Actress, comedian, and bestselling author of several books Chelsea Handler shared the same fear as most women when it came to heavy lifting: becoming bulky or too big. However, after years of experience and better understanding, she lifts 35-pound dumbbells with pride.

When training with celebrity trainer Ben Bruno, Handler revealed how she would stick to 5-pound dumbbells for years, fearing that she would "bulk up." With the right guidance from Bruno, she slowly mastered fundamental movements with proper form and followed a consistent and disciplined progressive overload program.

“After working out with @benbrunotraining for what seems like forever, I’m stronger now at 51 than I was at 39. When we started, I used 5-pound dumbbells because I was scared to bulk up, and now he’s got me lifting 35-pound dumbbells, and I’m leaner than I’ve ever been,” Handler wrote on Instagram.

The gradually increasing weight of the dumbbells helped challenge Handler’s muscles. Slowly but surely, they adapted, allowing her to build strong, lean muscles over time.

This approach, combined with consistent training, improved her body composition. Contrary to popular belief, Handler did not become ‘bulky’ or ‘big’. Rather, she is now fitter and leaner at 51 than she was in her late 30s.

She soon adopted the progressive overload philosophy and incorporated it into her full-body workouts.

Chelsea Handler shares her full-body workout routine

At 51, Handler’s focus is on strengthening her core, hips, and glutes while maintaining a toned physique.

As per Women’s Health, Handler’s single-dumbbell full-body workout consists of:

• Floating heel goblet squats
• Single-leg triceps extension
• Single-leg Romanian deadlifts
• Bird-dog rows
• Single-leg hip thrusts

One of the best parts about this routine is that you don’t need a fancy gym or a complicated setup. Although Handler used a 30-pound dumbbell for her routine, Bruno recommends that beginners start with 8- to 18-pound weights.

As for reps, Handler typically focuses on completing three sets of each exercise while building up weight slowly. Bruno advised that sticking to 6 to 10 reps on each side with a 60- to 90-second rest between each exercise is great for this type of workout.

“We usually do three sets of each exercise, building up the weight each set. Reps will depend on your current level, but we typically stick to 6-10 reps per move (that’s 6-10 reps per side on unilateral stuff),” Bruno said, per Women's Health.

Handler’s transformative journey yet again proves that consistent progress is much better for building long-term strength- no matter what your age.

Did you hold the same misconceptions as Handler about working out with weights? Let us know your fitness journey in the comments.

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore