Most gyms are littered with barbells and dumbbells, but how do you know which to use? Barbells provide more stability, which can make exercises easier and allow you to lift more weight. Using dumbbells in place of barbells engages more stabilizer muscles and requires more concentration to maintain good form. You can also use dumbbells to do exercises with ranges of movement that are not possible with barbells.
Considerations
Dumbbells allow you to engage more stabilizer muscles that hold weight steady while you lift it. This helps to improve your form as well as improve your strength when lifting weights using different ranges of motion from the lifts you do at the gym. However, using dumbbells for bodybuilding comes at a cost, according to Loren Chiu in an article for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. You typically have to use lighter weights for dumbbell lifts. Using lighter weights may limit your muscle gains because the optimal way to gain muscle is to lift the heaviest weights that you can.
Seated Bicep Curl
The seated bicep curl with dumbbells works your biceps as well as stabilizer muscles in your arms and shoulders. Sit on a bench with a back support and keep your feet firmly on the floor. Hold the dumbbells with your arms hanging at your sides at your palms facing forward. Keep your upper arms still as you slowly raise the dumbbells while exhaling. Do not flex your wrists. Pause when the dumbbells reach your chin, and then inhale as you reverse the movement. Repeat this exercise for three sets of eight to 10 reps.
Dumbbell Front Squat
Do dumbbell front squats to work give stabilizer muscles in your core a better workout. Stand with your feet at shoulder width and hold the dumbbells at your ears with your thumbs pointing down. Your elbows should point out at 45 degrees. Focus on your hips as the center of gravity as you lower your torso until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Pause, then reverse the movement. Ensure that your knees do not stick out past your toes while executing dumbbell front squats. Use enough weight so you can barely complete two sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
You can use dumbbells to target your deltoids in your shoulders by doing lateral raises. Stand with your hips and knees slightly bent. Hold dumbbells in front of your hips with your palms facing each other. Keep your elbows slightly bent as you pull the dumbbells in opposite directions. Pause when your elbows reach the height of your shoulders. Reverse the motion and repeat. Perform three sets of eight to 10 repetitions.
Dumbbell Flyes
Dumbbell flyes allow you to target muscles in your chest in a way that is difficult to do with barbell exercises. Lie flat on a bench and hold dumbbells over your chest with your elbows slightly bent and palms facing each other. Keep your elbows slightly bent as you slowly move the dumbbells in opposite directions until they are at the same height as your shoulders. Pause and reverse the movement. Perform three sets of eight to 10 reps.
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