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Video9 minWith Nikkiey Stott

45-Minute Full Body Gym Workout With Dumbbells and Barbell

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This video is part ofStrength Training for Women266 lessons · where to start, common questions and more

In this video

This is a full body gym session with Nikkiey Stott, no messing around. She starts with a quick back stretch. Her back is tight after a tweak a couple of weeks ago, and her left knee has been bothering her. Then she moves through six exercises that hit legs, chest, back, shoulders, biceps and triceps.

You get the sets, reps and coaching cues as she trains. Without lifting straps, she drops the weight on split squats and slows the tempo so the work stays effective. On the dumbbell bench press, she shows why small weight jumps beat big ones. She also explains the inverted pull-up as the place to start if you want to build toward a full pull-up.

Try it for yourself. If you'd rather have workouts like this built for you every month, that's what the WarriorBabe programs do.

Key takeaways

  • Start the session with a lat stretch to loosen up a tight back before you load it.
  • Do split squats for 4 sets of 12 reps on each leg.
  • If you can't hold a heavier weight for the whole set, drop the weight and slow the tempo with good form so the movement stays effective and you keep the mind-muscle connection.
  • Do the dumbbell bench press for 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps, and when a weight feels easy, go up by about 5 pounds instead of jumping 10 to 15.
  • Use inverted pull-ups to build your pull-up before moving on to jump pull-ups, banded pull-ups and then bodyweight pull-ups.
  • For inverted pull-ups, do 1 minute of max reps followed by 1 minute of rest, 3 times, and take only very quick breaks inside the working minute.
  • Do barbell front raises for 3 sets of 12 reps for shoulders.
  • Do dumbbell bicep 21s as 7 reps from low to mid range, 7 from mid to high range and 7 through the full range, then finish with single arm dumbbell tricep skull crushers.

Questions answered

How do I start working toward a pull-up?

Nikkiey recommends starting with inverted pull-ups and getting really comfortable with them. After that, move on to jump pull-ups, then banded pull-ups and then bodyweight pull-ups.

How much should I increase the weight when a lift feels too easy?

Nikkiey says people often jump up 10 to 15 pounds, and that usually isn't necessary. Picking up just 5 more pounds can make a difference.

Can a workout still be effective if I have to use lighter weights?

Yes. When Nikkiey couldn't hold heavier dumbbells without straps, she dropped the weight and slowed the tempo with good form. She says the mind-muscle connection is the most important part.

How do you do bicep 21s?

Do 7 curls from the low to mid range, then 7 from the mid to high range, then 7 through the full range, for 21 reps in total.

Is it okay to take breaks during a max-reps set?

Nikkiey says it's fine to pause during a minute of max reps as long as the break is very quick and you get right back to it.

Ask Nikkiey

Questions this video helps answer, with what Nikkiey says across everything WarriorBabe teaches.

  • Strength Training for Women

    How can I work up to doing a pull-up?

    Work up to a pull-up in stages. Nikkiey recommends starting with inverted pull-ups until they feel comfortable, then jumping up to the bar and slowly lowering yourself (negatives), then banded or machine-assisted pull-ups, and finally full bodyweight pull-ups. Each stage builds the back, arm and core strength the next one needs.

    Read the answer →

  • Strength Training for Women

    When should I increase the weight I lift?

    Go up when you can do 12 reps with perfect form and feel like you could do more. Nikkiey's rule: the last two to three reps of every set should feel hard, not painful. When they stop feeling hard, add a small amount, two and a half to five pounds, and build from there.

    Read the answer →

  • Strength Training for Women

    Is good form more important than lifting heavier?

    Yes. Nikkiey's order is form first, then connection to the muscle, then weight. If you can't feel the target muscle working, adding weight doesn't make it stronger; other muscles take over and your joints pay for it. Drop the weight until you feel the right muscle, then build from there.

    Read the answer →

Full transcript

Nikkiey: Full body, no messing around. Let's go right now. We're starting dirty again. You'll see what I mean when the first exercise comes.

Alright, let's wake up the back a little bit. Back's feeling a little tight. This is literally one of my favorite little back stretches to do. It pulls the lat, so nice. I'm feeling that little twinge in my back. Hopefully it doesn't get re-agitated today. I tweaked it a couple weeks back and I took like a week off, and it really, really pulled, and I feel it again today. I think my left knee has been bothering me, so I think I'm overcompensating a little bit more and it's starting to pull on this side. I need to get adjusted. I need to go see a chiropractor and get all realigned again.

Let's start off the first exercise of the day. We're going to do some split squats. I told you we were going to get dirty. We've got four sets, 12 reps each, on each leg.

The fact that I don't have straps right now, I don't trust myself to be able to hold the weight at a heavier weight for that long of a duration. I feel like my forearms are going to give out on me. So I had to drop the weight today a little bit so that I would be able to hold the weight the entire time. The leg workout will still be as effective, because what I'm going to do is try and slow down the tempo of the movement and go a little bit slower with the reps, obviously with good quality form, compared to if I had a heavier weight. So I'm still going to make it super effective. I'll still create that mind and muscle connection, which is the most important part.

I'm going to go heavier. You know, sometimes I just think that straps could be used as an excuse, so I'm going to combat that excuse right now.

You guys are wondering why I've been doing more full body than bro splits lately? Definitely check out the podcast. I shared an entire episode on that, episode 60-something.

Last set, best set.

Okay, dumbbell bench press is next up. We've got three sets of six to eight reps, so I'm going to try and go a little bit heavier here. We'll start with 40s and see how that feels, because it's been a minute since I've done dumbbell bench press. I call it a dumbbell bench press because that's what it is, not bell bench. Those split squats are getting to my head.

Easy. You see, when people say too easy, sometimes they try and go up by like 10, 15 pounds, and that's just not necessary. I just picked up five more pounds, and I bet you it's going to make a difference.

Okay, that was a little light too, so maybe I was wrong. I needed 10 more pounds. We'll go and pick up 50s. Or should I just go for the 55s?

Oh my god, I just got a whiff of cologne. Jesus. Okay, here we are, 55s. Oh my god, these are heavy. I got this.

Next up, we've got an inverted pull-up. This is a really good exercise if you want to work on your pull-up game: start here first and get really comfortable with this exercise before you go into jump pull-ups and banded pull-ups and then bodyweight pull-ups. So here we are, three sets, max reps. I'm going to do a minute of max reps and a minute of rest, three times. And I'll preface this now: you're going to see me taking breaks in those minutes that I'm going for max reps, and that's okay, as long as the break is super, super quick and you get right back to it.

So hard. These are f***ing brutal. Max reps in one minute.

Next up, we've got shoulders. We've got barbell front raises. We're going to do three sets of 12 reps.

That was pretty easy. The thing is, these don't go up in increments of five, they go up in increments of ten.

All right, next up we've got dumbbell bicep 21s, so dumbbell bicep curls, 21s. I'm going to start with seven from the low to mid range, seven from the mid to high range, and then seven in the full range.

That sneaks up on you at the end.

Last exercise of the day, we've got single arm tricep skull crushers with a dumbbell.

That's a wrap. Full body, done, dusted, in the books. Like, comment, subscribe. Try this workout for yourself. If you want this workout put together for you, plus multiple workouts per month, check out warriorbabe.com. Let us make these workouts for you so you can just walk into the gym, blast it out and grow some muscles. Let's go.

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