Dumbbells workout routines develop flexibility and stability, as well as muscular size, definition, and strength. Typical workouts combine barbell and dumbbell movements to create a complete routine, but you can also build an entire exercise program that targets each major muscle group with just dumbbells.
Chest
Perform the two major chest exercises -- bench and incline press -- with dumbbells. To perform the bench press, hold the dumbbells at arms' length with both arms straight up. Do not touch the dumbbells together. Lower the weights until the inside of the dumbbell touches your chest, then press them straight up, keeping them the same distance apart. Do the same on the incline, but adjust the back of the bench so that you are at at least a 45-degree angle. After bench and incline press, perform chest flies. This movement both strengthens and stretches the chest muscles, building flexibility because using a lighter dumbbell you lower your arms while keeping only a slight bend in your elbows, stretching the chest significantly before raising the weights back to their starting position. Perform chest exercises the same day as back or shoulder exercises for best results.
Shoulders
Perform the primary pressing movement, the military press, with dumbbells both sitting and standing. Holding the dumbbells at the shoulder, press both arms overhead simultaneously or one at a time. Do not touch the dumbbells together. Always use a dumbbell on isolation movements such as rear deltoid flies, medial and lateral raises, and shoulder shrugs. Always perform shoulder exercises on their own day so that the muscles are fresh during the movements, or with the chest so that the shoulders are warmed up during chest exercises.
Arms
A wide variety of curling movements, such as standard, hammer, concentration and preacher curls, utilize dumbbells. Do standard curls by holding the dumbbells with arms down and palm facing away from you. Keeping your back straight, curl the weight up and then lower it. To perform hammer curls, turn your palms to face each other. Do preacher and concentration curls by resting the elbow on either a pad or the inside of your knee and curling the weight up. The surface under your elbow isolates the muscles even further. To build your triceps, perform standing triceps extensions, in which you lower the dumbbell behind your head before raising it straight up, or lying tricep extensions, which you perform with the dumbbells moving to the ears with the palms facing in, or to your chest, with your palms facing down to your feet. Always train your arms on their own day, because the triceps are involved in chest movements and the biceps are involved in back exercises.
Back
Use dumbbells to simulate cable rowing machine movements. Use two dumbbells to perform bent rows, pulling the dumbbells to your chest while bent at the waist with your chest parallel to the floor. Isolate one side at a time and perform one-arm bent rows. These two exercises incorporate all of the major muscles in the back. Dumbbell pullovers, in which you lie on the bench with the end of a dumbbell supported by both hands, stretch and strengthen your lats. With the dumbbell held over your chest, keep your arms straight as you lower the dumbbell behind your head as far as you can before raising it back over your chest. Combine back exercises with chest workouts, or perform them on their own day.
Legs
The legs are often forgotten in dumbbell training, but performing lunges and stepups while holding dumbbells can target every major muscle in your lower body. To fatigue the muscles further, perform dumbbell squats by simply squatting and standing while holding dumbbells either at your sides, or holding one dumbbell at collarbone level. Always train your legs on their own day.
References
- "Men's Health Ultimate Dumbbell Guide: More Than 21,000 Moves Designed to Build Muscle, Increase Strength, and Burn Fat"; Myatt Murphy; 2007
- "Dumbbell Training for Strength And Fitness"; Matt Brzycki and Fred Fornicola; 2006
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