are dumbbells enough??

Porcelaine22

I have started following full body dumbbell work outs I have found online (targeting different areas of my body on different days) as an addition to my cardio work outs which include running and Insanity.

The dumbbells I have a relatively small although heavy enough at the moment as I am just starting out. But I have very little space in my home for additional equipment.

Will dumbbells be enough so sufficiently 'weight train' in order to build muscle and reduce my fat percentage?

(I do plan to upgrade to heavier dumbbells when I can handle them)

Thank you for your advice guys in advance....

:flowerforyou:

onetooblown

bump

glocke12

Not really an expert on this but my guess is yes...

You may also want to look into programs and fitness routines that are designed around using your own body weight.

ghostrider1970

You can do pretty much everything with db, problem is with the fixed one you won't do much once you strength will start to oncrease. A better idea would be adjustable db, with a good amount of plates.

ghostrider1970

You may also want to look into programs and fitness routines that are designed around using your own body weight.

YAYOG (you are your own gym) is a good one

0OneTwo3

these: wont be enough.

but if you get adjustable ones:

get on a good program and always go heavy- than sure DB will be enough.

Porcelaine22

You can do pretty much everything with db, problem is with the fixed one you won't do much once you strength will start to oncrease. A better idea would be adjustable db, with a good amount of plates.



You may also want to look into programs and fitness routines that are designed around using your own body weight.


YAYOG (you are your own gym) is a good one

Ahhh thanks!! I will look at that

The weights I have just now are adjustable but are the very basic ones you can get from a store in the UK called Argos, which have 2 sets of plates, think with all the plates on, they are like 15kg (off the top of my head)

ghostrider1970

Buy more plates

Porcelaine22

Buy more plates

Definitely will do What sort of weight range should I be aiming to buy?

Porcelaine22

these: wont be enough.

but if you get adjustable ones:

get on a good program and always go heavy- than sure DB will be enough.

I have never liked pink anyway :P

Should I always lift the heaviest I can keep form with from the word go or should I work up to it?

0OneTwo3

Should I always lift the heaviest I can keep form with from the word go or should I work up to it?

you dont have to work your way up but you should first do 2-3 warmup sets for every muscle group with moderate weight. when you feel that you are warm up enough go as heavy as you can for that rep range.

and yes keeping good form is most important. just so you don't injure yourself.

darrensurrey

The amount you will choose will depend on your strength but as a rough guide, if you can happily do more than, say, 3 sets of 10 then they're too light. Ideally you want to be following a 3x6 or 5x5 routine - your final rep of your final set should be a killer.

You can still do the "big 3" - bench press, deadlift and squats with DBs. I have mainly been using DBs for the last 2 years and have experienced massive strength gains.

Bench press - quite straightforward to perform this with DBs. You may need a spotter if you don't want to damage the floor as you can't use a rack to save you. Otherwise you could just dump them on the floor if you are unable to perform the full set. Alternatively, try one hand DB press - this allows your free hand to spot for you. It's a real core killer, too.

Deadlift - watch a YT vid on how to do a BB deadlift - you'll see they bend forwards to hit the low back. If you don't bend forward at all, you'll just be doing hack squats.

Squats - the best exercise I've found for hitting the legs with DBs is to do Bulgarian squats. Really challenges the balance.

Add:
-DB shoulder press (one handed is safer and also really hits the core - anything where you're unbalanced will make the core work hard). Also one hand DB push press with a slightly heavier weight - jump up when you do it and it will use the calves and thighs as well as the shoulders.
-bent over rows using a bench (aka chainsaws) - hits the lats, biceps and the core
-lying leg raises - hands on the floor by your hips, don't just raise the legs but get your hips off the ground (try to touch the ceiling the your toes)

That ought to do it.

DavPul

Dumbbells are perfectly fine but I'd bet any amount of money that the weight you are using isn't nearly heavy enough

bellaamor30

Bump

BeachIron

You're going to have a difficult time loading adjustable dumbbells to heavy enough weights to make a difference, especially for leg work. If you're in a gym with access to heavy dumbbells then you should be okay, though it's still easier to load a barbell with enough weight to do heavy back squats than it is to support a dumbbell to do goblet squats.

darrensurrey

At home, you may find it tricky to get much beyond 25kg per DB for Bulgarian squats. At the gym I use 2x40kg DBs for Bulgarian squats. At that weight, each leg gets suitably worked. I'll consider a weight vest to add another 20kg to it eventually (or wear a dipping belt). 100kg through one leg is going to be a killer.