Men's Intermediate Home Workout (Dumbbells + Pull-Up Bar)

Program overview

Once regular push-ups and squats feel easy, you need more resistance to keep building muscle. This 8-week intermediate program uses a classic upper/lower split with dumbbells and a pull-up bar, so you can train like you would in a gym while staying at home.

Each muscle group is trained twice per week with more sets than the beginner plan. Upper days combine pushing and pulling, lower days hit the quads, glutes, hamstrings and core. Workouts take 45–55 minutes.

Adjustable dumbbells are the best investment for home training. With a set that goes up to 50 lb (around 24 kg) per hand you can follow this plan for months. If you only have lighter dumbbells, slow down the lowering phase to 3–4 seconds and add reps to keep the effort high.

Equipment needed: A pair of adjustable dumbbells, a doorway pull-up bar and a bench or sturdy chair.

Weekly schedule

• Mon: Upper A
• Tue: Lower A
• Wed: Rest / walk
• Thu: Upper B
• Fri: Lower B
• Sat: Optional cardio 20–30 min
• Sun: Rest

You can move days around to fit your life. Just avoid training the same muscle group hard on two days in a row, and keep at least one full rest day per week.

Warm-up (8–10 minutes, before every workout)

1. 3–5 minutes of easy cardio: brisk walking, marching on the spot, light jumping jacks or cycling.
2. Cat-cow stretch × 8 reps to loosen the spine.
3. World’s greatest stretch × 5 per side to open the hips and upper back.
4. 10 bodyweight squats and 10 glute bridges.
5. 1–2 light warm-up sets of the first exercise of the day.

The workouts

Perform the exercises in order. "Rest" is the time between sets. Click any exercise for animated pictures and step-by-step instructions.

Upper AChest, back, shoulders, arms

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Push-Ups	4	12–20	60 sec
One-Arm Dumbbell Rows	4	10–12 per arm	60 sec
Dumbbell Shoulder Press	3	8–12	75 sec
Chin-Ups	3	5–8	90 sec
Close-Grip (Diamond) Push-Ups	3	10–15	60 sec
Hammer Curls	3	10–12	45 sec

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Key exercise of the day: Push-Ups. The push-up is the most famous bodyweight exercise in the world for a reason. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Lower AQuads, glutes, core

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Goblet Squats	4	10–12	90 sec
Romanian Deadlifts	4	10	90 sec
Bulgarian Split Squats	3	8–10 per leg	75 sec
Single-Leg Glute Bridges	3	12 per leg	45 sec
Standing Calf Raises	3	20	45 sec
Plank	3	45–60 sec	45 sec

Key exercise of the day: Goblet Squats. In a goblet squat you hold one dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Upper BChest, back, shoulders, arms

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Decline Push-Ups	4	10–15	60 sec
Pull-Ups	4	5–8	90 sec
Arnold Press	3	10	60 sec
Inverted Rows	3	10–12	60 sec
Lateral Raises	3	12–15	45 sec
Dumbbell Biceps Curls	3	10–12	45 sec
Bench Dips	3	12–15	45 sec

Key exercise of the day: Decline Push-Ups. With your feet raised on a bench or step, the decline push-up shifts more of your body weight onto your hands and moves the work toward the upper chest and front shoulders. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Lower BHamstrings, glutes, conditioning

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Dumbbell Lunges	4	10 per leg	75 sec
Step-Ups	3	10 per leg	60 sec
Kettlebell Swings	4	15	60 sec
Glute Bridges	3	15–20	45 sec
Russian Twists	3	15 per side	45 sec
Reverse Crunches	3	15	45 sec

Key exercise of the day: Dumbbell Lunges. Lunges train one leg at a time, which fixes strength differences between sides and challenges your balance. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Cool-down (5 minutes)

Finish every session with 60 seconds of child’s pose, slow walking and a few deep breaths. Gentle stretching after training will not prevent soreness, but it helps you relax and shift into recovery mode.

8-week progression

Keep a simple training log: date, exercise, weight (or variation) and reps for each set. If a number goes up compared with last week, you are making progress. If you stall for 2–3 weeks on a lift, check your sleep and food first, then swap to a similar exercise for a few weeks.

Cardio and daily steps

Strength training is the base of this program, but cardio supports heart health and fat loss. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity per week (for example 30 minutes of brisk walking, five days a week), which matches the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines. A daily step goal of 7,000–10,000 is a simple target that also burns a meaningful number of calories without hurting recovery.

If your goal is fat loss, add 2–3 cardio sessions of 20–30 minutes. If your goal is maximum muscle gain, keep cardio easy so it does not interfere with recovery.

Nutrition for this program

Training creates the signal; food provides the building blocks. Three simple rules work for almost everyone:

1. Eat enough protein: about 0.7–1 g per pound of body weight (1.6–2.2 g/kg) per day, spread over 3–5 meals.
2. Set your calories for your goal: a moderate deficit to lose fat, a small surplus to build muscle, maintenance to recomposition. Use our calorie calculator.
3. Eat mostly whole foods: lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, whole grains, potatoes, fruit and vegetables.

For a ready-made menu, try our 7-day meal plan or get personal numbers with the plan builder.

Recovery: sleep, rest days and soreness

Muscles grow between workouts, not during them. Sleep 7–9 hours per night, take at least one full rest day per week, and manage stress. Mild muscle soreness (DOMS) 24–72 hours after a workout is normal, especially in the first weeks. Light activity such as walking usually helps it fade faster. Sharp joint pain is not normal: stop the exercise and get it checked.

Frequently asked questions

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