A Workout Plan With Dumbbells for Mass in Men

Weight training for men typically provides one of two distinct gains – the development of muscular endurance, or the generation of muscular mass. In most cases, these two goals are mutually exclusive, since the process to achieve one is the exact opposite of the process to achieve the other. To develop muscle mass, dumbbells give you the ability to design a workout that focuses on variation, progressive set structures and an aggressive training schedule.

  1. Sets

    • One of the most important factors to developing mass is to work out in a way that engages the muscles in hypertrophy. Rather than working through a particular exercise for 10 reps each set, a set structure that utilizes a principle called “progressive overload” will help you build muscle volume in a safe, efficient way. Pyramids are a common progressive overload set, where you begin an exercise lifting 85 percent of your max capacity for eight reps, then you progressively increase the weight and decrease the number of reps until you reach two reps at 95 percent max capacity. The 5X5 set structure begins with five reps of an exercise at 80 percent of max, then another five reps at 90 percent, then the final three sets of five at 100 percent.

    Exercises

    • Dumbbell exercises are well suited to increasing mass, especially in the upper body, because the weight concentrates on a much smaller plane than barbell exercises. Bench presses performed with dumbbells engage many stabilizer muscles in your upper body that barbell bench presses can’t, all while forcing each pectoral to develop an equal level of strength. Round out your routine with triceps extensions, military presses, biceps curls, lunges and dumbbell deadlifts to develop mass in both the upper and lower body.

    Schedule

    • Set an aggressive but safe workout schedule to promote the creation of muscle mass. The trick is finding the proper balance between working out and resting. Despite the common misconception, muscles don’t grow in the gym, they grow in the 24 to 48 hours following a workout. If done carefully, a four-day workout plan may be ideal for achieving the necessary balance. For example, on Day 1, work out your chest, shoulders and triceps. On Day 2, while your chest, shoulders and triceps rest, work out your biceps, back, as well as your lower body with lunges and deadlifts. Give yourself a complete rest day with no weight training, then repeat your previous workouts for days 3 and 4. Follow that with two full days of rest, and start the next week fresh.

    Considerations

    • Dumbbells can take a lot of practice to use competently. Start the first week with lighter weight until you’ve adjusted to the forms of your exercises. For exercises where the dumbbells travel above your chest or over your head, ask a friend to spot you. Verify that the spotter knows how to spot dumbbell exercises, because such spotting requires a different approach than that used for spotting barbell exercises. Eat a protein-rich diet that includes 1 g of protein per pound of body weight every day. This will help fuel muscle recovery and develop mass more efficiently.