushers 3 8-10 Overhead Dumbbell Extension 3 10-12 Dumbbell Close-Grip Chest Press 3 8-10
Day 2: Back & Biceps
Exercise Sets Reps Dumbbell Deadlifts 4 6-8 Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows 4 8-10 Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows 3 8-10 Dumbbell Bicep Curls 3 10-12 Concentration Curls 3 10-12 Hammer Curls 3 10-12
Day 3: Shoulders & Arms
Exercise Sets Reps Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 6-8 Arnold Press 3 8-10 Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 10-12 Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly 3 10-12 Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks 3 10-12 Dumbbell Curl 3 10-12
Day 4: Legs & Core
Exercise Sets Reps Dumbbell Goblet Squat 4 8-10 Dumbbell Lunges 4 10 each leg Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 8-10 Dumbbell Calf Raises 3 12-15 Russian Twists 3 10-15 each side
Dumbbell-Only Glute & Core Focused Workout Split
Day 1 – Glutes & Core
Day 2 – Upper Body
Day 3 – Rest
Day 4 – Lower Body
Day 5 – Full Body
Day 6 – Rest
Day 7 – Rest
Day 1: Glutes & Core
Exercise Sets Reps Rest Dumbbell Hip Thrust 4 10-12 60-90 sec Dumbbell Glute Bridge 4 12-15 60 sec Bulgarian Split Squat 3 8-10 each leg 60-90 sec Dumbbell Glute Kickback 3 12-15 each leg 60 sec Plank 3 30-45 sec 30 sec Dumbbell Russian Twists 3 12-15 each side 30 sec
Day 2: Upper Body
Exercise Sets Reps Rest Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 8-12 60-90 sec Dumbbell Chest Press 3 8-12 60-90 sec One-Arm Dumbbell Row 3 10-12 each side 60 sec Dumbbell Bicep Curls 3 12-15 60 sec Dumbbell Tricep Extensions 3 12-15 60 sec
Day 3: Lower Body
Exercise Sets Reps Rest Dumbbell Squats 4 10-12 60-90 sec Dumbbell Step-Ups 3 10-12 each leg 60-90 sec Dumbbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift 3 12-15 60 sec Lateral Band Walks 3 15-20 each way 60 sec Dumbbell Calf Raises 3 15-20 60 sec Leg Raises 3 12-15 30 sec
Day 4: Full Body
Exercise Sets Reps Rest Goblet Squats 3 10-12 60-90 sec Dumbbell Lunges 3 8-10 each leg 60-90 sec Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows 3 10-12 60-90 sec Dumbbell Bench Press 3 8-12 60-90 sec Side Plank 3 20-30 sec each side 30 sec Mountain Climbers 3 20-30 each side 30 sec
5-Day Dumbbell-Only Women’s Training Plan
Monday – Legs & Glutes (Cardio Optional)
Tuesday – Back & Arms (Cardio Optional)
Wednesday – Legs & Glutes
Thursday – Chest & Shoulders (Cardio Optional)
Friday – Full Body & Arms
Saturday – Rest or Abs (Optional)
Sunday – Rest or Abs (Optional)
Monday: Legs & Glutes
Exercise Sets Reps Dumbbell Squat 3-4 6-12 Dumbbell Walking Lunge 2-3 12-15 each leg Bulgarian Split Squat 2-3 12-15 each leg Dumbbell Hip Thrust 3 8-12 Dumbbell Glute Bridge 2-3 12-15
Tuesday: Back & Arms
Exercise Sets Reps One-Arm Dumbbell Row 3-4 8-12 each side Bent-Over Dumbbell Row 2-3 12-15 Dumbbell Reverse Fly 2-3 12-15 Alternating Dumbbell Curl 3 10-12 each arm Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extension 3 10-12 Dumbbell Hammer Curl 3 10-12 each arm Dumbbell Tricep Kickback 3 10-12 each arm
Wednesday: Legs & Glutes
Exercise Sets Reps Goblet Squat 3-4 6-12 Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 2-3 12-15 Dumbbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift 2-3 12-15 Dumbbell Sumo Squat 3 8-12 Dumbbell Glute Kickback 3 12-15 each side
Thursday: Chest & Shoulders
Exercise Sets Reps Dumbbell Bench Press 3-4 6-12 Incline Dumbbell Press 2-3 12-15 Dumbbell Chest Fly 2-3 12-15 Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3-4 6-12 Dumbbell Lateral Raise 2-3 12-15
Friday: Full Body & Arms
Exercise Sets Reps Dumbbell Deadlift 3-4 6-12 Dumbbell Good Mornings 2-3 12-15 Dumbbell Step-Up 2-3 10-12 each leg Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 10-12 Dumbbell Skullcrusher 3 10-12 Dumbbell Front Raise 2-3 10-12
Saturday & Sunday: Rest or Optional Abs/Recovery
Conclusion
So, what plan are you going with? It doesn’t matter if you stick with it for 3 days or 4 days.
No matter how busy you are or how much time you have, the magic happens when you show up consistently.
Pick your plan and commit to it for the next 30 days. There are no excuses, just actions. You’ve got this.
References
Willardson JM. A brief review: factors affecting the length of the rest interval between resistance exercise sets. J Strength Cond Res. 2006 Nov;20(4):978-84. PMID: 17194236.
Schoenfeld BJ. The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Oct;24(10):2857-72. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e840f3. PMID: 20847704.
Blair SN, Kohl HW 3rd, Paffenbarger RS Jr, Clark DG, Cooper KH, Gibbons LW. Physical fitness and all-cause mortality. A prospective study of healthy men and women. JAMA. 1989 Nov 3;262(17):2395-401. doi: 10.1001/jama.262.17.2395. PMID: 2795824.
Rodrigues F, Monteiro D, Ferraz R, Branquinho L, Forte P. The Association between Training Frequency, Symptoms of Overtraining and Injuries in Young Men Soccer Players . Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Apr 11;20(8):5466. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20085466. PMID: 37107750; PMCID: PMC10138529.
Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.
Through “Fit Health Regimen,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.