I'm a 34 year old teacher with 3 kids so I don't have a ton of time to devote to exercise. I commited about a year a go to power walk 3 miles with weighted vest 4-5 times a week. Takes me about 50 minutes. It is exercise, but it also is good mentally to have time to think or listen to a podcast. So I recognize it isn't the most efficient use to time, but it is great and I've sustained it for a year now. Dropped about 10lbs just doing that and some minor diet stuff.

I need to add some strength training. Anyone have ideas on a simple routine to do 2-3 times a week with either body weight or just dumbells?

Been doing this on/off for the last couple of years. It was a great starter for a few months and if you build-up enough, there's a secondary workout plan in there as well for more advanced/full-body workouts. Found it to be relatively quick/easy in terms of a tight schedule. All you need are dumbbells and an adjustable bench.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/5-day-dumbbell-only-workout-split

If not interested in pursuing the barbell/gym route, I'd look into the old Beach Body (now BODi) P90x workouts or something like that.

The app is relatively inexpensive and may fit your needs. You get a lot of programming. The Insanity workouts are great if you're looking to burn a lot of calories.

Not what you asked for, but food for thought - a simple barbell strength training program like Stronglifts will take you about the same time as your walk and can be done 3x per week. Maybe not something for now, but something to keep in mind later.

Edit to add: Looks like they're running a 4th of July sale right now for $120 for a full year subscription.

2007fightintexasaggie said:

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Been doing this on/off for the last couple of years. It was a great starter for a few months and if you build-up enough, there's a secondary workout plan in there as well for more advanced/full-body workouts. Found it to be relatively quick/easy in terms of a tight schedule. All you need are dumbbells and an adjustable bench.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/5-day-dumbbell-only-workout-split

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This seems like a ton of volume for someone new to lifting. Seems like a lot for an experienced lifter if lifting with intensity.

You can easily adjust reps and the weights you use to fit what you need. When we first started doing this 2-3 years ago, my wife and I both just used weights that we could comfortably control and built-up over time. Both of us saw very good results when we were keeping at it - especially after 2-3 weeks if you're able to complete the full, 5-day circuit for that first month on a weekly basis. If anything was uncomfortable, we subbed it out with something else. Like anything, it's a guideline that you can adjust to your needs.