How To Do Incline Bench Dumbbell Curls

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In order to get into or stay in shape, you need to exercise on a regular basis. But doing the same routines over and over again will make exercise a tedious chore. Boredom is counterproductive to any workout program. So today I'm going to introduce you to the dumbbell exercise with incline bench. This is a great way to keep you workouts exciting and challenging.

 

 

How to Do Incline Bench Dumbbell Curls

 

You'll need a pair of light weight dumbbells and an incline bench for this exercise. Grab a pair of lightweight dumbbells. Now lie against the bench with your arms fully extended. Grip the dumbbells so that your palms are facing away from you.

 

Next, use your biceps to curl the weights upward. Once you've curled the dumbbells as high as you can, uncurl until you reach your starting position. Repeat this nine more times then stop.

 

If you want to increase the size of your biceps, use heavy weights and lower repetitions e.g. 4- 6 reps. If you want to tone, your biceps, then use lighter weight dumbbells and higher repetitions e.g. 10 - 15 reps.

 

The dumbbell bicep curl focuses mainly on the biceps but the use of the incline makes the exercise more challenging and brings the core muscles into the mix.

 

This is a great exercise for novices and experienced weight lifters alike. Have fun with it.

 

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Incline Bench Dumbbell Curls" Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts(SM) 2013. All Rights Reserved.

Two In One: How To Do Dumbbell Fly and Overhead Press

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I really enjoy weight lifting, but when a routine becomes outdated, I need to ratchet things up a notch. So today I'm going to show you how to do another amazing two in one workout that will not only challenge your body to become stronger, but save you valuable time, too. The exercise I'm talking about is the standing dumbbell fly and overhead press and you're going to learn about it in the next section. But first here's a list some of the benefits of this compound exercise:

• strengthens your chest muscles
• strengthens your shoulder muscles
• strengthens your upper back
• strengthens your core

This is an exercise that you should definitely add to your workout arsenal because it combines two of the best upper body exercises you'll ever do.

How To Do Dumbbell Fly and Overhead Press

You'll need a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. You should start out with a warm up set, so grab a pair of lightweight dumbbells. Stand up straight. Bring the dumbbells up to chest level. Hold them close to each other. Now, move the weights apart performing an arc movement. For this part of the exercise you'll be relying on your chest muscles. Stop once you feel a slight pull in the chest muscles. Now bring the weights back together again. That's one repetition of the standing dumbbell fly.

Now you need to do the overhead press. Begin by turning the weights upward until your knuckles are pointing toward the ceiling. Make sure that your arms are shoulder width apart when you do this. Next, use your shoulder muscles to press the dumbbells above your head. Now lower your arms down until the dumbbells are at eye level. You've just completed one rep of the dumbbell overhead press.

Alternate between standing dumbbell flys and overhead presses until you've completed nine more reps. After this, you can select a pair of heavier weights.

If you're going for strength use heavy weights and low reps (4 - 6 reps) over three sets. If you just want to tone your muscles, use light dumbbells and go for 10 - 15 reps spread over three sets.


As you can see, this workout is more challenging. You're training multiple groups of muscles to coordinate with each other. You shouldn't pause between the flys and presses, since this is a combined exercise. If done correctly, you'll experience strength and endurance gains in a matter of weeks.
That's it for now. While you're here, check out the other amazing articles on this blog. They're listed in the sidebar.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: Two In One: How To Do Dumbbell Fly and Overhead Press" copyright 2012 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts.  

How To Do Two Arm Inclined Bench Dumbbell Row

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You need a strong back, it protects your posture and helps you perform heavy lifts (like moving furniture an appliances). Today I'm going to show you a dumbbell row exercise that will get your back into shape.


How To Inclined Bench Two Arm Dumbbell Rows

You'll need an inclined bench and a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. Grab two light weight dumbbells because you're going to start out with a warm up set. Place the dumbbells on the floor on either side of the bench. Position yourself on the bench so that you chest is on the bench pad. Reach down and pick up one dumbbell with each hand. Make sure that your palms are facing each other.

Now, pull the dumbbells upward toward your chest. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement. Now lower the dumbbells back to the floor. That's one rep. Repeat this nine more times then grab a pair of heavier weighted dumbbells. Strength trainers should go for heavy weights and low reps, muscle toners should go for high reps at low weights. 

Inclined bench dumbbell rows target the upper back, hitting the trapezius muscle; it also strengthens your arms and wrists.

These exercise will benefit your upper body, giving you added strength and muscular definition. It will also help you to develop the "v taper". So make sure to add the two arm inclined bench dumbbell row to your fitness arsenal.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Two Arm Inclined Bench Dumbbell Row" copyright 2012 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts.

Two In One: How To Do The Side Arm and Front Arm Raise

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Are you ready for a challenge? Today I'm going to show you how to get two workouts at the same time with dumbbell front arm raise and dumbbell side raise. This combined workout has many benefits including:

• saves you time
• strengthens your shoulders
• strengthens your pecs
• strengthens your biceps
• strengthens your triceps

This is a compound exercise that you should definitely be adding to your fitness training arsenal.

How To Do The Dumbbell Front Arm Raise and Side Arm Raise

You need to start off with a warm up set, so grab a pair of light weight dumbbells. Stand up straight. Hold the dumbbells in front of you. Now, raise your arms in front of you until they're perpendicular to your upper body. Use your chest and shoulder muscles to do this. Now, lower the weights to the starting position. That's one front arm raise.


Next, raise each arm upward from the side, stopping once you've formed a "T". You'll be relying mostly on your shoulder muscles for this part of the exercise. Now lower your arms again, returning to your starting position. That's one repetition of the side arm raise.


Next, do another front arm raise, followed by a second side arm raise. Keep alternating between these exercises until you've completed ten reps of each.

Now that you've finished warming up, get a pair of heavier weights. If your goal is to build muscle, use heavy weights and low reps (4 - 6), if you want to tone up, go for high reps (15 rep) with low weights. You only need to complete three sets because this is a combined workout. Once you're done with the last set, you can do something else.


This exercise is an easy way to build powerful chest and massive shoulders, giving you incredible upper body strength.

Winter break is over and it's time to hit the books again. But don't forget to exercise. Visit Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts each week to learn strength training tips that you can use all year round.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: Two In One: How To Do The Side Arm and Front Arm Raise" copyright 2012 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do The Shoulder Press With Dumbbells

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Today I'm going to show you the seated shoulder press with dumbbells. This exercise is an excellent way for beginners to develop power shoulders and overall upper body strength. Some of the benefits of the exercise include:

• strong shoulders
• strong biceps
• strong core
   

You will definitely need to add this exercise to your workout routine.

How To Do The Shoulder Press With Dumbbells

You'll need a pair of dumbbells and a chair or bench for this exercise. The first thing that you need to do is warm up, so start of with light weight dumbbells. Sit up straight with you feet placed shoulder width apart. Raise the dumbbells up to your shoulders. Your palms should be facing forward. Use your shoulder muscles to press the weights above your head. Hold for a two second count then return to your starting position. That's one repetition. Repeat this nine more time to complete the warm up set.

Now grab a pair of heavier dumbbells. If your goal is to build massive shoulder muscles you want to go for lower reps (4-6) with heavier weights (five sets total); if you want to tone up, do use lighter weights and increase the repetitions (10 -15 reps for three sets). Strength trainers should increase the weights by five to ten pounds every week while keeping the number of reps and sets the same.

The overhead press with dumbbells (or dumbbell shoulder press) - as this exercise is also called - is a good way for beginners to get a feel for pressing weight overhead. Once you become stronger you can graduate to the barbell shoulder press. Another great thing about the shoulder press with dumbbells exercise is that it forces both shoulders to carry their own weight. Muscles don't always develop at the same pace, dumbbell exercises allow the weaker muscles to work much harder than they would if the stronger muscles were taking up most of the slack.

The dumbbell shoulder press will have carryover benefits to other exercises including the bench press and dips. When you're lifting heavy dumbbells you'll also stimulate growth hormone production which will be used by muscles throughout your body thereby creating overall muscular development. 

You have to choose the direction you want to take in life, to become better or just stay the same. Since you're reading this article, you obviously want to become stronger and healthier. Make good use of it. Now is the time.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do The Shoulder Press With Dumbbells" copyright 2011 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Dumbbell Standing Calf Raises

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I recently showed you how to do seated calf raises. Today I'm going to show you how to do dumbbell standing calf raises. It's very important to learn a variety of calf muscle exercises to strengthen the muscles in the lower leg. Some of the benefits of the dumbbell standing calf raise include:

• strong calves
• improved flexibility
• improved posture
  

This can also be considered a very good calf exercise for women, because strong lower leg muscles help prevent osteoporosis.

How To Do Dumbbell Standing Calf Raises

You need to start out with a warm up set, this loosens the muscles, improves circulation and helps you to develop a feel for the exercise. Grab a pair of light weight dumbbells. Stand up straight with both feet planted firmly on the floor. Make sure to hold the dumbbells at your sides. Now flex your calf muscles to push yourself on to the tips of your toes. By now you should be standing on the balls of your feet. Hold this position for a two second count then lower yourself down to the starting position. Repeat this nine more times to finish up your warm up set.

Now choose heavier dumbbells and go again. The purpose of the weights is to make your calf muscles stronger through resistance, the standing calf raise operates through plantar flexion, but it becomes a much better exercise when you must work harder against gravity. To give yourself a good calf workout, figure out what your goals are. If you want to build muscle go for six to eight reps (for a total of five sets); if you want toned calves then workout using light weights (ten to fifteen reps for five sets).

This exercise is one of the best ways to go from skinny to big calves. Each week, add weight in ten to twenty pound increments i.e. five or ten pounds per hand. Leg exercises also distinguish aesthetically proportionate physiques from those people who have huge upper bodies but tiny chicken legs. And for the ladies who are reading this article, if you want toned, sexy calves this is the workout for you.

Summer's almost over and most of you are back in school and hitting the books. Make sure to regularly train your body as well as your mind.

I'll see you back here next week for another Great Chest and Whole Body Workout.

"How To Do Dumbbell Standing Calf Raises" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Lying Leg Raise With Dumbbell Turkish Get Up

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Last week I showed you how to do the dumbbell Turkish get up exercise. Today I'm going to show you another exercise that you can do at the same time. This second exercise is the lying leg raise. Doing more than one exercise at a time accomplishes several things including:

• makes workouts more challenging
• saves time
• reduces rest breaks between exercises

The Turkish get up becomes more intense once you've added leg raises into the mix.

How To Do Lying Leg Raise With Dumbbell Turkish Get Up

Start out the same way you would when doing a basic dumbbell Turkish get up. Grab a light weight dumbbell and lie down on your back. Hold the dumbbell above your head, your right arm fully extended. Keep your abdominal muscles tight. Your legs should be fully extended. Now use your lower abdominal muscles to raise your feet six inches off the floor. Hold this position for a three count then lower them back down to the floor.

Next bring your right foot up and plant it firmly on the floor next to your left knee. Next, push your weight onto your left elbow. Bring yourself up to a sitting position (keep your arm fully extended above your head). Make sure that you're supporting your body weight on your left palm and right foot. Now bring your left foot back and support some body weight on the balls of your feet. After you've done this, push yourself to a standing position.

The leg raise portion of the exercise is intended to tone your ab muscles, hips and lower back. What you've just been taught is a two for one compound exercise. It's best to use light weights until you've gotten strong enough to progress to heavier weights. Once you've done ten reps, take a short break then go again. This exercise is intense but well worth it. Your whole body will become stronger and more toned.

Do you want to become stronger and healthier? Do you want to make a change for the better? There's never been a better time to get into shape than right now. It's gonna be a great day when you take the first step to a better you.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Lying Leg Raise With Dumbbell Turkish Get Up" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do The Turkish Get Up With Dumbbell

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The Turkish get up is one of the less talked about exercises which is a shame because it happens to be very good for developing coordination and strength. The Turkish get up is an important core exercise because it:

• improves balance
• improves strength
• improves posture
• improves coordination

This is an exercise that you should definitely add to your training routine. And today I'm going to show you how they're done.

How To Do The Turkish Get Up With Dumbbell

There are many different ways to do the Turkish get up; some folks prefer kettle bells or barbells, but novices or less coordinated people should start out with light weight dumbbells (which is the focus of this article). Grab a light weight dumbbell and lie flat on your back. Extend your left leg while bringing your right foot alongside your left knee. Grasp the dumbbell with your right hand and hold it over head. Make sure that your arm is locked out. With your right foot firmly on the floor beside your left knee, push your weight onto your left elbow. Bring yourself to a sitting position while keeping the right arm locked and fully extended above your head. You should now be supporting your weight on your right foot and left palm. Next, bring your left foot back so that some of your body weight is supported on the balls of your left foot. All the while keep your right arm locked and fully extended above your head. Finally, push yourself to a standing position, while keeping the dumbbell above your head. Congratulations! You've just completed one rep of the Turkish get up.

For fun (and to make it a two part exercise), do the Turkish get up in reverse. Go from the standing position to lying flat on your back while holding the dumbbell in your right hand (all the while keeping your arm locked out). You can do it.

Turkish get ups take some getting used to, they're good for developing core strength i.e. strong abs, and back, but require a lot of concentration and balance. You're recruiting muscles in your legs, abdominals, back, shoulders and arms. Practice five per side then increase the weight by five pounds. Go for twenty reps of the Turkish get up and then do other strength training exercises. Each week increase the weight amount in five pound increments, but if you find yourself losing balance while coming up from the floor, it means that you're not ready for that weight amount.

Summer is almost over and a new school season is just around the corner. Put yourself through intense mental and physical training to sharpen your mind as well as your body. Then you'll be on the right track to accomplishing what you want in life.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do The Turkish Get Up With Dumbbell" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

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How To Do The Dumbbell Wrist Curl Exercise

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We all need strong wrists. You can't carry heavy objects or lift weights when you have weak wrist muscles. Imagine carrying a heavy suitcase or bag of groceries if your muscles are weak. Your weight lifting progress would also suffer - the deadlift, farmer's walk and bench press are three exercises that depend on strong wrists. So, to get those muscles into shape I'm going to show you how to do the dumbbell wrist curl. It's a must do exercise for anyone who wants strong wrists.

How to do the Dumbbell Wrist Curl Exercise

Before we get started I want to point of some of the benefits of the wrist curl with dumbbells. This exercise is important because it:

• strengthens the forearm flexor muscles 
• strengthens the forearm extensor muscles
• improves wrist flexibility

You're going to start off with a warm up set, so grab a light weight dumbbell. Sit down and rest your forearm on your knee. Hold the dumbbell so that closed fist is pointing toward the ceiling (also referred to as the supinated position). Next, use your forearm muscles to flex your wrist. Curl your wrist as far upward as you can. Now use your wrist muscles to lower the weight to the starting position. That's one rep. Do this again until you have completed ten reps. Repeat the warm up set with the other wrist. After your warm up, it's now time to select a heavier weight. The objective of the dumbbell wrist curl (or dumbbell wrist flex) exercise is to develop strong wrists, you'll need a weight that is heavy enough for four to eight reps. Perform five sets of the exercise and then stop. Your wrists might feel a bit sore by the time you're finished with this exercise but it will be worth it. Each week increase the weight amount by five pounds while keeping the number of reps and sets consistent.

There are other ways to do the wrist curl exercise including pronated dumbbell wrist flex (palms facing down), and the barbell wrist curl. The barbell wrist flex has the advantage of training both wrists at the same time. The disadvantage of that particular exercise is that if one wrist is weaker than the other, the stronger arm will have to compensate. So if you want to look at the advantage of the wrist curl with dumbbells, each wrist must carry its own weight. In other words, they can develop at their own pace. The weaker wrist can be trained using more reps e.g. six reps on the less developed forearm as opposed to four reps for the stronger wrist. Once strength is equal on both sides, you can adjust the reps accordingly.

The dumbbell wrist curl exercise is a great way to develop forearm strength and flexibility. If you practice the exercise regularly, you should see results in a few weeks. Just keep at it and don't give up.

Summer is less than three weeks away. Are you getting ready for it? Get into the best shape you can be by reading Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts.

"How To Do The Dumbbell Wrist Curl Exercise" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.    

How To Do Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlifts

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I've been bringing you a lot of deadlift articles because deadlifting is one of the most important muscle building/strength training exercises that you will ever do. All you have to do is look at powerlifters to see how useful they are in generating strength, power and and mass. But strength trainers and body builders can get just as much benefit from deadlifting. This time I'm going to show you how to do the stiff leg deadlift with dumbbells. Dumbbell stiff leg deadlifts are an excellent compound exercise because they:

• strengthen the lower back muscles
• strengthen abdominal muscles
• stimulate growth hormone production and release 

So I'm not going to waste time showing you how they're done.

How To Do Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlifts

You'll need a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. First do a warm up set. Grab a pair of light weight dumbbells and place them in front of you on the floor. While keeping your legs straight, lean over and take a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your back straight - arching your back can lead to serious injury. Use your core muscles to pull yourself upright. Keep your shoulders back. Hold for a moment then lower the weights down again. Do this for ten reps then choose heavier weights. In the demo I used 50 pound dumbbells because that amount is good for a warm up set. Do not lift heavy during the warm up, save that for the rest of the workout.

Choose dumbbells that are heavy enough to perform four to six reps of the stiff leg deadlift. If you can do more than six reps the weights are too light, if you can only do a couple of reps the weights are too heavy. Do five sets of the exercise. Your goal is to lift for strength but not taking it to fatigue. After finishing up your sets, do some other back exercise e.g. pull ups, rows, etc.

Each week increase the amount that you lift, as you become stronger the exercises will become easier. That's what you want, steady progression. Once you've gotten as far as you can with the dumbbell stiff leg deadlift you'll be ready for the barbell version of the exercise.

You'll notice increased strength and power that will translate to other exercises. Just see how much your benching, dips, push ups, pull ups, leg press, etc. improve with deadlifting. That's how important this exercise is.

Summer is only weeks away. Do you want to spend those months weak and flabby or do you want to have a strong, sexy body? Exercise is the way to get it. So get off the computer and workout. Now would be the time.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlifts" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do The Dumbbell Calf Raise

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Do you want strong calves? Of course you do. Without strong calves you wouldn't be able to jump, walk, run or even stand properly. So I'm going to show you how to do a simple calf strengthening exercise. It's called the dumbbell calf raise and it comes in handy for developing powerful calf muscles.

How To Do Dumbbell Calf Raise

You'll need a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. Take one dumbbell in each hand (start with at least 40 pounds). Hold the dumbbells at your sides. Use your calf muscles to push your heels off the floor. Stand on the balls of your feet. Hold this position for two seconds then lower yourself to starting position. Now raise yourself onto the balls of your feet again. Stop after ten reps. Take a five second break then do it again. Do ten sets of this exercise. Your muscles may feel like they're on fire but if you do this exercise on a regular basis, you'll have muscular, powerful calves.

Summer is just under two months away. Don't sit around dreaming about having a better body, do something about it. Get up and start exercising. Now.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Dumbbell Calf Raise" copyright 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Dumbbell One Arm Side Deadlift

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Last week I showed you how to perform the dumbbell sumo deadlift. Today, you're going to learn how to do the one arm side deadlift with dumbbell. This deadlift variation is useful for developing upper body strength.

Benefits of the one arm side deadlift with dumbbell:

• strengthens glutes
• strengthens hamstrings
• strengthens legs
• strengthens biceps
• strengthens forearm
  
• strengthens grip
  
• strengthens core

Training with a dumbbell is an excellent way for beginners to learn proper form and technique to beginners.

How To Do Dumbbell One Arm Side Deadlifts

You'll need only one dumbbell for this exercise. For a warm up, place the weight on the floor and stand next to it. Now bend your knees and grasp the dumbbell in one hand. Take a deep breath and use your hips to push yourself to an upright position. Now exhale as you bend your knees and lower yourself to the floor. Repeat this for ten reps then train the other side of your body. From there, get a heavier dumbbell. As with the previous deadlift exercises, you want to workout for up to six reps per set. Workout for five sets per side but not to fatigue. It's okay if you're not able to complete as many reps when you do all of your sets. After you've completed five sets, you can do other exercises. Increase the amount you lift by 5 - 10 pounds every week. Once you've achieved the heaviest weighted dumbbell, you're ready to perform side deadlifts with barbell. You'll find them much easier to do with faster progression because your body will have developed a lot of strength.

Now is the time to get in shape. Spring is almost here, and with it comes warmer weather and more time outdoors. You'll be able to put your whole body strength to good use.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Dumbbell One Arm Side Deadlift" copyright 2011 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Dumbbell Sumo Deadlifts

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Last week I talked about how to do dumbbell Romanian deadlifts. Today I'm going to show you how perform dumbbell sumo deadlifts. This exercise is good for people with long torsos and short arms. They have other benefits, too.

Benefits of the Sumo Deadlift:

• strengthens glutes
• strengthens hamstrings
• strengthens lower back
• strengthens core
• strengthens obliques
• strengthens forearms
  
• stimulates growth hormone production

This is an exercise that you should add to your strength training routine.

How To Do Dumbbell Sumo Deadlifts

Some people use a single dumbbell and that's fine, but if your goal is to progress to barbell deadlifts (and I hope it is), you'll need to simulate the barbell exercise as much as possible. Grab a light weight dumbbell. Place it on the floor in front of you. Now spread your legs slightly further than shoulder width apart. Imagine how a sumo wrestler stands when he's getting in position for a match. Now bend the knees and pick up the dumbbell. Your arms should be between your legs. Now, using your glutes, push yourself to an upright position. Hold that position for a moment then lower the dumbbell to the floor again. Repeat this for 10 reps.

After you've done this, grab a heavier dumbbell. You want to the weight to be heavy enough that you'll be exerting effort to accomplish 4 - 6 reps. Go for 5 reps of this exercise. The sumo deadlift might be physically taxing for beginners, so don't be surprised if the number of reps decreases each time you do another set. That's okay. You don't want the exercise to be too easy, elsewise it wouldn't do you any good. By the time you've finished up five sets, you should be feeling it in your hamstrings. Now you can do other exercises.

The sumo deadlift is a compound exercise that builds strength which is useful for overall growth and helps with progression in chest building exercises. You definitely need to do full body exercises because they are an important element of any great chest workout.

Do you want a powerful and sexy body? Then get off the computer and into the weight room. Now would be a good time.

"Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Dumbbell Sumo Deadlifts" copyright 2011 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Romanian Dumbbell Deadlifts

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This is the latest issue in the dumbbell exercises for legs training series. Last week, I discussed the one leg dumbbell deadlift. This time I'm going to show you how to do the Romanian dumbbell deadlift. This exercise is an important part of any serious bodybuilding/strength training workout.

Benefits of the Romanian deadlift

• strengthens back
• strengthens glutes
• strengthens hamstrings 

How To Do the Romanian Dumbbell Deadlift

You'll need a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. To learn deadlift form, begin with a warm up set; grab two light weight dumbbells and hold them in front of you. Now, while keeping your back straight, use your hips to slowly bend toward the floor. Stop when you're at knee level. Now, use your glute muscles to pull yourself back up to standing position. That's one rep. Make sure that you don't lock your knees during this exercise. The purpose of Romanian deadlifts is to develop the muscles in your lower back, glutes and hamstrings. Once you've completed ten reps, get heavier weights and go again*. Go for four to six reps then stop. I recommend doing at least five sets of this exercise each workout. If you can't do more than one or two reps when starting out, then you'll need to select lighter dumbbells. If you can easily perform eight or more reps in one set, grab some heavier weights.

Each week, increase the dumbbell weight by five to ten pounds. Using dumbbells will not only give you a strong lower body workout, it will help you to learn proper form when you move up to barbell deadlifts. The benefits of this exercise go beyond lower body strengthening. When you're lifting heavy weights, it stimulates the release of growth hormones which will also cause the muscles in your chest to grow. You'll have more strength when doing chest workouts. And that's another reason why deadlifts are a great exercise.

Now that I've covered the basics of the Romanian dumbbell deadlift, it's up to you to do them. Do you want to become stronger? To develop a powerful, sexy upper body? The only way to get it is to train hard. And you can't do that sitting at a computer. Get out there and workout. Now.

"Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Romanian Deadlifts" copyright 2011 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

*In the demo I used 75 pound dumbbells for eleven reps.

How To Do One Leg Dumbbell Deadlifts

Balance And Power by healthy_blogging Last week I introduced you to dumbbell deadlifts, these are the little cousin of the barbell deadlift exercise. Deadlifts are ideal for developing core and lower body strength, both of which come in handy when your goal is to improve on great chest workouts. When you've got a good core, you can press heavy weights with greater ease than if you just focused on upper body alone. This time I'm going to show you how to perform one leg dumbbell deadlifts. Benefits of the one leg dumbbell deadlift: improves balance improves posture strengthens core muscles stimulates growth hormone production How To Do One Leg Dumbbell Deadlifts One leg dumbbell deadlifts (or single leg dumbbell deadlifts) are easy to do. Grab a pair of light weight dumbbells and place them on the floor in front of you. Now, extend one leg behind you while leaning forward to pick up the dumbbells. Using the muscles in your abs and lower back, pull yourself to a fully upright position. Hold for a moment then lower lean forward lowering the dumbbells to within one inch of the floor. That is one repetition. Repeat this for a total of ten reps. That was your warm up set. Now get a pair of heavier dumbbells and do the exercise again. Try to go for 4 - 6 reps, that is a good start. If you can perform more than this, it means you've chosen weights that aren't heavy enough for you. Conversely, if you can't do better than 2 - 3 repetitions when starting on the set, you're lifting more than your body can handle. The goal is to lift heavy and build strength. So go for five sets of this exercise then move on to something else e.g. lunges, leg presses, etc. Gradually increase the weights by five to ten pound increments every week, this is how you'll stimulate muscle growth at a normal healthy pace. If you do these exercises on a regular basis, you'll begin to see a noticeable improvement in strength and power. Not only that, you'll have better balance and posture which are always good for everyday life. This is the second month of 2011. A perfect time to start working out to create the fantastic and powerful body that you've been dreaming about. So don't just sit around reading about exercise, get started. Now. "Great Chest Workouts: How To Do One Leg Dumbbell Deadlifts - Balance And Power" copyright 2011 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Dumbbell Deadlifts

Strong Legs For A Strong Chest by healthy_blogging This is the third installment in a series of articles discussing dumbbell exercises that indirectly affect the development of the muscles in the upper body. Last week I talked about dumbbell squats, this time I'm going to discuss dumbbell deadlifts. Deadlifts are key to core strength which means that they also play a role in your ability to do chest building exercises like the bench press, dips, push ups, etc. If you're not doing them, you're cheating yourself out of a valuable muscle and strength building source. Some benefits of the dumbbell deadlift strong back strong legs strong core muscles stimulates production of growth hormones How To Do the Dumbbell Deadlift Exercise There are many different types of deadlifts exercises including the Romanian, sumo, box, and lock out. In this article you're going to learn about the standard dumbbell deadlift. You'll need access to a pair of dumbbells. Hold one dumbbell in each hand. Slowly bend your knees as you lower yourself to the floor. You need good alignment, do not arch your back. Now, using your hip and gluteus muscles, push yourself to a fully upright position. Hold for three seconds then lower yourself to the floor again. That's one repetition. Repeat this until you've completed ten reps. Now stop. That was your warm up set. Now, select heavier dumbbells because you're going to do them again. In order to stimulate muscle growth, you need to lift heavier weights, so choose dumbbells that are heavy enough that you would not be able to get in more than six reps during one set. If you're only able to do one or two reps, right after selecting heavier dumbbells, it means that you're lifting more than your body can handle. You'll have to test until you come up with the right amount of weight for you. The goal is to perform enough sets to give your muscles a workout without training them to fatigue. If you're lifting sufficiently heavy, you'll begin to notice it after a few sets. After you've finished three or four sets of dumbbell deadlifts, you can move on to another exercise. You should increase the weight by ten to fifteen pounds per week. The deadlift is a compound exercise that primarily works muscles in the lower body, so you can add more weight per week than if you were training the chest or triceps because the lower body is naturally stronger (since we use those muscles more often e.g. walking, standing up from a seated position, etc.). When you reach the point that you can perform one set of ten or more heavy weight dumbbell deadlifts without difficulty, it's time to use another variation or move to barbell deadlifts. If you perform the dumbbell deadlift on a regular basis, it won't be long before you experience a boost to your upper body strength. You should be able to bench press much more weight than if you were only exercising your upper body which makes the dumbbell deadlift a great chest workout, too. Okay, that's all for the dumbbell deadlift exercise. The only way to get any use out of them is to add them to your workout routine. So go do them. Now. "Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Dumbbell Deadlifts - Strong Legs For A Strong Chest" copyright 2011 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Dumbbell Squats

Powerful Legs Make It Easier To Develop A Powerful Chest

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healthy_blogging


Last week I talked about dumbbell lunges as an example of the importance that lower body exercises have to strengthening the chest and other muscles in the upper body. That was the first in a series of articles that will focus on dumbbell exercises designed to train your leg muscles. Today I'm going to discuss the dumbbell squat - a close relative to the barbell squat. Dumbbell squats are a good leg strengthening exercise and it has a number of benefits.

Benefits of the dumbbell squat:

• strengthens thighs
• strengthens glutes
• strengthens core muscles
• promotes production of growth hormone

How To Do the Dumbbell Squat

You'll need a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. For newbies and for anyone doing a warm up set, start with light weight dumbbells, but in order to reap the benefits of the dumbbell squat you must progress to heavy weights. Heavy weights stimulate nervous system activation which promotes strength, there's no way around this if you hope to develop strong thighs and chest. Don't go too heavy too fast, though. Remember "safety first". Gradual progression is what you need. The key word here is progression.

Stand up straight while holding a dumbbell at your sides. Palms must be facing in. Take a breath. Now, slowly bend down to the floor. Go as low as you can, until your glutes are almost touching the floor. Keep your back straight at all times. Now, using the muscles in your legs and glutes, exhale as you slowly push yourself back to upright position. That's one rep. You'll want to do eight to ten reps on this exercise and go for five sets. Each week, you'll need to add weight, after a point, you'll be performing less reps. This is a good thing because what happens is your nervous system needs more time to re-charge, in other words you're getting stronger. Just do more sets at the lower reps. If you don't experience a decrease in the number of reps you're doing even at heavy weights, it's even better. Why? Because now you've graduated to the dumbbell squat's bigger cousin: the barbell squat. And that is an exercise that is one of the top of free weight leg exercises that is so intense that you'll be adding muscle and building strength in a way that will surprise you.

How Often Should You Do Dumbbell Squats?

Leg exercises are just like anything else - you need to allow your body enough time to recover. No sense in working your muscles to failure which screws up your nervous system. Not only that, your muscles won't have time to heal if you tear them down before new muscle fibers have a chance to grow. After you've done five sets of dumbbell squats, move on to dumbbell lunges. I recommend giving yourself twenty-four hours rest after doing the lower body exercises. Lower body exercises not only help strengthen the muscles in the legs, glutes, and core, they help to round out your physique. You'll look more symmetrical than if you only trained your chest, tris and biceps. You ever see those lifters with huge upper bodies but little chicken legs? Lol! If you want to avoid that look, then make sure to exercise your lower body, too.

Okay, that's the how to on dumbbell squats. You won't get anything done if you sit here just reading about them. You've got to do them. Get to it. Now.

"Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Dumbbell Squats- Powerful Legs Make It Easier To Develop A Powerful Chest" copyright 2011 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

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How To Do Dumbbell Lunges

Powerful Legs Help Develop The Chest by healthy_blogging Some people spend all their time lifting weights to build up their upper body while neglecting their legs. The end result is a disproportionate physique - huge upper body with tiny chicken legs. If you want to avoid this, you must learn leg strengthen exercises. So from now on, in addition to chest workout tips, I'm going to talk about exercises for the lower body. And the first of these blog posts is a discussion of the dumbbell lunge. Benefits of the Dumbbell Lunge There are many benefits to the dumbbell lunge including: strong glutes strong thighs strong calves stimulates release of growth hormones This is a must learn exercise for anyone who wants a full body workout. How To Do Dumbbell Lunges You'll need a pair of dumbbells and an area where you can exercise. Take a dumbbell in each hand. Stand up straight. Now lunge forward with your right leg, make sure it is bent at a ninety degree angle. Your left leg will now be positioned behind you, bent to the same degree. Place the weight on the ball of your left foot. Keep your core tight and your back straight. There should be a distance of two - three feet separating both feet.  Now stand up. Lunge forward with your left leg now, making sure that you bend it at a ninety degree angle. Repeat again with the right leg. After you've covered some distance, turn around and head back. Repeat this for five sets, stop and go again. I'd recognize performing ten sets of this exercise. If you don't have much room in which to maneuver, then lunge in place. In this case, lunge forward with your right leg then stand up and repeat with the left leg. You're essentially walking in place when you're doing it this way. The dumbbells help create resistance for this exercise which will help you develop strength much faster than you would without them. Use as much weight as you can handle while still maintaining good posture. Lunges are not a substitute for the squat, but they're a good leg exercise in their own right. And with the legs becoming stronger it naturally increases production of growth hormone which will help build the upper body including your chest. Do you want to get in shape? Then don't sit around dreaming about developing a great chest, get off the computer, take what you're learning on this blog and workout! Get to it. "Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Dumbbell Lunge - Powerful Legs Help Develop The Chest" copyright 2011 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Proper Form Gets You Proper Results by healthy_blogging Strong shoulders make for a stronger bench and a stronger bench makes for a stronger chest. So if you want a great chest workout, you've got to train the whole body. This time we're going to learn about the dumbbell side arm raise exercise. How To Do The Dumbbell Lateral Raise This exercise can be performed sitting or standing. I'm going to talk about the standing dumbbell lateral raise (sometimes referred to as the dumbbell side arm raise) because it has a lot of benefits including mold and sculpt the deltoid shoulder muscles improves balance improves overall upper body strength You'll need a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. Take one dumbbell in each hand. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart. Hold the dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing toward your thighs. Now, while keeping your back straight and abdominals tight, use your shoulder muscles to raise the dumbbells up. Stop once the weights are parallel to the floor. This is the top of the exercise. Hold this position for a five second count then lower them down to your sides again. You've just completed one rep. To get the most out of this exercise, do the raise in a slow manner, raise your arms slowly, hold then slowly lower them again. The longer you're holding the weights up, the more the force of gravity will pull on them. This is good for you because in order to maintain your raised position, your muscles must work hard against gravity. This resistance will strengthen your shoulder muscles. Perform five sets of the dumbbell side arm raise, with ten reps per set. Each week increase the weights in five pound increments. You can combine the dumbbell lateral raise with other shoulder workouts e.g. pull ups, or even mix it up with some chest workouts such as the tricep dip exercise. That's all for this article. If you want strong, sculpted shoulders that get women turned on, don't sit around just reading this article, get out there and do them. "Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Dumbbell Lateral Raise - Proper Form Gets You Proper Results" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

Great Chest Workouts: How To Do The Hammer Grip Inclined Bench Dumbbell Press

An Exercise For The Chest

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healthy_blogging


This exercise is fantastic for strengthening the chest muscles. And they're not so difficult to perform.

Performing the Hammer Grip Inclined Dumbbell Press

You'll need an inclined bench and a pair of dumbbells for this exercise. I recommend that you use a spotter for heavier weight lifting. Grip a dumbbell in each hand. Make sure that your palms are facing each other. Simultaneously press each weight upward. Hold for a moment than slowly lower them toward your chest. Then press them upward again. Repeat this for ten reps then rest. Do three - five sets of this exercise. The hammer grip inclined dumbbell bench press is an exercise that makes each side of the chest carry its own weight, if one side has difficulty pressing the weight up, you know that you need to devote more attention to strengthening it.

If you're a novice start out with relatively light weights but make sure to increase them in 2.5 to 5 pound increments each workout session. Remember to allow your muscles to recover and become stronger, so always allow at least 24 hours before working the same muscle group.

Enjoy your workout and keep it interesting and you'll see progress in strength and size.

That's all for this article. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading.

"Great Chest Workouts: Hammer Grip Inclined Bench Dumbbell Press: An Exercise For The Chest" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.