What are some of your favorite dumbbell lifts?

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MTDDS18
MTDDS18 Posts: 62 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all!

I go to a gym that has 2 weight areas - the area with bars and squat racks are constantly overrun and impossible to get in and out in a reasonable amount of time, plus its intimidating to me because it's essentially all big, bulky men

The other area has dumbbells ranging from 5-50 lbs, medicine balls, benches, cable machine, and several typical weight machines. I tend to stick to this area for my weight lifting needs, I'm having some issues coming up with good lifting routine, especially for legs.

What are some of your favorite lifts to do with dumbbells?

Replies

  • jimmytonkinson
    jimmytonkinson Posts: 3
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    For my legs i like to do a straight leg deadlift with dumbells or even better walking lunges
  • Stevie_PB
    Stevie_PB Posts: 19 Member
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    Look at the following to cover all the bases.
    Chest
    Bench press, flys, overhead pulls
    Shoulders
    Overhead press, side lateral, front raises (plate or dumbbell) and Bent over laterals
    Back
    Bent over rows, bench rows, shrugs, reverse flys (flat or slightly inclined bench)
    Core
    Stick with leg raises, weighted crunches, oblique crunches, planks,
    Legs
    Sumo squats,, dumbbell squats, weighted walking lunges, and calf raises (off a step or box)

    In addition try to add in some body weight stuff. Pull ups (wide and narrow), dips, push ups (knees on floor) hanging leg raises.

  • lbetancourt
    lbetancourt Posts: 522 Member
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    find a way to get some time on those squat racks. seriously.

    this is what I use. I needed a routine & it's worked for me. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html
  • sw33tp3a11
    sw33tp3a11 Posts: 4,646 Member
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    Esssbee wrote: »
    Look at the following to cover all the bases.
    Chest
    Bench press, flys, overhead pulls
    Shoulders
    Overhead press, side lateral, front raises (plate or dumbbell) and Bent over laterals
    Back
    Bent over rows, bench rows, shrugs, reverse flys (flat or slightly inclined bench)
    Core
    Stick with leg raises, weighted crunches, oblique crunches, planks,
    Legs
    Sumo squats,, dumbbell squats, weighted walking lunges, and calf raises (off a step or box)

    In addition try to add in some body weight stuff. Pull ups (wide and narrow), dips, push ups (knees on floor) hanging leg raises.


    I was also looking for ideas. These are great. I like how you covered all areas. Thanks!

  • kozinskey
    kozinskey Posts: 176 Member
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    Everything mentioned above. Legs, my go-to would be Romanian deadlifts (RDL)s and squats -- you can just prop the DBs on your shoulders. If you feel adventurous you can also do Turkish getups or a DB clean & jerk. (Look up technique videos for all of this, obviously.)

    For core you can always do some cherry-pickers with a med ball or rubber plate. Arms, my personal DB favorite for me is a curl + shoulder press.
  • MTDDS18
    MTDDS18 Posts: 62 Member
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    lbetancourt wrote: »
    find a way to get some time on those squat racks. seriously.

    this is what I use. I needed a routine & it's worked for me. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html

    I go to the university gym, so I'm really hoping once summer hits and things clear out I'll get some time in the racks. (Un)luckily my program is year round, so I'm there when all the undergrads are not. Hopefully by that time I'll have my weight-load built up and will feel confident without a spotter

    Thanks for that program!
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,013 Member
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    I just started NROLFW and so far all of the lifts can be easily done with dumbbells. So if you want a program, that's an option.
  • Erfw7471
    Erfw7471 Posts: 242 Member
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    jimmytonkinson wrote: »
    For my legs i like to do a straight leg deadlift with dumbells or even better walking lunges

    Absolutely, exactly what I was about to post. My 2 favorite.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    A university only has 50lb dumbells? Incline and shoulder presses are pretty good for upper body and help with your bench. Walking lunges, step ups, & pistol squats are decent option for your legs.

    I would really recommend to get in with the big bulky dudes and get work in with a barbell though. Its way more efficient and you will hit many muscles at once.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    Goblet squats. Split squats. Step ups. Weighted lunges. American DLs. Glute bridges. Walking lunges.


    My fave dumbbell lifts: incline hammer curls, arnold presses, 21s, farmer walks, skullcrushes.

    Fave lift overall : barbell deadlifts
  • MTDDS18
    MTDDS18 Posts: 62 Member
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    Chieflrg wrote: »
    A university only has 50lb dumbells? Incline and shoulder presses are pretty good for upper body and help with your bench. Walking lunges, step ups, & pistol squats are decent option for your legs.

    I would really recommend to get in with the big bulky dudes and get work in with a barbell though. Its way more efficient and you will hit many muscles at once.

    They have 100lb down in the other lifting area. I would love to get down there, but it truly is too crowded, I tried to get down there and just go to the dumbbell once and it was a nightmare. I'm not sure if it's the time I go to the gym, but with classes/clinic from 8am-5pm I end up hitting the gym at the same time as the other professional students and community members with traditional working hours.

    Reading back I know that sounds like a load of excuses, hopefully if I get some time in there over the summer I will have the confidence to be assertive enough to deal with the crowds
  • sycokid666
    sycokid666 Posts: 23 Member
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    W/dumbells my favorite is military press but for legs sumo squats or even look to see if the gym has a trap bar you can do a lot of different workouts with that bar . I think the best lift is the Deadlift it works wonders of course with good form .. 93r1ljr4tav0.jpg
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    MTDDS18 wrote: »
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    A university only has 50lb dumbells? Incline and shoulder presses are pretty good for upper body and help with your bench. Walking lunges, step ups, & pistol squats are decent option for your legs.

    I would really recommend to get in with the big bulky dudes and get work in with a barbell though. Its way more efficient and you will hit many muscles at once.

    They have 100lb down in the other lifting area. I would love to get down there, but it truly is too crowded, I tried to get down there and just go to the dumbbell once and it was a nightmare. I'm not sure if it's the time I go to the gym, but with classes/clinic from 8am-5pm I end up hitting the gym at the same time as the other professional students and community members with traditional working hours.

    Reading back I know that sounds like a load of excuses, hopefully if I get some time in there over the summer I will have the confidence to be assertive enough to deal with the crowds


    Why not hit it up before class/clinic?

    It'll suck at first getting used to it but they're generally less people in the morning plus then it's out of the way for the rest of the day...
  • amongstthewildflowers
    amongstthewildflowers Posts: 89 Member
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    I use dumbells a lot in my workout routine. My favorite lifts with dumbells are walking lunges, load and carry, bench press, incline bench press, shoulder press, lateral raises, military press, push press, single leg deadlifts, back extensions, split squats and step ups. Hope that helps!
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    I don't use a lot of dumbbell exercises because I have Olympic dumbbell handles so changing the weight is a PITA. When I use them, I like to do Kroc Rows, DB Snatches and 1 Arm DB Push Presses.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    The only thing I regularly use DBs for is kroc rows and incline bench press.
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    edited March 2015
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    We were wasting money on a gym membership we never used, so my fiancé & I invested in a set of BowFlex Select Tech dumbbells. (We live in a small townhouse.) They're a little large and cumbersome for me, but they are getting the job done. Point being, I've been doing this full-body dumbbell workout and I like it, even though I think it's about time I mixed things up.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    FWIW, in every gym I've ever been in, the biggest, bulkiest guys are also the nicest, most helpful people. That might be a little different in a university gym (people in their early 20s, regardless of size/shape/gender, aren't known for being nice or helpful overall), but don't be intimidated by the bulky guys who are community members or professionals. The guys who love the gym tend to be big ol' teddy bears.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
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    Legs - goblet squats, dumbbell squats (1 or 2 DBs between knees), lunges, sideways lunges, goblet side lunges, step-ups, or climb stairs 2 steps at a time.

    Pulling - bent-over row (2 dumbbells), standing cable rows

    Pushing - (I prefer unsupported exercises, like the cable press and bar press, or pushups.

    Backside - Romanian deadlifts

    Shoulders - Bicep curl + shoulder press combo, plate circles, front + lateral raise combo

    Abs - Floor get-ups (= Turkish getup but hand doesn't touch the floor)

    There's others but they're hard to describe. B)

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