Since moving house a couple of years back and knuckling down to serious barbell training, the dumbbells and about 200 lbs of plates have been slowing rusting out in the shed.
Was thinking of lugging them back in - maby - or selling them on e bay. Anybody found a place for them in their own training? Concentration curls?..Triceps kickbacks?..Any goblet squatters here?..
Dumbbells make even better doorstops than kettlebells because you can just roll the round plate types out of the way.
In seriousness DBs got a far bit of use in the hypertrophy template. My left elbow was feeling funky and lighter hammer curls made the arm stuff tolerable.
DBs are used in the Hypertrophy template and I understand that Jordan and Austin both program them in quite frequently as supplemental bench exercises. They are used to get bench volume in while moderating load management in that the weight used in dumbbell exercises is generally lower than barbell exercises. So, yes, they have a place.
I also use DBs for curls or hammer curls (and other variations) and sometimes for lying tricep extensions, again for volume while moderating load.
I use them for pressing excersises with higher reps. I can’t bench that much, because of a problem in my elbow and shoulder. So sometimes I use them also to replace the BP. You can rotate your wrists a bit, which is impossible with a barbell. The range of motion is also higher.
Absolutely. DB’s are great for supplemental variations, hypertrophy work, as well as GPP work. There are dozens of effective ways you can utilize your DB’s.
I LOATHE BB rows, and absolutely love DB Kroc Rows.
I also usually throw in 5 minutes of super set arm work using DBs once a week.
Over all, it’s a small fraction of my gym time, but since I blast these two things with little rest, it ends up feeling very rewarding compared to my large amount of time under the bar, with its own progression goals very different from normal week to week BB progression.
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DB Incline Bench is one of the bossest exercises on the planet.
Dumbbell is a flexible exercise equipment that can exercise every muscle group of the body.
On this topic, do any of you guys do goblet squats?
They’re in the beginner prescription as an option for a tertiary squat exercise but I’m curious how the loading works out.
If they’re comparable to front squats you’re going to need quite a lot of kettlebell or dumbbell weight eventually…
I’ve taken adjustable dumbbells on vacation and used for high rep goblet squats. Also RDLs, floor presses, OHP, arm stuff. At home, I don’t usually use dumbbells for lower body. Calf raises if anything. Bulgarian split squats, lunges, step ups once upon a time before I had a barbell and SSB.
I used my DB on GPP days quite a bit (DB rows, curls, OH DB extension, etc.). Sometimes on larger movements like shoulder presses, incline presses. Biggest problem is you either need to spend a boat load of money, embrace adjustables, or have large gaps in weights available. I’ve got 50’s, 60’s and 75’s…but sometimes I want 55s or 65s and that’s not an option. 
Are adjustables bad?
No but they are delicate. You cannot drop them. I have an adjustable pair that goes from 10-90. I like them, but I am pretty careful with them. I make sure to never drop them and I only do exercises that involve gripping the handles.
They also tended to be longer which affects the motion for some exercises.
They vary and each has trade offs. The ones that my wife uses let you select weight with a dial but have a long frame whether you have 5 or 50 pounds. The speed of adjustment is good for programming that calls for quick changes, and they store neatly. I have ones that are slower to change manually and you have stacks of unused little plates around but you can do 1.25lb increments and they feel solid and compact like fixed dumbbells.
Thanks. I may get adjustables at some point because fixed seem like they will take up too much space to get the load variety one might want.
Yes, I love them. I’ve been doing some Juggernaut Powerbuilding AI training for a while to mix things up. Lots of DB accessory work. Very effective.
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They’ve grown on me; I like the variation they add. I bought a pair of olympic DB handles so that I could use my existing plates with them. I tend to only do one movement per session with them though, because switching out the plates in inconvenient.