Greg O'Shea's total-body dumbbell workout to build muscle 

Olympian Greg O'Shea knows what it takes to get in top shape. Join him for week two of his exercise programme to improve muscle strength 

Greg O'Shea. Photograph Moya Nolan

It’s time to dig out those dumbbells that have been gathering dust in the cupboard. For this week’s workout, we’re focusing on weights to encourage muscle growth. Unlike fat loss, the good news is you can target muscle building in specific areas - but we are focussing on a workout that will stimulate muscle growth all over - leg muscles, arms, back and chest.

You can use any weight dumbbells you feel is good for your level of strength but I wouldn’t recommend exceeding 10kgs. Keep an eye on your breathing throughout making sure you don’t hold your breath while lifting. Try to exhale while lifting the dumbbells, and inhale while lowering the dumbbells. This will oxygenate your body and also help you complete the exercise smoothly.

If you’re unsure of the technique for any of the below exercises, there are YouTube videos demonstrating how to do them, or you can follow one of my dumbbell workouts on BettrWithGreg.com.

You may feel a little fatigued after this workout so ensure you consume food and water afterwards to help your body recover.

Greg’s muscle-building dumbbell workout 

Greg O'Shea: a former Olympian. Photograph Moya Nolan

Do eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise below for a total of three rounds. Do not rest between exercises, but take as much rest as you need between each round to ensure you’re fully recovered.

Dumbbell thrusters 

• Stand with your feet hip or shoulder-width apart
• Hold the dumbbells on your shoulders and squat down
• Rise up and extend the dumbbells over your head
• Repeat

Bentover dumbbell 

• Stand with your feet hip or shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, holding the dumbbells at your side
• Hinge from your hips so your back is bent over at a 45-degree angle
• Let the dumbbells hang down and then pull them up to your side trying to touch your shoulder blades together
• Repeat

Greg O'Shea: squats and dumbbells lifts build upper-body strength

Goblet squat 

• Stand with your shoulder-width apart
• Hold the dumbbells at chest height and squat down keeping your back straight
• Drive through the feet as you stand and squeeze your glutes as you power back up
• Repeat

Reverse dumbbell flys 

• Stand with your feet hip or shoulder-width apart, holding the dumbbells at your side
• Hinge from your hips so your back is bent over at a 45-degree angle
• Let the dumbbells hang down and keeping a slight bend in your elbows, open up your arms wide until they are extended laterally out from your body
• Repeat

Greg O'Shea: lunges build leg strength

Dumbbell forward lunge 

• Stand with your feet hip or shoulder-width apart, holding the dumbbells by your sides
• Take a big step forward with your right leg and then bend both knees until you’re into a deep lunge with your right leg at a 90-degree angle
• Drive off your right foot to push your body back to a standing position
• Repeat on the left side
• Alternate between both sides for the remainder of the reps

The Arnold press 

• Stand with your feet hip or shoulder-width apart
• Hold the dumbbells to your chest with your palms facing your chest. Shoulder press the dumbbells and twist your hands until your palms are facing outwards at the top of the press
• Repeat

Man-Makers 

• Position a pair of dumbbells in front of you, parallel to each other Standing upright, jump slightly until both feet are off the ground, then drop to the ground
• Do a press-up on the dumbbells into a tall plank, then do a dumbbell row with each dumbbell (one at a time) before returning to an upright standing position
• Repeat

Dumbbell lateral raises 

• Stand with your feet hip or shoulder-width apart, holding the dumbbells at your side
• Lift your arms out to the side until your arms are parallel to the floor, your elbow slightly bent
• Slowly lower them back down
• Repeat

Dumbbell floor press 

• Lie on the ground in an upright position, holding the dumbbell to your chest
• You can keep your legs straight or bend your knees
• Press the dumbbells from your chest straight up until they are extended above you
• Repeat

Weighted sit-ups 

• Lie on the ground in an upright position with knees bent, holding the dumbbell to your chest
• While keeping the dumbbell tight to your chest, crunch up and until the weight touches your knees
• Repeat

Tip of the week: Building muscle 

Building muscle is not an overnight process and diet is just as important as working out. If your goal is the gains, nothing but consistency will get you there. Aim to work out the lower and upper body at least two to three times per week, spending 20 -30 minutes per session. Make sure to take at least a day's rest in between workouts.

We all know protein is an important part of building muscle. You should be incorporating protein into every meal. Aim to eat approx 30g of protein three times a day. You also need to be eating more calories than you are expending to give your body enough energy and fuel to repair your muscles and help them grow.

Supplements are an easy way to get more protein into your diet but they shouldn’t be used as a substitute. Kinetica Sports has batch tested supplements including Whey Protein and Oat Gain which will help you to build muscle, you can use my code GREG15 for 15% off.

Patience and consistency is key to building muscle—you should start to see improvement in muscle growth within four to six weeks.

• For live workouts and wellness tips from Greg O’Shea, subscribe to ‘BettrWithGreg’ via the website www.bettrwithgreg.com