{"id":664437,"date":"2026-05-11T19:09:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T19:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/664437\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T19:09:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T19:09:08","slug":"full-body-dumbbell-workouts-how-to-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/664437\/","title":{"rendered":"Full-Body Dumbbell Workouts + How to Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back for Week 2!  How do you feel?  How did it go?  Before you jump into this week, take a minute to check in with yourself.<br \/>Did you find your weights? Did certain movements feel harder than others? Did anything start to feel a little more natural?<br \/>That\u2019s exactly what we want<\/p>\n<p> This week is all about consistency and progression. You\u2019re not learning brand new exercises, you\u2019re not doing anything flashy. But that\u2019s the point. Week 2 is where consistency starts to turn into strength. Stick with it, and you\u2019re setting yourself up for what comes next!<\/p>\n<p>Why Repeating Workouts Is How Women Over 40 Actually Get Stronger<\/p>\n<p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/themomedit.com\/strength-training-women-over-40-week-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Week 1 workouts<\/a>, you learned the movements. You figured out your weights. You started building a foundation. Week 2 is where we level up (in reps, sets or weight). Instead of changing everything, you\u2019re repeating the same workouts ( A, B, and C ) so your body can actually adapt and get stronger. Because that\u2019s how strength works. Not by constantly doing something new, but by doing the same things\u2026but better. Full details on the entire <a href=\"https:\/\/themomedit.com\/its-time-to-lift-i-my-4-week-strength-program-for-women-40\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">4-week strength program<\/a> can always be found here.<\/p>\n<p>Week 2 Check-In Video: Strength Training For Women Over 40<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">I\u2019ll drop a short video at the start of every week. Just me, checking in, telling you what to focus on, and cheering you on.<\/p>\n<p>What Strength Progress Really Looks Like in Week 2<\/p>\n<p>Progress doesn\u2019t have to be dramatic. In fact, most of the time it\u2019s subtle. This week, focus on one (or more) of these:<\/p>\n<p>Add a little weight<\/p>\n<p>Hit all your reps with better control<\/p>\n<p>Add a rep or two<\/p>\n<p>Feel more stable in your movements<\/p>\n<p>Move with more confidence<\/p>\n<p>How to Progress Your Weights and Reps This Week<\/p>\n<p>This is the most important section of Week 2, so stay with me. If you used no weight last week, this week you add weight. Start light, but pick something up. You\u2019ve got the movements down. Now let\u2019s load them. If you used weights last week, ask yourself honestly: how did it feel?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Did You Fly Through It?<\/p>\n<p>Could you have done 15 or 20 reps easily? Did it feel too light? Then you need to go heavier. Add 2-5 lbs and make it a real challenge. This is your sign to stop playing it safe.<\/p>\n<p>Did It Feel Challenging But Good?<\/p>\n<p>After you completed your reps, could you have done 1-2 more? That\u2019s the sweet spot \u2014 and you have options. This week, I want you to add a rep or two: if you hit 10-12 reps last week, give me more this week. Add a set: if you were only getting through 2 sets, give me 3 this week. Or add weight: go up a little bit, nothing extreme. Pick one. <\/p>\n<p>Were You Toast at the End?<\/p>\n<p>If you hit 12 reps and you were completely done, great. That means the weight is right. This week I want you to give me one more rep. Just one! 12 becomes 13. That\u2019s PROGRESS.<\/p>\n<p>Remember to track your reps, sets, and weight. If you\u2019re not writing it down, you\u2019re guessing. And guessing won\u2019t get you results. Not sure how to progress a specific exercise? Ask me in the comments below and I\u2019ll help you figure it out.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Week 2 Plan: Full-Body Dumbbell Workouts For Women Over 40<\/p>\n<p>Same three full-body workouts \u2013 A, B, and C. Same rules: at least one rest day in between each one. This week, Workout B is your complete follow-along. Press play and we move together from warm-up all the way through to cool-down. If you love following along, do Workout A from Week 1 and Workout B from this week as your follow-alongs, and do Workout C on your own. If you prefer to do the whole week on your own, screenshot the three workouts below and get it done. You\u2019ve got this.<\/p>\n<p>Week 2, Workout A: Full-Body Dumbbell Strength<\/p>\n<p>Workout A Exercises:<\/p>\n<p>Warm-up: Jump, twist, lunge \u2013 move actively through your full range of motion<\/p>\n<p>ExerciseSet x RepsDB Hip Bride 3-4 x 10-12Goblet Squat 3 x 10-12DB Chest Press 3 x 10-12Bent Over Row (45 degree elbow) 3 x 10-12Lateral Raise 3 x 10-12Tricep Overhead Extension 3 x 10-12Side-Lying DB Clamshell 3 x 10-12\/sideDead Bug 3 x 10-12\/side<\/p>\n<p>Cool-down: Pick 5-6 favorite stretches and sit in each for a full minute<\/p>\n<p>Week 2, Workout B: Full-Body Follow-Along<\/p>\n<p>Workout B Exercises:<\/p>\n<p>ExerciseSets x RepsDB RDL 3 x 10-12Bulgarian Split Squat 3 x 8-12\/sideDB Shoulder Press 3 x 10-12Row (elbows tucked) 3 x 10-12Front Raise 3 x 10-12Hammer Curl 3 x 10-12Side Plank 3 x 30 sec<\/p>\n<p>Week 2, Workout C: Full-Body Dumbbell Strength<\/p>\n<p>Workout C Exercises:<\/p>\n<p>Exercise Sets x RepsSide Lunge to Reverse Lunge 3 x 8-10\/sideGlute Bridge 1.53 x 10-12Row (elbows wide) 3 x 10-12Incline Chest Press or Push-Up 3 x 10-12Tricep Kickback 3 x 10-12Standing DB Abduction 3 x 10-12\/sideHollow Hold 3 x 30 sec<\/p>\n<p>You showed up again. That\u2019s huge!<\/p>\n<p>You showed up again. Do you have any idea how big that is? You don\u2019t need to add extra workouts. You don\u2019t need to switch exercises. You don\u2019t need to overthink the plan. You just need to show up, repeat the workouts, and make small improvements. That\u2019s it. That\u2019s the whole thing. Have <a href=\"https:\/\/themomedit.com\/beginner-weightlifting-for-women-over-40-what-you-need-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">questions about weightlifting<\/a> in general? Or on how to progress or any of the exercises? Drop them in the comments below. I love hearing from you. And subscribe to our YouTube channel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCWvutanymVpzwlzz3OxiuRg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">@TME-Fit<\/a> so you never miss a workout. Meet back here next Sunday. Week 3 is coming and we\u2019re just getting started. I\u2019m so proud of you.<\/p>\n<p>xox,<\/p>\n<p>L.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome back for Week 2! How do you feel? How did it go? Before you jump into this&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":664438,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[64,63,538,137],"class_list":["post-664437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=664437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/664438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=664437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=664437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=664437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}