Exercise at Home with Dumbbells: Here are 10 Dumbbell Exercises for Fitness Enthusiasts that Cover Every Major Muscle of the Body (2020)

One of the most important things to keep in mind to protect your wrist or hands from any injury is to have the gym gloves on during the handling of equipment. It allows you to have a better grip at the equipment, which reduces the risk of slipping. Gloves can also prevent your skin of hands from the rugged surface of the equipment. This will not only help these short-term conditions but also helps you over the long-term by protecting your hands from the development of unsightly calluses on the fingertips of your hands.

Always focus and grip the equipment tightly; you can draw an analogy and grip the weights as you normally grip the sides of your chair while watching a horror movie. Grip the weight just enough not to let it slip from your hand. Since the vibrations are very important to control the strain on the joints, a tight grip can reduce the effect of these vibrations. It can cause your muscles in your forearms to tire out prematurely. As a result of which your grip may lose energy before the beginning of actual muscle training, destroying the purpose of the exercise.

There are a variety of grip positions that you can perform on the different types of equipment. However, if you narrow down all the exercises to their beginner’s form, you may find two basic grips which are overhand and underhand.

Overhand grip, also known as the pronated grip, is when you grip the bar in a way that your fingers are facing your body. This is used for the pushing exercises in which you push the weight away from you, such as the instance where you use a straight bar for standing triceps extension.

Underhand grip, also known as supinated grip, is when you grip the bar in a way that your palms are facing up. This is used associated with pulling workouts such as in the exercises when you use a seated dumbbell and curl the grip of your hand.

How to do this? Stand apart with feet apart wider than your shoulder’s width. Grip a dumbbell with both your hands in front of your chest. Sit back into a squat; while doing this, keep your back straight and core balanced. Now, you squat back up to the initial position. Repeat for more reps.

Why? Are you a beginner who’s nervous about starting over after a long time? Well, fret not. With this exercise, you won’t have to struggle your way to fitness. These squats are perfect for any level. They particularly aim at glute stimulation while enhancing the hip and thoracic mobility at the same time. The exercise is ideal for after a tough workout session. With a single dumbbell as the only resistance, you will easily grow more muscle mass and keep your heart rate high for cardiovascular benefits.

How to do this? Stand straight with dumbbells in your palms directed forwards. Grip the dumbbells in front of your thighs. Keep your elbows tucked in towards your thighs. Now, gently curve your palms up to your chest. Ensure that your biceps exert a force throughout this movement. Lower them back into the initial position. Repeat for more reps.

Why? This is a classy bicep fitness exercise for many reasons; one of them is that it adds muscle to your biceps. Another one is that it tones down your bicep fat. Performing this workout is the perfect way to tone your arms. For this workout, the weights do not matter for it is all about the lengthening and shortening of your muscles. The kind of grip that you should go for is supinated (palms facing up). Keep your reps controlled to avoid merely wavering dumbbells up and down.

How to do this? Stand straight with a dumbbell in each palm at a height a bit above the shoulders. They should be held in a U shape. Now, keep your chest straight and move the dumbbells directly overhead, slowly and steadily, until your arms are straight. Lower them to the initial position, i.e., above shoulders again. Repeat for more reps. The recommended number of reps are 13-15.

Why? This workout target your shoulders, triceps, traps, and upper chest. In this way, it proves to be an effective workout for a range of target muscles. Also, it is perfect for beginners. The trick to building stronger, broader shoulders is to work with the muscles throughout their full range of motion. Therefore, ensure that your weights are back to the initial position by the end of each rep.

How to do this? Grip a dumbbell in each hand with the palms in the direction of each other. Keep your core tight and back straight. Now, bend forward by hinging at hips and row the dumbbells to your side, starting with your elbows. Move the weights back to the initial position with utmost control. Repeat the steps for more reps.

Why? Rows tend to target a plethora of major muscles in your upper body. These muscles include traps, rhomboids, legs, and biceps. In this way, you’ll get the perfect “V” shape. Your lower back is worked on to keep your torso upright. Furthermore, they refine your deltoids to develop T shirt fitting broad shoulders. A trick to refine your forearms and enhance grip strength is to use a hammer grip.

How to do it? First, sit back into a squat while keeping your back straight and bending your knees a bit. Now, swing the weights through your legs before promptly moving forward by pushing your hips back. Bring the dumbbells up towards your chest as you straighten your legs. Throughout this last step, contract your glutes and thrust your hips forward. Repeat these steps, and then shift sides. Repeat for more reps. Two sets of twenty reps are recommended.

Why? With the right application, this swing will not only involve muscles from your posterior but also enhance your grip strength and muscle coordination. It tends to refine your lower back muscles, quadriceps, and shoulders. In a gist, it enhances the momentum for your body transformation exercise requirements. Most of the conventional kettlebell movements can be copied for this workout.

How to do it? First, lie on a bench flat with two dumbbells over your chest. Inculcate an overhand grip while holding these dumbbells. Push upwards till your arms are straight. Now, lower these to the initial position. Repeat these steps for more reps. It’s that simple!


Why? This simple workout works miracles for many. It’s one of the best dumbbell exercises that revolve around your chest. Even though you need to have access to a flat bench to execute this workout, it very effectively targets your pectoral muscles, triceps, and shoulders. If you want to build an abs appeal, then always opt for dumbbell bench press over workouts such as barbell. A dumbbell in each hand delivers a much greater stretch at the bottom of the lift to help you build a much broader chest. If you want to notch things up a big, exert force on your pecs together at the top lift to involve as many muscle tissues as possible.

How: Lie on a flat bench holding two dumbbells over your chest with an overhand grip. Push up until your arms are straight, then lower under control.

How to do it? First, get into a press-up stance with a weight in each hand. Ensure that your back is straight and your core tight. Your bum should be low. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your shoulders over your wrists. Now, while positioning your chest and hips square, engage your abs and row the dumbbell to your lower abs. Put the weight back on the floor. Repeat these steps for the other side. Ensure that the number of reps for each side is equal.

Why? This exercise is optimal for building your chest muscles. By positioning yourself in a plank stance while pulling the dumbbells up your chest, you can notch the exercise by magnitudes. This is especially true if you hold a stern position and do not rush your reps. Furthermore, use hex dumbbells to ensure a firm base. If you don’t, you might be risking a twist of your wrist.

How to do it? Stand straights with a dumbbell in each hand. Your arms should be by your sides with the palms directed at each other. Now, lean forward a bit so that there is an emphasis on your rear deltoids. This will allow the exercise to target specific regions of your shoulders. Now, raise the dumbbells such that your arms are straight. Move both dumbbells in a way that they are raised at an equivalent height. Lower them back, slowly and steadily, into their initial position. Repeat for more reps.

Why? This is an ideal workout to tone up your side deltoids. These side deltoids include that region of your shoulders that, once toned, creates a sturdy and broad upper body to assist in creating the perfect V-shaped torso. This workout can also be executed while you are sitting down or have your back supported.

How to do it? Stand straight with weights in each hand. Your arms should be by your side with palms facing each other. Now, lunge forward as far as you can with your right leg. Throughout this last step, bend your left knee such that it almost touches the ground. Now, utilise the heel of your right foot to force your upper body back to its original position. Repeat the same steps for the other side. The number of reps of this workout should be 13-15.

Why? To begin with, it’s an easy workout that’s ideal for beginners. Numerous athletes performing many sports at the same time use it devotedly. This workout tends to enhance the structure of your back, hips, and legs. It also improves your stabilising ability. A cherry on the top is that you will find yourself much more mobile once you start performing this regularly.

How to do it? Stand straight with a dumbbell in each hand. Your arms should be by your side. Locate the balls of your feet on a weight plate with your heels brushing the floor. Now, with your toes in the forward direction, lift your heels off the ground and contract your calves. Return to the initial position very slowly and steadily. Repeat these steps for more reps.

Why? It targets the muscles in your lower legs. These muscles include your calves or calf muscles. It is the ideal workout to enhance both your ankle stability and mobility. In this way, it strengthens your calves, which are neglected during the day to day activities. They enable you to perform better on a plethora of sports in which running and jumping are involved.

Most of the gyms use steel, chrome-plated dumbbells as they are stylish as well as available at affordable products. Chrome dumbbells are a great alternative to modern urethane or rubber dumbbells due to their affordability. Equipment made of cast iron can also be found in the gyms that have been in your towns for years now. These dumbbells are available in classic shapes. They are very ductile and hence solid products with a capacity of bearing heavy lifting environments. However, there is a risk of scratches and chips, which can affect the aesthetic look of the equipment.

You can buy this chrome dumbbell for Rs. 2,500 per 20 kg from Flipkart.

The unique shape of these is the reason why they are known are ‘Hex’ dumbbells. Hex dumbbells entail many exciting features that have allowed them to stay in trend for a long time now. One of these is that they stay in a fixed spot very easily when placed on any surface. These are very beneficial for the people who like to perform circuit workouts in which you have to switch between equipment continually; workouts such as regenerate row are an example. They also offer a plethora of other advantages such as added stability for floor-based workouts like dumbbell push-ups. They are also relatively affordable when compared to urethane or rubber dumbbells.


You can buy these hex dumbbells at Rs. 75 per kg from Indiamart.

Adjustable dumbbells are a very convenient product for all individuals; by allowing you to add weights to your dumbbell, they allow you to move from one training level to another. Regardless of whether you are a beginner or an expert, these dumbbells are optimal for you. Furthermore, they allow you to switch between different physiques. For instance, individuals looking forward to losing weight are suggested to carry out more reps of a lighter weight, whereas individuals aiming to gain muscle mass are advised to carry out fewer reps of higher weights. If you want a long term dumbbell for you to switch between body types, go for this! It can reduce the need for above 30 pairs of dumbbells to just two adjustable dumbbells.

You can purchase these adjustable dumbbells for Rs. 81,000 from acmefitness.com.