For many of us, home workouts have become the norm for a while. Although acquiring weights and gym equipment has been quite difficult for a few months now, there is no reason why your training at home cannot continue to develop as the world returns to normal. With a limited range of weights, training the whole body without hitting the gym can be a big challenge. But don’t worry, because in this article we explain the best dumbbell exercises at home that you can do to build muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility.
What if I don’t have dumbbell exercise equipment at home?
We know that not everyone is lucky enough to have their own weights at home, but with a little creativity and adaptation, you can perform these exercises anyway. We leave you a list of objects that you can find at home and that you can use to train instead of a dumbbell:
- Full large water bottle.
- Sturdy backpack or shopping bag packed with weight.
- Resistance band.
- Paint can.
5 exercises with dumbbells at home to train the whole body
These five dumbbell exercises at home combine to create an ideal workout to target several important muscle groups in the body:
- Romanian one-legged deadlift.
- Dumbbell bicep curl.
- Split squat with dumbbells.
- Weighted Russian twists.
- Dumbbell row.
Romanian one-legged deadlift
Not only is it a test of strength and connection between the mind and the muscles : the single leg dumbbell deadlift also demands your full attention to maintain balance and correct posture throughout the exercise.
The single leg deadlift places a greater emphasis on the hamstrings and core , while the small secondary muscle groups work to maintain your stability throughout the lift.
As a tip, you should focus on lifting your leg back, keeping your back straight, chest high, and hips inclined . Keep your knee in a slightly bent position, squeezing your hamstrings and glutes to return to the starting position.
Don’t worry if your leg is elevated and slightly bent while doing this exercise, as we all have different levels of mobility and flexibility.
Dumbbell bicep curl
A true classic in the world of training. Whatever your level of training, we are sure you know what a bicep curl is.
The bicep curl is one of the best dumbbell exercises at home that you can do. If you approach it as a one- sided exercise (one arm at a time), the effort is concentrated on the working biceps , ensuring that the muscle works effectively.
If free weight training your arms isn’t your thing, do some push-ups to train your muscles during your routine .
As a recommendation, to avoid rocking and increase the difficulty, try to isolate the movement by sitting up straight or resting your arm on the back of a chair .
Dumbbell split squat
Going from a regular squat to a split squat means that with each movement one leg supports more weight than the other , engaging more muscle fibers and increasing the effort required to complete each repetition.
The split squat covers most of the muscle fibers in the quadriceps and glutes , while training the abs. All in all, it’s one of the best single-leg home dumbbell exercises you can do.
To perform this exercise correctly, you must hold a dumbbell on each side of your body with each of your hands. Next, keeping your torso upright with your chest out, lower your back knee toward the ground . Try to avoid leaning forward, as this puts more stress on your knee and ankle, and less on your glutes and quads. If you want to increase the difficulty of the split squat, you can raise your back foot with a chair or step .
Russian twist
All free weight exercises engage the core to varying degrees, but many think that a workout is never completely complete without doing one or more core-focused exercises that make you feel classic abdominal fatigue.
Although it can be done without weight, you can make the Russian twist more intense by using a dumbbell, kettlebell, or any other weight household item of your choice, thereby increasing the work of your abs to maintain the V-position while twisting your torso. .
The weighted Russian twist targets the entire core, including the abs and obliques , posing a unique task to perform the exercise in a controlled manner while maintaining balance.
To perform this exercise correctly, cross your legs to help balance and focus on slowly turning your core , while your legs remain centered and in line with your head throughout the movement.
Dumbbell row
You most likely don’t have a home gym bench, but that’s not a problem. In the dumbbell row you can lean on a chair, table, or you can even do it without support, maintaining a correct posture.
Training your back isn’t the easiest thing to do when exercising at home; However, the dumbbell row works most of the back muscles, improving strength and posture , which is why it is considered an ideal exercise for people who have a very sedentary job.
To perform the dumbbell row correctly, you must keep your back straight and your shoulders retracted throughout the movement , concentrating on bringing your elbow toward your hips.
