Dumbbells are one of the best pieces of home gym equipment anyone can own. They take up a very small amount of space and can be used to work almost every muscle in the body. There are literally hundreds of different workouts you can do with them but below are the top 5 dumbbell exercises.

The most obvious use is for the biceps. To do the bicep curl correctly stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Take a weight in each hand with your thumbs facing forwards. As you raise your arm turn it so that your thumb points out to the side. Drop your arm back to the starting position slowly and do the same with the other arm. This is the best way to work the bicep as it isolates the muscle.

For a harder shoulder workout try the overhead press. Start with a weight in each hand at shoulder height with your palms facing away from your body. Raise both arms together in a controlled manner as fast and jerked lifts can damage the elbow joints. Lower to the starting position and repeat. This can be performed standing or sitting but always keep the back straight. The shoulder muscles will really feel this as well as the triceps.

The best workout for the triceps is the triceps extension. Sit on a chair and hold one dumbbell in both hands above the head. Now lower the weight behind the head as far as feels comfortable. Do this slowly and do not let the weight touch the neck or head. Keep the elbows pointing up and return the weight to the starting position. This will really test the back of the arms.

The dumbbell front raise targets the chest area. Perform this standing. Hold two weights and start with them resting on your thighs with palms facing in. Keep your arms almost straight and lift until they are parallel with the ground. Lower back to the start and repeat this movement. This works right across the shoulders and upper chest muscles.

For a lower body exercise try the squat. Hold a weight in each hand and rest them on the shoulders. Keeping the back straight, bend at the knees until the thighs become parallel with the floor. Now return to the standing position. The squat is excellent for the whole lower body as it works the buttocks and the upper and lower legs.

If you have never lifted weights before start with light ones to find your level. To build muscle it is best to aim for 8 to 10 lifts of every exercise. If you cannot do this amount of lifts then the dumbbell is to heavy. When you can do more than 10 you should increase the weight to continue building muscle.

Learn more about Dumbbell Weights. Stop by Darryl Jones’s site where you can find out all about the Top 5 Dumbbell Workouts and what they can do for you.

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