Exercise 2 - Goblet Squats - 4-6 reps

Hold the dumbbell under the top set of plates, in front of your chest.

Then squat down.

That's it!

This exercise will target your legs and your frontal core support muscles (and arms and shoulders).

On the final rep, rest the dumbbell on end on your knee at the bottom then switch your grip from palms under the top plates to fingers gripping under the top plates,

Which leads directly to...

 

Exercise 3 - Single Vertical Dumbbell Rows 15-20+ reps

This is a very close grip row which I find really targets the "inner"back muscles strongly.

Then, keeping that same grip, stand up then go directly into...

 

Exercise 4 - Single Dumbbell Stiff-Legged Deadlifts - 4-6 reps.

Even though the weight is light, your glutes and lower back are already pre-exhausted from the previous exercises. The hams are basically on their own for this one, so it's very effective even with that relatively light dumbbell.

When done, set the dumbbell on end on the ground and set your hands on top and do...

 

Exercise 5 - On-Dumbbell Push-Ups - 15-20+ reps

This is basically a close-grip push-up. Set your hands so that you're gripping partially on the SIDES of the dumbbell, not just setting them on top. This forces inwards tension onto the pecs in addition to the triceps for pushing up.

When done, bring your feet back beside the dumbbell, stand up and go directly into...

 

Exercise 6 - Dumbbell Swings - 6-8 reps.

Done exactly like a kettlebell swing only using fingers gripping under the top db plates. This is a posterior-chain dominant explosive exercise.

And you're done!

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Now, allow me to explain the beauty of this circuit...

...beyond just using a single dumbbell to hit your whole body in about 6 square feet of floor space (if that)!

Every exercise is matched with an antagonistic movement "book-end" to keep your body in balance.

These are the push-press and the dumbbell swing...the goblet squat and the stiff-leg deadlift...the row and the push-ups. As well, the rep ranges roughly match each in these pairings.

The order of these exercises shifts focus alternating upper body and lower body to minimize localized fatigue so your performance stays relatively high (similar to PHA or Peripheral Heart Action training originated by Bob Gajda where the idea is basically to "move" bloody supply around the body via targeting widely different areas of the body in successive sets...the end goal of which is increasing metabolic demands on the body).

And it flat-out WORKS.

After the first round, I was dying...so naturally I did 5 more rounds (2-3 minutes rest in between).

I recommend doing 3-5 rounds of this....and depending on the weight you're using, you may only need 2 minutes rest, or you may need 3 minutes in order to maintain performance levels.

Give this one a try...I think you'll like it! It's very time-efficient and easily adjustable to whatever your training level is just by adjusting the dumbbell weight.

You can see the full video of this circuit on my YouTube Channel here.