10 Workouts With Dumbbells At Home
Despite their rudimentary design, dumbbells remain fundamental for upper body strength training. They are relatively inexpensive and highly portable, thus perfect for home workouts.
During your home workout routine, you can use them to add size to your arms, chest, and shoulders. Anyone can bulk up his biceps and change his entire body by using a pair of dumbbells.
While bodyweight training is excellent for building strength, adding numbers to the workout can add challenge and progression. A dumbbell is a short bar with a weight at either end.
They are useful for home workouts for being inexpensive and suitable for a wide variety of exercises.
You can find a dumbbell that weighs as little as 1 pound or as much as 375 pounds, though most dumbbells fall within the range of 5 to 25 pounds. This article looks at some of the best dumbbell workouts you can perform at home.
Health Benefits of Dumbbells
You can incorporate dumbbells into your resistance training routine at least twice per week. Its benefits include boosting resting metabolic rate, strengthening the bones, muscles, connective tissue, and protecting against injury.
The dumbbells activate several muscles and stimulate muscle growth. They can also promote coordination and stability for muscles and joints.
Using dumbbells makes exercises more effective and safe. The equipment provides optimal strength training for your physic. The tools equally increase strength, muscle mass, and body symmetry.
Hence, working with dumbbells eliminates the possibility of one side receiving more loud than the other, as with a barbell. They can also expand the range of exercise by making it possible to worry exercises/ The bottom line is that it is more interesting to train with dumbbells.
Workouts With Dumbbells at Home
Here are some of the topmost important workouts with dumbbells you can try at home
#1 Bench press
The dumbbell bench press is a unilateral movement that helps improve your form and correct muscle imbalances. A quality dumbbell bench press will spruce up your triceps and work the shoulder muscles.
It builds muscle in your upper body and allows for a full range of motion. The exercise builds muscle in your upper body by activating muscle groups such as triceps, pectoral muscles, and anterior deltoids.
You can also use a dumbbell bench press to activate your arms, shoulders, and core stabilizer muscles.
How to perform
- Lie back on a bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand
- Keep each arm bent to the side of each shoulder with your palms facing upward
- Extend your elbow as you press the weights above the chest
- Keep going until your arms are straight above your chest, but don’t touch the weights to one another
- Bring the weights back down just past shoulder level and repeat 8-12 per set
#2 Shoulder press
Having strong shoulders is important for any athlete, and this dumbbell exercise helps achieve that. There are several benefits of adding dumbbells to your shoulder press exercise. The weights can help build stronger shoulders by working the delts in your shoulders.
It can also increase your shoulder mobility and size. Adding the dumbbells to your training program is an excellent way to build muscle mass, strength, and body coordination. This exercise can also strengthen the chest and core muscles.
How to perform a shoulder press
- Stand upright, holding a pair of dumbbells at either side.
- With the dumbbells more or less even with your shoulders, bend your arms slightly and then ensure your palms face towards your body.
- Press upward and twist your wrist as you go so your palms are facing forward by the time you reach the top
- Lift the weight directly over your shoulder until your arms are straight
- Lower and repeat between 6 and 10 reps per second
#3 One Arm Swing
This single-arm dumbbell swing is great at training your glutes and hamstrings. It is a compound movement that activates several muscle groups such as the quadriceps, hamstring, chest, and shoulders.
The best thing about dumbbells is producing greater results out of simple routines.
A one-arm swing move works your shoulder and leg muscles and can also work your core and quadriceps. The exercise can double as a great cardio workout that burns fat and boosts your metabolism.
How to perform
- Hold a dumbbell between your legs, keeping it at arm’s length
- Assume a squat position
- Swing the dumbbell through your legs as you drive yourself upwards
- With your arms straight, bring the dumbbell to forehead level as you straighten your legs
- Repeat the steps while swapping the arms for a full set
#4 Lunge
A lunge is the classic full-body dumbbell workout that requires plenty of room to work for your muscle groups.
Lunges primarily work the gluteal, quadriceps, and hamstrings. Dumbbell lunges are lower body exercises that will build strength in your calf muscles and your abs.
You will also feel the burn in your glutes, hips, hamstrings, and your quads. This exercise can strengthen your lower back and help keep you balanced throughout the movement. The more weight you carry, the harder lunges with weights you will complete.
You may need to use more force to stand up and return to a neutral position when using dumbbells from either side of you.
How to perform
- Stand straight and hold a dumbbell in each hand
- Hang your arms at either side with your palms facing inward and your feet less than shoulder with apart
- Take a long step forward with your leg of choice, bending at the knee until your thigh is parallel to the ground
- Land on the heel and inhale as you descend with the real leg bend at the knees and balanced on the toes
- Return to the starting position as you exhale, then swap legs and repeat for a full repetition
#5 Tricep extensions
Tricep extensions are an excellent exercise to build and shape the upper posterior arm muscles. The dumbbells with the triceps extensions maximize the range of motion, which increases the joint mobility and flexibility of the ligaments.
This exercise targets the triceps to increase their strength, bringing stability to your shoulders and arms. The move can also improve your flexibility and increase your range of motion. It can also improve neuromuscular coordination and master your own body.
There are several varieties you can try to build muscular arms and become more functional in your everyday tasks.
How to perform
- Stand upright and hold a single dumbbell in both hands
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your core tight
- Extend your arms and raise the dumbbell over your head with palms facing upwards. This is the starting position.
- Bend your arms at the elbow and engage your triceps as you slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head
- Return to your starting position and repeat
#6 Calf Raise
The calf raise is an exercise with dumbbells to work the calf muscles.
This exercise will strengthen your calves and play an important role in mobility and stability. It can also improve ankle stability and overall balance by building endurance and explosiveness.
Adding dumbbells to your calf raises muscular strength. It will also exercise the gastrocnemius, tibialis posterior, and the soleus muscles of the lower leg.
By strengthening the calf muscles in the back of your lower leg, you help protect your Achilles tendon and calves from injury.
How to perform a calf raise
- Stand upright and hold a dumbbell in each hand
- Keep your feet approximately shoulder-width apart
- Hang your arms below your shoulders and keep them straight
- Lift both feet until you’re standing on your toes. You should feel the extension in your lower legs as well.
- Return to the starting position and repeat
#7 Glute Bridge
Glute Bridges bodyweight exercise delivers greater results when you incorporate a dumbbell. It warms up your glute muscles for other exercises and can add tension to the entire glute bridge motion, increasing your workout’s effectiveness.
This exercise can strengthen your core muscles and help in everyday activities. If you place a dumbbell on top of your lower abdominals and hold it in place, you build strong glutes and ease any knee or lower back pain.
The bridge also works the hamstring, lower back, and abs and can help with explosive hip extension.
How to perform
- Lie back-down on a mat and bend your knees
- Keep your feet flat on the floor and position them to be underneath your knees
- Grab a dumbbell and place it on top of your lower abs, holding it in place with both hands
- Arch your hips toward the ceiling, and flex your abs and glutes along the way
- Form a diagonal line with your body that goes from your shoulder to your knees
- Hold at the top for 3 seconds before lowering to the starting position
#8 Lateral raise
Lateral raises work the trapezius muscle in your upper back and the deltoid muscle group in your shoulders. The lateral raise exercise can enhance muscle growth and increase your range of motion with the proper form.
TIt is another great exercise that targets deltoids. TIt isolates your rear deltoid and helps strengthen, tone, and stabilize your shoulders and upper body.
Getting strong deltoids to help with pressing, pulling, and other overhead movements makes it easy to complete your athletic and daily activities. It can also strengthen your muscles to reduce the risk of injury.
How to perform
- Assume a standing or seated position
- Hold a dumbbell at each side with palms facing inwards
- Ensure your back is straight and your core braced
- Slowly lift my hand weights out to your side, and ensure your arms are parallel with the floor
- All the while, make your elbows slightly bent
- Carefully lower and repeat 12 repetitions per set
#9 Weighted sit-ups
You can always incorporate a dumbbell into your regular sit-ups or Jack knives. Use a dumbbell to perform weighted sit-ups by starting with a lighter weight and increasing as you get stronger.
Using a dumbbell adds extra resistance to the motion, which helps build more muscle and improve your athletic performance. Weighted sit-ups also make your sit-ups more time-efficient and can improve your posture.
How to perform
- Lie on your back and raise your legs so that they point towards the ceiling
- Keep your arms straight as you hold a dumbbell over your chest
- Crunch upwards, raising the dumbbell towards your feet
- Keep your legs straight without arching your back as you lower your legs towards the floor
- Try not to lift your back as you lower your legs and lower your head at the same time
- Extend your legs a lot once again for another crunch
#10 Russian Twist
You can work a Russian Twist with dumbbells at home to strengthen your core, obliques, and spine. It is an effective way to bail your shoulders because it helps rotational movement.
You can use this exercise to achieve a toned waistline and strengthen all parts of your abdominals.
However, a Russian twist requires a lot of strength and support. An added weight such as a dumbbell will train your muscles to work harder.
How to perform
- Assume the seated position with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor
- Grab a dumbbell with both hands and hold it in front of your chest
- Ensure your spine remains straight and your abs tight
- Lean back slightly and lift your feet a few inches
- Slowly twist your torso to the left as you bring the dumbbell towards the left side of your body
- Return to the neutral position and then twist to the right, moving the dumbbell in tandem with your motion.
- Return to the center and repeat for another rep.
Conclusion
Consider making dumbbell exercises and workouts part of your weekly fitness regimen. If you can hit the gym, pick up a few dumbbells, and you will have all the tools for the best home workout or gym session.
However, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program with dumbbells if you have any pre-existing health conditions.
Proper technique is crucial to ensure the safety and effectiveness of any exercise program. Always select a weight that allows you to control your body throughout the movement fully.
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