One-handed dumbbell, so many benefits

Common one-handed dumbbell exercises include one-arm dumbbell snatch, one-handed dumbbell shoulder press, one-arm rowing, and one-handed dumbbell bench press. Many people do these four exercises in our lives. In addition, one-handed dumbbells have many benefits, such as improving the stability of the core muscles, prolonging the time that muscles are under tension, and increasing the ability to control the body. Let's all do this exercise!

1. The benefits of one-handed training are as follows:

First, improve the stability of the core muscles

The stability of the core muscles should be an ability indicator that athletes and ordinary people should pay attention to. When we train with one hand, because the weight will shift, the body will continue to exert force to maintain stability in order to maintain balance. This process will also train the trunk's anti-rotation ability and improve body stability.

Second, prolong the time that muscles are under tension

The time spent training with one hand will be twice as long as that spent training with both hands. That is to say, when training with one hand, your muscles will be in a tense state more than when training with both hands! Under conditions of stress and muscle tension, the conditions for muscle growth are more favorable. At this time, the body urgently needs to adapt to stress, which should enable muscle growth.

Third, increase body control ability

Because it is easy to create imbalance, you usually need to pay more attention when doing one-handed training. Furthermore, if you do not have good control and focus on stabilizing the dumbbells in your hands, it is easy to get into danger. What's more, learning to stabilize the shoulder blade and control the weight of one hand is of great help to athletes such as pitchers and basketball players!

2. Four classic one-handed exercises:

1. Single-arm dumbbell snatch

The snatch is a complex movement, but it is very helpful in improving explosive power, coordination, body stability, etc. It is generally recommended to find a professional strength and conditioning coach and practice for a long time to perform the movements beautifully and to train in the right places.

Action Details

Open your feet slightly wider than shoulder width, place the dumbbells between your legs, bend your knees slightly and straighten your back; bring the dumbbells toward the floor and squat down with your buttocks.

When the dumbbells are above the knees (near the calves), you can use the explosive power of the ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and other joints to lift your body, stand up straight instantly, and raise the dumbbells above your head. While bending your knees to cushion the impact, lock your shoulder blades and stabilize the dumbbells.

2. One-handed dumbbell shoulder press

The shoulder joint has a complex structure and is subject to the greatest amount of movement pressure, so its range of motion is very important and is usually trained using shoulder presses. Unlike training only a single joint, the shoulder press introduced in this article will add more leg power.

Action Details

Hold the dumbbells upright at your shoulders, with your elbows facing forward and your upper arms as parallel to the floor as possible. Squat down slightly with your knees, and use the explosive power transmitted from your lower limbs to extend to your arms and shoulders until the dumbbells are overhead. Finally, slowly lower the dumbbells and return to the starting position.

3. One-arm rowing

This is a great exercise for the back, especially for some people who find it difficult to feel the activity of the back muscles. One-arm rowing can help you focus more on feeling the pull of the shoulder blades and train the back muscles.

Action Details

Stand with your feet forward and back, knees slightly bent, and your back as parallel to the ground as possible. Place one hand on the bench and hold a dumbbell with the other hand.

Focus on tightening your shoulder blades and use your arms to lift the dumbbells to about waist level. As the weight of the dumbbells moves downward, the arms follow, the shoulder blades relax, and return to the starting position.

4. One-handed dumbbell bench press

Some people use dumbbell bench presses to compensate for uneven chest muscle development. In fact, the more important function of the one-handed bench press is that it can train the core muscles' ability to resist rotation.

Action Details

Hold the dumbbells with both hands and lie down on the bench. Keep your body tense, straighten your right hand to hold the dumbbell steady, and let the dumbbell drop in the direction of your elbow. When dropping, the direction of the dumbbell will be parallel to your upper arm (that is, a little slanted, about 45 degrees).

The descent position should be approximately the extension of the chest line and parallel to the wrist. During the process, be careful not to make the angle between the upper arm and the shoulder too large, so as not to cause excessive pressure on the shoulder joint.