8 exercises to do at home with dumbbells

1. Squat

It is the most effective compound leg exercise you can do, because when performed correctly, it allows you to activate a large number of muscle fibers in the quadriceps, biceps femoris and glutes.

Not only is it an exercise that allows substantial gains in muscle mass, due to the fact that it recruits a high number of muscle fibers, but it is also an exercise that can be performed only with body weight, or with an external weight, to allow the desired effect to be obtained.

Execution:

Start by choosing whether you are going to use one or two dumbbells, depending on how difficult you want the exercise to be. If you choose to use just one dumbbell, you should hold it with both hands and at chest height. If you are using two dumbbells, simply hold one in each hand and with your arms stretched out at your sides.

- Place your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly further apart;

- Contract your abdominals and slowly lower yourself, projecting your hips back and down, until your knees form an angle equal to 90 degrees (up to the parallel line);

- Make sure your knees do not go beyond your toes, so as not to lose the posture of your lower back and put unnecessary strain on the knee joint;

- Hold this position for 1 or 2 seconds and start to rise in a controlled manner until you return to the starting position.

If you follow these instructions, you will be sure to perform the exercise with perfect technique.

2. Triceps Push-Ups

It is a very effective exercise for developing strength and muscle mass in the triceps, as it recruits the 3 portions of this muscle and allows isolated work of this region of the arm.

Execution:

- Place the dumbbells on the floor, more or less shoulder-width apart (to recruit the triceps and not the pectoral muscles) and in line with the nipples, holding the handle with your hands;

- Get into a plank position, with just your feet flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart, so that the position is stable and comfortable; make sure that your body forms a straight line between your feet and your head, contracting your glutes and abs;

- The head should be turned slightly forward and not downwards, so that it remains aligned with the spine;

- In this initial position, your arms should be fully extended and perfectly locked (elbows pointing backwards) to support your entire body weight;

- Start bending your arms slowly and continuously until your elbows form an angle of 90 degrees or less; keep your arms close to your torso and do not lose muscle tension, so that your body remains in a plank position;

- As soon as your chest touches the dumbbells, pause briefly in this position and then explode, pushing the dumbbells with your hands, to return to the starting position, with your arms fully extended, and you can start the next repetition.

In this exercise, cadence is very important. The descent should be done in about 3 seconds and, after pausing for 1 second at the bottom, you should explode on the way up, in order to also recruit the fast-acting muscle fibers and achieve effective hypertrophy of the three portions of this muscle.

3. French Triceps

This exercise complements the previous exercise. It allows you to place more emphasis on the long portion of the triceps, recruiting this specific region in isolation.

Execution:

- Find a stable bench or chair so that you can perform the exercise more correctly;

- Place the dumbbell above your head, holding it with both hands, and always keeping your lumbar spine straight and your arms fully extended;

- With your elbows locked next to your head and pointing forward, begin to lower the dumbbell until it touches your upper back, or until you feel a complete stretch in your triceps;

- Then return the dumbbell to the starting position, keeping your elbows still and in the same position.

In this exercise, it is important to keep your elbows pointing forward and always static, to ensure that you recruit the long portion of the triceps, which is the main objective of this exercise.

4. Lateral Raises

This is an excellent exercise for the shoulder muscles, which are responsible for abduction. This type of exercise allows you to gain muscle mass and volume in the lateral portion of the shoulder, which contributes to that much-desired “V” shape.

Execution:

To perform this exercise, simply use two dumbbells with little weight, as the shoulders are made up of small muscles and adding too much weight to this type of isolated exercise increases the risk of injury.

- Sit on a chair or stable bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand and lean your torso forward, towards your thighs, always maintaining the curvature of your lower back;

- Position the dumbbells next to your body, without your arms being fully stretched;

- At the same time, begin raising your arms laterally to shoulder height, followed by a controlled lowering of the dumbbells to the starting position.

You should not use any type of thrust or swing, as the objective is to place the shoulder under as much tension as possible, for as long as possible, in order to achieve the contraction necessary for muscle hypertrophy.

5. Shoulder Press

This exercise is the equivalent of the overhead press compound exercise, but with the use of dumbbells. It is a very important exercise for developing the shoulder muscles, as it recruits a large number of muscle fibers, which results in gains in muscle mass in this area.

Execution:

This exercise can be performed sitting or standing, with the body fully extended. The important thing is that the back is always aligned, maintaining a neutral curve, and the abdominals contracted to ensure good stability.

- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and place them on your shoulders;

- Tighten your core, activate your shoulder muscles and, without any momentum, lift the weights directly above your head, simultaneously;

- The movement ends with the dumbbells in an overhead position, with the arms completely straight and positioned next to the ears, with the shoulders and elbows locked;

- Do the reverse movement to bring the dumbbells back to shoulder level.

6. Biceps Curl

This is a simple but very effective biceps exercise. Although it is simple, this exercise is included in all training plans that aim to increase muscle mass in the arm. In this exercise, as in all others, good execution always means recruiting the muscle that we want to develop.

Execution:

In this exercise, and once again, the lower back must always be straight, maintaining a neutral curvature. It may seem repetitive, but it is very important to prevent injuries.

- Standing in a fully extended position, hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms stretched out at your sides and your palms facing inwards;

- Contract your core, activate the muscles in the front of your arm and, at the same time, start lifting the dumbbells without any momentum, until you reach the maximum point of contraction of your biceps; as you bend your arms, rotate your palms to the supine position;

- Keep your elbows locked and static at your sides;

- After maximum contraction, lower the weights in a controlled manner, in the negative or eccentric phase, until you return to the starting position.

The negative or eccentric phase is a phase of the movement (corresponding to muscle extension) that is easily overlooked, although it has been scientifically proven that it is in this phase that we recruit the greatest number of muscle fibers, which is equivalent to greater hypertrophy and greater strength gain.

A good way to ensure that you are performing this exercise correctly and productively is to count three seconds on the way up and three seconds on the way down. Here, once again, it is important to work the muscle in isolation and not the weights used. Therefore, perform this exercise with an accessible weight to achieve the best results.

7. Hammer Curl

The big difference between this exercise and the Biceps Curl is that the grip is changed: instead of finishing the movement with a supinated grip, the palms of the hands always remain facing inwards (neutral or “hammer” grip), which allows the brachial part of the biceps to be activated more easily.

Execution:

The execution is exactly the same as the previous exercise, except that, as already mentioned, the grip, instead of being supinated, is neutral, that is, instead of finishing with the dumbbells facing you with the palm of your hand facing backwards, the movement begins and ends with the palm of your hand always facing inwards.

8. Front Lunges

This is a complementary exercise to the squat, which places greater emphasis on the glutes and biceps femoris, allowing these muscles to be recruited more and not so much the quadriceps, as happens in conventional squats.

This way, we can work our legs in a harmonious way, without leaving some muscle groups more developed to the detriment of others, which could be detrimental in terms of symmetry.

Execution:

- Standing, with the body fully extended and the lumbar curve neutral, hold a dumbbell in each hand, with the arms stretched out at the sides of the body;

- Activate your core and glutes and take a step forward, advancing your right foot and bending your legs until the knee of your back leg (left leg) touches the floor; ensure that both legs are bent at 90 degrees;

- Always keep your torso straight, not letting yourself lean forward, and make sure that the knee of your front leg does not pass the line of your toe;

- In this position, press your right heel against the floor and rise until both legs are straight again;

- Move your right leg back to return to the starting position;

- Repeat the movement, now moving forward with your left leg.

This exercise can be performed statically (without moving) or in motion (walking lunge). The latter requires some space, but you can have fun walking around the house while working your legs.