Every bench in the free-weight area is occupied, and your plan includes several exercises that need one. You could wait beside a station, or choose a few movements that keep you on your feet. A pair of dumbbells still gives you squatting, hinging, pulling and overhead-pressing options without lying down or claiming a bench.
These five exercises meet that equipment constraint. Choose the ones that fit your session, with a weight you can control for each movement. The same dumbbells will not necessarily suit your legs, rows and shoulder presses.
Table of contents
1. Goblet squat
A goblet squat puts one dumbbell in front of the chest, leaving the bench out of the setup. NASM’s guide describes cupping the upper end with both hands and holding it securely as the hips and knees bend.
Keep the dumbbell near your chest while you lower and rise, rather than letting it drift forward as the legs tire. This is the list’s two-footed squat option; use a load you can hold steadily as well as move with your legs.
2. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
The Romanian deadlift adds a hip hinge to the selection. Start tall with a dumbbell in each hand, soften the knees and send the hips backward while keeping the back’s position controlled.
NASM’s instructions emphasize maintaining a neutral spine and a small knee bend. Let the descent follow that hinge instead of repeatedly bending the knees into another squat. Return upright through the hips, with the dumbbells under control. The aim is a repeatable hinge, not getting the weights to touch the floor.
3. Bent-over dumbbell row
For a pull without a bench, the bent-over row uses both dumbbells while you maintain a hinged stance. PureGym’s coaching guide describes drawing the elbows backward and bringing the weights toward the hips, then extending the arms to lower them.
The practical limit is the position you are holding. Keep the torso steady through the pull and return; heaving upright to finish a repetition changes the movement. If the position stops being manageable, lower the weights with control and reset instead of turning the row into a standing swing.
4. Standing dumbbell shoulder press
The standing dumbbell shoulder press supplies the overhead option. Before lifting, check that you have clear space above you as well as beside you. Start with the weights near shoulder level.
PureGym’s instructions call for an engaged trunk and glutes, flat feet and a steady torso as the arms press upward and lower again. Choose the dumbbells for this exercise separately from the lower-body movements. A pair you can move easily with your legs may still be too demanding for a controlled press.
5. Static dumbbell split squat
A split squat changes the stance without requiring a step between every repetition. Hold the dumbbells beside the hips, establish a staggered position with some side-to-side width, and raise the rear heel.
PureGym describes lowering and rising with the feet staying in their places, then changing sides after the planned repetitions. A stationary split squat keeps that setup instead of traveling through walking lunges. Leave room for the lowered position and the weights beside you before beginning; the rear foot stays on the floor rather than on a bench.