This Full-Body Dumbbell Workout Will Change Your Body Composition

"I kept it very simple so it’s as easy to build up as it is to break down."

From your Instagram and TikTok feeds to the yoga studio and weight room, there’s no shortage of fitness #inspo these days. And when Claudette Sariya, a certified personal trainer, worked in influencer marketing as her daytime grind, she saw a lot of advanced content (think: a pistol squat; a yoga handstand) being created by people who weren’t necessarily qualified to teach it to their followers.

Fast-forward a few years, and Sariya decided to leave the corporate world and take a “life-changing” chance on going full-time in fitness, making it her mission to prioritize safety and efficiency in her clients’ workouts. In short, Sariya is focused on simple, proven movements: “Bringing it back to basics not only helps them learn how to move safely but also helps them build a foundation where they can stand proudly and more confidently as they embark on their fitness journey,” she says.

Meet the trainer: Claudette Sariya, CPT, is a personal trainer and fitness educator based in New York City as well as a part of the Women's Health/Men's Health Strength in Diversity program's class of 2023. (Strength in Diversity is an initiative that offers trainers from marginalized communities the chance to be mentored by elite fitness professionals and gain knowledge and skills from leaders across the industry.) Sariya also leads group runs for the Asian Women Stay Running (AWSTARS) club.

Now, she’s using her knowledge and experience to help you: get a fantastic full-body workout and safely work toward more advanced variations with this six-move routine that she created exclusively for WH. “I wanted to make sure we targeted every muscle group in here, but I kept it very simple so it’s as easy to build up as it is to break down,” she says.

To see change in your body composition and strength gains, do this workout 2 to 3 times a week for 6 to 8 weeks, making sure to increase the weights or rep counts every other week (AKA, progressive overload training). To supplement your workout, "you'll also want to make sure you are eating properly too," notes Sariya, adding that she aims to eat at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. Let’s go!

Time: 45-60 minutes | Equipment: Dumbbells, mat | Good for: Total body

Instructions: Complete 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps of each move, resting for 20 to 30 seconds between sets. If you can do more than 12 (good!) reps in 30 to 40 seconds, you should go up in weight. If you struggle to reach 8, you should go down. When you feel confident, consider trying the Level Up progression.

How to:

Why it rocks: Compared with a regular pushup, this version keeps your elbows tight against your sides to help isolate and activate your triceps (instead of your chest) as you push yourself up from the floor, Sariya says.

How to:

Level up: Hold yourself at the bottom of the pushup, chest about two to three inches off the floor, for a couple of seconds.

Why it rocks: “Taking a B-stance, where one foot is in a kickstand position, will help you target your glutes in the working leg because you won’t have to worry about your balance as much.” People often don’t do the more advanced version of this move, the single-leg Romanian deadlift (RDL), properly, because their hips open to the side instead of pointing straight down, says Sariya.

How to:

Level up: Once you feel more confident and have more core stability, then take on a single-leg RDL.

Why it rocks: “This dual-part move will strengthen the glutes, quads, and shoulders while improving your overall balance,” says Sariya. Tuck your pelvis to activate your glutes and avoid the common misstep of hyperextending your lower back.

How to:

Level up: Turn it into a clean and press while you lunge, or turn it into a snatch.

Why it rocks: “This is one of my favorite moves for improving core strength and stability while working the upper-back muscles and arms,” says Sariya. “Often, I’ll see a twist of the torso or a rocking of the hips, but you want to keep the hips as still as possible so you can focus on stabilizing your core.”

How to:

Level up: Add a pushup after each rep.

Why it rocks: To really target the abs, you have to slow the classic bicycle crunch down, using time under tension and finding resistance with your legs as levers, says Sariya. While this is a “really simple move,” Sariya says people often do it too quickly. “I see them flying through their bicycles, making it more cardio than strength.”

How to:

Level up: Pause at the top of each twist to feel more of a burn.

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