dumbbell

BUILD A THICKER BACK AND BIGGER BICEPS WITH THIS MULTIFACETED, FREE-WEIGHT WORKOUT. There’s a fine line to walk on those one or two days a week you find yourself hitting back and/or biceps: Don’t overthink it by getting too cute with novel exercises, but don’t be so predictable that your...

Most at-home workouts prioritize strength, muscle size, and weight loss, but they often overlook a crucial aspect: power training. Power exercises can add a dynamic edge to your routine, helping you achieve a well-rounded and resilient fitness level with the ability to be more explosive. While...

I consider this to be one of the single most underrated exercises in the weight room. Gym bros always say, “Decline bench helps make the lower pecs bigger,” and they are partially correct. What most people don’t know is that the dumbbell decline bench press actually recruits the most muscle...

There’s no better starting point than a solid bench press. The bench press is the most popular and widely used exercise globally, targeting your chest, shoulders, and triceps. It is performed with a dumbbell or a barbell, which can be loaded with plates to decrease or increase weight. There...

1. Kneeling Cable Pullover The kneeling cable pullover (sometimes referred to as the “kneeling straight-arm cable pullover”) is almost identical to the regular standing cable pullover. The only difference is that you’re kneeling, not standing during the exercise, which some people find offers...

Bret_ContrerasElite Coach First, I apologize if I left out one of your favorite exercises. Don’t take it personally. I performed these experiments in my garage, and while I have one of the baddest garage gyms in Arizona, I don’t have a lot of machines. I’m also sorry I couldn’t test more...

The dumbbell pullover is one of those multipurpose exercises that can be a great addition to any chest or back workouts. However, no matter which body part you’re focusing on, there’s a trick to add a little extra spice to this exercise, and all it takes is a looped resistance band. That is...

Now and again, when scrolling through your social media feed, you see an exercise that makes you stand up and take notice. The Swole Press is one of those exercises. How can you not with a movement called the Swole Press? This exercise is a hybrid clean and press performed with a dumbbell and...

The dumbbell pullover may be the best old-school exercise you are not doing. It was a favorite of the bodybuilding greats, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, and Dorian Yates. This exercise helped get their massive chests and backs that were the envy of the bodybuilding world. If...

Don't have access to your favorite upper body gym machines but still want to hit your favorite upper body workout? Check out these band, barbell, and dumbbell alternatives! Getting the motivation to train at home can be tricky. You’re not at the gym surrounded by other people training with the...

Working out to get lean is not the most enjoyable experience. The calorie deficit, watching what you eat, and the higher intensity workouts required to see your abs are tough. There are not many ways around it when you want to get a lean look. Therefore, it would be best to have workouts to get...

The incline lateral raise is an isolation exercise for the side or lateral head of the delt. Lie sideways on an incline bench with a dumbbell. When performing the movement, don't let the dumbbell touch your body at the bottom. Keep the tension constant. Many people bring the dumbbell up too...

HOW TO TELL IF YOURS NEED TO GROWTH The medial (side) delts can be stubborn. Stand in front of a mirror and square up to it. Are your shoulders rounded on the sides, almost like a ball cut in half? Or are they shaped more like a 90-degree angle? If they're more like the latter, that's a sign...

The dumbbell squeeze press goes by a few names, like the hex or champagne press, but they all mean the same thing—more gains for your chest. Part dumbbell chest press and the part dumbbell flye, the squeeze press creates muscular tension from the get-go for juicy muscle-building gains. Lifting...

ROW SPECIALIZATION Most lifters have achy shoulders, poor posture, and backs so narrow they disappear when they turn sideways. So what's the best way to build a thicker back, improve posture, and prevent future shoulder issues? Do a row every time you train. To add slabs of muscle to your back...

There’s probably no need to tell you that dumbbell rows are near the top of the list when it comes to helping build a massive back, as well as blow up your biceps and improve your grip strength. But did you know that a combination of different unilateral dumbbell row variations each serve a...

Designing an effective push-pull-legs workout from the ground up takes a bit of planning and strategy, regardless of prior lifting experience. Thankfully, the push-pull-legs routine is fairly straightforward and easy to follow for just about any gym-goer, athlete, or bodybuilder that wants to...

With many former gym-goers switching to at-home workouts due to the coronavirus pandemic, bodyweight exercises like push-ups and pull-ups are now staples for strength-training. So, how does this tie into supersets? Well, push-ups and pull-ups are the perfect example of two exercises that you can...

There is no doubting most gymgoers’ attraction to the barbell bench press. It is part of the Big 3 lifts for a reason: The barbell bench press, with its stability and relatively fixed range of motion, allows the lifter to move the most weight possible. But through injury or range of motion...

A FEW FORMALITIES Before we dive right in, there are some important things to consider prior to using this: This is in no way scientific. It's observational. Everyone is different (age, experience, sex, injury history, training style, build, etc.). Therefore, this won't be exact, and that's...