If you’re looking to develop a better shaped body and increase your strength, there are several different forms of exercise to choose from. That said, resistance training with dumbbells offers unique benefits that make it a must-do in everyone’s program.
While other forms of exercise such as exercise machines or yoga provide a number of advantages, nothing compares to the results that resistance training to enhance your body shape and increase your strength.
Strength training will help to reduce the loss of lean muscle tissue associated with aging, improve functional strength making day to day life better, improve your metabolic rate to enhance fat loss and make weight maintenance easier.
Even if you’re beyond the age of 40, it’s never too late to start. Strength training is actually most beneficial at these later years in life because it will enhance bone strength, keep your body strong, and reverse the aging process like no other form of exercise can do.
Utilizing weight machines tends to be the common choice that most newbies to strength training take, however it isn’t the most effective method way to train if you want to maximize results.
Even if you are new to strength training, learning proper lifting technique using free weights and building a foundation of strength can be very important, both now and in the future.
If you’re someone who thinks of themselves as an advanced gym-goer but never really incorporated dumbbell training into your routine, you’re missing out on a tremendous number of key benefits that dumbbells provide.
When we speak of ‘free weight training’ we’re specifically talking about structuring your workouts utilizing dumbbells or barbells, both of which use plate weights as the form of resistance.
While both barbells and dumbbells are considered free weights and are more effective than exercise machines, we’re going to focus on how dumbbells are specifically more effective to use for workouts. I will also show you how you can create an entire dumbbell-only workout either at home or at the gym.
For anyone who wants to build strength, burn fat, and create a shapely body, dumbbells are the best choice.
Let’s first look at the main advantages to training with dumbbells and then review a full workout routine you can follow.
Advantages of dumbbell training
Before diving into the advantages of dumbbell training, realize there are a couple of styles of dumbbells you can purchase. There are both changeable sets of dumbbells where you can remove weight plates which can be taken on and off to adjust the resistance level or there are fixed-plate dumbbells that can be purchased. In this case, you’ll have to purchase multiple sets of dumbbells of various weights since they aren’t changeable.
The advantage to the changeable dumbbells is they are typically much lower in price since you only have to purchase the plate weights to increase the weight rather than buy a whole set of dumbbells. They also take up far less space, so are convenient for individuals working out at home.
Once you decide to train with dumbbells and workout from a home gym, make sure to consider both types of dumbbells before you purchase any equipment.If you’re interested in reading more about setting up a home gym, you can see a previous article I wrote here.
Now let’s review the advantages of training with dumbbells.
Dumbbells require more stabilization
The first key benefit to dumbbell training that you must know is the fact that dumbbells will require far more core muscle stabilization than exercise machine-based training.
When you’re sitting in a weight machine, that machine is fully supporting your body, meaning the only muscle you’re working is the one the exercise is specifically targeting.
When you’re doing dumbbell based training however, your entire core muscles are engaged, contracting every step of the way in order to keep your body and spine stabilized.
For example, let’s say you’re performing a lunge for the thigh and glute muscles. As you move through the range of motion during the lunge, your abs are contracting with each step you take to help stabilize your spine and keep your body aligned during the movement.
If you were to do a leg extension to work the quads instead of the lunges, there is absolutely no need for the core muscles to engage because the body doesn’t need any stabilization because the exercise machine removes that requirement through the comfort of being able to sit and not think about balancing your body.
As a result, you don’t get that enhanced training benefit that you’d receive from dumbbells. If you want to build your core strength to prevent injuries as well as get a firm, flat midsection, dumbbell training is excellent for achieving this.
When you create a full body dumbbell- based workout routine, you can forgo doing extra core work because your abs will be working the entire time during the workout.
On the other hand, if you’re doing exercise machine-based training, you’ll be missing out on the most important benefit which is core strengthening.
Dumbbells allow for functional movements
The first key benefit to dumbbell training that you must know is the fact that dumbbells will require far more core muscle stabilization than exercise machine-based training.
When you’re sitting in a weight machine, that machine is fully supporting your body, meaning the only muscle you’re working is the one the exercise is specifically targeting.
When you’re doing dumbbell based training however, your entire core muscles are engaged, contracting every step of the way in order to keep your body and spine stabilized.
For example, let’s say you’re performing a lunge for the thigh and glute muscles. As you move through the range of motion during the lunge, your abs are contracting with each step you take to help stabilize your spine and keep your body aligned during the movement.
If you were to do a leg extension to work the quads instead of the lunges, there is absolutely no need for the core muscles to engage because the body doesn’t need any stabilization because the exercise machine removes that requirement through the comfort of being able to sit and not think about balancing your body.
As a result, you don’t get that enhanced training benefit that you’d receive from dumbbells. If you want to build your core strength to prevent injuries as well as get a firm, flat midsection, dumbbell training is excellent for achieving this.
When you create a full body dumbbell- based workout routine, you can forgo doing extra core work because your abs will be working the entire time during the workout.
On the other hand, if you’re doing exercise machine-based training, you’ll be missing out on the most important benefit which is core strengthening.
Dumbbells allow for functional movements
The second great advantage of training with dumbbells is they allow for functional movements to be performed. Basically, the exercises that you can perform with dumbbells will be better for mimicking everyday ‘life’ movements so the benefits you see from those workouts in your real life will be more useful.
For many of you, the entire reason you’re working out is to increase your overall strength for your lifestyle activities, be it carrying groceries or your child in from the car, lifting a heavy box to the counter, or playing a soccer game you love doing on the weekends.
Incorporating dumbbells into your workouts will greatly enhance the functional movements that you typically engage in on a daily basis.
This isn’t to say you wouldn’t also achieve strength gains by training with exercise machines, but the results they produce are far inferior when compared to dumbbell training.
Dumbbells train both sides of the body equally
Another important benefit that dumbbell training provides is they allow you to train both sides of your body equally. With machine based workouts, one side of your body could be overcompensating for the other, further adding to the strength imbalance and development. If this occurs, it can lead to a higher risk of injury and even have an effect on daily activities.
For example, if you’re doing a seated chest press on an exercise machine your left arm could be pushing far more of that weight than your right arm.
On the other hand, when you’re training with dumbbells doing flat bench presses, each arm must equally push the dumbbell through the entire range of motion. Therefore, one side cannot take the slack of the weaker side of your body.
This ensures that you develop strength in a very evenly distributed manner, assuring optimal progression and success.
Dumbbells are perfect for home workout routines
For those of you who prefer to exercise in the comfort of yourhome, dumbbells are the best choice for building strength and developing your body.
Dumbbells can easily be stored in a closet, under the bed, or on a stand placed in your workout space making them great for any size workout area.
Exercise machines are impractical for a home gym both because of space issues and because of cost of the equipment.
Dumbbells make starting a weight resistance program a possibility for almost everyone, so there’s no excuse not to get started.
Dumbbells require a greater mind-muscle connection
Another significant benefit of dumbbell training is the enhanced mind-muscle connection that occurs compared to training with exercise machines.
This means when you train with dumbbells, you’ll condition your brain to be more aware of your body in the dimension of space. This has a very significant impact on the rate in which your muscles contract and relax as there’s a complex interplay going on between your brain and the muscle being worked.
Instead of a machine guiding you through a fixed range of motion, your body instead has to stabilize the weight as you move the dumbbells through both the concentric and eccentric parts of a muscle contraction.
It requires mental focus to sustain proper exercise form and technique for that particular exercise, while exercise machines basically take you through a fixed pattern of movement and don’t require muscle stabilization or central nervous system input for performance.
For those that don’t already workout with dumbbells, I’ve created a couple different workout routines for you to use. One routine is for beginners and one for intermediate trainees.
Beginner dumbbell workout routine
This workout routine takes on a full body approach, so you’ll work each muscle group every workout. You’ll workout three days per week, making sure to take at least one day off between workout sessions for full recovery.
Remember to perform a brief five to ten minute warm-up before starting the routine.
Workout 1
Workout 2
Workout 3
Intermediate Dumbbell Workout Routine
Here’s an intermediate dumbbell workout you can do if you’ve been training for at least six to eight weeks and are ready to push yourself to the next level.
This workout takes on a push/pull/legs split-type of routine, meaning you’ll divide the upper body up into two days per week and then work the entire lower body on the third day.
This split body workout will allow for greater customization of your routine and allow you to perform a few additional exercises for each muscle group to bring out maximal strength gains.
As with the beginner routine, start your workout with a warm-up of 5-10 minutes.
Day 1 – Chest, shoulders, triceps
Day 2 – Back, biceps, abs
Day 3 – Legs, abs
Once you start working out with dumbbells you’ll see tremendous improvements in body shape and increased strength which all serve to improve your overall health. Of course you must also combine these workouts with a good diet plan. That is the only way you can achieve a lean and defined body.
If you are ready to lose fat and Re-Shape your body Click here for more information.
Phil
If you have any questions you can reach me at [email protected] Hoffmanfit Website
Amazon eBook: The 9 Principles for a Lean & Defined Body
The Body Re-Shape System
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