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5 good reasons to train with dumbbells

5 good reasons to train with dumbbells

 

Dumbbell training has many advantages over barbell training. Dumbbell training can play a partial role in your strength training sessions, and you can seriously maximize your muscular strength and hypertrophy.

MUSCLE STABILIZATION AND ACTIVATION

One study compared the EMG activity (an examination that records the spontaneous electrical activity of a muscle or nerve by electromyogram) of the torso, triceps and biceps muscles when an athlete performed a barbell bench press, a guided barbell bench press and a dumbbell bench press.

Activity in the triceps was similar when performing a dumbbell bench press and a barbell bench press, but activity in the torso and biceps was much higher with dumbbells. Why was this? Because dumbbells require greater stabilization.

Dumbbells are a functional workout requiring greater stabilization during exercise execution. Dumbbells are a functional workout that requires greater stabilization during the exercise, which not only makes greater demands on the stabilizing muscles, but also activates more muscle fibers.

IDENTIFYING AND ELIMINATING IMBALANCES

Dumbbells force the limbs to work unilaterally. If one side is much weaker than the other, overcompensation is impossible with a barbell, making dumbbells an effective agent in your fight against muscular and strength imbalance. What's more, by identifying and eliminating imbalances, the likelihood of injury is greatly reduced.

EXTREME INTENSITY TECHNIQUES

Intensification techniques (rest-pause, dropsets, supersets, etc.) are easier to implement for the dumbbell trainer. For example, it's easier to grab a second pair of dumbbells than to unload the bar, especially if you don't want to take a rest break.

While the most intense and effective techniques are avoided when training with a barbell, this is not the case with dumbbells.

GREATER RANGE OF MOVEMENT

One of the most effective ways to "break fiber" and therefore gain more muscle is to increase the range of motion, and dumbbell variations give you greater amplitude. Dumbbells can add a new dimension to your mass-gaining movements, not least by increasing your range of motion.

What's more, a greater degree of freedom within a natural range of motion will reduce the risk of long-term injury.

FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

When you bench press with a barbell, your arms and shoulders are in a fixed position and follow a set trajectory. Dumbbell bench presses, on the other hand, allow you to change your movements slightly and let your shoulders move freely.

In general, dumbbell exercises allow you to rotate your shoulders, lower the dumbbells lower or raise them higher, play with the convergence of a movement - in short, they allow you to specifically target certain muscle areas.

EXAMPLES OF DOG EXERCISES

Deltoids
  • Shoulder press, Arnold press, Cuban press, front and side raises, chin-up, bird, etc...
Chest
  • Bench press, incline/decline bench press and its variants, split bench press and its variants, pull over, etc ...
Triceps
  • "Barbell to forehead with dumbbells, triceps extension behind the head, kickback, etc ...
Biceps
  • Alternating biceps curl, concentrated curl, zottman curl, neutral and reverse grip curl, incline bench curl, etc. ...
Dorsals
  • Dumbbell rowing and its variants, pull-over, shoulder shrug (trapezius), etc. ...
Legs
  • Squat and its many variants, Bulgarian squat, lunges, straight-leg deadlift, calf extension, etc. ...

Author Alexandre CARPENTIER

Bodybuilding Champion N.A.C 2012

Alexandre shares his bodybuilding experience with MegaGear blog readers