Dumbbell exercises are considered one of the best workouts that can be considered for toning your muscles and performing overall workouts. As home workout has been very much prominent for the past two decades, making people do every move to make their fitness regime as consistent as possible. Well, all that has been achieved with some of the useful dumbbell exercises that have garnered huge popularity among the masses. Dumbbells have been an affordable investment and can be stored in any corner of your home without any space grab.
Being notable exercise equipment, dumbbells are quite portable and easy to use. This equipment is available in different shapes and sizes. Incorporating dumbbells for full-body exercise gives you the added advantage of maintaining the symmetry of the body. Besides all, many exercises can be performed while using dumbbells such as hammer curls, decline seated bicep curls, French presses, preacher curls, overhead triceps extensions, triceps kickbacks, flat and incline chest presses, flat and incline chest flies, lateral raises, seated shoulder presses, front raise, reverse flies, upright rows, shrugs, lunges, half squats, seated calf raises, and single-leg calf raises.
Benefits of Dumbbells Exercises
- Builds Muscles – Building muscles is also one of the exercises that you can perform with dumbbells. You can build muscle with dumbbells using heavier weights. Increasing muscle mass helps burn more calories throughout the day since a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat.
- Promotes Cardio Health – Performing dumbbell exercises also promoted cardio health. Use dumbbells to raise your heart rate, which will help you to improve cardiovascular health. Starting at a slower pace, beginner to exercise can improve cardio stamina by using lighter weights for 30 minutes or longer. Raising the rate at which you use the dumbbells can move your heart rate into the aerobic zone, providing even more cardio benefits. Frequent aerobic exercise also helps improve blood cholesterol.
- Perfect For Weight Loss – Incorporating dumbbell exercises in your daily routine helps you to burn calories by raising your heart rate. Using aerobic exercise to lose weight decreases your risk of diseases and conditions such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, lower back pain and high blood pressure. This type of weight loss workout not only burns calories but improves muscle strength, muscular endurance and heart health.
- Ensures muscular endurance – Use dumbbells to improve muscular endurance, or your ability to use your muscles over time, such as during a tennis match or volleyball game. You use less weight and perform more repetitions of each exercise when doing muscular endurance workouts than when doing bodybuilding exercises.
- Promotes Bone Health – Using dumbbells helps you to increase bone density, thus decreasing your risk of a fracture. Dumbbells are an ideal way to improve bone health for seniors because you can use them sitting or lying down and choose weights that are easy to lift and manipulate.
Top 10 Dumbbells Exercises
1.) Bench Press – The bench press is one of the best dumbbell exercises offering you a better range of motion than barbells, allowing you to build even more strength in the pectoral area. A quality dumbbell bench press will also spruce up those triceps and work the shoulder muscles as well. The key concept to follow with dumbbell exercises, like all exercises, is to squeeze at the top of the movement. This will ensure the muscles you are targeting remain active and engaged.
Steps To Perform
- Lie back on a bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand
- Keep each arm bent to the side of each shoulder, palms facing upward
- Extend your elbows as you press the weights above your chest
- Keep going until your arms are straight above your chest, but don’t touch the weights on one another
- Bring the weights back down just past shoulder level — lowering with control. In any dumbbell exercise, don’t just let the weight drop down
- Repeat the same as per your convenience
2.) Bicep Curl – The bicep curl is one of the best dumbbell exercises as it works on a host of bicep and triceps muscles. Throughout this movement, make sure you keep your back straight, your core engaged and your upper body controlled. We have all seen guys at the gym with weights too heavy for them throwing dumbbells back with blatant disregard for their spine. This is a home dumbbell workout that is purely about isolated control.
Steps To Perform
- Stand upright and hold a dumbbell in each hand
- Each arm should be hanging by your sides
- Keep your elbows close to the torso and your palms facing outward
- Don’t move your upper arms as you curl the weights upward to shoulder level
- Contract your biceps and exhale as you go
- Return to the starting position and try a little squeeze in your triceps at the very bottom of the movement, to fully “deactivate” the biceps between reps
- Repeat the same as per your convenience
3.) Shoulder Press – The shoulder press is one of the best dumbbell exercises to have strong shoulders. Shoulder press focuses primarily on two portions of the deltoids, it also works a wealth of other muscles; namely your trapezius, triceps and rotator cuff muscles. These structures all have to work in conjunction with your shoulders for this exercise to be successful.
Steps To Perform
- Stand upright holding a pair of dumbbells on either side
- The dumbbells should be more or less even with your shoulders, your arms should be slightly bent, and your palms should be facing toward your body
- Press upward and twist your wrists as you go so that your palms are facing forward by the time you reach the top
- Lift the weights directly over your shoulders until your arms are straight
- Lower and repeat the same
4.) Bent-Over Row – Bent-over row is one of the best dumbbell exercises and it is treated as a classic muscle-building exercise, which works the back and shoulders. Just be advised that this one is not for beginners and that improper form can render serious damage. As mentioned with other exercises, you must keep your back straight, core engaged and knees slightly bent; you want to be targeting your lower back, not overloading it.
Steps To Perform
- Stand up with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing the body
- Keep your legs and arms about shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent
- Bend no further than a 45-degree angle, bracing your core and keeping your back straight
- Lift the weights upward in a straight line, exhaling as you go
- Keep your wrists stiff and don’t move your legs
- Your arms should never pass shoulder level as you raise the hand weights
- It should feel like you pinching your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement
- Lower the weights into the starting position and repeat
- Do not change your posture until you’ve completed each set
5.) One Arm Swing – One arm swing is one of the best dumbbell exercises as it also works the leg muscles. While you might recognize this one as a popular kettlebell exercise, the one-arm swing is easily replicated with a dumbbell. A great multi-faceted move, this one can be added to strength routines or HIIT workouts.
Steps To Perform
- Hold a dumbbell between your legs, keeping it at arm’s length
- Assume the squat position
- Swing the dumbbell through your legs as you drive yourself upward using the power of your hip and leg muscles
- Keeping your arm straight, bring the dumbbell all the way up to forehead level as you straighten your legs
- Repeat and then swap arms for a full set
6.) Lunges – Lunges are one of the best dumbbell exercises and it is treated as a classic full-body dumbbell workout. Make sure you have plenty of room and prepare to work plenty of muscle groups. Try to remain controlled throughout the movement. Speed is not an issue in this dumbbell exercise, so take your time, keep your balance and squeeze at the top of the exercise.
Steps To Perform
- Stand upright and hold a dumbbell in each hand
- Hang your arms at either side with your palms facing inward and your feet a little less than shoulder-width apart
- Take a long step forward with your leg of choice, bending at the knee until your thigh is parallel to the ground. Your front knee should be over your front ankle avoid driving the knee too far forward
- Land on the heel and inhale as you descend
- The rear leg should be bent at the knee and balanced on the toes both knees should form right angles
- Push off the front foot, engaging your glutes and returning to the starting position as you exhale
- Swap legs and repeat for a full rep
7.) Calf Raise – Calf raises are one of the best dumbbell exercises, as it plays an important role in mobility and stability, so it’s worth adding some dumbbell exercises that target the area. After all, stronger calves are sexier calves and here’s how you can get in a full body workout with dumbbells that result in stronger calves.
Steps To Perform
- Stand upright and hold a dumbbell in each hand
- Keep your feet approximately shoulder-width apart
- Hang your arms below your shoulders and keep them straight
- Lift both feet until you’re standing on your toes
- You should feel the tension in your lower legs
- Return and repeat the same
8.) Triceps Kickback – The best way to perform this full-body dumbbell workout is to start with lighter weights and increase the load as you improve. Triceps kickback targets the often over-look back of the arm. Assuming a similar position to the bent-over row, you must isolate the movement to purely your lower arm. Try to keep your shoulder and upper body as still as possible throughout this movement.
Steps To Perform
- Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand
- Keep your knees slightly bent and your palms facing inward
- Tighten your core and keep your spine straight as you hinge at the waist
- Keep going until your torso is almost parallel to the floor
- Your upper arms should stay close to your body, your head and spine should form a straight line, and your chin should be slightly tucked in
- Exhale as you straighten your elbows, all without moving your upper arms
- Hold and squeeze the triceps at the top of the movement, inhale, and return to the starting position
9.) Lateral Raise – Lateral raise is another great movement that targets your deltoids, the lateral raise has been a favourite amongst bodybuilders since the dawn of the sport. With an added emphasis on the outside rotor of the muscle, this exercise is key to those hulking shoulders you have been searching for. Maintaining proper form is key to this effective full-body dumbbell workout. Keep your motions small and careful and try to lead with your elbows as you go.
Steps To Perform
- Assume the standing or seated position
- Hold a dumbbell at each side, palms facing inward
- Your back should be straight and your core braced
- Slowly lift the hand weights out to your sides until your arms are parallel with the floor
- All the while, your elbows should be slightly bent
- Carefully lower and repeat the same
10.) Lying Dumbbell Fly – Lying Dumbbell Fly allows you to target the midsection of your chest, however, by utilizing an incline or decline bench. You will be able to hit the upper and lower sections of the muscle group. Not everyone will have access to a bench, so a flatbed that allows for movement, or a Swiss ball can easily do the trick.
Steps To Perform
- Lie back down on the bench and keep your feet flat on the floor
- Hold the dumbbells directly above your chest, palms facing one another with a soft bend in your elbows
- Lower the free weights out to the sides as far as you can comfortably take them. Keep your awareness on your shoulders they shouldn’t shrug up to your ears as you lower the dumbbells
- Push from your hands to engage your pectoral muscles as you return to the starting position
- Maintain a slight bend in your elbows and keep your back straight (i.e. un-arched) the entire time
- Repeat the same as per your convenience
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
