5 Benefits Training with Dumbbells

Most health clubs and gyms have rows of cardio machines, aisles of weight-training machines, stacks of free weights, and specific stretching areas to help members reach their own goals.

There is no one "best" piece of fitness equipment. Different types of fitness equipment are made to help you reach certain fitness goals.

For people who want to build lean muscle or get stronger through strength training, there are many ways to do so. You can choose from traditional weight machines, barbells, or dumbbells, as well as a wide range of specialized equipment like kettlebells, medicine balls, sandbags, and even oversized tires.

Some resistance training tools, like barbells, are better for building max strength, while weight-training machines can help define muscles and lighter resistance tools, like medicine balls and kettlebells, can help improve movement-specific power output.

A lot of joint-isolation exercises, like bicep curls, chest flies, and shoulder raises, are done with dumbbells. Using dumbbells for whole-body, multiplanar movements, on the other hand, can lead to a wide range of strength gains. It also helps with cardiorespiratory fitness and flexibility in many ways.

Here are five benefits of dumbbells to help you choose the best equipment for your needs:

There are two kinds of overload that cause muscles to grow, and both of them can be done with dumbbells.

Mechanical overload happens when muscle contractions cause damage, which speeds up the repair process and makes the muscle grow bigger.

Metabolic overload happens when a muscle is worked hard enough to get tired. This causes muscle cells to change so they can store more glycogen, which can make muscles grow bigger.

Mechanical overload can be caused by using heavy dumbbells, while metabolic overload can be caused by using moderately heavy dumbbells and doing a lot of reps until you get tired.

Dumbbell exercises can improve coordination between and within muscles, which can lead to more muscle activation.

Intermuscular coordination is when different muscles are able to work together to move a joint and keep it stable. Intramuscular coordination is the number of muscle motor units and the muscle fibers they are attached to that are active within a single muscle.

When doing compound, multijoint, or multiplanar movements, using lighter dumbbells helps improve coordination between different parts of the body.

Using heavier dumbbells can make more muscle fibers in a certain muscle contract.

Both the contractile and elastic parts of muscle tissue can be strengthened by using dumbbells. The contractile element is made up of actin-myosin muscle proteins that slide over each other to make concentric shortening or control eccentric lengthening.

The fascia and connective tissue that holds each muscle fiber and groups of fibers together make up the elastic part. When the elastic part is stretched, it stores mechanical energy, which is then released when the muscle contracts quickly. Traditional exercises with heavy dumbbells can help the contractile element produce more force, while multiplanar movement patterns with light dumbbells can help the elastic element be more resilient and strong.

You can do a lot of different exercises with dumbbells. Machines allow one motion in one specific movement pattern to place load on one muscle or muscle group.

Because they are so long, standard barbells are best for doing compound moves in one plane of motion. Because dumbbells are small and can be held in each hand, they can be used to make a wide range of different movement patterns that help build strength for a specific task or movement.

With dumbbells, you can focus on one arm or leg at a time, which is one way to start getting stronger by using a heavy overload. A single dumbbell can be used for exercises such as a one-arm overhead press or a split-leg goblet squat to create overload in one limb at a time.

If these benefits sound like what you want from your fitness program, here is a dumbbell workout to help you get started:

Dumbbell Goblet Reverse Crossover Lunge

Hold the dumbbell in front of your chest in a vertical position.

Sink back into your hips, step your left foot behind your right foot, and sink into your right hip. Keep your back straight.

To get back to standing, plant your right foot and swing your left leg to the left.

Switch sides for 8 to 10 reps, and do 3 sets with 45 seconds of rest between each set.

Dumbbell Rotational Press

Stand and hold a dumbbell at each should wither palms facing each other.

Rotate to the right and fully extend your left arm. Pull your arm back down, rotate to the left and extend your right arm.

Switch sides for 8 to 10 reps, and do 3 sets with 45 seconds of rest between each set.

Dumbbell Alternating Bent-over Rows With Rotation

Lean forward from the hips, bend your knees a little, and keep your back straight.

Put your palms together and hold the dumbbells in your hands.

As you turn to the right, pull your right hand toward your rib cage. Put your hand down and turn around to the other side.

Switch sides for 8 to 10 reps, and do 3 sets with 45 seconds of rest between each set.

Reverse lunge with a forward bend to an overhead press with dumbbells

Step back with your right foot as your left hip sinks down.

Bend forward and reach for your left foot with both hands (if you sink into your hip first it is okay to allow your spine to round) (if you sink into your hip first it is okay to allow your spine to round).

Press your left foot into the floor and swing your right leg forward to return to standing. As you stand up, press your arms up over your head.

Switch sides for 8–10 reps (4–5 per leg); do 3 sets, resting 45 seconds between each set.

Pullover to Curl the Trunk

Lay on your back with your feet on the ground and your knees bent and pointing up.

Hold both arms straight up with the palms touching. Bring both arms down to the floor from above.

Bring your arms back and across your chest. As your arms reach out and your hands reach over your chest, curl your trunk up.

Bring your chest to the floor and do it again.

Do 10 to 12 reps and 2 to 3 sets, with 45 seconds of rest between each set.

Hip thrusts with a dumbbell

Lay on your back on the floor with your feet flat and your knees up.

Place two dumbbells on your hips so that the palms of the weights face each other.

Push your feet into the floor and lift your hips to the ceiling.

Stop at the top and slowly go down. Aim for 1 to 2 seconds for the lift, 2 seconds for the hold, and 4 seconds for the lower back down.

Do 10 to 12 reps and 2 to 3 sets, with 45 seconds of rest between each set..