I’m not surprised people are confused.  Walk into any gym today and you’ll be overwhelmed by the shiny machines and fancy equipment.  It is easy to start believing you need all this equipment to meet your fitness, fat loss and physique building goals.  But in my opinion, a full body dumbbell workout can do everything those expensive machines do, better!

Just so we’re on the same page, let me start by saying you don’t need a gym full of fancy equipment to get fit, burn fat and build the type of body that turns heads. You don’t even need to join a gym at all.  A full body dumbbell workout, dedication and consistency are all you need.

First of all, did you know you can get an excellent full body workout using only dumbbells?

Yes, that’s right.  You can use dumbbells for more than curls and flies!  I know it sounds crazy, but if I hand someone a dumbbell, the first thing they do is try to curl it.  I hand it to them, and without thinking, the curling motion begins.  But these limited motion exercises using small muscle groups are not the only reason to use dumbbells.  As a matter of fact, if you are only using dumbbells for a limited amount of exercises, you’re missing out on their true potential.

The truth is, the ability to use dumbbells together, one at a time or in an alternating manner make them one of the best fitness tools.  The variety of dumbbell exercises you can perform make dumbbell exercise an excellent choice for building strength and muscle you can use in the real world.  Plus, every dumbbell exercise turns into a core exercise, which helps you build that 6-pack!

When I say, “full body dumbbell workout”, here is what I mean:

-    Dumbbells are the only piece of equipment used.

-    Upper body, core and lower body are all worked.

-    The heart and lungs are also involved

With dumbbells, you can perform workouts that involve all the big, major muscle groups AND the cardiorespiratory system.  You can train both muscles and the heart and lungs at the same time.  So when I say “full body” I mean full body.

Compare this to “bodybuilding” style workouts that split the body into small muscles and focuses on training each muscle separately.  And forget about getting a heart and lung workout.  You’ll have to do that separately!

The truth is, there are many different types of dumbbell exercises.  There are grinding strength exercises, explosive power exercises and rhythmic exercises requiring both incredible strength and endurance.  Each type of exercise can be arranged into a full body dumbbell workout that simultaneously improves fitness, burns fat and builds strong muscles.

The secret to reaching your goals is to get the most out of your training equipment and training time. So, don’t overlook the power of full body dumbbell workouts.  If you have access to a set of dumbbells, you have everything you need to get a great workout.  And you don’t even need to drive to the gym!

Just think of how much better conditioned (and leaner) your body will be when you do full body dumbbell workouts that target every muscle in the body and build unstoppable ardiorepiratory endurance at the same time!

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But what we found out on day 1 of wrestling season was that the weight training we were doing did NOT prepare us for the rigors of wrestling. If anything, the inflated muscles were a hindrance to our performance!  And after cutting weight to get to my weight class, those puffed up muscles were a thing of the past.

It made me wonder if those off season workouts were worth it!

But the problem was, at the time there was no one teaching any other forms of weight training besides bodybuilding type training.  So, year after year we would gather in my basement and commit the same mistakes.

One of the things that snapped me out of the bodybuilding mindset is the simple dumbbell swing. Here is a video I found if you don’t have any idea what I am talking about it…

dumb bell swings

And those are even done with a weighted vest.

Anyway, you probably won’t find this in any bodybuilding routine because it is not immediately relevant what muscles are trained.  And since muscle growth is the only concern of bodybuilders, not knowing the muscles makes doing the exercise pointless. But that is not the case if you want to use dumbbells to build an athletic body.

I’m of a different mindset now (one I wish I had know about in my bodybuilding days).  I believe the training of movements is more important than the training of muscles. Train to move better, and the muscles will take care of themselves.

Now, the dumbbell swing is pretty simple to understand. But once you start using it in your dumbbell workouts it just might wake up something you’ve been missing.  You might just start wondering what other dumbbell MOVEMENT exercises there are and how they can help you build your best body.

And that is the start of something great!

I think 99% of the dumbbell workouts people are doing are crap. Sorry, but that is what I think.  In my opinion, dumbbells are one of the best training tools out there, but most people don’t use them correctly.

I’m not talking about the specific mechanics of a specific exercise… I’m talking about exercise selection itself!

If you want to get the best use of your dumbbells, then I suggest you check out: Superior Dumbbell Workout

Dumbbell swings are only one of many dumbbell exercises you should be doing. And the sooner you get away from using dumbbells like bodybuilders are using, the better.  I think when you see the way I use dumbbell you’ll realize you’ve been missing out!

Superior Dumbbell Workout