what do you do with your dumbells?

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Replies

  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    My baby dumbbells (3 lbs and 6 lbs sets) are now obsolete but I will use them if Kelli at fitness blender tells me to, I have heavier kettlebells. As for the dumbbells at the gym, I am now using the 35lbs for bent-over rows, I use the 40 for goblet-sumo squats, I use 15-17.5 for chest flys (20's are a little heavy). I can use 25 - 35 lbs for shrugs. I know I do more stuff but I'm a little distracted now.
  • rbrooks14760
    rbrooks14760 Posts: 11
    My shoulders respond better to DB rather than BB, and I feel the stabilizers get a much better workout from the DB.

    DB is where it's at for just about anything.
    Depends on what your goal is. I do a program based on Wendler 5/3/1 which involves three extremely heavy, low rep sets followed by five sets of ten. This is on chest and shoulders, and my accessory lifts include lateral and forward raises, tricep skullcrushers and kickbacks, incline wide and narrow db press as well as all flyes.

    That is more of a barbell routine, and is an intermediate program, I am assuming the OP is a beginner.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    I’m all about the kettle bells but I do use db’s for renegade rows and hammer curls.

    Ooooh, renegade rows, I forgot about those.
  • rbrooks14760
    rbrooks14760 Posts: 11
    I haven't touched a dumbbell since I started 5x5, and I don't miss them.

    5 lb dumbbells, HA!

    You know, they do make them bigger.

    I'm aware. Mine that are no longer being used are 5 lbs....before I discovered heavy lifting.

    Well okay, but how does this help the OP with regards to dumbell training. Never understood the elitism of barbell training ive noticed here on MFP. There are some exercises best performed with a barbell and some best performed with dumbells. Hard to do lateral side raises for your delts with a barbell and even the buffest of bodybuildets can lift plenty heavy with dumbells doing those.

    Dumbells allow additional axis of rotation and degrees of freedom that can add functional strength you just wont get from a barbell. Barbells in turn allow you to stack heavier weight on compound moves like squats or deadlifts that you cannot practically get on a set of dumbells. You can be proud of your barbell training but there is no reason to sneer at dumbells.

    I'm with that guy. The freedom of shoulder rotation with DB's is fantastic. I still do a BB press once a month or so just to see if my max is increasing, but that's it.
  • justcat206
    justcat206 Posts: 716 Member
    Renegade rows, snatch, clean and press are my faves. That said, I also read Strong Cruves and modified most of the moves to use dumbbells instead of bodyweight/barbell. That worked well for a while.

    My current routine looks like this:
    Day 1:
    Hip thrusts, 1 arm row, Bicep curl, Upright Row, Bulgarian Split Squat, Fire hydrants, Plank jacks, x crunch, burpee, push up

    Day 3:
    barbell at gym

    day 5:
    Turkish Getup, Thruster, Snatch, Front raise, Side lateral raise, Rear delt fly, Bench dip, 2 arm row, 2 arm rowpalms in, renegade row, romanian deadlift, see saw crunch, mountain climber, clamshell

    I do 3-5 sets each, 8-12 reps of weighted, 20-30 reps bodyweight and take the weight up when I can do more than 12 reps.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    paper weights
    door stops
    rolling triceps extensions
    heavy pants
    back flys
    push ups (increase range of motion)
    prancercise

    (one of these is a lie)

    What's "heavy pants?"
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
    OP, look over this and see if it gives you some ideas.
    I basically increase weight when I can finish all of my sets in good form... So, if it says do 4x10, and you can do them all in good form and safely, add weight.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    My baby dumbbells (3 lbs and 6 lbs sets) are now obsolete but I will use them if Kelli at fitness blender tells me to, I have heavier kettlebells. As for the dumbbells at the gym, I am now using the 35lbs for bent-over rows, I use the 40 for goblet-sumo squats, I use 15-17.5 for chest flys (20's are a little heavy). I can use 25 - 35 lbs for shrugs. I know I do more stuff but I'm a little distracted now.

    yeah, dumbbells can pretty much do everything to a point when your wrists hurt to hold them doing squats...
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
    OP, look over this and see if it gives you some ideas.
    I basically increase weight when I can finish all of my sets in good form... So, if it says do 4x10, and you can do them all in good form and safely, add weight.

    Helps if I add the link: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/08/01/dont-be-a-dummy-how-to-get-a-full-workout-with-only-dumbells/
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    paper weights
    door stops
    rolling triceps extensions
    heavy pants
    back flys
    push ups (increase range of motion)
    prancercise

    (one of these is a lie)

    What's "heavy pants?"

    it's like row, more or less...Tony from P90x tells you to do it with runner's lunge pose.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    My baby dumbbells (3 lbs and 6 lbs sets) are now obsolete but I will use them if Kelli at fitness blender tells me to, I have heavier kettlebells. As for the dumbbells at the gym, I am now using the 35lbs for bent-over rows, I use the 40 for goblet-sumo squats, I use 15-17.5 for chest flys (20's are a little heavy). I can use 25 - 35 lbs for shrugs. I know I do more stuff but I'm a little distracted now.

    yeah, dumbbells can pretty much do everything to a point when your wrists hurt to hold them doing squats...

    This but typically it's not just my wrists but my shoulders/ arms. That's when I wish I had a barbell with heavy weights. But then my back hurts too... can't win.
  • iPlatano
    iPlatano Posts: 487 Member
    I haven't touched a dumbbell since I started 5x5, and I don't miss them.

    5 lb dumbbells, HA!

    You know, they do make them bigger.

    I'm aware. Mine that are no longer being used are 5 lbs....before I discovered heavy lifting.

    Well okay, but how does this help the OP with regards to dumbell training. Never understood the elitism of barbell training ive noticed here on MFP. There are some exercises best performed with a barbell and some best performed with dumbells. Hard to do lateral side raises for your delts with a barbell and even the buffest of bodybuildets can lift plenty heavy with dumbells doing those.

    Dumbells allow additional axis of rotation and degrees of freedom that can add functional strength you just wont get from a barbell. Barbells in turn allow you to stack heavier weight on compound moves like squats or deadlifts that you cannot practically get on a set of dumbells. You can be proud of your barbell training but there is no reason to sneer at dumbells.

    My left arms is a bit smaller than my right. I do everything with dumbbells expect press and squats.
  • marycatherine000
    marycatherine000 Posts: 28
    Smart bells :) lol
  • ryannsmom921
    ryannsmom921 Posts: 28 Member
    I use mine during circuit training. I keep them in the kitchen because that's where I do most of my working out. It has the most floor space and it's uncarpeted, as most kitchens are. On occasion I have used them as cooking accessories, to weight lids down, but not that often.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Here OP, here is a full body workout you can do with dumbbells. The weight should be sufficient that you are really struggling on your last rep. If you find 8 reps easy then you need heavier dumbbells:

    You can look these exercises up here for descriptions: http://exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

    Would suggest aiming for three sets of 8-12 reps

    Chest: Dumbbell Bench Press or Dumbbell Fly's
    Back: Bent-over dumbbell rows
    Shoulder: Dumbbell shrugs, lateral side-raise, Military press
    Traps: Standing rows
    Bicep: Bicep curl
    Tricep: Tricep extension
    Forearm: Wrist curls
    Quads: Dumbbell weighted lunges, Front Squat
    Calves: Single leg Standing calve raise
    Hamstrings: Straight-leg deadlift
    Abs (rectus abdominus): Weighted crunches (just hug the dumbbell to your chest)

    Some of these even very light weight will be sufficient (like lateral raises) while with others (like deadlifts) even a heavy heavy dumbbell might not be enough.

    Trick is to pick a weight where 8 reps is hard. If your 8th rep is easy you need more weight.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    IMO if you have access to anything you could possibly want in terms of exercise equipment then the best weight training is dumbbells until you can't find a heavy enough set of dumbbells, then and only then barbell. More degrees of freedom, more functional strength.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    I haven't touched a dumbbell since I started 5x5, and I don't miss them.

    5 lb dumbbells, HA!

    You know, they do make them bigger.

    I'm aware. Mine that are no longer being used are 5 lbs....before I discovered heavy lifting.

    Well okay, but how does this help the OP with regards to dumbell training. Never understood the elitism of barbell training ive noticed here on MFP. There are some exercises best performed with a barbell and some best performed with dumbells. Hard to do lateral side raises for your delts with a barbell and even the buffest of bodybuildets can lift plenty heavy with dumbells doing those.

    Dumbells allow additional axis of rotation and degrees of freedom that can add functional strength you just wont get from a barbell. Barbells in turn allow you to stack heavier weight on compound moves like squats or deadlifts that you cannot practically get on a set of dumbells. You can be proud of your barbell training but there is no reason to sneer at dumbells.

    I was "sneering" at MY dumbbells. The question was, "what do you do with your dumbbells?" My answer is that I don't even use them anymore. Chill out, dude. The OP doesn't need you to come to the rescue. Way to take offense when there's none to be taken.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I haven't touched a dumbbell since I started 5x5, and I don't miss them.

    5 lb dumbbells, HA!

    You know, they do make them bigger.

    I'm aware. Mine that are no longer being used are 5 lbs....before I discovered heavy lifting.

    Well okay, but how does this help the OP with regards to dumbell training. Never understood the elitism of barbell training ive noticed here on MFP. There are some exercises best performed with a barbell and some best performed with dumbells. Hard to do lateral side raises for your delts with a barbell and even the buffest of bodybuildets can lift plenty heavy with dumbells doing those.

    Dumbells allow additional axis of rotation and degrees of freedom that can add functional strength you just wont get from a barbell. Barbells in turn allow you to stack heavier weight on compound moves like squats or deadlifts that you cannot practically get on a set of dumbells. You can be proud of your barbell training but there is no reason to sneer at dumbells.

    I was "sneering" at MY dumbbells. The question was, "what do you do with your dumbbells?" My answer is that I don't even use them anymore. Chill out, dude. The OP doesn't need you to come to the rescue. Way to take offense when there's none to be taken.

    <shrug> wasn't offended, just saying dumbbells are effective and OP can get a good workout with them. I think you read anger into my post where there was none.

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