Make yourself @ home: building a gym-worthy physique at home is as easy as investing in dumbbells and a bench and following this three-days-a-week lifting routine

Muscle & Fitness, August, 2006 by Jimmy Pena, Joe Wuebben

Visiting your local gym can be a maddening experience. You've fought traffic just to get there, you waited in line at the front desk to scan your card and get a clean towel, and what do you know--it's been a half-hour and you haven't even gotten a warm-up set in. Not to mention your training partner sat in even more traffic and is running later than you, and your workout is delayed that much longer. And that's not even counting the time spent waiting for the Smith machine to open up.

Consequently, you haven't been getting to the gym quite as often as you'd like lately. Not that we're trying to make excuses for you or anything, but maybe you're at your best when there's no one around to distract you; it's just you and your familiar four walls. Just you, a bench, some dumbbells and your burning desire for bodybuilding excellence.

To help, we've created a three-days-a-week lifting program that requires only the bare necessities--a set of adjustable dumbbells and an adjustable bench. The first two weeks of the routine focus on strength, keeping your reps in the 6-8 range. In the following weeks, you'll increase your reps to 12 to facilitate maximum growth. Limit your rest periods to 1 1/2-2 minutes in Weeks 1 and 2 and no more than one minute after that.

A few exercises in this routine are great substitutes for ones rarely seen outside the gym. No lat pulldown at home? No problem. Don't have a seated calf-raise machine in the living room? We've got you covered. If we encompassed any more, you'd have to charge membership to your houseguests.

(Gym Alternative: EZ-Bar Preacher Curl)

START

Set the bench to 45 degrees or higher. Grasping a dumbbell, place your arm on the bench, with your armpit securely on its top edge and your upper arm pressed against the pad. Bend your elbow slightly at the start.

ACTION

Flex your biceps to bring the dumbbell as high as possible without allowing your elbow to flare out or rise off the bench. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top before slowly returning the weight to the starting position. Stop just short of full arm extension.

Decline Dumbbell Flye

(Gym Alternative: Cable Crossover)

START

Set the bench to a decline position, Grasping a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral (palms-in) grip, lie faceup on the bench with your lower legs secured at the top. (You can also bend your legs to safely secure your heels on the bench.) Raise the dumbbells in front of your face.

ACTION

Maintaining a slight bend in your elbow, lower them in an arc out to your sides. Stop when your upper arms are in line with your shoulders. Hold briefly, then return the weights to the start.

Wide-Grip

Upright Dumbbell Row

(Gym Alternative: Wide-Grip Barbell Upright Row)

START

Stand upright and grasp a dumbbell in each hand with a wide pronated grip. Hold the weights at your sides and slightly in front of you. Keep your chest up, shoulders back and head straight.

ACTION

Keeping the dumbbells spaced wide, raise them to shoulder level, bringing your elbows high. Hold the peak contraction for a brief count, then slowly lower the weights to the starting position.

Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise

(Gym Alternative: Seated Calf-Raise Machine)

START

Sit at the end of the bench with your knees bent and the balls of your feet on top of a piece of wood (or some other item that provides a stable platform) that's about 4-6 inches thick (such a height allows your heels to descend and elevate freely). Grasp two dumbbells and place them on your lower quads, maintaining a tight grip on the dumbbells at all times.

ACTION

Slowly lower your heels toward the floor until you feel a good stretch in your calves, then press through the balls of your feet to push the dumbbells toward the ceiling. Squeeze your calves and hold the peak contraction momentarily before lowering.

Straight-Arm Lat Pull

(Gym Alternative: Straight-Arm Cable Lat Pulldown)

START

Grasp a dumbbell with a pronated (overhand) grip. Bend at your waist, keeping your knees bent, back flat and your working arm hanging straight toward the floor. Rest your nonworking hand on your thigh to support your torso.

ACTION

Keeping your arm as straight as possible, flex your lat to pull the weight back and up as high as possible. Hold for a brief count, then slowly lower the dumbbell along the same path to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.

Sissy Squat

(Gym Alternative: Leg Extension)

START

Raise an incline bench to a high setting. Stand next to the bench with your feet spaced hip-width apart. Carefully place a dumbbell (or weight plate, if you have one) against your chest and hold it steady with the hand that's farthest from the bench, grasping the bench with your other hand for balance. Rise onto your toes and arch your back as you create a "shelf" with your chest on which the weight can rest, keeping your hand on it throughout the set.

ACTION

While up on your toes, bend at your knees to lower yourself straight toward the floor, keeping your chest up and back arched throughout. When your knees approach 90-degree angles, pause and extend your legs to raise your body back to the start. Remain on your toes as you squeeze your legs hard at the top.