Working out at home doesn’t have to be complicated, you don’t need expensive equipment either. I’m going to explain how you can do a full body workout with just dumbbells.
Just dumbbells!
Benefits to dumbbells
Dumbbells are a type of free weight equipment. Other examples include; barbells, kettle bells, plates etc. Compared to machines, free weight equipment allow you to better learn body control during movements.
Machines tend to keep you in a fixed position and provide plenty of support to create a certain motion. Free weighted exercises generally lack this control, and require you to familiarize yourself with how to stabilize your body while exercising.
These movements are also ones you often see in everyday life also known as functional movements. By doing them, you can improve how you feel throughout the day!
Dumbbells are also incredibly versatile and allow you to perform various exercises for every muscle group. From a bench press, to squat, to Turkish get-ups, the amount of exercises you can do with a dumbbell is outstanding.
Equipment can easily get in the way, and that becomes a hassle if you do not have a dedicated space strictly for a home gym. Luckily, dumbbells are incredibly compact and can be stored away in a moments notice.
I would even go as far as saying, you can get away with dumbbells being your only piece of equipment depending on your goals.
Goal
So the next step in learning how to exercise with dumbbells at home is understanding what goal you have for yourself. Think about that first, it will define your workout career.
Do you want to lose weight and look toned? How about building a lot of muscle? Maybe you are trying to improve your power and speed for a sport?
Your exercise selection, sets, reps, and weight, among other things, will be adjusted to match your desired outcome.
You can achieve a weight loss goal by using a higher number of reps and lighter weight, this is so you can increase the total amount of calories burnt! Make sure to track your weight with a scale!
You build muscle with a rep range of 8 – 12 combined with heavier weight.
If power and speed is your goal, using lighter weight with quick and powerful movements will benefit you.
Whatever it is, make sure you adjust what what you do to accommodate the goal.
Body part break down/ exercises for each muscle group.
For simplicity sake, because i don’t want to overwhelm you with information that is not necessarily needed to start, i will be providing a few examples of exercises per muscle group.
You can use this small library of home friendly dumbbell workouts to create your first exercise plan.
Chest:
Dumbbell Chest press, Dumbbell flys, Dumbbell Pullover
Shoulders:
Overhead press, lateral/front raises
Triceps:
Triceps kickbacks, skull crushers
Rear Delts:
Rear Delt raises
Lats:
dumbbell rows, shrugs
lower back:
Dumbbell dead lifts
Quadriceps:
Squats
Hamstrings:
Single leg dumbbell dead lift,
Calves:
calf raises
Glutes:
Hip thrusts
Full body workout with just dumbbells conclusion
Hopefully by the end of this article i was able to help you learn how to do a full body workout with just dumbbells.
If you are held back by the typical requirements of a gym, you can give these a try as you will get plenty of benefits and they set themselves apart from a gym’s equipment. They can end up being the only piece you want/need!
The idea may seem a little daunting, make sure you know what goal you would like to achieve. Be specific.
Once you understand that, select exercises and make adjustments to the sets/reps etc.
Good luck!