The best exercises with dumbbells for women at home

Links to authoritative sources

Author: Kristina Lobanovskaya, doctor, practicing nutritionist Article updated: 03/04/2020

Ask a Question

Dumbbells are sports equipment used during training as hand weights. Such devices have an easy-to-grip shape, can have different weights and are great for strengthening ligaments and developing muscles in strength or aerobic exercises. In addition, they significantly increase the degree of physical activity on the body and accordingly increase calorie consumption. Therefore, experts recommend regularly using dumbbells for weight loss in order to significantly speed up this process and get rid of excess fat, practically without changing the training program, but only by adding a small weight to the usual exercises. At the same time, along with the loss of fat, the body will gain relief and a toned athletic shape.

Training goals

Women may have several goals for which they are ready to buy several iron pets for their home. For example:

Lose weight and tone muscles.
Tighten your muscles and gain some muscle mass.
Practicing striking techniques “shadow boxing” for martial arts lovers.
You just like training with dumbbells, but you don’t yet know how exactly you will train. Perhaps you will make your choice after reading this article.

Let's consider what weight of dumbbells to choose in each of the listed cases.

Dumbbells for women: what weight to prefer

Many women who have just started training believe that first they need to acquire mini dumbbells with a weight of 0.5 - 2 kg. But this option cannot be called optimal, since after a few months of training such dumbbells will become too small and there will be no result from working with them.

An exception is dumbbells for fitness, which are needed to maintain your figure and body in good shape. The weight of such simulators is no more than half a kilogram.

Professional trainers say that the optimal weight of dumbbells for women is the one with which she is most comfortable working. It is precisely according to their feelings that beginners should choose the weight of exercise equipment for training.

The weight of dumbbells also depends on the types of exercises that will be performed with these machines.

Dumbbells for weight loss

Along with choosing the weight, we will help you decide what and how to do with the newly purchased dumbbells.

To lose weight, you need to choose a light weight. For women, 1 weight option will be enough, for example, 2 kg. With this weight you will need to train 3-4 times a week, preferably with rhythmic music to constantly maintain the tempo of the workout.

The dumbbell should be solid, rubberized, colored (the latter is to lift your spirits).

Turn on the music and start doing various exercises with this weight. Don’t forget to do the same without weight before doing this - this will be a mandatory warm-up.

The following exercises are suitable for women:

Lunges with dumbbells on the legs and buttocks.
Various types of squats (classic, plie, with weight on the chest, etc.).
Russian crunches with a dumbbell for the abs. In addition to regular crunches.
Bicep curls at the elbow while standing.
Raising arms with dumbbells to the sides (across the sides) onto the shoulders.
Raise dumbbells in front of you with each hand alternately, not the front of your shoulders.

If you buy a step platform, you can also do step aerobics with dumbbells.

Combine these exercises and get 7 sweats off! You will see the result in 1-2 months! At a minimum (even if you don’t follow a diet), you will feel great, have a good mood and tone your muscles.

Do 10-15 repetitions for each exercise. Number of approaches: 3–4. You can do exercises in a circle. That is, according to each person’s approach, then all over again. You will need to make 3-4 such circles. Rest between sets should be minimal.

By the way, if we are talking about 2 kg, then you can take bottles of the corresponding volume. This is in case you are really tight on money, but want to study. And instead of a step platform, you can use a low, stable stool. Keep in mind that the stool can slip out from under your feet, fall, or break. In this regard, the step platform is many times better and more reliable. And holding bottles is not as convenient as dumbbells.

The best workout program for men

As a rule, exercises with dumbbells for men are a serious strength load. All exercises are best performed in three approaches, each with 8-12 repetitions.

For men, in addition to the back muscles, it is especially useful to pay attention to working the muscles of the legs and arms

The most effective leg exercise is forward lunges:

Straighten up, feet shoulder-width apart.
Take a step forward and kneel at a 90-degree angle, with your other knee almost touching the floor.
Straighten your leg and take the starting position.

Another leg exercise is sitting up on your toes:

Sit on the edge of a fitness ball or chair, legs apart 10-15 cm wide.
Place the dumbbells on your knees and hold them throughout the exercise.
Raise your feet on your toes until you feel tired.

To work the triceps, one of the best options is the bench and seated press.

The seated press is performed as follows:

Take the original position sitting on a chair. Raise your hand with a dumbbell above your head.
Smoothly bend your arm at the elbow and lower it behind your head.
Also smoothly straighten your arm and return it to its original position.

The bench press is performed similarly, but the starting position is lying on the floor. Hands with dumbbells are raised above your head and lowered behind your head, and then returned to their original position.

The trapezius muscles are most effectively worked with vertical lifts and shrugs.

Straighten up, place your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly.
In this position, lift the dumbbells with your elbows bent to your chin.
Hold your hands in this position for a couple of seconds and slowly return your hands to their original position.

Shrugs (shrug):

Straighten up, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
Relax your arms and, raising your shoulders, shake them a little. Stay in this position for several seconds.
Relax your shoulders and repeat.

When performing the exercise, it is important to ensure that your shoulders are not pulled back; they should be raised vertically. The following exercise is very useful for strengthening the pectoral muscles:

The following exercise is very useful for strengthening the pectoral muscles:

Lie with your torso on the bench, back straight, feet on the floor, but buttocks should be completely on the bench.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and straighten your arms.
Alternately place your hands behind your head, making swings.
Perform all movements smoothly so as not to pull the muscles or damage the tendons.

For women, one of the weakest points is the back. It is not for nothing that it is the first to make itself felt during pregnancy as the load on it increases.

For example, a bent over row exercise is performed as follows.

All movements are performed smoothly without jerking to avoid injury.

Another exercise for the back is pulling while lying on an incline bench. The nature of the movements is similar to the previous one, it consists of the following stages.

The angle of the bench should be 45 degrees. Lie on a bench with your stomach down, holding dumbbells with both hands

It is very important to keep your back straight and look forward. Perform an upward pulling movement, also pulling the dumbbells towards your lower back. Lower the dumbbells smoothly down while inhaling. To keep your back straight, you can rest your feet on the floor.

The back press is very effective for the pectoral muscles.

By varying the inclination of the bench, you can change the load on individual muscles. If the bench is horizontal, the upper part of the chest works, if the tilt is head down (negative), the lower part and triceps work.

Execution order:

Lie down on a bench and take dumbbells.
Keep the dumbbells as close to the body as possible, elbows should be apart.
As you exhale, press the dumbbells upward, tensing your chest muscles as you move.
Carefully lower the dumbbells. You should not go very low, otherwise shoulder pain may occur.

Lie down on a bench and take dumbbells. First, press the dumbbells up, and then perform spreading movements from this position.
Turn the dumbbells to the sides and lower them to the sides. Lower the dumbbells until you feel a stretch in the outer part of your chest. Elbows should be slightly bent.
Return your hands to the starting position; for optimal muscle function, it is better to slightly not complete the movement.

Despite the apparent simplicity of this type of equipment and the exercises performed with it, dumbbells are simply irreplaceable for basic training. Those who want to achieve beautiful muscle definition cannot do without them.

You will find a selection of exercises with dumbbells, as well as the technique for performing them, in the following video:

Training with dumbbells increases blood flow and improves blood supply to the heart, restores ligament function, improves lung function, and helps improve metabolism in the body.

To tighten and build muscles

In this case, you will need collapsible dumbbells weighing from 2 to 12 kg. Or a whole dumbbell row of 10 different dumbbells. What's better? Let's look at this issue.

For the dumbbell row you will also need a rack. This option is expensive and takes up a lot of space in the room.

But it has certain conveniences:

No need to assemble and disassemble weights.
Nothing will fall off or unscrew.
You can quickly change the weight of the dumbbells.
If you decide to work out with a friend, you can do it together at the same time.

Minuses:

Price.
Dimensions.
They collect dust.

We suggest that you still choose collapsible dumbbells.

Their advantages:

Cheaper compared to a dumbbell row.
They take up little space. If necessary, the dumbbells can be disassembled and hidden in different places, as if they were not there at all.

Minuses:

It must be assembled and disassembled after each change of scales. No matter how much you practice, it will still take some time.
If the plugs are not screwed on properly, the pancake may fall to the floor. However, this happens very rarely.

Despite the small disadvantages, for home use the choice is obvious - prefabricated dumbbells.

Let us draw your attention to the fact that it is better to take dumbbells with rubberized plates. Firstly, rust will not form at the junction of the plate and the neck, and, secondly, they are more pleasant to the touch and will not clank when dropped. Yes, and they look neater.

And yet, which dumbbells to choose is, of course, up to you.

Why do we need weights from 2 to 12 kg? It's simple - to tone the muscles and increase their volume, the load must progress.

The set of exercises will be slightly different from those given in the previous case:

Standing dumbbell press.
Standing dumbbell raises to the sides (lateral).
Bent-over dumbbell raises.
Bent over row.
Front squat with dumbbells.
Deadlift.
Plie squat.
Lunges with dumbbells.
Flexion and extension of arms with dumbbells.
Dumbbell bench press.

Exercises are done 8–10 repetitions in 3–4 approaches. You need to start with small weights and gradually increase them. More weight is for exercises on the legs, less weight is for the arms. For women, working out the lower body is especially important.

Common mistakes when performing exercises with dumbbells

The most common mistakes athletes make when performing strength training include the following:

Automatic execution. With uncontrolled execution of elements, concentration decreases, the quality of working out the work area deteriorates, and the risk of getting herbs is high.
Strong tension and tightness during the complex. Overexertion does not allow you to take the necessary position, and holding your breath for a long time can lead to an increase in blood pressure.
Inconsistency between loads and load being performed.

The easiest way to choose the optimal weighting size is to do a certain number of repetitions with the load:

if after 10-12 repetitions the deadlift is also easy, the weight needs to be increased;
if you feel tired, the load is selected correctly;
if it is impossible to complete the specified number of repetitions, the mass is too large.

Taking into account the main mistakes will help prevent injury, avoid sprains and make training safe and effective.

Special cases

Sometimes it’s worth holding off on training or doing it with extreme caution:

If you have had injuries - sprains, you need to decide why you need dumbbells. And, in any case, you will need to work on the diseased areas with minimal weights for some time. By the way, you can start working only after the acute pain is relieved.
If you want to exercise during pregnancy. You should consult your doctor first. If your doctor allows it, choose light weights from 0.5 to 2 kg. You need to choose a weight so that it is not too heavy for you, but you also feel tension. We recommend exercising in the fresh air to improve aeration of your body and your baby's body.
Internet articles are full of advice to buy a mat for exercising with dumbbells. However, what exercises can you do with dumbbells on a mat? There are quite a few such exercises. Yes, and a regular carpet will do for this. A mat is needed, but for stretching and other exercises without dumbbells.

How to choose weight for bulking?

Mass training is performed quite slowly and very carefully. In this case, the number of repetitions in the approach must be kept within 8-12. But this does not mean that you simply stop performing at this number of repetitions. This means that the weight should be such that you cannot do more even with a very strong desire.

When training to gain mass, it is recommended to use the so-called “warm-up” approach, in which you “warm up” and practice the technique with a light weight, and then perform the required number of approaches with a weight close to the maximum.

Dumbbell care

Field of purchase, dumbbells must be stored correctly. Here are some simple tips to ensure that these wonderful sports attributes serve a beautiful woman for a long time:

Do not wet the dumbbells (for example, by wiping dust from them); after training, it is better to wipe with a dry cloth.
If the plates are not rubberized, lubricate the bar and the inside (threaded) of the plates! If the thread is broken, the dumbbell will become unusable.
Don't throw dumbbells on the floor. At some point, something might break off, and the neighbors below won’t like it either.

Here, in fact, are all the basic recommendations on how to choose dumbbells for women. Have fun training!

Kinds

Dumbbells are used in weight training. Today there are several types of projectiles:

Solid cast. Dumbbells consist of two balls, polyhedra. The parts are connected to each other by a handle, which the user actually holds during classes.
Prefabricated. They consist of a bar, and weights are strung on it one by one. The advantage of prefabricated dumbbells is that the user independently regulates the level of load during training.

The choice of dumbbells is made by the buyer depending on his wishes, level of physical fitness and, in general, on how much he is ready to increase the load in a continuous mode.

How to lose weight using dumbbells?

When performing productive exercises with dumbbells for weight loss at home, try to follow the following recommendations:

Any weight loss will be much more effective if you follow a diet and exclude all harmful foods from your diet: mayonnaise, fast food, baked goods, sweets, fatty fried foods. Count the calorie content of the foods you consume daily and try to keep the total number of calories no more than 1500. It would also be advisable to organize split meals, eating at regular intervals.
Do not allow your body to dehydrate, any physical activity improves metabolic processes, and to remove waste and toxins faster, drink three liters of clean still water a day.
Physical exercise will bring more results if you do it in the morning, when the breakdown of adipose tissue is activated.
Do not train immediately after eating; it is better to wait an hour and a half and start training. You should also not exercise as soon as you finish your next meal.
Always take a few minutes to warm up before starting your workout. Perform several exercises to warm up all muscle groups; weight loss exercises with dumbbells should certainly be completed with light jogging in place or jumping rope for ten minutes.
Get enough sleep. A healthy, sound sleep at night will significantly stimulate the burning of extra pounds.
Always maintain a positive attitude, physical exercise should only bring joy, and should not be done through force.