The Best Dumbbell Exercises – Full Workout - Crossliftor

Dumbbells aren't just for building up your arms. In fact, this equipment also enables you to strengthen all the muscles in your body. Dumbbells also allow you to vary loads for more targeted and effective work, while implying a notion of instability that's very good for optimizing your training. Here are a few of the best Dumbbell exercises for you to reproduce at home, classified by body part, along with a sample workout at the end!

Dumbbell exercises for pectorals

Let's start with a classic, the one we all love to do on Mondays: the dumbbell pec session! !

Dumbbell bench press exercise

The dumbbell bench press works the pectoralis major and minor muscles, the triceps, and the front of the shoulders.

Exercise :

1. Lie horizontally without tilting the bench, back flat except for the lumbar region and legs at 90° with the weights close to your chest.

2. Exhale as you push the dumbbells up over your collarbone until your arms are almost straight.

3. Inhale to return to starting position.

4. Repeat

5. The trick is to remember to engage your dorsal muscles as well, to fix your back and release more strength through improved stability.

Prone or incline with dumbbells

The bench press will primarily stimulate the pectoral muscles. It's a very useful isolation exercise to perform at the end of a session.

Exercise :

1. Lying on a bench in a horizontal position or slightly inclined at 2 or 3 notches, arms forming a triangle, dumbbells positioned above and close to the middle of your chest.

2. Exhale as you push the weights upwards

3. Slightly retract your shoulder blades, unlock your elbows and slowly lower the dumbbells to your sides as you inhale. Do not straighten your arms.

4. Repeat

5. The trick is not to go too low, and to focus your intention on the target area for maximum feedback.

Pull-over exercise

The pullover will be highly effective for working the pectoral muscles, the large dorsal muscles and the arms.

Exercise :

1. A dumbbell or weight disc between your hands, shoulder blades resting on the bench, knees bent and buttocks under the bench. Extend your arms so that the weight is above your head.

2. Keep your arms straight and tilt your shoulders back. Slowly lower the weight behind your head, exhaling until you reach bench height.

3. Inhale as you return to the starting position.

4. Repeat

5. Stay focused as the weight passes overhead. It's safe to grab the Dumbbell by one side, with your hands around the bar supporting the weight disc.

To strengthen your back

There are many dumbbell exercises you can do to strengthen your back, develop your stature andimprove your posture.

Dumbbell Rowing

Dumbbell rowing is an essential classic, as is barbell rowing, which can be used to strengthen: lats, rhomboids, middle trapezius, deltoids, biceps, etc.

Movement:

1. Standing, arms straight with weights, bend your knees and tilt your pelvis, keeping your back straight.

2. Exhale as you bring the dumbbells up close to your stomach or ribcage.

3. Inhale as you slowly lower the weights.

4. Repeat.

5. Don't forget to sheathe your abdominal chain as much as possible to stabilize your back and prevent injury.

The Rowing bucheron

The famous " bucheron" rowing , which not only builds the muscles of the lats, trapezius and arms, but also provides a superb sensation during the movement.

Exercise :

1. Weight in right hand, left hand and knees on bench, back flat and head aligned with spine.

2. Exhale as you pull the dumbbell towards you, bending at the elbow; your shoulder should make a controlled release and not remain static.

3. Pause at the top before slowly lowering the weight as you inhale.

4. Alternate sets on each side.

Renegade Row exercise

The renegade will work your back, biceps and abs too!

Exercise :

1. Dumbbells on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Grab the weights, leaning on the bars, and get into a pump position.

2. Keep one arm outstretched and bring the other up towards your lower abdomen while remaining as upright as possible.

3. Lower the load to the floor and switch sides.

4. Remember to perform the exercise with your abs tucked in and the movement under control.

Dumbbell exercises for the shoulders

For a good pecs session when you're on a PPL (push, pull, leg) organization we often combine shoulder exercises with. Here are a few examples:

The Arnold or dumbbell bench press

The famous Arnold bench press is usually performed with a barbell, but you can also do it with dumbbells. Muscles exercised: Anterior and middle deltoids

Exercise :

1. Sitting, arms flexed in front of you, palms facing up.

2. Exhale as you raise your arms and rotate your palms so that they face forward.

3. Slowly descend as you inhale.

4. Repeat.

Lateral raises

One of the best exercises for strengthening your deltoids is lateral raises, with or without the chest bent:

Exercise :

1. Stand with weight on your sides, palms facing inwards, feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.

2. Exhale as you lift until your arms are horizontal.

3. Inhale to descend

4. Repeat

5. Stay focused and sheathed.

The bird

The bird is actually a lateral lift, but with the torso bent at 90 degrees.

Muscles exercised: Posterior deltoids

Exercise :

1. Sitting, upper body forward, arms hanging down

2. Exhale as you bring the weights up, arms straight out to the sides.

3. Stop for a moment, then slowly breathe back down.

4. Repeat

Exercises for triceps

Although the triceps are involved in polyarticular movements such as some of the exercises explained above, they also need to be worked specifically. The pulley is a basic exercise, but it's rare to have such a machine at home. So here are a few dumbbell exercises.

Decline or neck extension

Theneck extension is a great exercise for working the lateral, medial and tricepslongus muscles.

Exercise :

1. Lying on a decline bench (head down), dumbbells up, arms straight.

2. Lower the weights with your forearms so that they are above your head as you inhale.

3. Raise them to the top position, exhaling.

4. Repeat.

Vertical extension

Vertical extension is much the same principle, but seated with a straight chest. The muscles targeted are mainly those of the triceps as well.

Exercise :

1. Sitting, dumbbell overhead, back straight.

2. Bend only your elbow to lower the dumbbell behind your head

3. Contract the muscle at the back of your arm to raise the weight.

4. Repeat the movement

Standing or seated kick-back

Muscles exercised: Triceps brachial

Exercise :

1. Stand with upper body bent forward, back flat, head slightly raised, elbow at 90° and knees bent.

2. Stretch your arms backwards with the strength of your triceps.

3. Pause for a moment before lowering the weights back to the starting position.

4. Repeat.

Dumbbell exercises for biceps

Who doesn't like working their biceps? It's generally one of the most popular workouts or part of a workout. However, if you're looking for aesthetic appeal, you need to target different exercises, with or without dumbbells, so that the biceps form in a balanced way.

Biceps curl

The biceps curl is the basic exercise that not only strengthens your biceps, but also impacts your forearms.

Exercise :

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, dumbbell in each hand in neutral grip, arms hanging.

2. Bring both dumbbells to the front of each shoulder at the same time, keeping your elbows close to your sides (this is extremely important).

3. Lower gently. Don't extend your back or swing to make it easier to come back up. The muscle working is the biceps! If this is not possible, then lower the weight and favor the technique.

4. Repeat

Alternating biceps curl muscle isolation

This is the same exercise as above, but in an alternating fashion, to isolate the biceps muscle.

Exercise :

1. Stand with dumbbells at your sides, arms slightly bent, palms facing inwards.

2. Lift a weight upwards, rotating it so that your hand is palm-up.

3. Slowly lower the dumbbell, then do the same with the second weight.

4. Repeat

Hammer grip curl

The hammer grip curl works the width of the biceps to make it more visible from the front. The muscles targeted are the brachioradialis, the brachialis and the biceps.

Exercise :

1. Standing, arms and weights close to the body, palms facing the body, back straight.

2. Contract your arms, exhale and bend your elbows without moving them away from your body.

3. Hold the position for one second before coming back down and breathing in.

4. Repeat the movement

Dumbbell leg exercises

Dumbbell deadlift

The king of dumbbell deadlifts.

Muscles exercised: Buttocks, hamstrings

Exercise :

1. Stand with buttocks back, legs straight, upper body inclined, back flat, dumbbell in each hand, palms facing the body.

2. Pull yourself up, contracting your hamstrings and glutes and pushing on the outside of your feet as if you were trying to split the floor in two, while keeping your back flat.

3. Descend with arms straight.

4. Look ahead and follow the movement.

Squat (and variations)

Squatting will always be better for your form than constant pressing. Both are of course beneficial if coupled.

Muscles exercised: Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, abs and back.

Exercise :

1. Stand with feet slightly apart and facing outwards, body straight, dumbbells at shoulder level.

2. Bend the legs to perform a squat, keeping the back straight and the dumbbells in the same position.

3. Exhale as you come back up.

4. Repeat

You can do the same movement with dumbbells overhead (overhead squat) or in a sumo squat with a single weight held between your legs.

Dumbbell lunges

Dumbbell lunges are one of those exercises where, in addition to supporting the weight, you need to stabilize your body and its position. So it's a great exercise whether you're moving forwards, backwards or in a straight line back and forth.

Muscles exercised: upper legs, buttocks

Exercise :

1. Stand up straight, weight by your side, palms facing your thighs, feet slightly less than shoulder-width apart.

2. Take a large step forward, bending your knee so that your thigh is parallel to the ground and leaning on your heel.

3. Exhale and return to the starting position.

4. Repeat the movement

How to target the abs with a dumbbell?

Never neglect your abs, you can add an exercise at the beginning or end of all your sessions.

Dumbbell crunch

Muscles exercised: rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis

Exercise :

1. Lying down, feet raised, weight on chest

2. Roll upper back

3. Unroll then repeat

The other exercises (polyarticular), particularly for the legs, also engage the abs, provided you contract them.

Why use dumbbells in your training?

We know that dumbbells help guide the execution of exercises by stabilizing movement, but there are other benefits too.

Versatility and benefits

These types of exercises work the whole body, so you can target specific muscles as well as related ones. This helps you build mass and a solid foundation. Your strength will be developed in a sustainable way. What's more, bodybuilding exercises are highly varied and accessible to all.

They also help you burn fat , boost your metabolism and build muscle mass.

Why choose barbell over dumbbell exercises?

Dumbbells offer greater freedom of movement and trajectory. Even if they're less easy to handle, there are plenty of exercises to choose from, depending on the muscles you want to work. Unlike barbell exercises, you can rotate your wrists, change the orientation of your hands, and so on. What's more, with dumbbells, your dominant arm won't be supporting all the weight - you'll be working both.

Typical session

Here's a typical workout you can do, with more repetitions if you're aiming for hypertrophy, and fewer than 8 if you're working on strength. When you're a beginner, you should always do 10 to 12 repetitions with light to medium-heavy weights. Get in touch with a coach for advice or to design a customized program for you.

1. Lunges

2. Rowing dumbbell

3. Dumbbell spread

4. Bird

5. Curl hammer grip

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