Power Your Workout This National Fitness Day
National Fitness Day is back, and there’s no better excuse to pick up the dumbbells and get moving.
Taking place on Wednesday 16 September 2026, National Fitness Day is an annual campaign led by ukactive that celebrates the importance of physical activity and encourages people across the UK to make movement part of their everyday lives. This year’s theme, “Powered by You,” is all about recognising that everyone can take positive steps towards becoming more active.
And you don’t need a packed gym or complicated training programme to get involved. A pair of dumbbells can give you everything you need for an effective strength workout at home.
Whether you're starting your fitness journey or looking to push your strength training further, here are some of our top dumbbell exercises for a full-body workout.
1. Dumbbell Goblet Squats
The goblet squat is a simple but effective lower-body exercise that works your quads, glutes, hamstrings and core.
Hold one dumbbell vertically against your chest, keep your feet around shoulder-width apart and lower yourself into a squat. Keep your chest upright before driving through your feet to return to the starting position.
Try: 3 sets of 8–12 reps.
As your strength improves, increasing the dumbbell weight provides a simple way to progressively challenge yourself.
2. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts
Romanian deadlifts are particularly effective for targeting the hamstrings, glutes and posterior chain.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs. Keeping a slight bend in your knees, push your hips backwards while lowering the dumbbells towards the floor. Once you feel the stretch through your hamstrings, drive your hips forward and return to standing.
Try: 3 sets of 8–12 reps.
This is also an exercise where having a wide range of available weights becomes especially useful as your strength progresses.
3. Dumbbell Chest Press
No barbell? No problem.
Using a bench, lie back with a dumbbell in each hand and press the weights upwards until your arms are extended. Lower them under control before repeating.
The dumbbell chest press primarily works the chest, triceps and shoulders, while allowing each arm to move independently.
Try: 3 sets of 8–12 reps.
4. One-Arm Dumbbell Rows
A staple of almost any dumbbell programme, rows help build the back, rear shoulders and biceps.
Support yourself on a bench or stable surface, hold the dumbbell with your opposite hand and pull it towards your hip. Pause briefly at the top before lowering the weight under control.
Try: 3 sets of 8–12 reps on each side.
Focus on pulling with your back rather than simply lifting the weight with your arm.
5. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
For a straightforward upper-body strength exercise, the dumbbell shoulder press is difficult to beat.
Start with the dumbbells around shoulder height and press them overhead before slowly returning to the starting position.
This movement primarily targets the shoulders and triceps, while your core helps keep your body stable.
Try: 3 sets of 8–12 reps.
6. Dumbbell Reverse Lunges
Reverse lunges are an excellent unilateral exercise, meaning you train each leg individually.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, step backwards and lower your rear knee towards the floor. Push through your front foot to return to the starting position before changing legs.
They challenge the quads, hamstrings, glutes and core, while also demanding balance and coordination.
Try: 3 sets of 8–10 reps per leg.
7. Dumbbell Biceps Curls
Sometimes the classics are classics for a reason.
Keep your elbows close to your body and curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders without swinging the weights. Slowly lower them back down and repeat.
You can use alternating curls, hammer curls or traditional curls to add variety.
Try: 3 sets of 10–15 reps.
8. Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extensions
For your triceps, hold one dumbbell securely above your head and slowly lower it behind you by bending at the elbows. Extend your arms to bring the dumbbell back overhead.
Try: 3 sets of 10–15 reps.
Pairing these with dumbbell curls can create a quick arm-focused finisher at the end of your workout.
Build Your Home Strength Setup with BowFlex
One of the challenges of traditional dumbbell training at home is the amount of equipment required as you become stronger.
That’s where adjustable dumbbells can make a significant difference.
BowFlex 1090i Dumbbells
For lifters who want a large weight range, the BowFlex 1090i Dumbbells give you the flexibility to move from lighter isolation exercises to heavier compound movements without filling your workout space with individual dumbbells.
Each dumbbell adjusts from approximately 4 kg up to 41 kg (10–90 lb) using the weight-selection dial, effectively replacing 17 sets of weights with one adjustable dumbbell.
That means you could move from lateral raises to curls, rows, squats or Romanian deadlifts simply by adjusting the weight.
The 1090 range can also be used alongside JRNY, which provides strength workouts, performance tracking and adaptive weight recommendations.
For anyone looking to progressively increase their strength over time, that broad weight range provides plenty of room to progress.
BowFlex SelectTech 52 Dumbbells
If you're looking for something more compact for everyday home strength training, the BowFlex SelectTech 52 Dumbbells offer adjustment from 2 kg to 24 kg per dumbbell.
A quick twist of the adjustment dial lets you move between weight settings, while the all-in-one design replaces 15 separate dumbbells. They also feature durable metal components, a locking system and an ergonomic non-slip grip designed to provide greater control during your lifts.
With 15 available weight settings ranging from 2 kg through to 24 kg, they're suited to everything from lighter exercises such as curls and lateral raises through to presses, lunges, rows and squats.
Which BowFlex Dumbbells Are Right for Your Training?
The BowFlex 52s provide a versatile 2–24 kg range that works well for general strength training, full-body workouts and users who want a compact home setup.
For heavier strength training and greater progression potential, the BowFlex 1090i extends the available resistance to approximately 41 kg per dumbbell.
Both options allow you to perform a huge range of exercises while taking up considerably less space than a traditional dumbbell rack.
Your National Fitness Day Workout
For National Fitness Day, you could combine the exercises above into one simple session: start with goblet squats, move into Romanian deadlifts and chest presses, then add rows and shoulder presses before finishing with lunges, curls and triceps extensions.
You don't have to set records or completely overhaul your routine. As ukactive highlights, National Fitness Day is designed to encourage small, sustainable steps towards a healthier and stronger future.
Whether that's completing your first dumbbell workout, increasing the weight you lift or simply committing to becoming more active each week, the important part is getting started.
This National Fitness Day, get moving, get lifting and discover what you're capable of. Powered by You.