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Men's Health UK Fitness Editor, Andrew Tracey, runs through five of the most underrated dumbbell exercises

When it comes to fitness, you only need a little to do a lot. This is especially true when it comes to your workouts — sometimes the shortest, fastest dose you can muster is the most optimal for your lifestyle. Life's too short for two-hour workouts...

Such is the case in our latest video, above, where Men's Health fitness editor Andrew Tracey walks you through five dumbbell exercises that, by his measure, are criminally underused in your training plans.

Watch the video above for Tracey's coaching cues or keep reading for a step-by-step walkthrough of each exercise.

Drop down into a press-up position holding your dumbbells, and perform a burpee. As you begin to stand back up, use the momentum to swing the weights between your legs, then directly overhead. Lower under control and repeat.

Get into a press-up position with your hands on the handles of two dumbbells. Keeping your core tensed, row the right dumbbell up to your abs then return to the start position. Repeat with the left dumbbell to complete one rep.

Raise your heels up on a weight plate or block, keeping your feet within 6 inches of each other, heels close together. Hold your dumbbell close to your chest. Squat down until your thighs pass parallel to the ground, stand up explosively, stopping just short of locking your legs out to keep the tension on the quads. Repeat.

With your dumbbells on the floor just outside your feet, hinge down and grip them with a flat back and neutral spine. Engage your lats and stand upright, ‘pushing the ground away’ with your feet, squeezing your glutes at the top. Your arms should be hanging straight throughout this movement, think of them as hooks.

Hold both heads of a dumbbell by your thighs, palms facing inwards. Use your biceps to lift the dumbbell until its at shoulder height, then lower back down and repeat.