What can I do with dumbbells?

Laurend224

I don't currently have access to a gym, and I don't have much room or funds for a ton of exercise equipment. What I do have is a set of dumbbells with ( plates?) That can go up to 20lbs. I have been looking around on YouTube for some sort of routine that looks like it would be doable, but still challenging.

If someone could point me in the right direction, I would be most grateful.

NoelFigart1

You can find a lot of dumbbell exercises here.

AliceDark

Sara did a whole post on how to do barbell routines when you only have dumbbells, although you'll max out your 20# dumbbells pretty quickly.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/902569/barbell-routines-when-you-only-have-dumbbells/p1

jim180155

The whole point of lifting weights is progressive overload. "Overload" means stressing your muscles by lifting a weight that you cannot lift more than 6 to 12 times. In the process your muscles will form micro-tears. Your muscles then repair themselves during recovery days and come back stronger than they were before. For guys, because of their significantly higher testosterone levels, their muscles will also come back bigger. "Progressive" means that you keep increasing the weight every time you hit your upper limit, whether it's 6, 8, 10, or 12 reps. (Note: you can go higher in reps, but then you're working on endurance, not strength.)

You're going to quickly outgrow those 20 lb dumbbells, leaving you with the option of buying more equipment or joining a gym. Unless . . .

Another way to achieve progressive overload is with a good bodyweight routine, such as the one on this page: startbodyweight.com/p/start-bodyweight-basic-routine.html

I'm using his progressions as the main focus of my workouts. I want to be able to do one-legged pistol squats, one-armed pushups, handstand pushups, one-arm pull ups, etc. I also supplement his exercises with dumbbells, since I have a set ranging from 5 lbs to 60 lbs. And rather than full body workouts three times per week I follow a push/pull/legs split so that each muscle group gets worked hard once a week for a total of three weekly workouts.

Take a look at the progressions. His pushup progression, for example, takes you from easy wall pushups to standard pushups to diamond pushups to uneven pushups and finally one-armed pushups. The routines provide the progressive part necessary to good muscle development, but rather than adding weights to increase the load, you're changing leverage to achieve it.

yopeeps025

dumbbell complex

ForecasterJason

Depending on your training experience, you may be able to do a lot of certain isolation exercises before they get too easy. I also have a pair of 20 lb dumbbells, have been doing some other weight training for a few months, and am still not maxed out with bicep curls, tricep extensions, and a couple other exercises.

bostonwolf

Once you max those out, easy enough to get heavier ones or kettlebells, which are also an excellent workout.

oncem0re

Try Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred level 1 - she uses alot of dumbells with that one and it's pretty great only 25 minutes workout. I have the CD but I know it's on Youtube for free on "Fit TV" something like that. Good luck!