30 Minute Dumbbell Superset Chest And Back Workout
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We know that you don’t always have a lot of time to spend in the gym. Even more challenging is trying to fit in an at-home workout while trying to juggle the stresses of work and daily life. But, if you are wanting to fit in a challenging (yet effective!) upper body workout into your daily routine, try this chest and back workout. By incorporating supersets, you’re able to get a serious burn in a shorter amount of time. This effective at-home chest and back dumbbell workout might just be one that you find yourself coming back to do again and again!
What is a Superset?
Simply put, a superset is a way of structuring your exercises to maximize your time during your workout. A traditional superset means that you are performing exercise sets with very little rest in between. By doing so, your muscles have less time to rest, which leads to muscle hypertrophy (muscle growth) as well as increased muscular endurance. As a result, you’re getting a high quality workout in a shorter amount of time.
Another form of superset, called antagonist supersets or opposing supersets, involve focusing on two opposite muscle groups. An example of this would be alternating your sets between the biceps and triceps with very little rest in between. This becomes an incredibly effective way to work multiple muscle groups on the same day and build strength.
Can I do Back and Chest Together?
Absolutely! In fact, as opposing muscles, combining chest and back exercises are ideal for creating supersets. The back and chest are also primary movers in what is known as a push-pull workout.
A push workout is appropriately named. This means that the muscle contracts when the weight is being pushed away from the body. Muscles that are responsible for pushing movements are: chest, shoulders, and quads. Any exercise that presses away from the body could be incorporated into a push workout, such as chest or shoulder presses or push-ups.
A pull workout is exactly the opposite. During pull movements, the muscles contract when the weight is being pulled in to the body. This includes the opposing muscles, such as: back, trapezius, and hamstrings. Any exercise that pulls weight into the body would be a good example of a pull workout, such as rows or pull-ups.
Is This Workout Beginner Friendly?
Superset workouts often cause greater fatigue on muscles due to the high repetitions of exercises. Therefore, we would not recommend this for anyone who is new to working out.
Try These Beginner-friendly At Home workouts
See our full workout series here.
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30 Minute Chest and Back Workout
Suggested:
5-10 Minute warmup + cool down of your choice.
Tip:
To make the most of this superset workout, keep the rest to a minimum in between exercises. At the end of each round, rest for one minute before repeating.
Need a modification?
Not yet strong enough to work through 15 reps of each exercise? Aim to complete 10 quality repetitions of each exercise until you grow stronger.
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30 Minute Chest and Back Exercise List
Perform 15 reps of each exercise. Complete each round 2 times before moving on. Rest 1 minute between rounds.
Round 1 - Superset 1:
Single Arm Chest Press
How-to: Start by standing, feet underneath your hips, both arms outstretched in front of you, palms down. Pull one weight back towards your chest, keeping the weight in line with your elbow. Extend the arm back to center without dropping and alternate arms.
Form tip: Avoid twisting as you pull the weight to your body.
Bent Over Row
How-to: With feet underneath hips, hinge at the waist. Extend both arms in front of your body, palms facing together. Pull both weights to your body, keeping your arms close to your body as you drive the elbows up. Squeeze the shoulder blades at the top and slowly extend the arms.
Form tip: Avoid arching your back as you pull the weights to your body. Squeeze and engage the core.
Modification: Rotate the palms as you pull for an added challenge.
Elbow Squeeze
How-to: Start standing, arms bent at 90 degrees, parallel to your body (imagine that you are a cactus). Squeeze your arms together, keeping the arms bent, bringing the palms and elbows to touch. Slowly open your arms to bring the arms back to parallel to the body.
Form tip: Avoid arching through the back as you squeeze and open the arms. Do not let the elbows drop.
Rear Delt Fly
How-to: Hinge at the hips, arms extended in front of you, palms facing together. Slightly bend the arms and raise until they are parallel with the floor. Slowly lower back down.
Form tip: Keep the knees bent and avoid lifting the chest as you lift the arms. Engage the core and send the hips back.
Round 2 - superset 2:
Push Ups
How-to: On your mat, start in a plank position, hands underneath shoulders, core engaged, body in one line. Slowly lower your body to the mat, keeping your elbows at 45 degrees. Press back upwards to return to the starting position.
Form tip: Keep your core engaged and body in one line. As you press upwards, avoid letting your back arch.
Modification: Drop to your knees to take pressure off of sensitive wrists.
Plank Row
How-to: In the same plank position as the previous exercise, start with a dumbbell in each hand. Bring the weight to your chest and slowly lower down. Alternate to the other side.
Form tip: As you row the weight to your body, do not twist through the core. Squeeze the abdominals to maintain a rigid back as you row.
Modification: Widen your feet as necessary to create stability in the core. Or, drop your knees to the mat.
Chest press
How-to: On your back, extend your arms above your chest. Lower both weights towards the chest, bringing the elbows to the mat, 45 degrees to the body. Press back to the starting position.
Form tip: Keep the weight directly over the chest and press both hands up together, keeping the upper back on the mat.
Overhead Extension
How-to: On your back, extend your arms over your head, keeping your arms close to your ears, bringing the weight as close to the mat as possible without bending your arms. Slowly pull the dumbbells back to the center.
Form tip: Keep the lower back pressed into the mat to prevent arching and keep the core engaged. Only lower the weight as far as you can control the core.
Modification: Bend the knees and lift the legs to 90 degrees to help with core stability.
Round 3 - Superset 3
Super mans
How-to: On your stomach, extend your arms and legs long. On your next exhale, lift the chest and the legs from the mat to your highest point. Hold, before slowly lowering down.
Form tip: Pull your chest and legs up with your lower back, working to increase the range of motion over time. Hold the movement at the top, squeezing through the lower back as you lift.
Pushup Shoulder Taps
How-to: Start in the plank position, with the hands underneath the shoulders. Slowly lower down, bringing your chest to the mat. As you press back up, touch the opposite hand to the opposite shoulder. Alternate to the other side before lowering back to the mat.
Form tip: When you touch the opposite hand to the opposite shoulder, avoid twisting through the hips and core. Widen the feet if necessary to maintain stability.
Modification: Drop to your knees to take pressure off the wrists.
Chest Fly
How-to: On your back, start with knees bent and feet planted into the mat. Extend your arms over your chest, palms facing together, slight bend in the elbows. Pull the arms around as you open wide to bring the elbows to the mat.
Form tip: Keep the core engaged as you press the lower back into the mat during the exercise.
Swimmers
How-to: On your stomach, extend your arms and legs long. Quickly alternate lifting the opposite arm and leg by pulling the chest and thighs up from the mat. Move quickly without setting the chest down.
Form tip: Lift the arms and legs long, thinking about pulling from the core as you alternate.