How to Lift Dumbells

Dumbbells are one of the prized possessions to many fitness enthusiasts nationwide. They build a lot of muscle fiber and they also require more stabilization and balance to be used effectively. When it comes to using them, there are no parts of the body that cannot be worked by lifting a pair off the ground and working out.

Instructions

    • 1

      Press the dumbbells. Whenever you do overhead exercises, you need to contract your core muscles. These would be the muscles of the stomach, sides and area on the back between the lower shoulder blades and glutes. This will give you good stabilization. An example of an exercise would be a dumbbell military press.

    • 2

      Do pushes. A basic push exercise is a chest press, which is done from a lying position. This exercise can be done on a bench or Swiss ball. During this exercise, lie on your back, contract the core, turn the palms forward and press the weights straight up until they are about 1 inch apart. Slowly lower them until your elbows are about 90 degrees. If you do this exercise on a ball, then you also need to contract your leg muscles to maintain stability.

    • 3

      Pull the dumbbells. A basic pulling exercise is a one-arm dumbbell row. Stand in front of a Swiss ball with a dumbbell in one hand. Come into a lunge position and place the other hand on the ball. Pull the dumbbell up and back. When you are drawing the dumbbell back, keep the arm in tight against the body.

    • 4

      Curl the dumbbells. An example of this is a bicep curl. These can be done from a standing or seated position and there are various ways to do them. One of them is a hammer curl. This is performed by holding the dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing your thighs. Curl them up maintaining the same hand position. Another curl is a twist curl. This is performed the same exact way, but as you lift the dumbbell, twist your wrist and turn your little finger inward.

    • 5

      Extend the dumbbells. A common extension exercise is a tricep kickback. The best way to do this is on a bench. Place your right knee on the bench and your left hand on the front of it. Pick up the dumbbell in your right arm and bend over so your back is about parallel to the ground. Place your arm tight against your body and then straighten your arm by kicking the dumbbell back. Then bend your elbow and bring the weight back to the starting point. Make sure your arm is tight against the ribcage throughout the exercise.

    • 6

      Swing the dumbbells. You can also do functional exercises that involve swinging the dumbbells. Grab both ends of the dumbbell. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, bend down to the right side as you also bring the arms down near your foot. Then stand back up and swing the dumbbell up and at an angle. You are twisting at the hips. Make sure to do this in one smooth, flowing movement.