Full-body workouts with dumbbells help you burn more calories in less time, improve your muscular endurance, and avoid the boredom you might have experienced with many typical gym workouts, says fitness professional Juan Carlos Santana, author of "Essence of Program Design." These exercises incorporate muscle groups to move together in various directions, such as pulling and overhead lifting.
Squat Press
This exercise uses your lower body to generate strength to lift a weight over your head. It works on stabilization strength in your torso and hips to maintain your balance and alignment to avoid injury. Stand with your legs about shoulder-width apart, and hold a 25-pound dumbbell in each hand near your shoulders. Keep your elbows close to your body. Squat down as low as you can and keep your torso upright. Press the weights over your head as you stand up, using your lower body to perform most of the work to lift rather than your shoulders. Lower the dumbbells to your shoulders, and perform three sets of eight to 12 reps. You can also do this exercise with one dumbbell.
Push and Pull Super Set
Pushing and pulling are the fundamental movements for your upper body. You can perform the dumbbell chest press with a standing row without rest to help you get muscle mass in less time. This method, called a super set, allows one muscle group to work while the opposite group rests. For example, perform one set of chest press and immediately perform a set of standing rows afterward. Rest for no more than one minute, and repeat the super set two to three times. You can also do these two exercises with one dumbbell.
Lunge and Press
This exercise combines the lunge pattern with the shoulder press, using your lower body to help you lift a weight over your head instead of your shoulders alone. You might find that one side of your body is more coordinated or stronger than the other side as you lunge with your left or right leg forward. Stand with your feet together and hold a 25-pound dumbbell in each hand near your shoulders with your elbows close to your body. Step forward with your right foot and lunge straight down, keeping your torso upright. As you step back to the standing position, exhale and press the weights over your head. Lower the dumbbells and repeat the exercise for three sets of eight to 10 reps per leg.
Circuit Training
Circuit training is performing a series of exercises that train various movement patterns without rest between sets. This helps you burn more calories than performing the exercises individually and saves you time. For example, you can perform each exercise from the list for 30 seconds without rest between sets. When you have completed one circuit, rest for no more than 30 seconds, and repeat the workout two to three times. You can vary the exercise in each circuit, such as performing the first and second circuit with two dumbbells and the third and fourth circuit with one dumbbell.
References
- "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training"; Michael Clark; 2007
- "Essence of Program Design"; Juan Carlos Santana; 2004
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