Dumbbells are an excellent tool to build fitness, burn off unwanted fat and build stronger, bigger muscles. After all, their ability to be used in unison, with one limb or in an alternating manner make them more versatile and effective than many other training tools. But be forewarned… there is not one “BEST” dumbbell workout for all occasions.
As a matter of fact, the “typical” dumbbell workout you find on the Internet, in books or in magazines is an example of one of the least effective ways to use dumbbells for self improvement. By “typical”, I mean a workout that uses lighter dumbbells to target small muscle groups like a bodybuilder.
If you want to get the most benefits from your dumbbell training, you need to stop looking for the best workout (singular), and start looking for a series of full body workouts you can rotate between. Keep reading to see what I mean.
Full Body Dumbbell Workouts For Fitness
One of the main reasons people work out is to “get fit”. And as stated earlier, dumbbells are great for improving fitness you can actually use in the real world because of the ways they can be utilized. You can use them together, one at a time and in an alternating fashion, just like real world movements.
In order to train as many fitness abilities as possible (strength, power, cardiorespiratory endurance, coordination, balance, etc.), you need to use a wide variety of dumbbell workouts. I suggest you use three different workouts (A,B and C) for each of your workout days. Use a wide variety of weights, rep ranges and rest periods to improve overall physical condition and work capacity. Remember, the goal is to improve fitness without sacrificing your fat loss or muscle building goals.
Full Body Dumbbell Workouts For Fat Loss
Dumbbell workouts for fat loss are NOT light dumbbells used for high repetitions. Fat loss workouts using dumbbells should be very challenging, use a wide variety of exercises and target the entire body. Making your dumbbell workout as challenging as possible not only burns a lot of calories during the workout… but also for hours AFTER the workout is completed.
For example, you could use 3 different workouts for each work day (A, B and C) and keep the rest periods low between exercises. Then when you start the second week, reduce the rest periods even further for more fat loss. But remember, the goal is to burn as much fat as possible without sacrificing your fitness and muscle building goals.
Full Body Workouts For Strength And Size
Most people would expect to see some type of split-routine here to build muscle. However, I believe full body workouts are best for building the type of athletically muscular body most people want. To build an athletic body, don’t train like a bodybuilder.
Use the heaviest dumbbells you can and perform compound exercise that use as many big muscle groups as possible. Choose your exercise based on movement patterns, and not the specific muscles they work. This is the way to build a strong, muscular body using dumbbells. And remember, don’t sacrifice your fitness and fat loss goals while building muscle.
Look, there is not a dumbbell workout in existence that can meet everyone’s goals under every circumstance. However, if you rotate between 3 different full body dumbbell workouts (one a month), you can build a fit, lean, athletically muscular body that performs as good as it looks.
