Previously, we’ve talked about how dumbbell arm exercises can benefit you and even your loved ones by setting the stage for gaining more health, more strength, and even providing opportunities for saving some serious cash.
Today, we’ll discuss dumbbell back exercises as part of our dumbbell workout program and prove how doing these exercises are a great way to level up your muscle building plan.
By the end of this article series, we’ll have covered enough material showcasing the best dumbbell exercise program for building muscle mass that the world has ever seen.
Seriously!
Words to the Wise About Muscle Building in General
Since we are now on the “how to do it” phase of our master plan, it’s time to distribute these cautionary words of wisdom related to muscle building:
- Maintain good posture. Always. This is a must, especially since you are not using gym machines that stay in place. A wrong move could be cause for injury, so make sure your posture is correct when you start your dumbbell workout. This also applies when you are placing your dumbbells on the floor and lifting them again during your dumbbell exercises.
- Always get a “clean bill of health” clearance first before starting on any workout routine, including your dumbbell workout. Remember this thought: workout in haste, repent in leisure.
- Do not cheat. Remember that dumbbell exercises do not build up muscles in isolation. There are step-by-step instructions given in the videos for you to follow and get the most out of your dumbbell workout.. If you cheat, you may finish your set more quickly, but you’ll only be fooling yourself.
- Consult with a bodybuilding expert or trainer on whether or not it would be best to use fixed weight dumbbells or adjustable weight dumbbells in your case. The choice will be based on several factors such as your cash flow (fixed weights are more expensive) and your overall body condition. If you’re a beginner, it may be to your best interest to go with adjustable weight dumbbells. They require more input from you in terms of adjustments, but at least you will be able to control more easily just how much you will lift.
Doing Dumbbell Back Exercises:
Here are our recommended dumbbell back exercises, with details about why these are great to do for your muscle building program, along with some sample dumbbell workout videos to demonstrate how these back exercises are done:
- Dumbbell pullover – a dumbbell pullover requires a pair of dumbbells and an exercise bench to lean on. A pullover is great for conditioning the lower chest or the lower pecs, the lats, the rear deltoids or rear shoulders, the middle of the back, the upper shoulder, the rear of the neck, the front shoulders, the upper chest, and the inner forearm. Does your job require the repetitive use of your arms from shoulder, to forearm, to wrist? Writers, some types of athletes such as tennis players, and painters often get afflicted with painful shoulders, forearms, or wrists. This would be a great exercise for them.
- Dumbbell shrugs – dumbbell shrugs are perfect for the upper shoulders, the upper back and the lower back. Requires no other equipment aside from the dumbbells. Must be done on an even surface, standing up.
- Dumbbell upright row – the main target of a dumbbell upright row are the side shoulders. The synergists or the muscles helping in the conditioning of the main target are the front shoulders, the rotatory cuff, the upper and outer forearms, the biceps, the middle of the back, the serratus magnus (boxer’s muscle), and the rotator cuff. The stabilizers, or the muscles that help maintain posture for this exercise are the upper shoulder and the rear neck.
- Dumbbell rows – dumbbell rows are also known as dumbbell bent-over rows. This exercise targets the back as a whole. Muscles called to support this target are the upper and middle back, the lats, the back outer helper or little lats, the rear shoulder, rotatory cuff, biceps, the upper-outer forearm, and the lower pecs. Stabilizers are the front and back of the arms (biceps and triceps). This requires the use of an exercise bench.
- Dumbbell side bends – dumbbell side bends are perfect for dancers (yes, there are male dancers), gymnasts (ditto), and others who require a whole lot of balance, flexibility and agility in their line of work (think construction people who work up high balancing steel bars). The main target of this exercise are the obliques (upper hips, sides of waist). Synergists for this exercise include the deep lower back and the hip. The stabilizers are the upper and back shoulders, and the hips.
You can get the full set of 52 different dumbbell exercises when you subscribe to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at the top of the home page.
Can These Dumbbell Back Exercises Be Selectively Done?
Of course you have a free hand in determining whether or not you will do the dumbbell back exercises as a group, or selectively only. However, when training is being done not only for body conditioning, but also for developing muscles according to plan, then it is highly recommended that the exercises be done as a group.
That means, you progress from one exercise—and perfect it—before going on to the next.
If you’ll review the given dumbbell exercises, you’ll see that although they may sometimes target only one specific group of muscles, the overall effect is spread out through several muscle groups.
Specifically, for these dumbbell back exercises, you’ll notice that while it is the back that is the main target, you also get to work on your shoulders, arms, wrists, and even your waist and hips. How’s that for hitting many birds with one stone?
Being Zen About Your Dumbbell Exercises
At this point, you may get the impression that muscle building is all about work, and you may not immediately see where the fun begins in a dumbbell workout. That’s par for the course, particularly if this is your first time at attempting to get fit and healthy.
The reality is – and you can ask any bodybuilder about this – it’s really only “work” at the very start. As you progress from dumbbell arm exercises to dumbbell back exercises and so on, the “work” part of what you are doing eventually gets eclipsed by the sheer joy of knowing that you are actively doing something to sculpt your body to the way that it should be.