COMPLETE GUIDE TO ~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING lot of workout plans require you to make big changes A to your life, such as giving up drinking for months. This guide is different, in that we only ask you to forgo a round of drinks. That's because the money you would have spent on that round should be invested in a set of dumb: bells. You see, for about £30 you can buy the most versatile and easy-to-master item of training kit available and start to build your best ever body What'sin the guide This guide tells you everything you need to know about training with dumb-bells, whether you're new to working out or you'te a regular aym-goer. It starts with a chapter explaining the fundamentals of weight training, You then get 16 workout options for any training goal whether you want to build a specific body part, such as your arms or chest. ose fat or get your workouts done as quickly as possible. There's also a three-month plan, involving three 40-minute workouts a week that will strip away fat and replace it with lean, hard muscle. The comprehensive form guides section will make sure you know how to execute every move and achieve your goals Jon Lipsey, Ecitor, Men's Fitness ¥ CONTENTS 8-21 22-55 56-79 81-129 Getting started Dumb-bell Three-month Exercise workouts training plan form guides = WW | igbone . + aWhy train wi Using these simple weights can give you fantastic results. Here's why Thehumble dumb-bellis all you © virtually any goal, whether youre need to whip yourself into the aiming to increase your musce size shape of your life. Well, that'snot or trim your waistline. So, before strictly true because if youdon't you get started, here's the essential knowhow touse iteffectively, —_theary behind building muscle and thenit’sjustalump of metal.But | buming with this guide you can make sure that lump of metalis transformed into powerful fitness tool. You may think that to build muscle The advantages of training you need to shift huge weights with dumb-bells are many: theyre every day but that’s not incredibly versatile: you can use the case. If you do them to target any muscle group; an exercise and -as well as a giving you a with great-looking body - they improve a Useful kind of fitness, Because when you hold one in each hand you have to completely control their movement, Which ensures that each side of your body does ff anequalamount Vf of work. They're y also outstanding value, with a basic set costing as little as £30, What's more you can use them for (worlamagsCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL AINING ra - (g WorldMagssame workout over and aver again your body will stop responding to the stimulus and your gains will plateau. To avoid that happening you need to alter the variables bed later in this chapter. The exercises you choos Perform - and the order in which you perform them - will also have results you see hnique and your ‘uggle to complete the ignated number of repetitions in your workout you will get a le-building effect. ‘this is the good st positive mus Provided - a ews - that you wait at le 48 hours before training th body part agai n you perform resista ‘exercises you create tiny tears inyour muscle and then, wher your muscles repair thems they become bigger and stronger than they were before. If you try to stress that muscle before it has had a chance to repair itself youll interrupt the m wth process and you won't get the full benefit of your previous session You should aso be aware that if you ju ttheCOMPLETE GUIDE TO DUMB-BELL . TRAINING information youneedtodecice ‘Tf you just repeat the same workout what reps, sets restand tempo Guseswelesabrelguso OVEF and over again your body will how to order exercises stop responding to the stimulus fatloss and your gains will plateau’ ‘The subject of fat loss is one thats often misunderstood Many people believe that if it creates an oxygen debt in you stay lean. Increased muscie you want to ditch your spare your muscles that has to be mass is associated with a higher tyre then you need to either replenished, all of which requires | metabolic rate, so the more do long, slow cardio sessions alotof energy. As your body muscle you put on, the better or cutoutfat rom yourdiet_ recovers fromasession your your body willbe at buming fat The truth is, however, that fat stores are broken down and When youte lifting weights for lifting weights is the most fatty acids are released into the fat loss, you need to keep your effective route to fat loss. blood and are used as fuel. rest times between sets relatively. Lifting weights is intense Also, your body will repair short, to around 45 seconds. and demanding, which means the damage you do to your That will keep the intensity of muscles when you lift weights your session high. And make and this requires you to burn: sure that you lift to failure - the ore calories. So going for aun point at which you cant manage may mean that you'll use extra another rep with good form - on Calories for about 30 minutes the final set of each exercise after you finish but when you because that ensures that you train with weights youll burn damage your muscle fibres extracalories for up to48 | sufficiently hoursafter your session. _ to expend Having amuscular | that extra physique wil energy. ¢ WorldMagsWorkout variables Repetitions Sets Starting a workout without knowing what you want to achieve, what exercises you're going to door how you're going to perform them isn’t going to give you optimum results. If you want toachieve your workout aims, you need to design - and stick to-a specific programme. But you cant do that without understanding the key variables involved in how you perform each exercise and how you design your workouts. The main variables to think about are: > Repetitions Alsoknownasreps, this, isthenumber of times youlifta weight or perform abodyweight exercise withinaset. >Sets Groups of repetitions performed back toback. > Tempo ‘The speed atwhich reps are performed. > Frequency Thisreferstohow often you performa workout. ¢.WoxrldMags ‘The number of repetitions you choose to perform will affect all the other variables and they havea huge impact on whether the primary effect of your workout is developing muscle strength, size or endurance. Low reps, in the one to seven range, are best for building strength, eight to 12 repsis best for adding muscle mass: and 13-20 reps will develop muscle endurance. These are, however ona spectrum rather than seffcontained blocks, Performing three or seven repetitions of an exercise, for example, will have a strength building effect but the seven repetitions will have more of a size development effect than performing three repetitions because its closer to the size-gain range of the spectrum. The number of sets you perform should be directly linked to the number of repetitions you do. Generally, the two should be inversely related so the more sets you do, the fewer reps you should perform and vice versa. Studies show that the most effective enath of a workout i around 45 minutes After that your training efforts can be counterprocluctive, because testosterone levels drop and stress hormone levels ise So, f yOu indude a high number of exercises in your workout you ray need to reduce the number sets. If youre very new to training, you may want to consider doing Cone or two sets of each exercise to get your muscles used to the movernents without overstressing them. As you improve, you can increase the total number of sets.‘Tf you want to achieve your workout aims, you need to design - and stick to-aspecific programme’ The speed at which you complete each phase ofa rep also plays partin the training effect you get from the lift. Doing ten repetitions ofabiceps curl asfast as possible won'thave the same effect on your muscles as doing the move slowly. To maximise strength a size gains, conditioning research suggests that your muscles should be under tension for between 40 to 70 seconds each set, provided you're not using extremely low repetition ranges. Lifting in this way will cause you touse anaerobic eneray, which produces lactate and prompts the release of testosterone and growth hormones. jo.use the right lifting speed within a rep. ‘To make sure your muscles are Inder tension for long enough, take one second to lift the v pause then take three seconds to lower it. The reason you should take longer to lower the weig is that size gains are best made during the eccentric (awering) phase of the lift. Some exercises, such as the snatch, have to be performed at speed =cause they require explosive movernents to lift a weight that’s heavy enough for you to get a training benefit 7 WorldMags Peer COMPLETE GUIDE TO DUMB- BELL NG The rest you take determines whether or not you're able to complete the next section of your workout. Asarule, sets with few reps will require more rest, as they train the nervous system and fast-twitch muscle fibres, which fatigue easily and take longer to recover. As you \crease the number of reps you train your slow-twitch fibres, whichare harder to fatigue. Those new to weight training may need to take fon than more experienced titers, ‘who have a higher tolerance to the lactate produced during its How much you weigh can also affect your rest times, with heavier liters needing longer to recover between sets Your rest periods are fective when you can reach positive failure on the last rep of the set This means you are unable to liftthe weight with, perfect form but are able to lower it under ontrol.f you dont reach that point by the end of your set. your rest periods may be too long, mensfitnesscouk 13Selecting and ordering exercises ‘The exercises you should When you are relatively fresh.D0 ‘De difficult moves firstand Performdependonwhat you these moves early on in your easier moveslast want to achieve. The sample workout and before simpler moves, | Complete large muscle group workouts in the next chapter such as triceps extensions. moves, such as squats, at the will give you an example of how = beginning of your workout to toselect exercises according make sure you keep perfect form to goals such as developing a and your core is strong enough to Particular body part, losing fat or stabilise your body. Easier moves, increasing explosive power. such as biceps curls, should be Structuring your workout Gone tern the workout propery is important because different exercises place different Savecore moves until last ciemands on your boo The Simiaty.f you perform the following guidelines wll help moves designed to strengthen you to structure your workouts Your core muscles too ealy on in tomaximise muscle growth Your workout youl fatigue these and strength gains while also musdes Then when you come to minimising your injury risk. do big dynamic lifts, such as lunges that call on your core muscles to Dobigexplosivemovesearly stabilise your movement, these imyour workout muscles may not be able to Explosive exercises, such as the provide adequate support for the jump squat, are very demanding move. As well as losing form youl so they need tobe performed ago increase your rk of ur. Frequency How many workouts you doing A hardfukbody session muscles get bigger and stronger. doeach week islkely to be may mean that you need 9 ifyou tess your muscles before influenced by work and family leave at least 48 hours between they've had a chance to repair ‘commitments. The good news, sessions in order for your muscles —_ themselves this may cause if you do lead a busy life, is to recover and repair themselves: overtraining, where you lose thatyoudorrtneedtowork ——_tobestonger than before I strength and muscle mass and outsevendaysaweektosee —youTefocussingona particular feel ethargic greatresults. Doing between body part each workout, you may ‘Some muscle groups take three and five workoutsaweek be able to train the folowing day if longer to recover than others. shouldbesufficientto achieve you work on adiferent body part. Larger muscle groups, particularly your workout goals. (One common mistake is to those with a comparatively higher Exactly how many sessions think that the more workouts, percentage of fast-twitch muscle ‘you do depends on a number you do, the stronger and more fibres, such as the hamstrings offactors. One thing that should muscular youll become In fact may take longer to recover than influence training frequency is its while youre resting, and not some smaller muscle groups, what sort of workouts you're while you're working out, that your such as the calvesCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ‘DUMB-BELL _ TRAINING Know your There are more than 600 muscles in the body. These mt Ss Cc le Ss are the key ones youll be targeting during your workouts buster Concentric contraction Thisis a controlled shortening of your muscle, suchas the upwards phase of a biceps curl, iceps Bens brachi Prachiats Brachioradals Lats as eLatiserus Sees Deltoids — eRoisior cuff beneath dette) — Posterior dete back) Forearms | Fee caro radials brachi ktra eed Treen brachi ng eed etrceps femoris east inermedus I Transverse abdomins (eneath tera ‘rach ‘medal head euteus menus abdominis Eccentric contraction This is the controlled lengthening of a contracted muscle, such as the downward. phase of a biceps cull. ¢ WorldMags menetinees otk 18Chose the weights that suit your needs AAs the name implies, the weight on these dumbbells cant be 1. You can etther buy them individually or as part of aa set that increases in weight at regular increments. Its quick and easy to find your desired ‘weight but the downside is that theyre relatively expensive and they take up a lot of space, which is why Yyoulre more likely to find a set in the gym than ina home training setup. If you do invest in a set, its a gooc idea to get ones with hexagonal shaped ends because they can b used on the floor for exercises such as renegade rows and T pressups ‘without rolling around This type of dumbbell lets you change the weight you lit without paving to mess around with weight 5, The most sophisticated versions allow yOu to position a dial next to the value of the weight you want to lift ‘When you then iit the dumbbell bar, part of the weight i left behind, leaving you with exactly the amount of weight you want to lit ‘They ate more expensive than the plateloaded dum-bels but they are more convenient and allow you tosstick rigidly to rest periods ‘These are the low-cost option, so a good choice if youre on a tight budget. They have two collars that secure plates of different increments toboth ends of the dumb-bell bar, Once loaded they work your body in exactly the same way as fixed and adjustable dumbbells, The only downside is that it can be time consuming to keep altering the weights between exercises.Warltt-up Get your body primed and ready for muscle growth with this quick pre-workout warm-up ‘The warm-upis the part of a workout most men alitle bit more with each repetition, which are likely to overlook. It may seem a bit dull but our muscle joints and nerves for the the benefits make it worth doing. The purpose ofa actions they're about to perform. They differ from warm-up is simple: to raise your core temperature pages 2021), which, according and prepare your muscles forthe worktocome. _{o the latest exercise sc search, should n Dynamic stretches (described below) will target De done before a workout. A study published in Tuscles youre going to use during the workout ‘And Conditioning Re so they're ready for lifting. Dynamic st involve | that pre: atic stretches reduce th moving continuously, placing the muscle unde available to a muscle during the workout. Warm-up dynamic stretches Doten repetitions of each of the following stretches, alternating sides with each rep where appropriate Start gently and aim to increase the range of motion with each rep. >Lunge with - >Squattoreach >Woodchop reverse flye _#Squat down with your Start in a squat with your arms Step forward and bend back straight outside your thigh your knees ‘Stand up and raise your arms —_» Bring your arms up and across Spread your arms wide your body as you rise up ‘ t*ost-Workout warin-down Do the following stretches after a weights session to increase your flexibility and speed up your recovery After you've finished your workout spend five minutes doing some gentle cardio, such as jogging > Hamstrings onthe spot, to bring your heart rate down. Then Keep yourlegs Perform the following stretches, paying particular straightand attention to those that target the muscles you Jean forward ‘worked during your session. tofeel the Get into the stretch position and allow your muscle stretchin your torrelax. As you place pressure on your muscle you hamstrings should be able to fee! it relaxing and lengthening, You can slowly increase the pressure muscle throughout the duration of the stretch but you should never force or ‘bounce’ it because that can damage the muscle Hold each stretch for between 15 and 30 o seconds but if you feel any pain, stop immediately > Calves > Quads ‘Takeastep Hold your forwardand ankleand press your push yourhips backheel forwardtofeel downtofeel thestetchin thestretchin your thigh. your rear calfPeer COMPLETE GUIDE TO -DUMB-BELL TRAINING >Glutes > Chest Standonone With your legandbalance palmsfacing thebottom of forwards, take your raised yourarms shinon your backtofeelthe standing knee. stretchacross Sinkdown your chest. until you feel thestretch in your glutes. 4 > Abs > Triceps Lieon the floor with your palms directly below Bendonearm your shouldersand your elbows tucked in. attheelbow Then raise your shoulders while keeping your anddropit hipson theground. down behind your back With your other arm, pushdown gentlyon your elbow. > Lats > Biceps Kneel down andextend onearmoutsoitrests With your on theground Pressdown on your leadingarm palmstacing tofeelthestretch down your side. backwards, press your armsbehind youtofeelthe stretchin your biceps ¢ WorldMags rmenstinss:o3 21Doexercises1-6 inorder Rest for 1 minute between sets ° Rest for 2 minutes between exercises \ Diamond press-up 1 | >sets3 >Reps 10 4 Arms Workout Build arms that fill & your T-shirts The fastest way to build big armsisn'tto crank ‘out as many biceps curls as you can. True, that type of moves included in this workout, but its, only one part of the puzzle. > Form guide pl05 To increase the size and strenath of your ‘arms you need to work your biceps from a | Hammer curl variety of different angles. The concentration curl >Sets3 >Reps 10 isolates your biceps and allows you tolift a heavy ight. The hammer curl changes your arip and challenges your forearms. The final biceps move, the Zottman curl targets your biceps in the iting phase and your forearms in the lowering phase. Between biceps moves you perform three triceps moves. These are crucial because they allow ‘your biceps to recover and they also build strength and size on the backs of your upper arms. in fact, Yyour triceps make up two thirds of your upper arm mass, so working those muscles will provide you wath quick Fshirtfiling gains. Tomake your arm moves even more effective, make sure you really squeeze the muscle at the top of the move, such as the up phase of abiceps curl. >Formguide ps4 CGitoiiinaasCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Concentration curl Two-arm kickback 2 | »Sets 2 >Reps 10 each side B _ >sets3 >Reps 10 > Form guide pé3 > Form guide p87 Seamsee Deane ee >Reps 10 each side > Form guide p86 ¢ WorldMags mensfitness cok 25*Doexercises1-6 inorder Rest for | minute between sets Rest for 2minutes between exercises ) Bent-overrow 1 | sets 3 >Reps 10 ‘Chest & back Workout Get astrong-looking upper body Most menare far more concerned with building s abig chest than they are with developing a strong back. That's the wrong approach for two reasons. By focusing on your chest at > Form guide p94 the expense of your back you'll develop poor posture and ahunched-over appearance. You'll Floorpress also be missing out on an aesthetic V-shaped @ | >sets3 >Repsi0 torso, which you get by working on the lats muscles of your back. iS workout Contains three chest moves and three back moves and you serrate beeen the two body parts. The first two moves wil also ‘work your core because the muscles around your spine have to work hard to keep your body stable. The second back move. the shrug. targets your upper back while the second chest move allows ‘you to lft heavy weights because youire doing the move froma stable position. The reverse fiye really isolates your back muscles while the dumb bel jab is an explosive way to end the workout. Bentover rows put more stress on your lower back than most back moves, according to the Journal of Strength & Conditioning < Research, so make sure you engage your spine when doing the move. > Form guide p102 (.WaxldMags, RCS ep are) DUMB-BELL TRAINING Dumb-bell press-up 2 >Sets 3 >Reps 10 peas >Reps 10 > Form guide p100 > Form guide p97 Bent-over! B | Saves 6. i > Form guide pos > Form guide pi03, ¢ WorldMags mensfitness cok 27DothisN *Doexercises1-6 inorder Rest for | minute between sets Rest for 2minutes between exercises Externalrotations L |) >sets2 > Reps 1215 each side ‘Shoulder Workout Build broad boulder shoulders Your shoulders require special attention, which is why we've devised this workout. The big muscles in the joint have the capacity to shift alarge amount of weight butif the small > Form guide p123 stabilising muscles that are deep in the joint are ignored you could end up with an injury that’s Lateralraise hard to heal. @ | >sets3 >Repsio This workout begins with two exercises - external and intemal rotations - that strenal the deep lying stabilsing muscles, They wil aso ‘warmup your joint forthe bigger its such as the seated shoulder press that follow. As with any body parts important to work the shoulders fram a variety of angles. The lateral raise wil target your middle shoulders, the front raise targets your front shoulders and the halo targets the front, middle and rear shoulder Onerecent US study found that 36 per cent of resistance training injuries are shoulder related. ‘The top two causes were muscle imbalance and poor technique but doing the one- sided moves in this workout with proper form will help you stay injury free. > Form guide p120 (.WorldMagsCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Internal rotations B | > sets 2 >Reps 1215 each side 3 Seated shoulder press >Sets3 >Reps10 i. > Form guide p23 >Formguide pil Frontraise BY) rs 6 Halo >Sets3 >Reps 10 > Form guide p21 > Form guide pi24 ¢ WorldMags rmenstiess ok 29DothisN *Doexercises1-5inorder Rest for | minute between sets Rest for 2minutes between exercises 1 _ Bulgarian splitsquat > Sets 2 >Reps 10 each side + Legs Workout Get abalanced, powerful physique Gyms are full of men who devote all their training time to their upper body and none to their legs. Aside from giving themselves an odd looking physique they are missing a training, > Form guide pii4 trick because leg moves, such as squats and lunges, target the big muscles of your glutes, Reverse lunge quads and hamstrings,and working hese areas @j. || >Sets2 >Reps 0 cach side hits a huge number of muscle fibres, which floods your body with growth hormones. Strong legs wil also improve your performance in sports - particularly explosive power sports such as rugby - but to work them effectively you need to use a variety of exercises, The first move in this, ‘workout works the quads while the second targets your hamstrings. The reverse lunge is great for developing balance and co-ordination because we are generally not used to moving backwards while controlling a weight. Finally the side step-up gets you moving in a different plane of motion and is great at developing those frequently ‘overlooked glute muscles. Ifyou find the reverselunge difficult, start by takinga step backwards, pausing then lowering into the a Tunge. Then you can work upto one fluid movement. > Form guide p1!3 (AWaxldMagsCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING One-leg Romanian deadlift 2 | >sets 2 >Reps 10 each side 3 >Reps 10 > Form guide pit! > Form guide p07 Sidestep-up BD sets 2 >Reps 10 each side >Formguide pti ¢ WorldMags enetneescoxk 31DothisN *Doexercises1-6 inorder Rest for | minute between sets Rest for 2minutes between exercises D | >sets2 >Reps 0 each side ‘Abs & core Workout Builda rock-solid six-pack ‘You won't be able to build strong abdominal muscles and asolid core simply by doing thousands of sit-ups. You need to target all the = muscles of your midsection, and that means doing exercises that work your upper, lower and side abs as well as your deep lying muscles. > Form guide p28 The first move in this workout involves moving the weight from a high to low position while simuitaneously moving it from one side of your 4 body to the other. This teaches your upper and lower body to work together to control the dumb- bell across a big range of motion. The side plank Dumb-bell snatch aso requites ood core control as you sidebend balance in an unstable postion while dong a >sets2 complicated dumb-bell movement. >Reps 10 “The other moves in the workout make sure each side that you work every area of your abs - including those hard to hit, and frequently averiooked, lower abdorninals. ‘Try tomaintain a good posture throughout the day, even while sitting at your = desk, as that will instill good . habits for your deep-lying stabilising muscles. >Formguide p92 (AWarldMagsCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Sideplank snatch Rollout 2 >Sets 2 >Reps 10 each side 3 >Sets3 >Reps 10 > Form guide p93, Side plank with G | Iateratraise >Sets 2 >Reps 10 each side “fe, ¢ WorldMags mensfitness cok 33Doexercises1-4in order Rest for 1 minute between sets ° Rest for 2 minutes between exercises Woodchop lunge >Sets2 >Reps 10 each side ‘Combina 10n Moves [way porn] Save time and burn calories This four-move workout may look easy, but infact t's among the most challenging in this book. That's because the exercises are combination moves - two or more exercises > Form guide p29 spliced together to create one big move. They may be difficult but they're an excellent way of ‘engaging your brain with what you're doing. 4 The big ranges of motion mean that this workout will bum loads of calories, and the high-intensity nature ofthe session also means that youlll continue burning calories long after ‘you've stopped exercising because your body has to make a huge effort to recaver. One advantage of this type of move is that you ‘can work more than one plane of motion in the same move. This teaches your body to work a5 a unit, improving your co-ordination. The final move in the session the Turkish getup. isnt technically a ‘combination move but its such a useful fullbody move that it alves you the same sort of benefits asthe other three exercises. Because all of the movesin this workout are full-body moves that require high amounts of balance and co-ordination, leave your egoat the door and keep the weights light. > Form guide p127 ¢.WaxldMags Turkish get-up >Sets 2 >Reps 10 each sideCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Romanian deadlift to row Squattocurltopress 2 | >sets 3 >Reps10 3B >sets3 >Reps 10 ¢ | >Form guide pt! > Form guide pi08 ¢ WorldMags reemettnees cask 38Build strength for the sports field you want to train to be better at sport, you need to use moves that work your body ina way that's similar to the type of movements you ‘make on the sportsfield. That's why doing slow tempo moves isn’t appropriate, unless you play your sportin slow motion. itSalso important to select moves that involve large ranges of movement and ones that require your upper and lower body to work together. The 180 degree rotating woodchop, for example, calls (on your upper and lower body to work together while also requiring good core strength to-control the rotational movement. The other moves are all power Variations of Conventional exercises. Doing a ballistic press-up will give you great pushing power, which is useful for sports such as rugby. Doing a jump squat. rather than a conventional squat, will recruit your fast-twitch muscle fibres, which are associated with explosive movements such as sprinting. Explosive workouts are particularly demanding so dont use this training method more than oncea week and give yourself two days torecover before your next session. ¢.WoxrldMags Doexercises1-5in order Rest for 1 minute between sets ° Rest for 2 minutes between exercises | 180° rotating woodchop 1D |) >sets.4 >Reps 6 cach side >Formguide p129COMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING > Form guide pi05, > Form guide p07 Punch BD >sets 2 >Reps 10 each side > Form guide ps9 ¢ WorldMags rmenstiees atk 37DothisN *Do3 supersets for each group Rest for 60 seconds between supersets Rest for 90 seconds between superset groups | Floorpress Da) >sets3 >Reps10 ae Superset Workout Great calorie burn and fat loss effect Asuperset is any two exercises performed back toback without rest, but the most common typeare antagonistic supersets. This means that you work opposing muscle groups, such as >Formguide p102 ‘your chest and back, which in turn means that while you work one muscle group the other has Uprightrow achanceto recover Thisway yougetbalanced NBD) >Sets 3 >Reps 10 muscle growth because you're not favouring ‘your chest over your back, for example, which ‘would give you a hunched posture. ‘Other ways of supersetting include performing ‘two exercises that target the same muscle group or two completely Unrelated muscle groups. ‘ATurther benefit of supersetsis that you wil reduce the amount of time you spend doing your ‘workout because you slash your rest periods. That also means that you keep the intensity of your session high, which allows you to torch calories Inne recent stud, those who used supersets expended nearly 50 per cent more energy than a group who used simple sets You can create your own supersets by pairing two exercises that work ‘opposing muscle groups ~~ suchas your chest and back, biceps and triceps and quads and hamstrings. > Form guide p9s (.WaxldMagsBulgarian split squat Za) >sets2 >Reps 10 each side > Form guide pit Romanian deadlift >Sets 2 >Reps 12 >Formguide ptio ¢ WorldMags ~ DUMB-BELL .. TRAINING >Sets2 >Reps 10 each side > Form guide p82 Two-arm kickback >Sets 2 >Reps 12 > Form guide p87 mensfitnessco1k 39Workout min Get balanced muscle growth Almost everyones stronger in one side of their body than the other, which is why youneed to do unilateral moves that work one side of your, body at atime. Dumb-bells are particularly .g00d for unilateral workouts because youre controlling the same weight with each side. That's not the case when you use a barbell, for example, because your stronger side will naturally try to take more of the train. ‘Any move that involves two dumb bel togive you balanced muscle growth but you can really make sure that you get even muscle development by doing moves that alternate between sides of the body. yoing If you can'tlift as much weight with your weaker side as you can with your strong side, don't lower the weight. Use the same weight and doasmany reps as youcan until you reach failure. DothisN *Doexercises1-6 inorder Rest for | minute between sets ° Rest for 2 minutes between exercises curlwith twist >Sets 2 > Reps 10 each side >Formguide p34 Dumb-bell hook @ | >sets2 >Reps 10 cach side >Formguide pl03 (AWaxrldMagsRotating squat press >Sets2 >Reps 10 each side > Form guide pl09 Front/lateral raise B > sets2 >Reps 10 each side > Form guide p12! ¢ WorldMags , RCS ep are) DUMB-BELL TRAINING Step-up Sets 2 >Reps 10 each side > Form guide pli Saxon sidebend >Sets2 >Reps 10 each side > Form guide p92, mensfitnesscouk 41DothisN *Doexercises1-6 inorder Rest for | minute between sets Rest for 2minutes between exercises Tpress-up 1D | >sets2 >Reps 8 each side *push/pu Workout Improve posture and get balanced muscle growth Inapush/pull workout you do the same number of moves that are classed as a pushing movement.as you do exercises that are classed as pulling movements. A pushing > Form guide p10! exercise is anything that works either your chest, shoulders, quads, triceps or calves while pulling movement will target your back, 4 hamstrings, biceps or abs. This workout alternates between pushing and pulling movements but you can do an entire Uprightrow Whorkout devoted to ether pushing or puling toshrug movements, provided you do another workout >Sets3 involving the other movement in your nextsession > Reps 10 Ifyoualternate between push and pullmoves you can turn your session into . asuperset workout (see p38) by pairing moves and 7 adjusting your rest times. ‘> Form guide p97 (.WarldMags2 One-leg Romanian deadlift >Sets 2 >Reps 10 each side —_ >Form guide pit! Overhead extension >Sets2 >Reps 10 each side > Form guide pa6 ¢ WorldMags COMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Arnold press >Sets3 >Reps 10 > Form guide pli9 >Reps 10 > Form guide ps4 mensfitness cok 43Workout min Builda strong and stable body This workout is suitable for beginners butitt can also be used by experienced weight trainers. The differenceis that beginners should start witha light weight and build up. Whole body training is particularly suitable for beginners because no single body partis overly stressed. By working every part of your body you achieve allover muscle growth. It important to include compound moves (exercises that target more than one muscle group) even at an entry level because this will teach your body to work as a unit It will also promote good movement patterns and balance. which youll need ‘when you move on to levels two and three, which involve more dificult exercises. ‘The most important thing in this workoutis to get used to performing good movement pattems in. key exercises suchas the squat to curl to pressand the lunge. ay Whole-body DothisN *Doexercises1-6 inorder Rest for | minute between sets Rest for 2minutes between exercises > Form guide pi0s Lunge @ | >sets2 > Reps 10 cach side >Form guide pti2 (.WorldMagsCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Press-up Reverse-grip bent-over row 2 | >sets3 >Reps10 3B >sets3 >Reps 10 wae if > Form guide pl04 > Form guide p95 Crunch 5 6) no Alternating shoulder. press >Sets2 >Reps 10 each side > Formguide pits > Form guide pee ¢ WorldMags smnmestanescouk 45DothisN *Doexercises1-6 inorder Rest for | minute between sets Rest for 2minutes between exercises 1 _ Bulgarian splitsquat > Sets 2 >Reps 10 each side ra : Whole-body Workout Challenge yourself to build an impressive physique ‘The exercises get noticeably harder in level ‘two than they were in level one. If you've = already done the level one workout you'llhave established good movement patterns in key_ > Form guide pii4 exercises such as squats and press-ups. in this workout youte stil working sirlar One-leg Romanian deadlift movements but each one is more difficult. Doing 4 >Sets 2 >Reps 10 each side a diamond press-up, for example, is harder than a standard pressup because it places much more emphasis on your triceps, Ifyou struggle to complete thenumber of reps for any exercise, don't compromise your form. Simply doas many reps as you can with — perfect form then move on tothenext move. > Form guide pit! (¢.WaxldMagsCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Diamond press-up Renegaderow 2 | >sets 3 >Reps 10 B | >sets3 >Reps 10 > Form guide p105 > Form guide p99 corkscrew 5 6 >Sets 3 >Reps 10 Curlto press >Sets3 >Reps 10 — > Form guide p23 > Form guide p90 ¢ WorldMags mensfitmess cok 47DothisN *Doexercises1-6 inorder Rest for | minute between sets Rest for 2minutes between exercises | Turkish get-up 1 >Sets 2 >Reps 10 each side Bee Whole-body Workout Use challenging moves for your best ever body This workout will be a challenge to anyone. You start with a technical whole-body move, the Turkish get-up, which is hard to master. Persevere, however, and the benefits will be > Form guide pi27 worth t because it requires virtually every muscle in your body to go from lying to standing while holding a dumb-bell overhead. 4 The first move is folowed by a testing lower body move then a tricky upper-body move that also demands good core strength. You then repeat Snatch that patter - doing a fulkbody move that involves > Setts 2 high level of co-ordination before doing a biglower > Reps 10 body move and a big upper body move. each side Maintaining good form in the Turkish get-up and snatchis absolutely essential if you're to avoid injury and get the full benefit of these exercises. > Formguide pi26 (¢.WaxldMags, RCS ep are) DUMB-BELL TRAINING Sidelunge touch Press-up’ B | >sets2 >Reps 10each side B | >sets3 >Repsi0 ft >Form guide pit > Form guide pi01 fone 3 Meets 2 >Reps 10 >Reps 10 each side ¢ WorldMags >Formguide pii9 mensfitnesscouk 49*Do3 circuits Rest for 2 minutes between circuits ) Dumb-bell press-up 1 |) time 30 seconds nay Fat loss Circuit Burn calories and strip away fat It'sacommon misconception that the best way tolose fatis to go forlong runs. For anyone ‘who doesn’t enjoy plodding, the good newsis that this isnot the case. By far the best way of > Form guide p00 shifting unwanted weight isto do resistance circuits -aseries of exercises performedbackto | Lunge back without rest. > Time 30 seconas This routine will work your entire body but it = {alternate sides each rep) alterates between upper and lower-body moves so while some rmuscle groups are working, others are resting, This allows you to work outat a high intensity, which raises your heart rate and burs more calories. Exercising lke this wil also fre up your metabolsm so that your body keeps burning fat even after your workout. Doasmany repsas you canin the allocated timebut don'tbe tempted toscrimpon = formjust to complete morereps. > Form guide pti2 (4.WaxldMagsCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Sumo: Bent-over flye 2 | so, 3] Sato > Form guide pi07 > Form guide p98 Rollout 6 . ¢ WorldMags mensfitnesscouk 51DothisN *Do3 circuits Rest for 2 minutes between circuits ) Tpress-up 1 |) time 30 seconds emma (alternate sides each rep) a Fat loss Circuit [way porn] Build cardio fitness and get lean The level two workout uses the same principles but this time the exercises are a bit more challenging. You still alternate between upper- and lower-body exercises but because the > Formguide p10! ‘moves are more challenging your heart and lungs will have to work harder. Side lunge @ | > Time 30 seconds {alternate sides each rep) Ifyou have plate-loaded dumb-bells you won't have time to adjust the weight = between exercises so choosea weight that allows you tocomplete the time in the most difficult exercise. >Form guide ptl3 (A.WarldMags> oe 30 seconds 4 > Form guide pi06 carl with > ee 30 seconds {alternate sides, each rep) ¢ WorldMags COMPLETE GUIDE TO ~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING 3 Uprightrow toshrug >Time 30 seconds > Form guide p97 >Time 30 seconds {alternate sides each rep) >Form guide ptis mensfitness cok 53DothisN *Do3 circuits Rest for 2 minutes between circuits > Time 30 seconds Rae Fat loss Circuit Pwxyporr] Challenge every body part and ditch your gut ‘This workout is an incredibly effective fat burner butit's also very demanding. You start with two intense explosive power moves that will really get your target muscles burning. After that it > Form guide pi05 doesn't get any easier, with an unstable row, a big hamstring move and a combination move | to finish. You'll probably feel like the rest time 4 between circuitsisoneminuterather thantwo. = > Time 30 seconds The moves in this workout have been chosen because they should all allow you toliftaheavy weight. ~ Choose the heaviest weight “ you can manage without compromising your form. >Formguide pti0 (AWarldMagsJump >Time 30 seconds >Form guide p107 Zottman curl >Time 30 seconds > Form guide p83 ¢ WorldMags ~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING >Time 30 seconds (alternate sides after 15 seconds) > Form guide p95, Lungeto press > Time 30 seconds {alternate sides with each rep) >Formguide piis mensfitness cok 55feeks1-4WorkoutA _ Internalrotations - External rotations 1D) > sets 2 >Reps12:15 2 | >sets2 >Repsi25 > Form guide p123 > Form guide p123 — a BD ircoscereceercas Aa eres Pepe t2 exch ose > Form guide p129 > Form guide pliCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Press-up B | >sets2 >Reps12 6 Be > Form guide pi04 >Reps12 > Form guide ptt7 Bent-overrow Dumb-bell rollout 7) eee 8] Camber > Form guide p94 > Form guide p93, ¢ WorldMags rmensttess 2 $9feeks 1-4 Workout _ — A : 2 | >set02 > Reps? 4) >Sets2 > Reps 12 each side i BE? > Form guide pi28 —_ 4) Sets» Reps 10 cach side Side step-up >Sets2 > Reps 12 each side >Formguide ptié > Form guide p99 (G4sworldmagsme COMPLETE GUIDE TO DUMB-BELL TRAINING Sidelunge touch BB | sets 2 >Reps'2 each side 6 Cuban press >Sets2 > Reps 12 Form guide pila > Form guide p122 Dumb-bell squat Side plank with lateral raise Dame B | Sgpank ith aterat raise 4 > Formguide pi06 > Form guide p91 ¢ WorldMags wemetneconk GLfeeks 1-4 Workout 2 — | Tpress-up >Sets 2 >Reps 8-10 each side > Reps 12 each side > Form guide pits > Form guide p10! 3 Somaniandeaain 4| =) >Sets 2 >Reps 12 each side >Formguide pit!COMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Single-leg alternate Trap three raise 5 bent-overrow 6 > Sets 2 >Reps 12 each side # > Sets 2 >Reps 12 each side > Form guide p95 > Form guide p99 Seated Russian twist 8 Bulgarian splitsquat 7) | >sets 2 >Reps 10-12 each side >Sets 2 >Reps 12 = of > Formguide pti4 > Form guide p93 ¢ WorldMags rmenetinens oi 68sci 5-8 —— D Pesels mapeenoescr eases causa > Form guide pits > Form guide p102 Peussrmeen peeesone serra Rage 10 ea > Form guide p95,me COMPLETE GUIDE TO DUMB-BELL TRAINING >Sets 2 eae mae eee Peet 3 > Reps 810 > Form guide ptt7 > Form guide p32 Overhead extension > Scenes 3 >Sets2 >Reps8-10 > Reps 8-10 each side > Form guide pas > Form guide p88 ¢ WorldMags rmenetness ai 67leeks 5-8 Workout E “} | Romanian deadlifttorow 1 | >Sets3>Reps810 > Form guide ptt Upright row >Sets3 > Reps 8-10 > Form guide p96 — na 2 > Sets 3>Reps 8-10 > Form guide p105 Lunge | >sets2 >Repse-10 each side =~ > Form guide pti2me COMPLETE GUIDE TO DUMB-BELL TRAINING feat ngs 6 Hammer curl >Sets3 >Reps 810 >Formguide 119 Two-arm kickback Dumb-bell reverse crunch etc, | Camphelres 3 > Form guide p89 > Form guide p84 > Form guide p87 ¢ WorldMags rmenstiess 0: 69leeks 5-8 Workout F —_ B | >sets2 >Reps6-8 each side > Form guide p25 > Form guide pi01 B]irecctresctwems: | Ail) Arnold press >Sets3 >Reps810 =~ > Formguide pti3 > Form guide pliCOMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING Romanian deadlift 5 | >sets3>Repss10 6 Zottman curl >Sets3 > Reps 8-10 > Form guide pti0 > Form guide p83 Dumb-bell sidebend 7 B | >sets2 > Repss-i0 each side triceps extension >Sets 2 > Reps 810 each side > Form guide ps6 > Form guide p92 ¢ WorldMags rmenstinss ou 71Jeeks 9-12 Workout G > Form guide p127 > Form guide p10 “S") Bent-overfiye “S"] Sidelunge 3 | >Time 45 seconds | > time 45 seconds > Form guide p98 > Form guide ptt3Peers COMPLETE GUIDE TO ee DUMB-BELL TRAINING “== | Curltopress B |) time 45 seconas —— > Form guide p83 “S"] Rollout 6 > Time 45 seconds — > Form guide p89 ¢ WorldMags aprcsks 9-12 Workout H - 4 Presione seconds [RTT SeRIO 4) Halo > Time 45 > Stent 45 seconds seconds > Form guide pi07 > Form guide pi24 (noiliagsPeers COMPLETE GUIDE TO ~~ DUMB-BELL TRAINING ‘== | Sidelungetouch BB |) time 4s seconds > Form guide pti4 “—S") Dumb-bell 6 > Time 45 seconds > Form guide p85 ¢ WorldMags aVeeks 9 12 Workout L press-up maa 45 oe ee 45 seconds > Form guide p126 > Form guide pi01 *) Bent-overrow > Time 45 seconds > tes o seconds. > Formguide pic > Form guide p94Peers me COMPLETE GUIDE TO DUMB-BELL TRAINING Squattocurltopress B |) >time 45 seconds > Form guide pi08 | Dumb-bell: 6 > Time 45 seconds > Form guide p103, ¢ WorldMags eSBiceps curl Target biceps Using dumb-bells will work your biceps evenly, giving you balanced muscle growth. ‘Start position With dumb-bells by your sides and arms facing forwards ‘Keep your shoulders bback and your core braced @ - ‘Movement As you it the weights, keep elbows tucked into your sides and dont rock back and forth use momentum pof the fer slowly Pause move and low back to the stCoenen COMPLETE GUIDE TO ~ DUMB-BELL —— snus lt RAINING Concentration curl @ @Target biceps By locking your elbow in place you remove any upper-arm swing and focus the stress on your biceps. > Start position Rest your bow Just inside your knee > Movement Keep your upper body stil and curl the dumbbell upto your chest ‘Rest your free hand on your ‘opposite knee but dont press down = onittoaid the move eo 6 6 o Zottman curl @Targetbiceps By rotating your wrists at the top of the move you transfer the emphasis on to your forearms for the lowering phase. > Start position Dumb-bels by your sides and arms facing forwards ‘Keep shoulders back and your core braced >Movement As you it the weight. keep your elbows tucked into your sides and dont Fock back and forth to use momentum ‘Pause atthe top of the moveand lower slowly back to the start Curlto press @ Target biceps, shoulders e e 9 Combining a biceps curl with a " oa 7 shoulder press will give you a double muscle hit. > Start position Dumb bel by your sides and arms facing forwards ‘Keep your shoulders back and your core braced >Movement s you lit the weight keep your elbows tucked into your sides and donit rock back and forth to use momentum ¢ WorldMags mensfitnesscouk 83Hammer curl @Target biceps Curling the weight ‘some of the emphasis off your biceps and ~ places more stress on your forearms. > Start position Stand with your back straight ‘your shoulders back and your core braced ‘Grip the dumbbells with paims facing inwards and tuck your elbows into your sides > Movement Curl the weight without rotating ‘your wrists and make sure you keep your elbows tucked in ‘Avoid rocking back and forth because this will allow you to use momentum to complete the movement oe with twist @Target biceps Performing the move one armatatime encourages you to stay upright and takes momentum out of the move. By rotating your wrists at the topof the move, you target your biceps from two angles. > Start position Stand with your back straight, shoulders back and your core braced Grip the dumib-bells with palms facing inwards and tuck Your elbows into your sides > Movement Curl one dumbbell up at a time, turing ‘your wrists out at the top of the move to place extra tension on your biceps,Coenen COMPLETE GUIDE TO DUMB-BELL TRAINING @Target biceps >Start position Hod the > Movement Throw alternate Punch yourself to bigger biceps dumb-bells by your chest with uppercut, pushing through your with this hightempo move. your elbows bent at 90" heels as you throw the punches togive them extra power ¢ WorldMags vmeuatenesacone 88Overhead triceps extension @Targettriceps _—> Startposition Stand > Movement ower the This move encourages with your torsoupright weight slowly by pivoting youtostabilise your andthe weightabove _—_at the elbow and keeping body while working the your head with your arms _ your upper arm sil long head of the triceps straight Keep your body upright brachii for defined throughout the move looking muscles. @.WoxldMagsCoenen COMPLETE GUIDE TO DUMB-BELL TRAINING Two-arm kickback @Target triceps, core > Start position Bend forwards >Movement Straighten your Work the triceps on botharms at the hipsand keep your back in_arms while keeping your upper and challenge your core at the its natural arch arms as stil as possible same time. Start with your elbows bent ‘*Keep your core braced at90" throughout the move to maintain neutral arch in your spine ¢ WorldMags smenettnees:onie 87@Targetupperabs > Startposition Keep > Movement Contract, Adding weightrather both feet on the floor and your abs to lift your than doing more reps your knees bent at shoulders off the rat, will have a better 90° throughout the move _ pause at the top of the muscle-building effect * Hold your head off move to squeeze your on your abs. themat but keep your abs and slowly lower lower back incontact —_tothe start with the mat ‘¢Hold the dumbbell to your chest @:WoxldMagsCoenen COMPLETE GUIDE TO DUMB-BELL — serene Me EWEN LIN G@ Reverse crunch @Target lower abs > Start position (ic > Movement Keeping Yourlowerabsare —ontrefleor wth your_—_your back onthe floor, often neglected in feet flat on the floor and contract your abs to favour of doing upper your knees bent at 90° raise your hips off the abs moves, such as Hold a dumb-bell floor and lift the dumib- the crunch, but doing between your feet bell up while keeping this ill help you get a your knees bent six-pack. ¢ WorldMags mensfitnesscouk 89Weighted corkscrew @ Target lower abs The two movements exercise give your lower abs a double hit. It’s ‘tough but it'll make them a lot stronger. > Start position Lie on your back with your legs straight up in the air ant your arms out to the side for balance. Hold a dumb-bell between your feet >Movement | it your hips off the floor and push your feet towards the ceiling ‘At the top twist to one side, lower then repeat by twisting to the other side ¢WoxldMags Weighted hip raise > Start position Lic on ‘The added weight makes your back with your leas inthe air and your arms difficult but effective one. oust to the side for balance Hold a dumbbell between your feet 43. 43 @ Target lower abs this lower abs move a >Movement Lift your hips of the floor and push your feet towards the ceiling ‘*Hold for a second then slowly lower to the startCoenen COMPLETE GUIDE TO ~ DUMB-BELL niin EY RAINING Side plank with lateral raise @Target core, deltoids > Start position Hold your > Movement Hold the plank Addinga lateral raisetoaside body ina straight line from head position while slowly raising and plank increases the challenge taheels and position your elbow lowering the weight to your core and improves directly under your shoulder ¢Use.a light weight to maintain your co-ordination, perfect form Side plank snatch oe @ Target core, obliques, shoulder Moving the dumb-bell from a side plank position requires high levels of core control and co-ordination. > Start position Get into a side piank e ¥ postion 2s above tet the dumbbell hang down across ° your stomach > Movement |nitiate the movement & from your shoulder so you generate momentum that ifts the dumb-bell vertically until your arm is straight and pointing up ¢ WorldMags mensfitness cou 91Sidebend @ Target obliques Use a heavy weight to really hit your side abs in this standing move. > Start position Hold a dumb-bellin ‘one hand by your side > Movement [220 to the side holding the dumbbell then move as far as you! canto the other side without leaning either forwards or backwards Saxonsidebend @ Target obliques Use light dumb-bells for this move because your outstretched arms create Jong levers that your body will struggle to control. o > Start position Stand 7. holding a dumi-bell in each hand with your arms above your head >Movement Without leaning forwards, bend your torso to one side then return, tothemiddle