Dumbell Workout
Workouts with Dumbbells!

A Dumbell Workout can be just as productive as barbells and much more productive than machine workouts. Dumbells give you the ability to work each arm, leg, and side of your body indpendent of the other arm, leg, or side of your body.

If you have weaknesses in one side of your body and you're trying to catch one side up to the other side, you might consider using dumbells for certain exercises. Or you might consider trying the entire dumbell workout I that I recommend below.

I started my home gym with a good set of adjustable dumbbells. I was able to do entire workouts with a single set of adjustable dumbells. And I made very good progress that way! And you can too.


If you're looking to create your own home gym and you just don't have the money for all the Home Gym Equipment, you can spend a few hundred dollars on a good set of adjustable dumbbells and weights and have everything you need to get started.


Dumbell workouts combined with the WLC Program will build more muscle than you ever imagined. I'm going to go over the recommended exercises for each major muscle group. All you need to do is set up your WLC Program with these exercises and you'll be well on your way to the body you've always wanted.

As explained in the WLC Program, you will need to concentrate on building strength in the muscle building rep ranges. Over the WLC Cycle, you will get stronger than ever before.


This ensures that you build muscle along the way! Here are the exercises I want you to focus on during your WLC Cycle of only dumbell workouts. See the Weight Lifting Exercises section for more details on each exercise.

Quads
Dumbell Squats
Squats with the dumbells at your sides. Make sure you squat down as far as possible with every rep. This ensures you are getting a full stretch in the bottom position for your quads. Keep your lower back tight and look straight ahead as you perform each rep. Push thru your heels each and rep and lower the weight slowly.


Hamstrings
Dumbell Stiff Legged Deadlifts
Start with the dumbbells at your sides at the top position. Lower slowly while rotating the dumbbells to the front position in front of your thighs. Ensure you get a good stretch in your hamstrings at the bottom position. Don't overdo the stretch. Push thru your heels on the way up.


Calves
Dumbell Standing Calf Raises
You'll need a good calf block to perform this exercise or simply use the floor. You'll be missing out on the stretch position, though, which is very important. So, build you a calf block or buy one to get the most out of this calf exercise.


Chest
Dumbell Incline Bench Press
You'll need an adjustable bench to do this exercise. If you don't have an adjustable bench, I suggest you do Parallel Dips as a back up exercise to the incline bench press. You could also use push ups as a substitute, but you'll need a way to progress. You could add higher resistance bands as you go or use a back pack to add weights. You have to have a method of progression, though, to meet the WLC Guidelines!


Back
Dumbell Bent Over Rows
Simply do dumbell rows in a bent over position. Keep your lower back tight and look straight ahead. Lower slowly and make sure you get those dumbells up for a peak contraction each and every rep. Concentrate. Your back is a huge muscle. Use your back to pull the dumbbells, not your arms. This is a great exercise for dumbbell workouts or any workout for that matter!


Shoulders
Dumbell Overhead Press
You'll have to clean the dumbells into position to start this exercise. Once you have them in position, lift them overhead and lower slowly for each rep. Do the required amount of reps depending on where you are in the WLC Program.


Biceps
Alternate Dumbell Curls
Alternate doing curls with each arm. Really focus on lifting the weight with your biceps and nothing else. Control the negative portion of the rep.


Triceps
Close Grip Dumbbell Bench
You'll once again need an adjustable bench, but you'll want it in the flat position. All you have to do here is use a parallel grip, which means your palms will be facing each other in the bottom position of the bench press. Keep your arms tucked into your sides as you press upwards. Your triceps will have to do most of the work.


Forearms
Pinwheel Curls
These are similar to hammer curls, but you'll be alternating arms much like the alternate dumbbell curls. Simply lift the weight across your body instead of outwards like a hammer curl, one arm at a time. So your right arm will lift the weight towards your left shoulder and vice versa. This is a great forearm exercise.

Use the above dumbell exercises in conjunction with the WLC Program. If you're trying to build muscle or lose fat, use a calorie surplus or calorie deficit respectively. You will make the best progress of your life with WLC.


If you need any personal help, please let me know by joining WLC Space and starting a forum thread. I've provided WLC Space and this website as a service to you for free. I want you to succeed, so don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have.


If you enjoyed this page on dumbell workouts, please add it to your favorite pages and bookmarks using the links below. You can also use the easy toolbar under the navigation bar on the upper left to subscribe to my weight lifting blog and Ezine. Toolbars are also there to add this page to your favorite tool such as My Yahoo or Google pages.