Exploring The Eleven Best Dumbbell Exercises For Men and Women
There is often a misconception that only men want to get ripped, while women simply want to slim down. Another fallacy is that dumbbells cannot help with either task.
The truth of the matter is that adjustable dumbbells can be very versatile and can be used in a wide array of different exercises. Whether you’re interested in bulking up or just want to slim down your waistline, you should not neglect the possibility of working out with exercises.
Below, you’ll learn about eleven of the best dumbbell exercises for reaching your fitness goals faster than you could ever imagine.
11 Best Dumbbell Exercises for Both Genders
Warming Up Properly: Always remember that you need to properly warm up, before you start lifting dumbbells to avoid any injuries. With that being said, many people are oblivious to potential injuries related to dumbbell exercises.
Most individuals think that you just need to simply perform a few stretches to warm up your muscles. Yes, stretching is great, but it just does not prepare the body for the weight of the dumbbells, stretching, and bending. Instead, you need to prepare your muscles for the heavy load they are about to experience.
A pre-warm up exercise is your best option, but you want to make sure that it is comprised of compound exercises. A compound exercise involves rotating two or more joints at the same time.
Toe Raise: The toe raise exercise was designed to target the muscles in your lower legs such as the gluteus medius, rectus femoris, and vastus lateralis.
This workout will be performed from the standing position. To begin you want to firmly grasp a dumbbell in each hand and hold them down by your side.
Now, while you are in the standing position you want to raise your heels. You can accomplish this by extending your ankles.
After that you just simply lower your heels by bending the ankles. Just repeat this workout, as many times as you can and you will have strong and lean muscles in no time at all.
Shoulder Press: The shoulder press is excellent for an upper body workout. Your trapezius, deltoid, and rotator cuff muscles will get the primary benefit of this workout, but you will also be using your triceps.
It is important to know that this workout can be performed in several different manners. It can be performed from the standing or the sitting position.
To start the exercise, you will grasp a dumbbell in each hand and raise them up to your shoulders. Grip the dumbbells firmly and raise them over your head until your elbows are completely straight. Pause for a slight second and then lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
This exercise can also be done in an alternating motion. For instance, you can raise the right dumbbell as you are lowering the left dumbbell.
Also, keep in mind that if you are going this from the seated position, you want to make sure that you are using a bench or seat with a firm back support.
Upright Row: The upright row is another great dumbbell workout that will target the shoulders. However, this workout will also engage the upper back muscles, as well as the trapezius muscles.
This workout will be performed from the standing position. To start the workout, you will grab two dumbbells and hold them so that your palms are facing in front of your thighs.
To execute the workout, you will pull the dumbbells up to your shoulder while making sure that your elbows extend out to the side.
Hold it there for a split second and lower the dumbbells back to the starting position. It is important to make sure that you allow your wrists to flex as you are raising the dumbbells.
Dumbbell Press: The dumbbell press is a simple exercise that only requires a dumbbell and a weight bench. You simple lie down on the bench, with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
Grasp a dumbbell in each hand, lower the dumbbells downwards until they are level with your chest, and then extend your arms upwards, as far as they will go.
When you are just starting out, be sure to only complete a set of 1-2 and 3-4 repetitions. Avoid overdoing it, since this will only leave you with sore muscles and delay your progress.
Dumbbell Roll (One Arm & One Knee): Another simple exercise that will strengthen your triceps is the dumbbell roll. You will need a dumbbell and a weight bench to complete this exercise properly.
The first step will be to get into position, by placing one knee on the bench and the opposite foot on the floor. Bend over and place your hand on the end up the bench (same side as the knee) and then grasp the dumbbell in the opposite hand.
Slowly raise the dumbbell upwards, but avoid bringing it up too far, because you do not want to injure your back. Lower the dumbbell back to the ground until your arm is full extended downwards. You can repeat this exercise several times and then switch, so you can work both triceps out evenly.
Beginner’s Squat: This exercise is perfect for beginners, but many veteran athletes utilize it quite often to warm up.
To get into position, you will stand straight up and place your feet apart, but only far enough to give you proper stability. Squat down to the floor and grasp a dumbbell in each hand, then slowly return to the standing position.
You will only to repeat this exercise about 3-4 times until you become comfortable doing it. Avoid squatting too low, because you may not be able to get back up into the standing position, plus you may tilt backwards.
Front Raise: Another great exercise for beginners, but it can be grueling in the early stages. You will only need on dumbbell for this exercise, so choose carefully, while considering your athletic level.
You will need to get into position by standing erect, with your back straight. You simply take the hand that has the dumbbell in it and slowly raise it up, then bring it back down.
Bent Over Lateral Raise: Another standing exercise that will require a bit of strength to pull it off properly, when doing this exercise, you will need to choose the perfect stance. Getting into position will take a bit of getting used to, but be sure to place your feet only far enough apart so you can balance your body.
Bend over into a comfortable position and then slowly raise both arms upwards and lower them back down towards the floor until the dumbbells meet.
While, this is a great exercise to strengthen your obliques, it is important to monitor your stance at all times. One false move and you could end up with a back strain.
Triceps Kickback: As the name suggests, triceps kickbacks are an excellent way to develop and strengthen your triceps. If you do not have a bench, you can simply perform the exercises on the floor. Either way, you’ll need to grab a single dumbbell and place one knee on the bench or ground.
The dumbbell should be held below your body and your elbow needs to be positioned at a ninety-degree angle.While keeping the upper arm tightly in place against your side, you should force the arm backward, while extending the elbow.
Once your arm is straight out and the dumbbell is directly behind your rear, you should bring the dumbbell back down and repeat the process ten to twelve times. Remember to give yourself a brief rest and do it all over again.
Lateral Raises: Those that want to develop the muscles in their shoulders will definitely want to perform lateral raises. This exercise can be fun, but it may push beginners to their limits. When you’re ready to get going, you’ll need to stand with your feet apart and your knees bent to a minor degree.
Your arms should be positioned at your sides and your dumbbells should be held out at a ninety-degree angle. At this point, you should look like you’re carrying a chair.
Keep everything in position, while using your shoulders to lift your arms and the dumbbells, until they’re at the shoulder length. Then, bring the elbows back down to your sides and repeat the exercise ten or twelve times.
The Hammer Curls: If you wish to focus on your biceps and forearms, you’ll definitely want to try hammer curls. They can be very challenging and they’ll help you build the aforementioned muscle groups rapidly.
Once you’re ready to begin, you’ll want to grab your dumbbells and stand with your feet positioned closely together. Be sure to keep your knees bent slightly.
Your upper arms need to remain stationary by your sides, at all times. Now, lift up the weights using only your biceps.
Once you’ve managed to lift the dumbbells to shoulder height, you should slowly bring the weights back down to your legs.
It is recommended that you perform this exercise in reps of at least ten. Give yourself a few seconds to rest and do it all over again.
Afterword
Regardless of which exercises you decide to use, it is pertinent to remain dedicated and progressively push yourself harder. This is truly the only way to continue achieving results. First and foremost, you’ll want to start with eight or ten exercises a few days a week.
Once you’ve built up a tolerance and have enhanced your strength, you’ll want to increase the repetitions. Also, it is a good idea to invest in several different sets of dumbbells or adjustable dumbbells, so you’ll be able to work all muscle groups simultaneously and effectively.