If you’re new to using dumbbell weights and you’re looking at buying a dumbbell set or adjustable dumbbells to enhance your fitness and home gym experience, you’re in the right place!
Dumbbells are an essential piece of equipment for you to have in your home gym and they can be used in many different exercises to work out many different muscles.
Once you have dumbbells as a part of your home gym, you will be well on your way to improving your fitness and your muscle tone!
Having a set of dumbbells will allow you to enjoy effective workouts at the drop of a hat, without having to leave the house and go to the gym.
Choosing your dumbbell weight is a very important step in this process and its importance should not be ignored!
If you start with dumbbells that are too heavy for you, you may end up subjecting yourself to injuries or muscle strains.
This is why adjustable dumbbells have become so popular due to the weight range they offer! However, your typical cast iron or rubber hex dumbbells are still the most popular choice.
The weight of your dumbbells is also important as different exercises, skill levels and physical abilities require different dumbbells.
Why Should I Buy Dumbbells?
It is a great idea to purchase dumbbells if you are already doing home workouts or you are hoping to start.
Adding some dumbbells to your home workout will improve the effectiveness of the workout and allow you to see more results in your fitness and your strength.
Especially if you are not going to attend the gym at all and you’re just going to rely on home workouts.
How To Choose The Best Dumbbells
When you are choosing the best dumbbells, there are a few steps that you should follow to help you to decide.
1. Decide On Your Goals
Deciding on your weight lifting goals is an essential step in choosing the best dumbbells for you.
As you are looking to train a certain muscle group, keep your weight-lifting goals in mind.
If you are looking to improve your stamina, this may mean that you choose a different weight.
To help you with this, there is a general rule of thumb that usually works.
If you are buying your dumbbells to improve one muscle group, usually, the larger the group, the heavier weights they can lift.
For instance, if you are looking to train your chest, leg, and back muscles, medium-large dumbbells should work.
Whereas your biceps and triceps are smaller muscle groups and so require small to medium weights.
Remember, however, cast iron dumbbells or rubber coated dumbbells aren’t the only options you should consider. If you have space constraints or prefer an all-in-one solution, adjustable dumbbells might be your best option!
2. Type Of Exercise
The Type of exercise that you are looking to perform will affect the weights that you choose.
You might want to buy different weight dumbbells so that you can do a few different types of exercises.
You can squat a lot heavier than you can do bicep curls.
It is a good idea to have 2 or 3 sets of dumbbells for this purpose. A light set, a medium weight set, and some heavier weights.
Again, adjustable weight dumbbells address this situation nicely.
3. Talk To A Trainer
It is a good idea to set up a session with a personal trainer in order to determine which weights are the best for you.
A personal trainer will be able to work with you to determine which weights you are able to lift and what will be best for you.
Tell the trainer that you’re looking to find dumbbell weights that are best for you, and you will be well on your way to a safe and effective workout regime.
Best Dumbbell Exercises For Beginners
Dumbbells are a common place to start when it comes to lifting weights for the first time.
There are plenty of great dumbbell exercises that you can start with to improve your fitness level.
It is best to do exercises with a high number of reps when you are just starting out.
This means that you do a lot of the same exercise over and over again to see results.
In this case, you don’t need a heavy weight as it is more about the amount of resistance built up over the duration of all sets.
Rember, you should be very careful when you are first starting to use dumbbells! It is very easy to tire your muscles quickly and your muscle fatigue could lead to letting go of the weight.
You don’t want to end up unable to lift weights for weeks because you have pushed yourself too hard or caused an injury!
Be very careful and always listen to your body. Stop if you feel pain and always talk to a doctor if you’re concerned about something!
Benefits Of Dumbbell Exercises
Dumbbell exercises are great at challenging your body in ways that it may not have been challenged before.
They will help transform your body and help you to see results in both fitness and body toning.
Dumbbell exercises are also great at strengthening your core which will improve your technique when you are completing other exercises.
Dumbbells are also great because they allow you to mix together weight work with HIIT.
HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and involves quick and highly intense exercises followed by a short break. For instance, during HIIT you would complete one exercise for 45 seconds, followed by a 15-second break.
You would continue this for the rest of the workout. Dumbbell exercises fit into this workout structure very well.
What Else Should I Buy?
If you are setting yourself up to use dumbbells at home, you should make sure that you buy all the equipment you need to do this successfully.
There isn’t much you will need but there are a few necessities. First, it is important to ensure that you are completing these workouts in appropriate clothing and shoes.
You should also have a yoga mat or an exercise mat so that you can complete these exercises comfortably.
A yoga mat also provides you with grip on your feet so that you can make sure you remain in place and hold your form.
There are also some pieces of equipment that you don’t necessarily need but you might want to consider.
Resistance bands are great for adding resistance to your home workouts and encouraging results.
Dumbbells and barbells have very different benefits, and they are great as a team to work on different muscles and give you some variation to your workout routine to keep it interesting.
Dumbbells are great if you have been using barbells and you’re looking for something to work your muscles differently.
You can use them to build up muscle and to stabilize your core while attacking your muscles in new ways.
But that’s not to say that barbells are bad. There are some compound upper body exercises that will favor the barbell due to the ability to use heavier weights.
Also, depending on the weight increments you are looking for, there are times when weight plates will have an advantage.
Why your home gym should have dumbbells?
Dumbbell training is a great supplement or complement to your barbell workouts.
With dumbbells, you can perform a wide array of exercises and perform a variety of traditional or isolation movements.
Nearly all of the great things that can be accomplished with barbells can be achieved with dumbbells.
Therefore, it is highly recommended that you consider getting yourself the proper dumbbells or find a local gym that has them available for your use.
Final Thoughts
If you’re reading this article, you are likely considering buying some equipment for your home workouts.
Dumbbells are a great place to start, and, hopefully, you have all the information you need to choose the right dumbbells for you, so you shouldn’t hesitate!
Hi, my name is TJ Daniels. I am a certified personal trainer dedicated to health and fitness for the past 20+ years. We have found that consistency is the key to wellness and our company is founded on this philosophy. If you would like to learn more, please see our About Us page or Contact Us with questions, feedback, suggestions for future content, or collaboration opportunities. Let’s enjoy this journey together!
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