Glute & Curves (Dumbbell Edition)
The home-gym build of Glute & Curves. Same four-day structure, dumbbells only, no cables or barbells required.
DOUBLE PROGRESSION
Climb the rep range first, then add weight and reset.
Equipment: Dumbbells
Who this is for
You want the same outcome as the gym version — strong glutes and a balanced upper body — without a barbell or cable stack. A pair of adjustable dumbbells (or a few fixed pairs spanning your range) is enough.
This is also a great travel program. If you can find a hotel gym with even a half-decent dumbbell rack, you can keep running it.
Structure
Four days a week. Two Glute days, two Upper days. Every exercise scales by dumbbell weight, so progression works the same as a barbell program.
Day 1 — Glute (Heavy): Dumbbell Hip Thrust 4×8, Romanian Deadlift 3×8, Bulgarian Split Squat 3×10, Single-Leg Glute Bridge 3×12. Day 2 — Upper (Push): Dumbbell Bench Press 3×8, Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3×8, Lateral Raise 3×12, Overhead Triceps Extension 3×12. Day 3 — Glute (Pump): Goblet Squat 3×12, Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift 3×12, Walking Lunge 3×12 each leg, Glute Bridge Burnout 2×AMRAP. Day 4 — Upper (Pull): Single-Arm Row 3×10, Dumbbell Pullover 3×10, Reverse Fly 3×15, Hammer Curl 3×12.
Double progression. When you hit the top of the rep range across all sets, jump up a dumbbell weight next session.
How to run it in Rackd
Dumbbell jumps are bigger than barbell jumps (5 lb is often the smallest increment per hand, sometimes 10). Rackd handles this — when you can't hit the next dumbbell weight cleanly, it'll have you do an extra set at the lower weight before recommending the jump.
Bulgarian split squats and walking lunges are unilateral. Track each side separately so you notice if one leg is lagging.
Notes
- A single heavy dumbbell across the hips works fine for hip thrusts up to about 80 lb. Beyond that you need two, or move to the gym version.
- Goblet squats with a heavy dumbbell will cap out eventually. When they do, switch to back-loaded dumbbell squats or move to the gym version.
- Walking lunges in a hotel hallway are weird. Do them anyway.
- The volume on this program is intentionally moderate. If you want more, add a fifth day of cardio or core work — don't add more lifting.