If you’re looking for a highly effective dumbbell workout routine then you’ve come to the right place!
I am sure you know by now that combining interval training workouts with good resistance training is one of the absolute best methods to lose fat, gain muscle and not spend a heck of a lot of time doing it!
Personally, I enjoy most types of workouts either in the gym or in my set-up at home. Depending on how I feel, I love free weights, weight machines, a good run on the treadmill or even body weight routines. One piece of equipment that never gets old however is my trusty dumbbells and the endless number of dumbbell workout routine!
I don’t know what exactly it is about dumbbells but I just love throwing them around, trying to hit personal bests, looking in the mirror as I work out (yep, vain I know! 
) and just overall enjoying the movements when using them! I guess for me it is just muscle building at it’s purest form!
A great dumbbell workout routine…
is also perfect for those working out at home with only a limited amount of equipment. If you have the right dumbbell workout routine, then a couple of dumbbells and enough weight to fully challenge you will do the job! You want to be aiming for enough weight on your dumbbells to do around 3 sets of 8 reps going almost to failure on each set.
A lot has been said about the different ratios of weights and reps and you can see more info on that in the very informative article from Craig Ballantyne at the bottom of this page – really opens up your eyes and makes a lot of sense!
With this concept of depletion, low reps and heavy weights in mind, let me introduce you to the Turbulence Training Dumbbell Depletion Workout! If you are looking for a crazy effective dumbbell workout routine then you need look no further!
In the latest installment of the Turbulence Training Depletion series, you get a workout program with more focus on dumbbell exercises and many a dumbbell workout routine, while also including a few body-weight options and one kettle-bell exercise, too. Click the image below to learn a few more specifics about the program and how it is the best dumbbell workout routine out there to burn fat and build some good muscle! Then as promised, have a read of the article below talking about the controversial subject of weight and reps ratio!
Dumbbell Workout Routine
Now just be aware, that the main angle of the article is about fat burning and not muscle building which is what this dumbbell workout routine will do for you.
I just thought that it was pretty interesting and a great insight with regard to fat loss on the reps vs weight ratio. – Cameron
Toning, Light Weights, & High Reps
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com
I guess you could say it is my mission to show people the value of intense strength training for fat loss.
Every month more research comes out to support intense training over slow cardio, and light weights. And each week, in real-life, more and more men and women (yes, women too!) see the benefits of pushing themselves with strength training.
The evidence from research and real-life continues to pile up that you need to put down those light weights and cut out those high reps.
Take really light weights, add in isolation exercises, and repeat for a large number of reps. Do this for 3, 6, or 12 months, and you’re guaranteed to have the same physique you have today. This approach just does not work.
You need to step out of your comfort zone with strength training.
Research has shown using a weight that enables only 8 reps per set results in a greater post-exercise metabolism than using a weight that allows 12 reps per set. And this was in women! So lifting challenging weights is not just for men, but also for the ladies.
Another research study showed that a 30-minute, hard total-body strength training session can boost metabolism about 36 hours. You just don’t get that from slow cardio or light, “toning” isolation exercises, I’m sorry to say.
But what if you are worried about your weights or dumbbell workout routine “bulking you up”? Just do one or two sets of 8 reps per exercise, rather than three or four.
Bodybuilders know that high-volume training builds muscle. But if you don’t want massive amounts of muscle, just don’t do a lot of volume. That’s just one of the reasons I don’t use bodybuilder workout programs for fat loss.
Another way to avoid “bulking up” while still boosting your metabolism is to use more bodyweight exercises.
As for exercise choice, say goodbye to biceps curls, hamstring curls, and triceps kickbacks. Seriously, I couldn’t think of a more useless exercise for a fat loss program than triceps kickbacks.
Stick to full body movements. Use squats, lunges, split squats, pushups, chinups, rows, etc.
Remember, you don’t have a lot of time to workout. So you can’t be doing bodybuilding splits from the 80′s that call for three exercises for the long head of the triceps, and two exercises for each of the anterior, medial, and posterior deltoid.
That’s just not possible in the real-world. A pushup trains almost all those muscles, and more. It works your abs, chest, triceps, and shoulders. That’s the type of exercise that is going to help you get more fat loss results in less workout time.
I train in the concept of a short time frame. That is, anyone that wants to use my programs has less than 3 hours per week to devote to structured exercise. So there just isn’t much room for isolation training in that time frame.
But training should be fun too, and adding some curls as a reward for completing a hard workout is fine, but only if you want to. You don’t need those types of exercises to get results.
But remember, isolation exercises are not actually going to burn fat, but they can build muscle and help you sculpt your body. Here’s the list of methods that lead to fat loss, in order of importance:
i) Nutrition
ii) Burning calories with interval training
iii) Burning calories due to an increased metabolism from interval training and strength training (with multi-muscle movements)
As long as you understand that nutrition is the most important factor in fat loss, and that strength training is essential for sculpting your body, than you will have realistic expectations of success – based on how well you commit to each process.
Sincerely,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
Now go and have a look at the insanely effective Dumbbell Depletion Series! Click the image below to learn more about how it works and start using a quality dumbbell workout routine!
Dumbbell Exercises
