Strength training requires the use of external resistance. From a health standpoint, strength training reduces body fat, improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and potentially decreases resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, according to Georgia State University. Dumbbells make it possible to work your whole body with multiple ranges of motion. Being that you are forced to balance the weights with your exercises, you recruit a maximal amount of muscle fibers.
Step 1
Begin your workouts with a warm-up. Spend two or three minutes doing dynamic stretches, then do a light jog or bike ride for five minutes. This will slowly raise your core body temperature and loosen up your body. Dynamic stretches are performed in motion and they include alternating toe touches, side bends, trunk rotations, lateral lunges, knee highs, ankle bounces and leg swings.
Step 2
Include compound exercises into your routines. Perform these at the beginning of your workouts and reserve isolation exercises for the end. Compound exercises work more than one muscle at a time which causes fast muscle gain. Chest presses, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, squats and deadlifts are examples.
Step 3
Utilize proper form with your exercises. If you do not use a full range of motion, you will not fully tax your muscles. Take the seated dumbbell biceps curl for example. Hold the weights at your sides with your palms facing forward. Keep your upper arms tight to your sides as you lift the weights up toward your chest. Stop when your palms face up, squeeze your biceps forcefully and lower the weights all the way back down until your arms are straight. Do not use momentum with your exercises either and lower your weights slowly. Take two seconds to lower the weights and one second to raise them.
Step 4
Lift the right amount of weight. You can either build muscular strength or muscular endurance with your exercises. Choose lighter weights if you want to build endurance and use the heaviest weights you can handle if you want to build strength. Muscular endurance is the ability to do numerous contractions for an extended period of time. Have a spotter on hand if you are lifting heavy.
Step 5
Execute the right amount of reps to meet your goals. Aim for 15 to 25 reps if you want to build muscle endurance and aim for eight to 12 reps if you want to build strength. Perform three to five sets of your exercises.
Step 6
Rest your muscles adequately. It is during rest that your muscles are actually building. If you train the same muscles every day, you will not only compromise your gains, but you will risk getting injured. Take at least one day off before you work the same muscles. Make sure to get adequate sleep as well.
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