I’d say dumbbell training is one of the best ways to start lifting weights as a weightlifting beginner. Dumbbells are versatile and allow you to build strength and muscle without a gym; you can also still focus on gradually making exercises harder to produce results — something called progressive overload.
I always choose free weights over gym machines because they “force” you to work your core muscles harder with less support. As a personal trainer, I see many people overcomplicating things in the gym, and it’s no surprise, given the wealth of information now available at our fingertips.
But let’s keep it simple, especially as a beginner. Choose a mix of compound moves and no more than six exercises per session, focusing on strengthening the larger, powerful muscle groups, such as your glutes, quads, back, chest and shoulders. If you focus on the basics first, the rest will follow.
Some of my go-to dumbbell exercises? Glad you asked. Here’s five.
Heel-raised dumbbell goblet squat
Like most squats, the goblet squat strengthens your hips, quads, glutes and hamstrings and recruits your core muscles for stability and posture. The goblet hold means holding a weight in both hands in front of your chest, which allows you to lift heavy, yet feel more secure with the grip when getting familiar with the exercise.
I like to front-load the exercise even more by elevating my heels on barbell plates, but you could use anything else if you don’t have access to a gym. Simply place the plate (or plates) behind you, shoulder-width apart, then lift your heels to slightly tilt your body forward. Hello, quad burn.
- How to do dumbbell goblet squats step-by-step
Dumbbell suitcase deadlift
Suitcase deadlifts get their name because they mimic the action of bending down to pick up a suitcase, meaning the weights are outside the legs. This also makes it functional by helping to strengthen the muscles responsible for performing these types of movements in your daily life.
You're unlikely to lift maximally with dumbbells as you would with barbells, but this variation will still improve your grip strength. Simply hold your dumbbells by your sides using a neutral hand grip (palms facing toward your body), then hinge forward at the hips and softly bend your knees to tap the weight to the floor next to your feet.
I like to pause briefly at the bottom, then drive upward with power. I'm using kettlebells above because I find it easier for my movement mechanics, but it works exactly the same.
Dumbbell thruster
Thrusters are efficient little power bombs, combining a front squat with an overhead press. Unlike a strict press, where you stand with weights at your shoulders and then press them overhead, thrusters allow you to use the drive from the squat to push the weights upward, just like releasing the power on a coiled spring.
Thrusters allow you to use the drive from the squat to push the weights upward like releasing a coiled spring.
You can lift slightly heavier and build power, but you’ll also need to practice your stability holding weights on your shoulders. Because these two movements are combined at speed, thrusters also raise your heart rate while building full-body strength and endurance.
I recommend lifting light, then adding load over time when you feel happy with the movement pattern.
- How to do thrusters step-by-step
Dumbbell Arnold press
The Arnold press is efficient because it targets all three shoulder heads in one move. That means you work the fronts, backs and medial parts of your shoulders, building strong and stable muscles more evenly. Any move that saves me time in the gym is a friend of mine.
You could perform a single-arm Arnold press, but I recommend both arms together, as your dominant side still can’t take over, as it could using a barbell for regular overhead presses, and you can teach your body to coordinate and lift heavier weights than a single-arm version in one powerful press.
Dumbbell renegade row
There are many types of rows you can perform with all types of weights, but I like how much the renegade row targets your whole body and tests core strength and overall stability.
As we know, planks are a core-strengthening exercise, but they also recruit your arms, shoulders, glutes, quads and hamstrings to hold the plank position. Now add a dumbbell row, and you've got a back and biceps exercise.
This move will also increase body awareness; throughout, avoid swinging or turning your hips out, and also try not to sink your hips to the floor or lift your butt too high. Think strong and stable through your entire body, squeezing as many muscles as you can to support your rowing.
This is all about building and improving that mind-muscle connection, which will set you up for more success when lifting weights in the future.
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- I'm a personal trainer — the candlestick roll is the best bodyweight exercise for your barbell squats
- You don't need heavy barbell squats to strengthen your quads, glutes and hamstrings — try the pendulum squat instead
- Forget burpees —the 'Pilates burpee' is beginner-friendly and low-impact (and you’ll love it)
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