Dumbell Exercises - Take your work out with you!

One of the most common questions posed when it comes to weight training is the question of whether an effective workout can be achieved using only dumbbell exercises. Many people who are working out in their homes do not have access to barbells or machines, or the ones they have are clunky and hard to work with, and exercises with dumbbells are the perfect solution. In a full gym you will find many weight lifting machines, which are a good training ground, but there is also access to a wide array of dumbbells from tiny one pound sets up to a couple hundred pounds. Almost all lifting professionals exercise using dumbbells, finding them one of the most effective ways to increase strength and muscle!

Dumbbell exercises put stress on a larger number of muscle fibers, thus increasing potential progress exponentially. As well exercises with dumbbells allow you to work the muscle from several different angles and to work several muscle groups at once. The stabilizing muscles of the core get additional work even when you are working the extremities during dumbell exercise making better use of time and energy and helping to shed pounds and tone up.

Many exercise routines will specifically mention lifting that can be done with a barbell or machines, but dumbbells can replace virtually every machine or barbell. This isn’t to say that you won’t have favorite weight lifting machines or barbell exercises that can work effectively into your workout, but that if given the choice between exercising exclusively with weights and exercising only with dumbbells the later would win every time.

As a visual example we’ll list some of the best dumbbell exercises here, broken down by muscle group it works on. For a sample workout routine of dumbbell exercises (click here, insert link to other document).

Dumbbell Exercises:

Some dumbell exercise requires the use of a seat or a bench placed flat, at ninety degrees or at forty five degrees. In most cases a yoga ball can be used to substitute for the bench or seat, but care should be taken to use lighter weights until you are accustom to the additional control required to keep your balance on the ball.

Chest

• Bench press, flat
• Bench press, incline
• Bench press, decline
• Dumbbell flies

Back

• Deadlifts
• Row, dead
• Row, lying
• Bent over row, single arm
• Bent over row, double arm

Triceps

• Overhead extensions
• Skull crushers
• Kickbacks

Biceps

• Curls, seated
• Curls, standing
• Curls, incline
• Curls, preacher
• Curls, concentration
• Curls, hammer

Shoulder

• Dumbbell press, standing
• Dumbbell press, seated
• Raises, front
• Raises, lateral
• Shrugs

Legs

• Calf raises
• Squats, straight
• Squats, v
• Lunges

As you can see the number of effective dumbbell exercises is fairly extreme. Each of these exercises can be done with multiple subtle variations stretching the variety to the limit.

A good workout regime will include two to three dumbbell exercises for each body part being worked, alternating major groups so that muscles have a chance to rest and grow in-between workouts. If a particular dumbbell exercise is causing too much strain or is uncomfortable, swap it out with another dumbbell exercise for the same muscle group. One of the best things about dumbbell work is the flexibility to match your particular needs.

Remember that just having the equipment and the list of exercises won’t instantly make your body toned and strong. You’ll also require discipline, cardiovascular workouts and maintenance of a balanced diet. Training is only effective if you have the nutritional building blocks to support the growth you’re going for. If you have questions about proper nutrition for an active lifestyle I suggest you take a look at this website, Muscle Building Nutrition. This site is a great reference for tips, trick and guides to making a stronger you a healthier you.