How to Build Muscles With Dumbbells
Dumbbell work in the gym is designed to promote balanced strength training. Athletes are prone to "cheat" with barbells, where the dominant hand performs the bulk of the work. Dumbbells ensure that both arms receive equal attention for growth. Integrate dumbbells within your personal routine for total body fitness, or even to save space for home use, rather than making trips to the local gym.
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Things You'll Need
- Adjustable, or set of dumbbells
- Comfortable workout clothes
- Gym Membership
Instructions
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Plan your workout by dedicating at least 30 minutes of exercise to alternating muscle groups three to five times per week. Experienced athletes may simply adjust their current regimen to exchange barbell work for dumbbells. This practice works well for lunges, triceps extensions, curls, reverse curls, rows and military presses.
Beginners should design a routine that corresponds to their particular objectives. You may be concerned with adding bulk, definition or simply targeting a particular body part for appearance. For example, women may set goals related to improving arm muscle tone before wearing elegant evening gowns. Prioritize certain areas for isolation two times each week. Lift heavy weights to build size; and use lighter weights at higher repetitions for a lean look.
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Walk and jog lightly to warm up your muscles, before stretching. Stretching is important to increase range of motion and strength, by encouraging individual muscle cells to expand. Additionally, Muscle and Fitness says that flexible muscles are less likely to be injured with pulls and tears during strength training. Stretch for 10 minutes before and after your workout session.
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Use dumbbells for lower body work that includes lunge and calf-raise exercises. Hold the dumbbells at your sides and perform lunges by kicking a lead foot forward to a position where its shin is over the floor at a 90-degree angle. The back knee is slightly bent and grazes the floor at this low point. While keeping your back straight, exhale and elevate to either alternate legs in place, or by navigating across the room. Use variations of the lunge technique to ascend benches and step equipment for even more resistance.
Calf-raises can be executed within stairwells by holding the dumbbells and flexing at your ankles to lift the weight. Stand upon the balls of your feet at the highest point.
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Bench press, curl, shrug, and row, with dumbbells instead of barbells. Supplement these lifts with exercises specific to dumbbells, such as kickbacks, pullovers, raises and flies. Kickbacks are completed while kneeled over a bench and actually "kicking" your arm backwards to extend the triceps. Pullovers are done by lying flat at the end of the bench, while holding one dumbbell with both hands. Pull the weight over and behind your face to target the back and shoulders.
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Increase the intensity of your cardiovascular regimen by holding dumbbells during aerobic exercise. Run and sprint with lightweight dumbbells to enhance a muscled and "cut" physique that is associated with developed fast-twitch muscles.
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Tips & Warnings
Simultaneously combine barbell with dumbbell training for best results. Power lifts are better suited for barbells. However, dumbbells force both arms to work equally, which improves long-term "max-out" performance on the bar.
Dumbbells are more dangerous exercise equipment than barbells because the lifts lack the stabilization of the bar, which can be difficult for spotters to control. Beginners should use barbells to practice good form, before attempting dumbbell exercises.
