Dumbbell workout with no bench: 8 floor-friendly moves
A bench is nice to have, not need to have. You can train your entire body standing up or lying on the floor — here are eight beginner moves that prove it, no bench required.
Do you really need a bench?
For a beginner, no. A bench unlocks a few extra angles later on, but the floor covers pressing, and standing covers nearly everything else. In fact, the floor has a hidden benefit: it stops you lowering the dumbbells too far, which protects your shoulders while you're still learning. Start on the floor, add a bench when you're ready to level up.
The 8 no-bench moves
Together these cover your whole body. Do 3 sets of 8–12 reps each (12–15 for the lighter ones), and tap any move for the full form guide.
- Dumbbell floor press — chest & triceps, lying on the floor
- Dumbbell floor flye — chest, a wide stretching move
- Goblet squat — legs & glutes, standing
- Romanian deadlift — hamstrings & glutes, standing
- Bent-over row — back & biceps, standing hinge
- Standing shoulder press — shoulders, standing
- Alternating curl — biceps, standing
- Russian twist — core, seated on the floor
How to turn these into a workout
You've got two easy options. Do all eight as one full-body session, 3 times a week. Or split them across days — a lower-body day (squat, deadlift), a push day (floor press, flye, shoulder press), and a pull day (row, curl) — with core added in. Either way, warm up for five minutes first and rest 60–90 seconds between sets.
Get the whole thing as a plan
Want these organised into a proper week with rest days and progression? The FirstRep beginner weekly plan does exactly that — and it's free.