DUMBBELLS FOR DAYS PBF PROGRAM

This program is designed for beginners and intermediates who have access to resistance training
equipment limited to a selection of dumbbells, or for those who prefer to train with dumbbells and their
bodyweight. This is a general fitness program, with no specific sport application. It is intended to
improve overall strength, mobility and athleticism.

A Word on Nutrition

Weight loss may be as simple as putting out more than you take in, but a body composition shift
(building muscle in place of fat) takes signaling your body to change. For that we need to place a
demand on existing muscle to tell your body to build more.

For those currently overweight First things first, we’re going to talk about creating that caloric deficit.
We start off by determining your maintenance calories, that is, the amount of calories it takes to stay
the exact same way you are right now with your current activity level. While you can use any number of
calculators available online free to determine your starting point; a simple general rule is – multiply your
bodyweight x 12 (10 for women). It’s important to remember that there are many variables affect an
individual’s caloric needs (medical conditions, metabolic health etc) and that this is just a STARTING
point to be assessed for efficacy and increased or decreased as necessary. For example I weigh 250lbs,
that number x 12 = 3,000 calories. This is VERY close to the number I get when using calculators which
multiply your Basal Metabolic Rate with an activity level modifier (66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs) = (12.7 x
Height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years) x 1.22 activity modifier. That total comes to 2935 calories. With a
paltry difference of 65 calorie BEFORE taking into account individual modifiers like metabolic health and
medical conditions, I find it much simpler to use the weight x12 (10 for women) formula. Keep in mind
that this is a general rule, and for those persons who are significantly overweight a simple general
formula may not be the best starting point. For instance someone over 400 pounds doesn’t need to
intake 4800 cal per day necessarily. For that person it would be prudent to consult a medical
professional and in the absence of that option seek out the opinion of a dietitian or a certified
nutritionist. In the past Clients had success using the upper range of the recommended weight for their
height x 12 (Person weighs 471lbs at 6’4”, instead of consuming 5652 cal per day, we started at 2436 cal
per day using the upper range weight for that height of 203lbs).

For those within recommended weight range Individuals who are already within the recommended
weight range \ has different intake needs than those who are over/under weight. Taking into account
daily workouts, a recommended starting point for your intake is your current bodyweight x 14 (12 for
women). For a 187lbs person that would be 2618 daily calories. The stimulus your body experiences
through exercise will result in a body-composition shift away from fat towards more lean body mass, but
ideally your body weight on the scale will stay largely the same.

For those underweight Being underweight is no more healthy than being overweight, and for
participation in fitness routine, it can be particularly problematic. For those of you outside and under
the recommended weight range for your height in a given program, your recommended starting intake
is 16 x your current bodyweight (14 for women). For a 145lbs person that would be a caloric intake goal
of 2320.

Important Note: these values are starting points. You MUST assess progress every couple of weeks to
determine whether or not you should increase or decrease calories from this starting point in order to
bring your intake in line with your metabolism, hormone levels etc. There is no magic number that
works for everyone, only general ranges to find a place to start.
 DUMBBELLS FOR DAYS PBF PROGRAM

Regarding macro nutrient split, I use a similarly simple approach. Each category of macro nutrients
serves an important role explained below.
• First know that there are 9 calories per gram of fat, 4 calories per gram of each protein and carbs.
• Proteins first and foremost are essential in building lean muscle mass. That said there is an effective
upper limit to how much protein you can utilize. Protein in amounts greater than around .7g per pound
of bodyweight have been demonstrated to have diminishing returns as far as muscle building. Protein
isn’t a case of “more is better”. The conventional “wisdom” calling for more than 1.5 to 2g per lbs of
bodyweight is not necessary by any means.
• Fats don’t merely provide energy substrates for muscle contractions, cholesterol is a fundamental
building block of testosterone. The recommended amount of fat is 20-35% of your caloric intake (Mayo
Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Health. gov). You need fats. You need cholesterol. Don’t be afraid of them, just
stay within your recommended daily intake to support energy and hormone levels.
• Carbs make up the rest of your daily intake and are the primary place where you will make
adjustments to your intake based on results. Recommended Macronutrient Split
• Fats: 25% of total caloric intake ÷ 9
• Protein: .7g per pound of body weight (multiply this number by 4 to determine how many calories
come from those grams of protein)
• Carbs: Remaining calories ÷ 4

The Program

This program is intended for those who only have access to dumbbells but still want to get in a full body
workout. One of the draw backs of having a limited weight selection is not having enough/the right
resistance for a given exercise. We will get around this in a couple of ways.

If the weight you have is too light for the reps suggested:

-Slow the eccentric (negative portion) of each repetition so that it takes 3-4 seconds to return to the
starting position. This increased time under load will challenge your muscles intensely! If you can come
within a rep or two of the suggested volume for each set with this method just before reaching failure
you are in the right spot!

-Perform more repetitions to failure IF the total set would be less than 20 reps. This is difficult,
uncomfortable but equally effective at developing hypertrophy as lower rep higher weight sets.

-Reduce the rest time to apply another form of progressive overload.

As far as fitting these programs into your week I recommend the following order:

Day 1, HIIT 1, Day 2, HIIT 2, Day 3, Rest Day, Rest Day and start the next week.

Progression

For Weeks 1-4 perform the Sets and Reps as recommended.

For Weeks 5-8 Add 1 set to each exercise

Weeks 9-12 reduce 90 second rest intervals to 60 seconds, and 60 second rest intervals to 40 seconds.
 DUMBBELLS FOR DAYS PBF PROGRAM

Resistance Day 1

Name Sets/Reps Rest in Seconds

Deadlift 4 x 12 90
Standing Shoulder Press 3x12 90
Single Arm Bent Over Row 3x10 per arm 90
Single Leg Romanian Deadlift 2x15 per leg 90
Alternating Biceps Curl 2x20 per arm 60

Resistance Day 2

Name Sets/Reps Rest in Seconds

Bench Press 4x10 90
Walking Lunge 3x15 per leg 90
Standing Row 2x15 90
Back Fly 2x15 90
Calf Raise 3x30 90

Resistance Day 3

Name Sets/Reps Rest in Seconds

IYTs 3x15 90
3d Lunge 2x20 per leg 90
Alternating Hammer Curl 3x12 per arm 90
Triceps Kick Back 2x15 per arm 90
Weighted Glute Bridge 3x15 60
Step up 2x15 per leg 60

HIIT Routine 1

Perform This routine for time and subsequent sessions should aim to match or beat previous times.
There is little to no rest in between sets, move from one exercise to the other until all 10 rounds are
complete.

Name Sets/Reps (Performed as a circuit)

Dumbbell Snatch 10 sets of 5
Burpee 10 Sets of 5
 DUMBBELLS FOR DAYS PBF PROGRAM

HIIT Routine 2

Perform each exercise and move on to the next with no rest. Complete one set of all exercises to
complete one round. Rest for no more than 180 seconds, and repeat until you have completed 4 total
rounds.

Name Reps
Reverse lunge 12 per leg
Ab crunch 25
Push up 25
Squat Jump 25
Single leg glute bridge 12 per leg

For any exercises you do not recognize you can find demonstrations on youtube very easily. I
recommend Channels such as the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Athlean X, or other reputable
channels on the platform that have a library of exercise demonstrations. There will be some variety in
the way these movements are performed, and it is a simple matter of finding which works best for you!