Dumbbells can be used in a multitude of ways. Your reps and rest will vary depending on endurance or strength circuits. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, strength sets should be less than or equal to six at a weight around 85 percent of your one rep max, and endurance training should be 12 reps or greater at a weight around 67 percent of your one rep max. Circuit training can also be done by timed workouts, such as doing 30 seconds of dumbbell curls, for example. Combine rep sets, timed sets and active rest to get the most out of your circuit training.
Circuit Training Exercise Parameters
Circuit training is a mixture of cardiovascular, strength and endurance training. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, you alternate between exercises and maintain short rest periods -- if any -- at no more than 30 seconds. Circuit training can be done by alternating upper body, lower body and core exercises, or by simply doing an upper body circuit or lower body circuit. Using dumbbells creates quick transitions, especially if your gym is crowded, because you can stay in the same general area with your weights.
Upper Body Circuit
When doing upper body circuits, it is best to alternate between "push" and "pull" muscle groups so that you can perform the circuit as quick and efficiently as possible to gain a cardiovascular endurance from it as well. This would be doing a chest exercise -- such as a dumbbell bench press -- and then performing a back exercise -- such as a bent-over dumbbell row. You will allow adequate rest for endurance training for each muscle group when going back and forth between push and pull.
An example of an upper body dumbbell workout is: 12 reps of dumbbell bench press, 12 reps bent-over dumbbell row for each arm, 12 reps of inclined dumbbell bench press, 12 reps of reverse dumbbell flys, 12 tricep kickbacks on each arm and 12 alternating dumbbell curls.
Lower Body Circuit
Dumbbell lower body circuits are great for increasing muscular endurance and strength, and increasing cardiovascular endurance. You will also burn more calories, as engaging the large leg muscles require more energy to be used.
An example of a lower body circuit with dumbbells would be: one-minute dumbbell box step-ups, 30-minute lateral dumbbell box step-ups on each leg, 12 dumbbell lunges on each leg, 15 dumbbell deadlifts and 15 dumbbell squat jumps.
Total Body Circuits
Total body circuits are great at engaging all the muscles in a quick exercise bout. Try to alternate muscle groups so you can proceed directly to the next exercise with little to no rest. Total body circuits are primarily used for endurance training, but you can do alternating strength exercises such as heavy dumbbell bench press and heavy dumbbell squats.
An example of total body dumbbell circuit would be: 10 reps seated dumbbell shoulder press, 30 seconds of sit-ups while holding a dumbbell to your chest, 20 reps of dumbbell body squats, 12 dumbbell lateral raises, 12 alternating dumbbell forward raises and 30 seconds of hammer curls.
Disclaimer
All routines are merely examples, and are no way intended for exercise prescription for anyone viewing this article. Use these as guidelines and modify for your physical abilities. See a personal trainer to give advice on what weights, volumes, exercise modifications and rest periods are good for you if you wish to start a dumbbell circuit training regimen. Consult a doctor to see if you are healthy enough to engage in physical activity before starting circuit training.
References
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 8th edition"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2009
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning,"; Baechle, Thomas R., Earle, Roger W.; 2008
- University of Wisconsin: Circuit Training
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