Dumbbell Versus Barbell Exercises

Dumbbells versus barbells. This is a battle with a clear line drawn in the sand. Proponents on each side have strong beliefs about why their weapon of choice is the best. If you listen to one side long enough they might just convince you that they are right, until you hear the arguments from the other side. When it really comes down to it, the truth of the matter is that both sides are right. A balanced bodybuilding program should incorporate both barbells and dumbbells, because each have their benefits, and their flaws.

Dumbbells may be descendents of the ancient training tool, the Indian club. The barbell is a more recent development, although the use of a bar to carry objects suspended from both ends has been cited in ancient literature. So, the actual origin of each is blurred slightly by the acceptance of various predecessors. Regardless of when each type of training tool began, they both have enjoyed success in spurts. At first they were the only options for weight trainers, then machines, bands, balls, and other equipment came in to replace them, however, they have both enjoyed a come back in recent years.

Barbells require two hands and a balanced grip. Barbell exercises can utilize more weight due to the two handed grip and leverage advantage of pulling the strong side in to help the weak side. More weight means more strength and size gains. It is also argued that a person can handle more with a barbell than they could combined between two dumbbells. This is because the bar acts as a lever between the two sides and the strong side can “pull” the weak side along. For this same fact, however, some exercises work to make the strong side stronger and the weak side never closes the gap.

Dumbbells are used by one hand and require the use of the supporting muscles to stabilize the weight. The fact that the weights are held separately requires each side to work equally. Dumbbells work great for equalizing strength on both sides. Exercises that can be done with barbells can also be done with dumbbells, with the added benefit of pulling in the assistance muscles. The balance and stabilization required when doing dumbbell exercises cause twice as many muscles to be called into play when performing the exercises. Dumbbells allow you to move your hands through a natural range of motion during exercises, reducing wrist, elbow and shoulder strain, as well.

So, it doesn’t matter which side of the line you find yourself on, dumbbells or barbells. Both pieces of equipment should be a part of your training arsenal. A combination of barbell and dumbbell training will help you develop a balanced physique and work all those small stabilizing muscles, at the same time. You don’t have to draw a line in the sand, instead put them both to work for you.

Top Dumbbell Bodybuilding Exercises

Dumbbells are often the forgotten tool in bodybuilding. With the advent of machines, the popularity of dumbbells declined. The problem with that is the reduction in stabilizing muscle involvement. The muscles that stabilize the joints during a free weight lift are often taken out of the exercise during a machine exercise.

When training to build muscle many of the exercises are the same whether you use barbells, dumbbells, kettle bells, machines, or any other equipment. When developing the chest and shoulders you need to use pressing motions. The back requires lots of pulling motions from different angles. The arms can really be developed using dumbbells. Many people forget about the potential for some great leg work using dumbbells, as well.

Since they are often forgotten, let’s start with the legs. Squatting with dumbbells adds an extra degree of comfort because the weights can be held in a position that fits your body. The weights can be held at the shoulders, in tight to the chest, or hanging down at the sides. The position of the weights also allows for a more natural body position during the lift. Avoid the temptation to lean forward or look down because it can cause back injury just as it does in regular squats. Stiff-legged dead lifts are also a great leg exercise with the dumbbells. Heel raises can be done for the calves. One of the best all around leg shaping exercises is the lunge and dumbbells are ideal for performing this exercise.

Moving up the body to the abdominals and obliques, dumbbells can be used to sculpt this area, as well. Crunches with dumbbells for resistance are great for a change up. The resistance lowers the number of repetitions needed to get a great pump. Side bends holding one dumbbell or twists with the dumbbells out in front are also great for the obliques. Good mornings with the weights held in front are a great way to work the lower back area. These are done in a bowing motion, as if greeting someone good morning.

Moving farther up still, to the chest, we find many more dumbbell exercises. Dumbbell bench presses call a lot more support muscles into play than the regular bench press. It also allows for more involvement from the inner attachment. These can be done from the flat, incline, or decline positions. Dumbbell flys, again from any of the angles, are great for overall chest development. Dumbbell pullovers, done from a lying position, will bring all the attachments into play.

Now, the shoulders are another area that dumbbells are commonly used for. Dumbbell overhead presses really hit the meat of the shoulder. Dumbbell lateral raises done standing, or bent over for the rear deltoids, are great for shaping and sculpting. Using dumbbells for upright rowing motions can take some of the stress of the wrists and make the exercise more effective. Shrugging exercises with the dumbbells will place the shoulder in a more natural alignment and may reduce some of the stress on the rotator cuff muscles.

Okay, finally we are at the back. The king of back exercises would have to be the deadlift. And, the deadlift can be performed with dumbbells. Mind you, the weight may be reduced, but the strict form that can be adhered to with dumbbells can make this exercise tough. The weight can be held closer to the body and a straighter back can be accomplished with dumbbells. Bent over one-arm rowing can be done with dumbbells also, to help develop the sweep of the lats. Two arm rowing, from a bent-over position or lying face down on a high bench, is great for developing the thickness and lines of the upper back.

When planning your training routine don’t forget the value of dumbbells. They really call the supporting muscles into play and allow for a great range of motion. They can be used for bulking, as well as shaping, exercises. Most exercises can be adapted to dumbbells. So don’t be a dumbbell, use dumbbells in your training.

Building Bigger Abs

I am sure most of you like the look of a ripped six pack and it is one way that people view how fit you are. Most people think that doing hundreds of crunches and leg raises will get you a nice set of abs, which is wrong. Essentially to have a nice 6 pack you need to have a low body fat %.

There are ways to increase the size of your abs and make them look bigger. Training your abs require a different approach than most muscles in your body.

One of the best things that has worked for me is to add weight to you ab exercises and do plenty of reps.

Here are the Top Ab Exercises for mass:

Cable Crunches
This is a great exercise for your upper abs. Adding weight will have a better effect than your normal crunch. You do these on a pulldown machine with the rope as an attachment. Start on your knees, holding the rope right above your head. Bend inwards like you are doing a crunch and try to get your abs to do the work instead of your arms.

Do a weight in which you can barely do 12-15 reps. Do 4 sets of 12-15 reps with 30-60 seconds rest in between.

Hanging Leg Raises
These work especially well for your lower abdominal muscles. Find a pullup bar or squat rack where you can hang and lift your legs up.

While hanging on the bar with arms shoulder length apart lift your legs up 90 degrees while keeping them straight. If it is too tough to do these then try bending at your knee. Do not swing while doing these. Do enough of these to get a good burn going.

Reverse Crunches
These can be done on a flat bench or declined bench depending on your strength. Basically lying flat with legs together, bring your knees into your chest. Keep you back planted in place unlike a normal crunch where your upper body moves toward your knees.

Doing these three exercises alone 2-3 times a week will increase the size of all your abdominal muscles. You will need to incorporate this will a high calorie protein diet in order to increase size. At first you will probably get a little tummy fat, but once you trim up a bit, you will notice a difference,

Building Massive Chest Muscles

Are you looking for a massive chest like Arnold Schwarzenegger? Notting hit the chest muscle properly will leave you with under develop pec muscles.

Here are some tips to build bigger chest muscles:

Focus on lifting heavy with volume
Lifts such as bench press and incline press allow you to lift more weight than other isolation exercises in the gym. Do not be afraid to stack a bunch of weight on the bar when doing bench press or other chest exercises. You need to stress the muscles as much as possible in order for tem to repair and increase size. Ideally you should be shooting for 6-10 reps on bench press, while doing about 4 sets. You should be pushing yourself to almost failure on each set and it should not be easy. Do not go to low of reps or you will be working more on strength and not size.

Vary your chest exercises
Do not be one of the persons that is always doing flat bench every week to look cool. You need to be hitting incline, decline, and flys. Also, make sure you switch from barbells to dumbbells from time to time. Change the order or your chest exercises for a given day as well.

Incorporate Weighted Dips
Many people ignore this really effective chest exercise. It actually works your chest really well along with your triceps. Be sure to add weight to dips for added effectiveness. I never thought dips worked well until I started adding weight. Start with 25 pounds and keep working your way up. You will need a dip belt once you start doing more than about 50 pounds with a dumbbell. Weighted dips are definitely one of the best chest exercises.

Focus on proper form
Make sure your form is correct on all of your exercises. Not only cold you cause yourself injury, but you could be limiting your progress. Leave your ego behind and focus on technique rather than how much weight you can stack up.

Soon you will start seeing added size to your pectoral muscles by following these simple tips.

Squating The Right Way For Big Legs

I see way to many people with horrible squat technique at the gym. Doing them wrong will limit your gains and could cause serious injuries.  Squats are by far the most effective exercises for building leg muscles.

How to do a proper squat:

• Legs a little further than parallel
• Bar resting right behind your neck
• Keep you face aimed forward and do not look down
• Go down right below parallel or 90 degrees. This is actually better for your knees than stopping before parallel
• Do not take a rest in between reps. One continuous motion

Here is a good video to show you the proper form:

Building Bigger Calf Muscles

Do you have trouble getting your calf muscles to grow? Calf muscles seem to be a more difficult muscle to build and require a different training philosophy than most muscles.

Tips to growing bigger calf muscles:

• Make sure you have incorporated squats and deadlift into your routine.   These are great core exercises for the legs that also hit the calf muscles.
• Lift heavy and hard. Make sure you are lifting heavy and getting at least 8 reps. Aim for 4 sets on each exercise.
• Hit the calf from different angles. Make sure when doing calf raises that you vary the angle of your feet. Vary your toes inward and outward to hit different muscles in the calf.
• Do 2-3 exercises directly hitting the calf muscles. Some good ideas of exercises include: standing calf raises, seated calf raises, donkey calf raises, and calf raises on the leg press machine.
• Vary your routine from week to week. Change the exercises, reps, or weight from week to week.
• Last but not least – make sure you are eating enough calories and protein to help your muscles grow!

Weighted Dips - The Best Chest Exercise

So what is the best chest exercise? I am willing to bet most of you will think of bench press or flys when thinking of the best chest exercises.

Have you tired to dips lately? Dips really hit your chest muscles hard and it seems to stretch the muscle. If they seem too easy try doing weighted dips. There are a couple ways you can do weighted dips. The easiest way is to buy a dip belt and hang the width from the belt. You can also put a dumbbell in between your ankles while doing the dips. This will limit the amount you can add however.

When should you start adding weight to dips?
I would say once you are able to do 15-20 reps easily, then you should start adding weight.

How much weight should you add?
I like to start with 25 and workup to 45 then 90. Try to work you way up with the weights as your able to do more reps. Stick to about 8-10 reps.

So try doing some weighted dips today. You will be amazed how your chest feels after a few sets of them!!

So what are your Top 5 Exercises?

My top 5 exercises are:

Squat: I have always like squats as a way to build your muscles. Essentially this is the only leg exercises you need to ever do.

Deadlift: I have recently started doing this in the past year and it has had a great effect on your overall back and hamstring development. I highly recommend this to anyone who doesn’t currently do them. I rarely see anyone at the gyms doing them.

Standing Overhead Press: This is probably my favorite exercise and I like it better than bench press. I like having the strength to lift heavy weight above my head. Make sure you do these instead of seated press. This is a great core exercise.

Dips: Dips are my favorite exercise for chest. I really get nothing out of these unless I start adding weight to them.

Bench Press: Who doesn’t like bench press? Its one of those things you like to be strong at since everyone will ask you have much do you bench.

So what are some of your favorite exercises? I would love to here your thoughts.