Forums >Cross Training>What's Are Your Favorite Dumbbell Workouts?
What are your favorite dumbbell workouts to complement your running? Also how frequent do you perform them during the week?
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T.S. Eliot
the overhead dumbbell press comes highly recommended:
My leg won't stop mooing.
i think i've got a calf injury.
Old , Ugly and slow
I lift twice a week using both dumbells and barbells.
I use dumbells for presses,curls, rows.
Using heavy dumbells for deadlifts is a great exercise
first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007
2019 goals 1000 miles , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes
Black-Toe-Nailed
I do 3 - 4 weight workouts, mostly dumbbell plus EZ-bar, pull-up bar and bodyweight.
To train your core AND upper body I can recommend the infamous Arnold Press (a compound exercise), the all-time classic bench press (doing them on the floor instead of a bench is safer) and the also classic military press (overhead shoulder press) and the Russian Twist. All low weight, high reps to improve endurance. IThere is another important exercise for a small muscle groups on your back/shoulders, that;s the inverse bent over flys: these have to be made with very low weight (!) not exceeding the 1-1.5kg, these should be made only once a week, 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps. Please note that this exercise is not meant to build any visible muscle or such: It is meant to reiforce all the small muscles between your shoulder blades an prevent injury.
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"If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then will power is no longer a problem. It's raining? That doesn't matter. I am tired? That's besides the point. It's simply that I just have to."Emil Zatopek
Thanks for the info
To compliment running? No idea.
I am not a weight lifter, but every once in a while, a friend of mine convinces me to play a dumbell game with him. We use 4 dumbells (2 15 Lbs, and 2 20 lbs). Each of us took turns with each sized dumbell, curling 10 times per arm. Then we switched, and did the same thing with the next sized dumbell. This continued till one of us gave up (usually me) and left me sore for days. Probably wasn't that smart, now that I think about it..
Manmakers. Pretty much a full body workout and I love them!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMNnvhg1JcM
Manmakers. Pretty much a full body workout and I love them! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMNnvhg1JcM
Those are killers. Love them too. Even if they don't help my running, I think just being more fit over-all is a good thing.
Sultan of slug
the very best is a combination of squats, Romanian dead lifts and normal dead-lifts
+1.
Sorry to continue the diversion from the original question regarding dumbells, but maybe the OP was inquiring about weight exercises in general. Barbells are great! High-weight, low-rep (6-8 max) classic lifts like squats, deadlifts, power cleans, and bench are fantastic complements to running, for several reasons.
First, they're a lot of fun and a totally different form of exercise running (ie not primarily aerobic), so it's nice for variety.
Second, they strengthen your core, posterior chain, hip flexors, everything you need for running, and can help address muscle imbalances. Steve Magness (for what his advice is worth) points out that weighted squats work your core pretty much just as hard as dedicated "core work." I've never been injured while going to the gym regularly. I've been injured several times, and each time was when I hadn't spent any time in the gym for a couple months, so it might work for me.
Third, there's a lot of research to indicate that training at or near your maximum speed/strength is good for endurance runners. It stresses your CNS and teaches your body to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible. Much the same reason people do hill sprints.
Finally, a lot of elites (well, at least NOP) lift heavy, and they probably have something to teach us.
I prefer the traditional leg exercise or the barbell or dumbbell squats for these workouts target the large muscles not just in the thighs, but muscles in the back and hips as well. Increasing strength and endurance in these areas can help improve running performance, while helping your avoid injuries.
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