There's many reasons why dumbbell exercises are so popular – not only do they offer more variety than almost any other piece of gym kit going, providing you use a little imagination, dumbbell exercises will also help you expedite fat loss, develop total-body-strength, build maximum muscle mass and even level up your cardio. But there's more...
If you're using dumbbells, you haven't got to fiddle with weight plates, you'll never need to stress about barbell collars and you can guarantee that there will always be a pair of dumbbells available on the gym floor. There's a pot of gold waiting for you, a world of exercises you never knew existed and workouts that will achieve the same results as those lifting heavy iron from the floor.
Dumbbell exercises are often projected as easier and more for beginners, but don't get fooled, dumbbell exercises are maybe more advanced as they require more stabilisation and activation of muscles that might not get used or missed in barbell exercises. Dumbbell exercises allow for movement – think how rigid barbell exercises are – and therefore, build muscles that are more transferable to everyday life. Besides, you are able to manipulate and move dumbbells around more than a fixed machine, you can get a greater range of motion.
For example, the barbell bench press. When the bar hits your chest, your arms are in a locked position. With dumbbells, you are able to go that little deeper and get a bigger stretch through the chest which will result in more muscle growth and this applies to many dumbbell exercises.
Benefits of dumbbell exercises and training…
Dumbbell exercises... increase stabilisation and muscle activation, therefore recruiting more muscle fibres.
Dumbbell exercises... are generally safer to perform when training alone.
Dumbbell exercises... force limbs to work unilaterally, identifying weaknesses.
Dumbbell exercises... are effective at overloading muscles for hypertrophy and will increase range of motion.
Dumbbell exercises... are the most readily-available and easily-scalable weights on the gym floor.
Dumbbell exercises... allow you level out any pesky muscle imbalances as they arise. Evenly-distributed gains keep injury at bay later down the line.
Are dumbbell exercises for every day?
While completing dumbbell exercises frequently is a brilliant way to gain muscle mass and strength, it's important to take adequate rest. Naturally, if you are pushing yourself to a high intensity during training sessions, you will require more rest in comparison to lighter workouts. As a rule of thumb, high intensity training requires at least 48 hours rest in between sessions. Not only will this help ensure you avoid injury, but it will mean you make the performance gains necessary to see the results you want.
A study published by The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research analysed the training recovery people after they completed exercises to failure and concluded that 24 hours rest wasn't enough. At 48 hours of recovery 40% were recovered, and after 72 and 96 hours of recovery 80% were recovered. Therefore, if you are thinking about pushing to a high intensity and training every day without rest, you could be hurting your results. Keep a close eye on your recovery and make a sensible decision based on your training exertion and how your body is feeling. Listening to your body is key!
Dumbbells for a total body workout? Yes please!
1 Biceps curls:
How: Holding a dumbbell in each hand and with your arms hanging by your sides, curl the weights up to shoulder level while contracting your biceps.
Why: This list wouldn't be complete without curls, which are a perfect exercise for beginners. The trick is not to go too heavy; it's all about lengthening and shortening the muscle, so grab a weight you're comfortable with and away you go.
2 Goblet squat:
How: Stand with feet set wider than shoulder-width and hold a dumbbell with both hands in front of your chest. Sit back into a squat, then drive back up and repeat.
Why: Goblet squats are perfect for any level. 'They specifically target glutes activation whilst improving both hip and thoracic mobility.
3 Arnold press:
How: Sit on a bench with dumbbells held in front of you, palms facing your shoulders as though you’ve just finished a bicep curl. Push the dumbbells up over your head while rotating your arms until your palms face away from you. Straighten your arms, pause, then reverse the movement.
Why: If the fact that it was invented by Schwarzenegger himself wasn’t already reason enough, this potent upper-body move is unique in that it hits all three sections of your deltoid – the round-looking muscle that caps your shoulders – adding thickness and width, and reinforcing the joint.
4 Dumbbell clean:
How: Flip your wrists so they face forwards and bring the weights to your shoulders, slightly jumping as you do. Slowly straighten your legs to stand. Then lower the weights down to your thigh before moving into squat position and repeating.
Why: If you want to look like an Olympian, you’ve got to train like one. Incorporating these powerlifter lifts into your training will not only build lean muscle tissue but also build explosive power. This move also rushes blood to your glutes, hamstrings, shoulders and arms to maximise your muscle-growing power.
5 Renegade row:
How: 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.
Why: Build a strong back, ignite your abs, and develop anti-rotational core strength in one. While it’s tempting to focus on the ‘row’ aspect of the movement, the secret to getting the most out of this move is to double down on your plank positioning.
6 Bent-over-row:
How: Keep your core tight and your back straight as you row the weights up to your chest. Lower and repeat.
Why: Rows will target several muscles in your upper body including the traps, rhomboids, lats and biceps and stronger shoulders too.
7 Devil’s press:
How: Holding both dumbbells, drop down into a press-up position 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, back to the ground and repeat.
Why: If you feel like burpees are getting too easy, try the devil's press. Aside from the cardio hit, it builds power and strength with the addition of the dumbbells by using nearly every muscle in your body. They'll make traditional burpees feel like a breeze.
8 Stiff legged dumbbell deadlift:
How: Lower the dumbbells to the top of your feet, as far as you can go by extending through your waist, then slowly return to the starting position.
Why: It shreds your legs into powerful pins by targeting your fast-twitch lower-body muscles. Plus, stiff legged deadlifts ensure your entire posterior chain is functioning effectively and prevents hip and lower back injuries. It’s one of the best free weight exercises to build up your lower body – injury free.
9 Dumbbell shoulder press:
How: Position your feet shoulder-width apart and stand holding two dumbbells at shoulder height with an overhand grip. Press the weights up above your head until your arms are fully extended. Return slowly to the start position.
Why: You want stronger good looking shoulders, right? This compound move is essential for building strength, size and power. By performing it standing, you’ll recruit your abdominal muscles, which will improve your posture and stability. Be sure to brace your core throughout the full range of motion – protruding ribcages and arched backs are a no-go.
10 Dumbbell thruster:
How: Begin with the dumbbells in the front rack position with the end of the bells resting on your shoulders. Squat down while keeping your chest open until your thighs break parallel. Push through the heels explosively back to standing, let the effort of the squat power the dumbbells into the overhead position. Bring the dumbbells back to your shoulders ready for your next rep.
Why: Dumbbell thrusters are great way to see a multitude of benefits from one singular move. They push your cardio while delivering a shoulder and quad pump to get the job done. It's not often that combining two exercises is worth the payoff, however the combination of the squat and overhead press skyrockets your heart rate, making it perfect for a cardio finisher.
There are of course many more possibilities with dumbbells, but this will get you started!
I also like to work with the barbell, but having dumbbells at home is very easy and efficient for a solid complete workout whenever you have the time. If you want more, you can follow the “Men’s Health dumbbell club” with weekly new muscle building exercises to add lean muscle, strength and stamina using just two dumbbells in a workout of 20-40 minutes.
Inspo@Men’s Health Pics@wix&unsplash
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