Several misunderstandings about dumbbell exercises

I believe everyone is familiar with dumbbells. Dumbbells are one of the most common sports equipment. We can use dumbbells to achieve the purpose of fitness, so dumbbells are very popular among male friends. Dumbbells can not only help us have a fit body but also exercise our strength. However, we should also know that some misunderstandings are easy to occur when using dumbbells for exercise. Below we introduce several misunderstandings about dumbbell exercises.

Myth 1: Using dumbbells to exercise can both increase strength and improve body shape

Before exercising, the first thing we need to be clear about is whether strength training or bodybuilding is our favorite. There are two main ways to exercise muscles: one is to increase the number of muscle fibers; the other is to increase the volume of muscle fibers. The first way can improve the strength of the exerciser, but the bodybuilding effect is relatively not obvious, so it is suitable for professional weightlifters; the second way can significantly increase muscle volume, but the increase in strength is relatively small, so it is suitable for bodybuilders or general fitness enthusiasts. Fitness enthusiasts usually regard bodybuilding as their main goal. When exercising with dumbbells for this purpose, the following rules must be followed. Before training, you should first choose dumbbells of appropriate weight. Generally, you need to choose dumbbells with a load of 65%-85%. The so-called load refers to the maximum weight that can be lifted. For example, if the maximum weight that can be lifted each time is 10 kg, you need to choose dumbbells weighing 6.5-8.5 kg for exercise. For the average fitness enthusiast, it is enough to have two or three pairs of dumbbells of different weights and stick to exercising. When exercising, do 6-8 lifts each time, repeat 8-12 times in each set. The movement speed should not be too fast, and there should be 2-3 minutes interval between each set. If the load is too large or too small, or the interval is too short or too long, the effect will not be good.

Myth 2: Dumbbells only train the upper limbs

Some people think that dumbbells can only develop toned upper bodies, and that for a comprehensive workout, some more complex equipment may be needed.

Nowadays, some of the more expensive combined fitness equipment are not only ubiquitous in gyms, but some have even entered everyday households. Although combined equipment has incomparable advantages over other simple equipment, it also has disadvantages such as high price, large footprint, and inconvenient movement. These defects happen to be the advantages of dumbbells, and as long as the design and planning are proper, dumbbell training can achieve similar effects as using combined equipment. Why not do it? Exercising upper limb muscles is the forte of dumbbells, but dumbbells can also exercise waist and abdominal muscles. For example, if you hold dumbbells with both hands behind your neck when doing sit-ups, you can increase the load on your abdominal muscles and improve the training effect. When doing back flexion and extension exercises, you can also use dumbbells to increase the load on your back muscles to stimulate their growth. Side flexion or rotation exercises with dumbbells in hand can exercise the internal and external oblique muscles. Straight arm raises and lateral raises with dumbbells in hand can exercise your shoulder and chest muscles. In addition, dumbbells can also exercise your lower limb muscles, such as squats on one leg with dumbbells in hand, squat jumps on both feet, etc.

Myth 3: Dumbbells are not suitable for the elderly

There are many fitness enthusiasts among the elderly, but they often choose jogging, radio gymnastics or Tai Chi. Few people are interested in strength training, and dumbbells are basically not considered. Most people think that as they get older, their strength decreases, so they are no longer suitable for strength training. This is not the case. In a sense, it is precisely because strength has decreased that strength training is more needed. Muscles produce movement and also help the body maintain a state of stillness. As we age, muscle fibers naturally atrophy and their strength decreases, which not only slows down our movements but also reduces our stability. Tendons and periosteum are more likely to wear excessively, so the possibility of pain in various joints is greatly increased. Appropriate strength training can not only delay the process of muscle atrophy in the elderly, maintain muscle elasticity, and lay the foundation for better participation in other forms of fitness activities, but also increase the protective effect of muscles on the stability of various joints, thereby reducing or alleviating various types of pain. Dumbbells are small, exquisite, high-quality and inexpensive, and are especially suitable for strength training for the elderly.

In the above article, we introduced a common sports equipment, that is, dumbbells. We know that dumbbells can play a role in fitness and strength training. Some misunderstandings are prone to occur when using dumbbells for fitness. The above article introduces several misunderstandings about dumbbell practice in detail.