Useful Exercises With Two 15-Pound Dumbbells

If you're determined to get in better physical shape but don't have the money for a gym membership, don't give up just yet. A pair of 15-pound dumbbells, which you can buy at a sporting goods store or at a garage sale if you're lucky, can be used to do many exercises that target several muscle groups.

  1. Leg Exercises

    • You might not immediately think that a pair of dumbbells can help you build your leg muscles, but with the right exercises, you'll be sporting ripped quads and calves in time. Quad-targeting lunges and squats, which you can perform with just the weight of your body, instantly become more challenging when you hold a 15-pound dumbbell in each hand. To target your calves, hold your dumbbells while performing calf raises off a calf block or step. To perform a dumbbell squat, hold one dumbbell in each hand and, while keeping your back straight and your knees pointed in the same direction as your toes, bend your knees and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position to complete one rep.

    Chest Exercises

    • People commonly use weight machines or body-weight exercises such as push-ups to build their chest muscles, but a pair of 15-pound dumbbells can also effectively work your pecs. Two simple exercises that target your pecs are dumbbell flyes and dumbbell bench presses. Other exercises include bent-arm dumbbell pullovers, straight-arm dumbbell pullovers and a variety of dumbbell flyes and bench presses, including incline flyes and incline bench presses. To perform a dumbbell bench press, lie on your back on a bench and hold your feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest the weights against your thighs. When ready, lift them to chest level and extend your arms up to push the weights away from your chest. Hold the weights so one end of each dumbbell is next to each other. Bend your elbows out to the sides until your arms form a 90-degree angle. Bring the weights back over your chest to complete one rep.

    Arm Exercises

    • You can target your biceps and triceps muscles in each arm with a pair of 15-pound dumbbells. An effective way to build your biceps with free weights is the biceps curl exercise, which you can perform while standing, seated or lying on an incline bench. To target your triceps muscles, try close-grip dumbbell presses, seated or standing triceps extensions or triceps kickbacks. To perform biceps curls, hold a dumbbell in each hand at hip level and curl your arms, one at a time, to lift each weight to your shoulder. You've completed one full rep when you've curled each dumbbell and returned it to the starting position.

    Core Muscles

    • Having strong core muscles is particularly helpful if you play sports, and if you enjoy visiting the beach, having a six-pack of abs is a quick way to get attention. A number of dumbbell exercises can help you build your core muscles. These exercises include weighted sit-ups or crunches, suitcase squats, one-legged squats and one-legged rows. If you carry fat around your midsection, you must add aerobic exercises to your workout regimen to burn the fat all over your body. To perform weighted crunches, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and cross your arms across your chest. Engage your core muscles and lift your shoulders off the floor and then lower your torso back to the floor to complete one rep.