weight training only with dumbbells?

amvis
amvis Posts: 22 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
i am planning to weight train at home .i want to buy some weights.but i cant spend a fortune on them.i was thinking maybe i can buy some adjustable dumbbells.is it possible to weight train only with dumbbells?also what weight range would you recommend? could you please share your routines.

Replies

  • amvis
    amvis Posts: 22 Member
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  • gwhizeh
    gwhizeh Posts: 269 Member
    Sure why not? Might want a flat bench too. Anything is better than nothing though. What range will depend on you really. Just make sure you have a range you wont out lift anytime soon.

    Here is a link for dumbbell exercises and routines. http://www.dumbbell-exercises.com/index.html

    Good luck!
  • lcchrt
    lcchrt Posts: 234 Member
    It's possible :) That's what I have been doing up until this point! I actually feel way more comfortable at home anyway so it all works out. Just make a few different work outs up and switch it up every now and then. Try to push yourself :)
  • acrowder99
    acrowder99 Posts: 63 Member
    If you don't have the room for the bench right now you can use an aerobic step. That's turned out to be the best bench option out there - take it apart, put it away and it's out of the way. I stack two risers, throw a towel on it and there ya go. Learned it in a body sculpt class - perfect home bench.

    I think adjustable dumbells are a great place to start. The weight of them depends on your plan and lifting goals. Do you plan to do high reps with light weight or heavy weights with lower reps. I started with low weight, high reps and never made it over 15lbs. I switched to higher weight with low reps and lift a 45 lb bar right now but will be bumping up this week for sure - so you'd probably want to be able to get up to 50 lbs each in your dumbells to make sure you can use them for a while. Not sure if you are male or female though - if you are male probably higher. This is just my opinion, everyone is different of course.

    There are a lot of good plans out there - the popular ones are Stronglifts 5x5, New Rules of Lifting & 5/3/1. All of these assume you have a barbell & free weights but plenty of people are able to find dumbell alternatives with a little research.
  • daterminedfatburnerX
    daterminedfatburnerX Posts: 346 Member
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  • MicheleWE
    MicheleWE Posts: 179 Member
    Yes it is. I just saw a web page today with an at home dumbbell workout.
    http://www.weight-lifting-workout-routines.com/Dumbbell_Workouts.html
    Have fun!
  • amvis
    amvis Posts: 22 Member
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  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
    bodybuilding has tons of programs that you can do at home. I workout at home and doing a 30 day program then will switch it up!
  • oceanblue6
    oceanblue6 Posts: 76 Member
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  • trixiemou
    trixiemou Posts: 554 Member
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  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    You can get a good workout with dumbbells alone and the adjustable ones can go up quite high (I have a pair which go from 2.5 kg to 25 kg). The downside is that the smallest increments are 2.5 kg so for isolation work it is hard to progress from one to the other so I've had to buy some smaller increment weights to attach to them so I can now go up in 0.5 kg steps.

    At some point you may also want to invest in a barbell as it's hard to do compound moves with just dumbbells as the weight of dumbbells is a limiting factor which would eventually prevent you from pushing yourself fully.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    of course you can use just dumbbells. what is more important is finding a good routine that works everything in either full body or splits and doesn't have you overworking muscles and muscle groups, effectively negating what you previously did. Also, your routine should be progressive (i.e. regularly upping your weight) to get the benefits. Lifting the same weight day in and day out is going to do jack **** for you.

    Watch a lot of video and look at diagrams for form...form is the most important thing, more important than the weight you're pushing and pulling. The downside to dumbbells is that you eventually can lift too much weight and dumbbells no longer work...but that'll be a ways off.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
    I found youtube extremely helpful :) I have to use dumbbells when I cant go to gym and have no spotter
  • LaurnWhit
    LaurnWhit Posts: 261 Member
    Yes, I only workout with dumbbells. I highly recommend Mens Health Ultimate Dumbbell Guide.

    http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Ultimate-Dumbbell-Guide/dp/159486487X
  • TreEe5
    TreEe5 Posts: 41 Member
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  • Shan790
    Shan790 Posts: 280 Member
    i am planning to weight train at home .i want to buy some weights.but i cant spend a fortune on them.i was thinking maybe i can buy some adjustable dumbbells.is it possible to weight train only with dumbbells?also what weight range would you recommend? could you please share your routines.

    Keep an eye on Craigslist or kijiji or garage sales. People are always selling weights for cheap!
  • christinehetz80
    christinehetz80 Posts: 490 Member
    I would suggest a dumbell tree with varying weights or an adjustable set. Eventually you will outgrow all of your dumbells, but if you are interested in reading New Rules of Lifting will point you in the right direction. I personally recommend checking the book out at your local library before buying it. Alwyn has a lot of variations of the initial book and there is definitely one in their that will help you get started and on your way. Good luck!
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
    It depends on your goals. If you want to be a bodybuilder, no. If you want to get muscles and get toned and strong, certainly. And I think the adjustable weight is an excellent investment. Much better than individual free weights in that you'll have to be a lot of them and more as you get stronger. And you will.

    But for the record, you don't even need weights. A good set of heavy duty resistance bands do everything free weights do and more. I recommend Bodylastics. You can incorporate that with bodyweight exercises if you like. Push-ups, for example, are about the best exercise there is.

    You do not need to spend a lot of money to get the equipment you need. And your body does not know if you are using free weights, resistance bands or your own body.
  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,893 Member
    The only thing I have are dumbbells at home and my body. I'm giving this a whirl for now. My family and friends can already tell a little bit of a difference and I got a "holy crap" comment on my arms the other day.

    http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html
  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
    Great thread. I started in January with dumbells and body weight circuit traning 3s and 5s (female) doing Jillian's 30DS. Now, I'm up to P90X Arms and Shoulders doing mainly 8s, and a few 10s (bicep curls). I've had to trim running some to build on weight lifting personally, but I hope that levels out. I see women doing both. Right now, I'm very sore often, so I have to have that rest day in between. A good thing, means I'm making progress. Just doing feel like doing anything.

    As a note, for full body workouts, I made my own sandbags from two old "Upward" duffel bags. (Doubled bagged sand and old aquarium gravel we had laying around in ziplocks, 5-7 lb bags.) Right now, I steal from one and add to the other when it feels too light. I added velcro handle straps to do two handed lifts. Yes, it's a bit awkward, but that's part of the "real life lifting" of sand bag training. I constantly look for ways to make it more stable, but it gets the job done and it's cheap. I started with a 20 pound bag last week, increased to 27 this week for cleans.
  • amvis
    amvis Posts: 22 Member
    bump

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