Workkin' Out!

[piercehawkeye45]

With dumbells, try to add variety and work different parts of the same muscle. Chest is usually the only muscle most people do that with. Instead of just doing regular bench press, many mix in some inclined, decline, wide, and close grip bench presses as well. This will work different areas of the same muscle. The same philosophy can be applied to almost every other muscle and it is much easier with dumbells.

For example, most people just do the regular bicep curl. For variety, work on the inside and outside part of the bicep. For example, when you do your bicep curls, keep your elbows near your side like you normally would, but instead of keeping your arms shoulder distance apart, extend them wider and do some curls that way.

Or, you can go the other way and move your hands towards your body. For example, start with the regular bicep curl pose with your hand by your thigh. Then, make sure the outside (side your finders do not bend) of the wrist facing towards you. Then, lifting one arm at a time, lift the dumbell in a corkscrew motion so now your wrist are facing sideways, kind of a hammer curl motion but your wrists are facing the opposite way.

A third technique are hammer curls. Basically hold the dumbells so the inside of your wrists are facing each other. Do bicep curls that way. You can also use different combination of these as well. For example, normal bicep curl up, hammer curl down. Or, extended hammer curl up (first bicep variation with hammer grip), regular grip down.

This may make it easier or harder on your wrists and elbows if you have issues with those. Just play around with movements for a bit and see what you like or dislike.

[Flint]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

Chest is usually the only muscle most people do that with. Instead of just doing regular bench press, many mix in some inclined, decline, wide, and close grip bench presses as well.

Did you conduct an informal poll on this or what? Look at common back movements as mirror images of chest movements: decline bench (or dips) = bent over barbell rows or low pulley rows (close grip version), incline bench (or military press) = lat pulldowns, flat bench press (or dumbell press) = machine rows or one-arm dumbell rows. Unless you have a poor back routine, you're getting just as much variety, i.e. recruiting/stimulating more muscle fibers.

I agree that pronation/supination is a point on which dumbells are superior.

Another reason to love/hate dumbells... say you are doing heavy incline presses. With a barbell, you simply lift it off the rack and put it back when you're done. With dumbells, you have to figure out how to wrestle them into position. This develops "whole body strength" ...

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by Flint

Did you conduct an informal poll on this or what?

Well from observation but you are right about the back. But much more often than not, I see people work on one muscle group for three or four sets then move on the next muscle set.