Once you’ve decided to use dumbbells to achieve your fitness goals, you are faced with the hard task of choosing the right weight lifting regimen. The good news is that there are several programs that can be used by exercisers at varied levels of fitness, what’s required is for you to examine each in conjunction with your needs and goals and select the best one.

Choosing a Weight group

Before even considering a dumbbell based exercise program, you should fix an appointment with your physician to ensure you’re in a good enough condition physically to follow such a routine. This is especially important for older folk and those who’ve suffered medical complications or critical injuries in the past. Even if you feel you’re sufficiently recovered or in great physical health, it’s recommended that you make sure you have your Doctor’s go-ahead.

Once you’ve done that, you need to identify the part of your body you intend to develop. Of course, you don’t have to restrict yourself to one part. There are many different routines which you can combine effectively to give your body a full workout. For instance, people looking to develop their chest should adopt a program that includes dumbbell presses – flat dumbbell presses and incline dumbbell presses.

Those wanting to lose weight and tone up their abdominal muscles at the same time should incorporate such exercises as crunches and reverse crunches. Keep in mind though, that the stomach muscles, like any other muscle group, also required to be trained in accordance with the principles of resistance training.

If a back that ripples with muscles is your fitness goal, then follow a program that includes one-armed dumbbell rows, pull ups and bent over barbell rows. If you’re looking to gain broad shoulders, engage in more overhead dumbbell presses, lateral dumbbell presses and seated rows.

While barbells are taller and larger than dumbbells, the latter make for more challenging exercise sessions due to the fact that dumbbells allow you to vary the weights from 5 lbs to over 100 lbs. This makes a weight lifting regimen suited for body building, sports, endurance and resistance training.

Developing muscle strength

Not only can dumbbells be used to tone and develop different muscle groups, but they can also be used to strengthen them in both the upper and lower body. Also, a dumbbell based workout can easily be incorporated into a person’s natural body movements. This gives dumbbell exercises flexibility, allowing you to use them either to tone or strengthen different parts of your body such as your chest, biceps, abdominal muscles etc.

Types of Dumbbell sets

Exercisers can choose from two types of dumbbell styles – fixed and variable weights. The adjustable type comes with discs that are fixed to the bar in order to add or remove weight. The steel bars that the discs are attached to measure 14” in length and 1” in diameter. Such variable or adjustable weights are secured with the help of clips or collars that are included in the package.

Fixed weights, on the contrary, don’t allow you to add or remove weights, thereby making it impossible to adjust them. These are manufactured using either hard outer plastics with concrete fillings or just plain heavy metals. They are suited for beginners and other home users who aim to engage in light weight exercises.

Which set of dumbbells should you buy?

Before buying a set, take the time to heft them up and feel the grip keeping in mind that you’ll be using them with sweaty hands. It’s advised that you go in for dumbbells that have no-slip features to avoid chances of slipping. Those made out of metal should have cross hatch patterns on the bars to enable a slip-proof grip. When purchasing fixed weights, try and pick up a set that’s rubber coated for better grip.

Fitness remains as an important concern in our minds today. It is more than mere walking, stretching out or playing games. To stay fit you need to do the correct exercises that the body particularly needs supplemented by the right nutrition. Not to forget the essential mind factor – motivation and determination which keeps us going through the enduring stages and helps us maintain an exercise routine. Even the thought of possessing a well-shaped body makes us feel positive and confident. The fitness training or program would depend on to what level of fitness you desire. Fitness is linked to losing weight or maintaining the appropriate weight levels. If you want to believe the experts, they suggest you can get a complete resistance training workout with the help of dumbbells alone!

Dumbbells have emerged as an inexpensive alternate to gym. You need not have the bulky and costly equipments at home when you can flexibly workout under proper guidance only with a pair of dumbbells. The additional advantage is that it’s easily available, storable and you can carry them easily. It is very important that you make and stick to a routine for dumbbell exercises to be more effective. Dumbbell exercises do not take much time and can be adjusted to one’s personal comfort level.

Dumbbells help us to get back in shape, stabilize joints and increase stamina. Dumbbells can bring about weight reduction, weight control, muscle toning and definition or can be a part of advanced workout fitness routine. The two essential parts of a weight loss program are strength training and cardio exercise. The stored fat in the adiposities of our body are released with the help of cardio exercises. This fat is not allowed to return to the storage cells and burnt by lightweight exercises with dumbbells. Regular exercising increases the Basic Metabolic Rate which keeps on burning the fat even when our body is in a position of rest.

Before starting the dumbbell exercise as part of a weight loss program beginners should understand that there has to be a clear defined aim of exercise because there are specific exercises for different target areas. It is important to know one’s own capacity and then chose the weight accordingly. Remember heavy weights do not mean faster results, but more number of repetitions with less weight gives best results. A percentage of the maximum amount of weight that can be lifted one time is the amount of weight to be used for each exercise known as one max repetition. This varies from person to person.

It is advisable to seek proper advice from a physician and a fitness trainer before starting any exercise routine so to avoid any serious health hazards. Weight exercises should always begin with a proper warm up. Take into consideration the manner of breathing which should be as per the movements and proper rest after each cycle of exercises. One should discontinue the exercises if accompanied by persistent pain though beginners should note that like any other routine exercise an initial soreness of the limbs is expected and is normal. The right way to end the dumbbell exercise is with a stretching and cooling down session which help the muscles return to a normal state.

The basic exercises have to be supplemented with effective dumbbell exercises to have a complete weight loss and toning up of your body. Basic exercises for weight loss may include crunches, squats, leg raises and push-ups and some fundamental weight training exercises with dumbbells are standing side laterals, standing bent laterals, front dumbbell raises, dumbbell curls, squats and lunges with dumbbells, dumbbell rows, wrist extensions and curls and many more.

For any kind of exercise and especially for dumbbell exercises you should try to complete two sets of 10 to 12 repetitions initially. These repetitions should increase in coming weeks depending on the amount of strength and resistency developed. And once sufficient strength is developed you can carry one set of 6 to 8 repetitions until your body can’t resist anymore. Here setting a target to achieve helps one to motivate and encourage oneself to cross into the next level of difficulty.

Dumbbell exercises strengthen the parts of body that are being worked on whether it be the arms, legs, shoulders, buttocks or hamstrings by burning the excess fat thus toning the muscles and giving the body a leaner look. Best option is that you do exercises for a particular group of muscles on a single day and alternate for other body parts on other days. And all you need for this is just 10 to 15 minutes per day which would result in all around body development and fitness. Now that you know that there are several benefits of weight training through dumbbells and it isn’t only meant to develop bulk muscle and increase mass, when are you getting your pair of dumbbells?

Buy yourself a pair and you can start working out the very same day from within the comforts of your home. This offers you the advantage of not only saving up on gym memberships but also on the gas and time expenses involved in commuting to and fro. Adding to that is the fact that, dumbbells can be got at a fraction of the cost of fancy exercise machines such as treadmills and recumbent bicycles promoted by various television shows and sports magazines.

Having decided to get yourself a pair, it’s important that you read up and learn as much as you can about dumbbells so you get yourself the right set without spending any more than necessary.

Dumbbells, a few years ago, looked very basic consisting of metal bars with iron weights on both sides. While these were adequate for exercise, they didn’t really look very appealing and weren’t suited for home usage. Users found them hard to store at homes due to their tendency to roll around and get in the way. A lot has changed since then. Today, you can buy dumbbells in a variety of styles, weights and shapes.

What’s more, they come in both fixed and variable styles. The variable ones that allow you to change the size of weights on either side come equipped with clamps and screw fixtures. These are best suited for people intent on beefing up considerably as they are capable of supporting up to 50 pounds. Fixed style dumbbells, on the other hand, are better suited for beginners and users looking to develop a toned body or lose a few pounds. They are available in a variety of styles and have hex or octagonal shaped weights that don’t roll around too much. Those meant especially for home usage are covered with rubber or vinyl so they don’t damage the surface they’re set down on.

Home exercisers looking to buy a pair they can take along with them on travels should consider the purchase of aqua dumbbells. These ingeniously designed dumbbells, when empty, only weigh a few ounces, take up very little space and can easily fit into a briefcase or backpack. As the name suggests, the weight is a result of water which the dumbbells are filled with for a workout. Aqua dumbbells allow a maximum weight of 16 lbs.

Some important points you need to consider before purchasing your pair are your fitness goals, your workout location and storage space.

Fitness enthusiasts looking to tone their bodies will require dumbbells weighing between 12 lbs (for women) and 20 lbs (for men). In addition, though, you’ll require an alternate pair that weighs a little more and allows you to vary your workout. Two-pound increments are ideal for women and elderly folk while five-pound increments work best for men.

Make these important decisions and you’re ready to go shopping. My advice to beginners is: Start with a simple plan and lighter weights to set a foundation. Build on it by upgrading as and when you feel the need to take your regimen to the next level.

Since there’s a chance you’ll soon graduate to heavier weights from your first, light-weight pair, it makes sense to buy these used. There are several people who buy dumbbells only to give up their exercise program within no time. Advertise for a used pair and you can save a good amount.

Brand new weights can cost anywhere between $1 per pound to $2.50 per pound depending on the style, number of dumbbells purchased and the outlet you purchase them at. It’s often possible to purchase them at bargain rates online; however, they can be expensive to ship.

Used dumbbells, on the other hand, can be bought for between 25 cents and 50 cents a pound. Such deals are often found in classified ads. Stores selling used sports equipment, thrift shops and garage sales are other places that might be worth searching.

With this information, you can now venture out to set up your home gym by buying competitively priced dumbbells based on your fitness goals. Don’t miss the next article where we share with you information about the best space-saving dumbbells available in the market today.

Main Muscle Worked: Chest (Pectoralis Major and Minor)
Other Muscles Worked: Triceps and Shoulders
Modifications: Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, and Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

The dumbbell bench press is the staple chest building exercise for dumbbell enthusiasts with many modifications existing to work the chest very effectively.

How to do one rep: Sit on the end of the bench and support dumbbells on your knees and roll onto your back while bringing your dumbbells into the air above and slightly wider than you shoulders, with palms facing forward. Force the dumbbells upwards so they come together above the centerline of your body, avoid locking out your elbows. Focus on keeping the weights balanced and your back straight and flat on the bench. Lower the dumbbells back down to your starting position, with your upper arm slightly below parralell with the ground so you feel a nice stretch across your chest.