Dumbbells can be an effective muscle-building tool, and certain exercises and movements can be more effective than others. A dumbbell clean is an exercise that can benefit your entire body by forcing various muscle groups to work simultaneously. Once you know the proper way to clean a dumbbell, you can add this beneficial move to your workout routine.
Dumbbells are handheld weights designed to increase muscle strength and endurance. They come in a variety of weights that allow you to adjust your workout to fit the strength of each of your muscle groups. The advantage of dumb...
Dumbbell training is easy to learn because dumbbells are balanced and allow you to control movement patterns. You can isolate muscles by training one muscle group at a time -- or you can train multiple groups of muscles at once...
Dumbbells make great workout tools when you are trying to get into better shape. Not only are they inexpensive compared with machines, but they also cause you to work stabilizing muscles while focusing on a primary muscle. This...
In the beginning stages of an exercise program, you might be confused over the amount of weight to use. Your own fitness goals play a vital role in determining dumbbell weight. Understand that the amount of weight used is relat...
On your way to achieving a toned midsection you may be motivated to work your core muscles to exhaustion every chance that you have, but the muscles of your core are just like any other muscle group in your body. Therefore, you...
Static exercises, also known as isometric, involve no joint movement, and no lengthening or shortening of a muscle. A static dumbbell curl involves both dynamic and isometric contractions. Adding this exercise to your arm-build...
The offset dumbbell lunge is a great exercise to train your lower body muscles, your balance and your coordination. It can help to increase muscle strength, size and endurance; burn fat; and reduce your risk of lower body injur...
The dumbbell front raise works muscles in your shoulder, specifically the deltoid. This exercise can be performed by grasping a dumbbell in each hand and lifting your arms. The dumbbell front raise is considered a beginner exer...
Yet the forearm muscles govern movement of the wrists, fingers and elbows -- they are important for gripping, lifting and lending stability to the wrist joint. Dumbbells are a good choice of equipment for building strength in t...
Regular strength training builds strong bones, muscles and connective tissue, and develops the strength and endurance you need for everything from hefting bags of groceries to participating in your favorite sport. Dumbbells are...
The clean and press is an advanced lift that works several muscle groups in your upper and lower body. This exercise is typically done with a barbell, but there are advantages to performing it with dumbbells. The clean and pres...
However, despite their benefits, dumbbells can be among the most dangerous exercise tools in the gym. Dropping or improper form can lead to serious setbacks in your weightlifting goals. For best results, start with low weights ...
Consider the specific muscles and muscle groups targeted by each dumbbell exercise when choosing a comprehensive program that meets your fitness goals.
You can increase muscle mass by performing strength exercises that stimulate muscle hypertrophy and strength. Dumbbells are among the best tools for strength training and muscle building because of their balanced weight -- whic...
To increase your left pectoral muscle, perform strength exercises for both your left and right pectoral muscle. This will prevent muscle imbalances, which can cause discomfort and poor posture and can put your body at risk for ...
Exercises that you perform on strength-training machines can often be completed with dumbbells instead. Dumbbells offer advantages over machines but can pose risks and pose an insufficient challenge to people with a higher leve...
The dumbbell pullover is a simple exercise that works a variety of upper-body muscles. In addition to the muscles used to drive the motion of the dumbbell pullover, you also strengthen several muscles that help stabilize your b...
Unlike machines, you must do all of the work yourself, which is one of the benefits. As a rule, when moving a dumbbell through a range of motion, an isotonic contraction occurs, which is the shortening action of a muscle when i...
You don't have to have a bench press or chest press machine to build your pectoral muscles--a couple sets of dumbbells and a bench will do the trick. To maximize results, make sure you perform chest exercises two or three times...
The triceps is the major elbow extensor, moving your forearm and hand away from your shoulder and upper arm. There are a variety of dumbbell exercises you can perform to build the triceps. Follow a progressive resistance traini...
A 10-lb. dumbbell may not seem like a very impressive weight to build muscle, but if you are diligent you can get in top shape and build muscle with it. You can use the dumbbell to isolate muscles in the arms and upper body, an...
Working the large muscles of your legs can leave you feeling physically drained, and sometimes even a little nauseous. Leg training is usually associated with heavy barbells and expensive machines, but dumbbells may also used t...
Dumbbells are a traditional and effective way to achieve stamina and build muscle in your upper body. A standard set of dumbbells at a gym typically contains weights between 5 lbs. and 60 lbs. or more. The latest dumbbell fitne...
Developing large shoulder muscles takes a strategic workout plan. The shoulder muscle or deltoid has three parts that need to be engaged to build mass--the front head, middle head and read head, according to Bodybuilding.com. T...
Of all these forms, dumbbells give you the most freedom to move. This in turn causes you to work a focus muscle while simultaneously recruiting smaller nearby muscle fibers to stabilize the weights. To effectively build muscles...
According to the American Council on Exercise, the flat bench dumbbell fly trains the pectoralis major, your primary chest muscle. By incorporating the flat bench dumbbell fly into your current fitness program you can enjoy imp...
The shoulder muscles make it possible to do a number of daily tasks like placing boxes above your head on a shelf, throwing hay bales and climbing ladders. When using dumbbells to build shoulder muscles, you have the advantage ...
These muscles can be enlarged and strengthened through dumbbell training using the aforementioned ranges of motion. Evidence suggests that exercising the muscles of the forearm two to three times per week for one to three sets ...
Dumbbells allow for a greater range of motion (ROM) in weightlifting movements. This extended ROM increases the flexion and extension of the movements, thus, working the muscles more efficiently. Furthermore, dumbbells allow fo...
Another advantage is in the muscle recruitment. According to the American Council on Exercise, "Free weights incorporate the stabilizing muscles that enable you to perform the movements you choose to make and may be more effect...
They can be lifted in multiple planes and directions to target every muscle group in the body. To get muscles, you need to stimulate them with resistance. If you are in a position where you only have access to dumbbells or you...
Building muscle with dumbbells helps raise your basal metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories just by existing. In other words, it can help you lose weight. At the same time, building muscles also helps to strengthen and...
