Bodybuilding 101: The Benefits of Working Out with Dumbbells

There’s no shortage of fitness equipment out there and each type has its own pros and cons. Next to the barbell, dumbbells are among the most popular pieces of gym equipment. They’re used for a range of exercises including curls, presses, and rows, and they’re also quite adaptable if you use them properly. These pieces of equipment offer safer and more effective workouts.

As you browse through the wide range of dumbbell weight sets available, you’ll find that they come in all shapes and sizes. You can find hexagonal models, adjustable ones, and even rubber-coated dumbbells designed to reduce noise. But how exactly can these training tools benefit your workout routine? Let’s take a look.

What Are the Benefits of Dumbbell Training?

Higher Muscle Activity and Stability

Researchers have compared the EMG activity of the biceps, triceps, and chest while bench pressing using a smith machine, a barbell, and dumbbells. They noticed a significant increase in biceps activity and wondered what could cause this. The simple answer was that these pieces of gym equipment call for more stability. This is why you’ll rarely find a top-tier bench presser that has spaghetti arms.

When you work out with dumbbell weights, you need to have more stability, which in turn activates more muscle fibres. This is why they provide functional training that’s superior to many other types of workouts.

Equal Work Out on Both Sides

Every bodybuilder’s worst nightmare is having one arm bigger than the other. While your dominant side is always going to be slightly stronger than your non-dominant one, an unequal workout can widen this gap even more. Almost everyone who lifts weights will eventually develop stronger and weaker sides, with the weak arm often falling on the left side of most people.

Exercise with dumbbells makes your arm work separately. There’s no hiding or fleeing if one side is much weaker than the other. With these workout tools, overcompensation is impossible, which makes them effective in the fight against imbalances.

Improved Safety

Working out in a home gym has many benefits – you avoid costly gym memberships, sweaty locker rooms, and crowded workout areas. However, this also means exercising alone, without the supervision of a specialised gym instructor.

If you’re not careful when handling your equipment, you might injure yourself during your exercise. When you’re doing a bench press workout alone or you miss a heavy squat, this makes you the grass and your barbell the lawnmower. This isn’t the case when working out with dumbbell weight sets – just let them go and continue! Many models include hexagonal rubber-coated ends that won’t roll away when you put them down on a flat surface.

Versatile Workouts

Different types of workout equipment are meant for specific exercises. But when it comes to dumbbells, they can play a lot of roles. For the lone weightlifter using these items, rest-pause, classic drop sets, and mechanical advantage drop sets are a few simple exercises to set up and perform.

Training with these weights is the only exercise that uses the rack and run approach. It utilises effective high-intensity tactics which you almost always avoid when training with a barbell.

Better Range of Motion

The majority of workout equipment only offers a limited range of motion. These uniform and limited movements not only get boring after a while, but they’re also not as effective in building your muscles.

Increasing range of motion is one of the best methods to overload muscles for your strength or muscle-building goals. With a row or press, you will only go through a certain range of motion; this is not the case with dumbbell training! By increasing the range of motion, these weights give your go-to bulk routine a new dimension.

Increased Mobility

Your shoulders and arms travel through a predetermined range of action when bench pressing a barbell. Dumbbell presses, on the other hand, allow you to slightly change the movement pattern and allow the shoulders to move naturally.

Barbell pressing has a defined range of motion, so if this moves into a place where you have pain, you’re up a creek without a paddle. When using dumbbells to push, you may pull the weights closer or farther away from your body to target certain muscles when pressing without experiencing any pain.

Bottom Line

There’s nothing more enjoyable than working out in the comfort of your own home. You get to train whenever you want without going through hours of traffic and crowded gym areas. Another major advantage is the ability to choose your own fitness equipment that will offer you optimal comfort and fast results.

Dumbbells are among the most popular types of gym equipment. They’re versatile, safe to use, and offer unlimited workout possibilities. If you select a set of adjustable weights and you won’t need to spend any more money on workout equipment. So, after you’ve stacked up on your proteins and bodybuilding supplements, it’s time to equip your home gym with a set of quality dumbbells.