It’s no secret, a properly designed dumbbell exercise routine is one of the most beneficial training programs you can do. Dumbbells are widely accessible, making them available to a large number of people. There are a plethora of dumbbell exercises to choose from for everyone’s needs. Additionally, the ability to perform single-limb and alternate exercises makes them invaluable for training movements that improve your performance in the real world.
Unfortunately, many men and women do not perform dumbbell exercise routines as a complete workout. Many people use weights for “extra” or “supplemental” training. They do their main workout with machines or weights, and then target small muscle groups with weights as an afterthought. While this extra training isn’t a complete waste of time, it’s definitely not the best way to use dumbbells.
But there are big advantages to performing a dumbbell workout as your main workout. I’m about to reveal 5 ways proper dumbbell training can help you get faster results.
But first, I want to talk about some of the results you should expect from properly performing the dumbbell exercise.
The top three reasons why men and women exercise (in my opinion) are:
1) To improve your physique by building muscle
2) To improve your physique by burning fat
3) To improve your performance
Most people want to create a strong, lean, athletic body that looks great and oh yeah, performs great too! And in my opinion, there is no better tool to achieve these results than dumbbells. But no old dumbbell workout will do!
Isolation exercises with light weights are popular with men and women who are convinced that this type of training “tones” their muscles. Also, they see bodybuilders use this type of training to target small muscle groups. But, as you’ll soon learn, this isn’t the best use of your dumbbell training time.
Incorporate these 5 things into your dumbbell workout routine to get the most out of your dumbbell workout:
lift heavier weights
Choose exercises that require large muscle groups than the competition. Using big muscles means you can use heavier weights. Using heavier dumbbells causes more muscle growth. You will expend more energy, which means more fat loss. In addition, the increase in strength leads to an improvement in performance.
Just think about it, compare the benefits of squatting with heavy dumbbells (which require your entire lower body to work) to doing a bicep curl with a relatively light weight.
Perform unilateral dumbbell exercises
Performing your dumbbell routine one limb at a time has many benefits. For one, you can use a heavier weight because your body recruits more muscle to help with the lift. (This is called a bilateral deficit.) More muscles used and heavier weights mean more muscles.
The time for each set during the dumbbell routine is doubled. (Since you first perform the exercise with one arm or leg, and then with the other.) This translates into greater energy expenditure. Translation: unilateral dumbbell training burns more fat!
Perform alternate exercises with dumbbells
Most dumbbell exercises can be performed alternately. Instead of lifting or pushing the weight with both arms at the same time, you do one first and then the other. This alternating pattern more closely relates to movement patterns found in sport, work, and life activities.
Compare this to performing an exercise on a machine where you are in an unnatural position doing an activity outside of your natural surroundings. I think you will agree, the benefits are obvious.
Your dumbbell routine should include power, explosive, and combination lifts.
There are many types of dumbbell lifts that you can include in your exercise routine. You must include them all. Some examples are power lifts like presses and squats, explosive lifts like swings and snatches, and combination lifts like clean and press.
Combining these dumbbell exercises does more than build muscular strength and explosive power. They strengthen the heart and lungs, burn fat, and force the body to function as a whole unit. Thus, your body not only benefits from appearance benefits, but also significantly improves performance.
Perform dumbbell exercises targeted for muscle growth, fat loss, and cardiovascular improvement
As hinted at above, your dumbbell workout routine can build muscle, burn fat, and improve cardiorespiratory endurance SIMULTANEOUSLY. Talk about making the most of your training time. If you only have a short time to exercise, using dumbbells to aim for a lot of improvements is the way to go.
I just want to leave you with this. Most men and women struggle to find time to exercise. It is very important that you do not waste your training time. So, if you want quick results like more muscle, less fat, and better performance, look no further than a properly designed dumbbell workout routine.