Possible to get fit using only dumbbells and body weight?

[that_guy]

In high school I injured my back and it's been pretty messed up ever since. I can't do any heavy lifting, which means the most I could bench/curl using a barbell without putting too much strain on my back is like 50 lbs, which is pretty much nothing. When I was in physical therapy my therapist taught me all sort of ways to work certain muscles using only dumbbells and body weight, since it's all my back will allow, but that was almost 4 years ago and I don't remember much of it. I used to be pretty toned from sports, but now I'm just sort of flabby, like skinny-fat flabby. I've been doing what few workouts I know to do with dumbbells, which is just flyes, presses, curls, shoulder shrugs, and one I don't know the name of that involves standing up straight and lifting the weights from your side upwards above your head then bringing them back down. It works shoulders and lats. Unfortunately this really isn't enough to form a proper workout regimen, so does anyone have any advice of ways to use dumbbells (a set that goes up to 40 lbs per dumbbell) to help gain muscle? Or some nutrition advice?

I'm not trying to get too big, mostly just fit and toned, sort of like a Justin Timberlake-ish body. I'm 19, 5'5, 115 lbs, with 13-14% body fat. I've heard it's easier for short guys to get fit, which held true when I was 15, but I don't know about now, after losing pretty much all the muscle I had and gaining so much fat on my stomach and face, which seems to be the only place it goes. This has been a struggle for me as well, since I need to bulk up to build muscle, but I don't want my face and stomach to get any pudgier than they already are.

 

[Adumb]

Try cutting first. Maybe down to 8-10% body fat. When you're at a lower body fat, your testosterone levels will be higher and you will be more able to build muscle. It would be very helpful if you joined a gym. If this is not an option, I'm curious as to what range of weights are you working with? 15-45lbs? More than that? Yes it is possible, but where you will plateau will be in muscle strength at a certain point. As a beginner I did a full body workout 3 days a week. This was very effective.

For you I would suggest at minimum 20-30 minutes of cardio at least 3 days a week. Also, 20-40 minutes of weight training 3 days a week. I usually split the sessions up. I'm going through a similar phase right now as I am getting BACK into working out and have put on 15 lbs of pudge since I began grad school.

Anyway, what I do is 30 minutes of cardio in the morning. Then I do 20 later in the day and immediately afterward. There are a ton of exercises you can do. What I do is go on YouTube and look for a workout and suit it to the equipment I have. The major muscle groups you should be focusing on are chest, back, legs, abs, shoulders, and of course arms (biceps & triceps).

I also get some of my workouts from bodybuilding.com.

Good luck!

EDIT- Remember to maintain a clean diet, including about 1g of protein per pound of body weight. Since I'm cutting I take in only about 1500 cals per day. Also, really focus on slowly integrating this lifestyle change to ensure that you don't give up on in a week. This might sound weird for a guy to do but maybe print off a picture of a dude that is completely jacked and put it up on your wall so you can look at it every morning. It might sound crazy, but it should help motivate/remind you to workout.

 

[that_guy]

Thanks. I've been caught in a catch 22 when it comes to weight because I was scared to cut for fear of getting too skinny but scared to bulk for fear of getting too pudgy. Any suggestions for good high protein, low calorie foods to eat? I know tuna and pretty much any fish is great, but it's been pretty hard finding other types of food that would allow me to consume my body weight in protein without taking in too many calories. Usually I can get to 60-70 grams of protein a day but if I try to consume any more, I end up going over in calories.

I'm working with dumbbells that go up to 40 lbs and I'm currently lifting 20 lbs. I don't have access to a gym since I'm home from college for the summer, but when school starts back again I can use the gym on campus.

 

[work4results]

You can be very fit just using body weight. Body weight is one of, if not the best, workout. It is for the most part natural movements and relies on most of your body to get the exercise done correct. You can get very fit and stay fit by just doing body exercise workouts.

As for the weights they can be very useful up until the point you surpass them. Depending on your goals if you are maxing out at about 8-10 or 12-15 reps per set than you are at a good weight. If you find yourself reaching those easily or surpassing them then it is time to move up in weight.

Hope this helps.