While weight training with a barbell provides numerous benefits, there are some advantages to dumbbell work. Dumbbell training offers a greater range-of-motion on many exercises, and some exercises can be done with dumbbells that are impossible with barbells. If necessary, dumbbells can be used exclusively for training, but function best in conjunction with barbell training. Consult a health-care professional before beginning any strength-training program.
Pressing Work
Dumbbells can be used in place of barbells for the bench press or overhead pressing. Dumbbells allow you a greater range-of-motion on each exercise, and force you to stabilize the weight in a manner that the fixed barbell does not. Flyes, where you stretch your arms out to the sides while lying flat and holding dumbbells can also be done. Flyes do not provide the same degree of stimulation to your chest as pressing, according to a 2005 study published in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research."
Back Training
One-arm dumbbell rows are a traditional back exercise that have been around since the invention of the dumbbell, and for good reason -- they really work your back. Lean forward and brace one hand on a fixed surface while holding a dumbbell in your other hand. Arch your back and row the dumbbell up to the level of your chest. Do not allow your body to rotate while rowing, and do not allow the dumbbell to drop into the bottom of the repetition. Use a weight that you can control but still train hard.
Arm Work
Biceps curls can be done with dumbbells and offer the ability to twist your hands, which activates a function of the biceps that barbells do not hit. Hammer curls can be done with dumbbells, in which you simply curl the dumbbells up from your sides without rotating your hands. To hit the back of your arms, or your triceps, perform lying triceps extensions. While lying on your back on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, turn your hands so your palms are facing each other. From an arms-extended position, lower the dumbbells by bending your elbows until the top of the dumbbell gently touches the top of your shoulder, and return to your starting position.
Legs
While you can train your legs using dumbbells, you cannot train as heavily as barbell training allows. The legs and hips are the largest and strongest muscles in your body and need to be worked heavily to progress. A dumbbell squat can be performed by holding a dumbbell in each hand and squatting until the dumbbells almost touch the floor, then standing up. To work your hamstrings, or the muscles on the back of your thighs, perform a stiff-legged deadlift. Hold two dumbbells in front of you with your arms straight down. With a very slight bend in your knees, lean forward to the limit of your flexibility, without rounding your back, then straighten back up.
References
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major and Anterior Deltoid Muscles During Three Upper-Body Lifts; E.A. Welsch, et al.; May 2005
- "Strength Training Anatomy-3rd Edition"; Frederic Delavier; 2010
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Electromyographic Activity of the Hamstrings During Performance of the Leg Curl, Stiff-Leg Deadlift, and Back Squat Movements; Glenn A. Wright, et al.; May 1999
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