Full-Body Dumbbell and Cable Workout for Women Over 40

Nikkiey: What's going on, you guys? Welcome back. Today we're going to do a full-body workout. We're going to hit a couple of different exercises, and I'm going to walk through each exercise with you and describe some things in detail, like form and some tips and tricks that you can take into your own workouts.

This style of workout, full-body, is what we recommend for women inside of WarriorBabe who are 40, 50 or 60 years old, and it really helps them in terms of recovering faster, sleeping better, and also getting the results that they want. Stay until the end of this video, and I'll share a little bit more about WarriorBabe and how it's positively impacted the lives of thousands of women all throughout the United States. Let's get into the workout.

The first exercise of this workout is the dumbbell Bulgarian split squat. This exercise will target both your quads and your glutes, mainly based on the stance of your feet starting this exercise. First and foremost, you want to stand about two feet in front of the bench, or a sturdy platform to rest your leg upon. Either will work. You want to make sure that you are engaging your core and that you're keeping your chest up.

You're going to bend your front knee and lower your body towards the floor, aiming to get your thigh parallel to the ground. Your front knee should stay aligned with your ankle, not extending over your toes. Then you're going to drive through the heel. You want to put the majority of your weight on the heel of your front foot and return back to the starting position.

You'll see in this exercise that I'm doing what looks like a pulse. I'm doing a rep and a half, where I'm going down, pulsing up, going back down, and then coming all the way back up to the top. This is a little bit of an advanced move, but boy, will it leave your quads burning. Every single time I do a Bulgarian split squat and add that twist of a half rep, I question my life and why I work out. Because I feel so damn good.

The next exercise of this workout is a dumbbell standing shoulder press. This is really important: you're standing with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. You need to make sure that your core is entirely engaged in this motion. You don't want to have any type of bend to your back, because then you're putting tons of pressure on your lower spine. You want your elbows at about a 90-degree angle, and your palms should be facing forward.

For technique, you want to press the dumbbells upwards, extending your arms fully above your head, but you don't want to entirely lock out your elbows. And like I mentioned, you want to keep your core engaged and totally avoid arching your back. Then lower the weights back down to shoulder height in a controlled manner, and move through the exercise as just explained. This exercise targets your shoulders. And because you're in the standing position, your core is engaged for stability, keeping your whole body in a straight line and maintaining proper form throughout the movement.

Now, the third exercise is a dumbbell bent-over row. You obviously want to get some dumbbells, and what I personally recommend is getting a bench, putting it on an incline, and then doing the form I'm about to explain.

You want to stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in one hand. You're going to hinge at the hips and bend forward, keeping your back nice, straight and neutral, with your arm extended down in front of you, almost touching the ground. You're going to pull the dumbbell up towards your torso, almost to the side of your hip, keeping your elbow extremely close to your body. Then squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement. You're going to squeeze one shoulder blade toward the other at the top, and then lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.

This exercise specifically targets the back, particularly the lats and the rhomboids.

The next exercise of this workout is the infamous pushup. First and foremost, if you are unable to do a full bodyweight pushup, you can drop down to your knees for the modified version. You want to begin in a plank position, hands placed slightly in front of you, shoulder-width apart. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your heels.

Some technique pointers: you're going to lower your body towards the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides. Your elbows should not be flaring outward. They should be really tight and close to the side of your body. Then you're going to stop just before your chest hits the ground and push back up to the starting position. Focus on maintaining a nice, rigid, straight line from head to toes, and avoid sagging your hips down to the ground if you're doing the full bodyweight version. This exercise targets your chest, your shoulders and your triceps. It's also an exercise that keeps your core muscles engaged.

The fifth exercise of this workout is a cable bicep curl 21. Guys, this is one of my favorite exercises. I'm doing this on a cable machine, but you can totally do this with a dumbbell. If you're going to do it on a cable machine, set the cable to its lowest position. Hold the bar with an underhand grip, with your arms fully extended in the starting position. Keep your elbows close to your body.

You're going to perform seven partial reps from the bottom to the midpoint of the curl, then seven partial reps from the midpoint to the top of the curl, and then finally seven full-range reps from the bottom to the top of the curl. This exercise enhances muscle endurance and growth in the biceps. It's such a good bicep exercise.

Coming up on the sixth exercise of this workout, we have cable tricep rope pushdowns. To keep proper form with this movement, you want to stand in front of the cable machine and set the pulley very high, the highest point it can go. You're going to grasp the rope attachment with both hands and keep your elbows close to your body. You're going to extend your arms, pushing the rope down until your arms are fully straightened, and then slowly return back to about a 90-degree angle, keeping the tension on the triceps the entire time.

The only things that should be moving here are your forearms. Your elbows should be entirely stationary, up against your body. This exercise predominantly focuses on the tricep muscle.

And now the last exercise of this workout is an ab exercise. This one is a little bit more advanced, you guys, and if you are unable to do it, that is totally okay. You can do a Russian twist instead.

For this plank plate pull-through, you're going to start in a high plank position, your body in a straight line from head to heels. You're going to place a weight on the side of your body, just outside of your reach. Keep your core nice and tight and your hips stable. You're going to reach under your torso with one hand and pull the weight to the other side, a little bit out of reach, and then alternate hands throughout the entire movement. This exercise is a huge challenge to your core stability, it strengthens your abdominal muscles, and it will make you feel the burn when you are done.

Now, if you guys are interested in WarriorBabe and you really want to unlock your true potential when it comes to your fitness journey, I want you to join our one-on-one coaching program and experience a personalized fitness journey tailored to your goals. The expert coaches on our team will guide you with custom workout plans, nutrition advice and continuous support. So whether you're aiming to tone up, build strength, or transform your lifestyle, WarriorBabe is your program. Apply now for our one-on-one coaching program below this video.