Dumbbells are a versatile form of fitness equipment that are available in every gym or fitness center, and they can be used at home. Every muscle group can be trained using dumbbells, and you can quickly move from one exercise to the next without having to change equipment. Determining your current fitness level and the frequency with which to train is your first step in beginning a dumbbell workout program. Changing your routine every four to six weeks will help prevent plateaus.
Benefits
Dumbbells simulate real-life activities, allowing for a more natural movement and requiring the use of more muscle groups. Free-weight exercises are often performed in a standing position with weight supported by the entire body. National Strength and Conditioning Association authors of "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning" state that using free weights as a form of weight-bearing exercise promotes bone mineralization, helping to prevent osteoporosis. Additionally, since the weight is controlled by the lifter rather than a machine, the muscles work to stabilize as well as support the weight lifted.
Upper/Lower Split
The upper/lower body split routine focuses on splitting your workouts between two days, training upper body on day one and lower body on day two. On day one, complete exercises targeting the chest, back, shoulders, triceps, biceps and abdominals. Complete two to four sets of each exercise. Your sets can be done in straight set form or circuit form. Completing all of your sets for one exercise before moving on to the next exercise is a straight set. Circuit training involves completing one set of each exercise with little rest between sets. After completing all exercises in your circuit, rest for one to two minutes, then repeat the circuit one to two more times. This training split can also be done four times per week because there are numerous dumbbell exercises to choose from for each muscle group. Changing the dumbbell exercise from one session to the next will target different parts of the specified muscle, thus improving your overall strength and conditioning. Varying your workouts, by varying either the exercise or the sets, improves your strength and conditioning by constantly keeping your body guessing on what you are going to do. A dumbbell workout for the upper-body day might consist of flat dumbbell chest press, kneeling one-arm row, front raises, incline biceps curl, two-arm dumbbell extension and weighted crunches. An example of a dumbbell workout for the lower-body day would be dumbbell squats, reverse lunges, dumbbell swing-through and seated toe raises.
Push/Pull Split
The push/pull split workout routine trains your pushing muscles --- chest, shoulders and triceps --- on day one. On day two, you train your lower body --- glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. You train your pulling muscles --- back, trapezius, biceps and abs --- on day three. For example, on pull day your workout will consist of deadlifts, wide dumbbell rows, dumbbell shrugs, seated inner biceps curl and dumbbell side-to-side oblique twist. Your push day workout might include exercises such as bench press and overhead press. This workout can be completed three, five or six days a week. To prevent over-training, include at least one day of rest following each three-day cycle.
Opposing Muscle Split
Training opposing muscle groups in one workout is an effective way to train your body quickly. Train chest and back on day one, lower body on day two and shoulders and arms on day three. This routine can be performed three or six times a week and can be executed several ways. You could complete straight sets of all exercises in one muscle group before moving onto the next muscle group, or you could perform supersets, in which you complete one exercise set and then immediately perform a different exercise set with little or no rest between sets. Supersets can be performed using opposing muscle groups such as completing a chest exercise then immediately performing a back exercise. For chest and back, perform one set of dumbbell chest press, then immediately after perform one set of bent-over dumbbell rows. Supersets are best performed when you have access to numerous pairs of dumbbells because you tend to need different weights for different exercises.
Five-day Split
A five-day dumbbell workout can be done if you prefer to train Monday through Friday. Monday, train your chest using exercises such as dumbbell chest press, incline dumbbell chest press, straight-arm pullover and dumbbell fly. On Tuesday, train your back with bent-over dumbbell rows, kneeling one-arm row and deadlifts. On Wednesday, train your legs with dumbbell squats, lunges, straight-leg deadlifts and toe raises. On Thursday, train your shoulders and abdominals with seated dumbbell press, lateral raises, bent-over lateral raises, weighted crunches, weighted leg lifts and dumbbell side bends. On Friday, train your biceps and triceps with standing dumbbell curls, concentration curls, overhead triceps extension and triceps kickbacks.
References
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2000
- ExRx.net: Advanced Weight Training Techniques
Member Comments