Skip to main content Tom's Guide Tom's Guide Search Tom's Guide View Profile Newsletters Best Picks Entertainment Switch 2 Pre-Orders iPhone 17 Air Best laptops Best Mattress Wordle Today Forget the gym — this 250-rep dumbbell and bodyweight ‘chipper’ sculpts your entire body in 3 moves 29 April 2025 Chip away and build full-body strength and muscle. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Getty Images) You don’t always need the heaviest weights to build strength or bulk up on muscle. In fact, there are several ways to build muscle without lifting heavier weights, and volume training is one of them. Strengthen muscles from head to toe using this simple three-move chipper workout, using a set of the best adjustable dumbbells and your bodyweight. I’ve tried and tested this workout for myself, and trust me, it’s killer. Get ready for some trembling muscles post-session, and a serious test of cardiovascular engine endurance and prowess. Here’s the workout in full, the benefits, and how to do it. You may like 3 moves, no sit-ups — try this 15-minute dumbbell workout to build a strong core and hips Skip the gym — build full body strength at home with 1 dumbbell and 5 moves What is the 3-move dumbbell and bodyweight ‘chipper’ workout? Combine overloading your muscles with weights and the functional benefits of exercising with your bodyweight to power through this routine. Bodyweight exercise is a fantastic way to strengthen your joints, muscles, ligaments, and bones using natural movement patterns and full range of motion, so there’s always a reason to combine the two. Here are the movements: 1. Dumbbell thrusters Thrusters combine a squat with an overhead press, which requires core strength and stability to control and drive the weights as you press upward and lower them to your shoulders again. Besides, it's a full-body exercise, which makes it efficient, too. Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Keep your chest proud and try to find as much depth as you can in your squat, aiming for the thighs to be at least parallel to the floor. Engage your core; even though the thruster isn’t an obvious core exercise, you’ll work these muscles hard. Here’s how to do dumbbell thrusters step-by-step if you’re new to them, and I recommend checking out the video above. Ah, one of the most humbling abs exercises around: V-ups. This CrossFit staple will have you performing leg raises, toes-to-bar, and other bar-based exercises with better form, endurance, and core strength. As you draw your hands and toes to touch, remember to lift your upper back away from the floor — think about the V-shape you’re creating with your body. Using correct form, this core exercise targets the deeper, stabilizing muscles around your lower abdomen and bulletproofs your midsection. Check out the video above, and learn how to do V-ups step-by-step. In the video, I demonstrate how to do the alternating version, which is more accessible for beginners. 3. Dumbbell squat clean Last but not least, the squat clean. This dumbbell exercise combines a hang clean and a dumbbell front rack squat. Use snappy hips, a strong core, and a glute squeeze to propel the dumbbells onto your shoulders, then immediately lower into a deep squat with your elbows lifted and chest proud. Remember to clean the weights from either side of your outer thighs rather than between the legs, just for this variation. That means starting with feet roughly hip-width apart. Here’s how to do the squat clean step-by-step. The workout: A chipper is a workout that uses high reps and volume to overload your body. You can break up the movements and reps however you like, giving you plenty of freedom to explore your limits during the workout. Another benefit is that you can push hard without reaching full fatigue, allowing you to move into the next exercise before you hit failure. You could aim for the same number of reps per exercise per round, or opt for the dropset protocol, starting with a higher number of reps, then decreasing as you go. Work back and forth until you finish all reps. I recommend a 30-minute time cap as a starting point, but this will depend on your fitness level and exercise experience; you can shorten or increase the time cap as necessary. Personally, I opted to start high and drop reps every round, which helped me find a rhythm and eliminate some of the math from the routine — an area that’s not my strong point. However, if you can still count while dripping in sweat and panting through the reps, aim for whatever you like. (Image credit: Getty Images) Before writing this workout, I tested it. And boy, were my muscles trembling afterward. As is the goal with chipper workouts, the routine kills with volume, meaning you must stay on top of your form and move frequently between exercises, taking breaks where necessary. Like going too fast too soon at the start of a marathon, it’s incredibly difficult to come back from full muscular fatigue when lifting weights. Instead, aim to reach a point where the last few reps of each set become a struggle, then move on. Never reach full exhaustion, and choose a weight you can stick with rather than the usual 8/10 weight selection. By that, I mean how heavy something feels out of 10. Remember, you have a staggering 250 reps to get through in total, which means opting for a lighter weight that allows you to clock those reps up without resting too often. Although a bodyweight exercise, the V-ups are the secret weapon, despite the workout being squat-heavy. If you feel the exercise loading your lower back rather than your core muscles, try alternating arm and leg instead. More from Tom's Guide You don't need planks to build a stronger core, just this 4-move bodyweight abs workout Forget the gym — this Pilates workout sculpts strong legs in 10 minutes Skip the gym — you don’t need any equipment for this 10-minute abs workout Back to Smart Watches Refurbished Showing 10 of 273 deals Fitbit Charge 6 $119.95View Deal ends Mon, May 12, 2025 Garmin Forerunner 265 $449.99View Garmin Forerunner 265 $449.99View Fitbit Charge 6 $119.95View Fitbit Charge 6 $119.95View Apple Watch Series 9 $399.99View Fitbit Inspire 3 $79.99View Fitbit Sense 2 $249.95View Fitbit Sense 2 $249.95View Fitbit Charge 6 $159.95View Social Links Navigation Fitness Editor and Coach Sam Hopes is a level 3 qualified trainer, a level 2 Reiki practitioner and fitness editor at Tom's Guide. She is also currently undertaking her Yoga For Athletes training course. Sam has written for various fitness brands and websites over the years and has experience across brands at Future, such as Live Science, Fit&Well, Coach, and T3. Having coached at fitness studios like F45 and Virgin Active and personal trained, Sam now primarily teaches outdoor bootcamps, bodyweight, calisthenics and kettlebells. She also coaches mobility and flexibility classes several times a week and believes that true strength comes from a holistic approach to training your body. Sam has completed two mixed doubles Hyrox competitions in London and the Netherlands and finished her first doubles attempt in 1:11. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. 3 moves, no sit-ups — try this 15-minute dumbbell workout to build a strong core and hips Skip the gym — build full body strength at home with 1 dumbbell and 5 moves You just need 20 minutes, 1 dumbbell and this 5-move workout to strengthen your whole body No gym needed — instead use this 30-minute dumbbell workout to build full-body strength at home You just need 20 minutes, 1 dumbbell and this superset workout to strengthen your whole body and boost your metabolism Personal trainer shares 5-move ‘Centurion’ dumbbell workout to build full-body strength, muscle and stamina Latest in Fitness Forget the gym — this 250-rep dumbbell and bodyweight ‘chipper’ sculpts your entire body in 3 moves London Marathon organizers issue heat alert for Sunday's race — here’s how 3 elite runners plan to stay cool I'm running the London Marathon — here are the shoes, watches and fueling products I’m using Do you find lunges uncomfortable? 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