bent-over row
How Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing each other. Bend forward, hingeing at the hips, then row the weights up to your sides, leading with your elbows. Lower the weights back to the start under control.
Why This move hits the major muscles of your upper back, while your lower back gets worked to keep your torso upright. Using a hammer grip also hits your forearms and improves grip strength.
Flat Bench
This multijoint chest exercise is a proven mass-builder. Although you’ll quickly discover if one side of your pecs is stronger than the other, you get a longer range of motion over the barbell version because you can press both up and in rather than just up
Do it Right: Lie faceup on the bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand just outside your shoulders. Powerfully press the weights up and together, stopping when they’re an inch or so away from touching. Slowly return to the start
Power Pointer: Don’t let the dumbbells touch at the top, because you’ll release tension on the pecs and start getting into the habit of resting briefly at the top of each rep. Leave a few inches between the weights so your pecs don’t get a chance to relax
Spider curl
How Bend down and rest your elbows on your thighs, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight. Curl the weights up, squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower back to the start under control.
Why It may raise a few eyebrows in the gym, but this exercise works your biceps through a full range of motion so you hit them from a slightly different angle, meaning even more muscle fibres are recruited.
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press
Because you don’t have a bar in your hands, you can draw your elbows all the way back outside your ears. That places more emphasis on the middle delts, the one delt head that makes you appear wider. In contrast, with a barbell your elbows have to travel forward so the bar clears your face, calling upon more front delts than middle delts
Do it Right: Adjust the bench so your back is fully supported and upright, and grasp a dumbbell in each hand above shoulder level with a pronated grip (palms facing forward). Strongly press the weights overhead in an arc, but don’t let them touch at the top. Lower under control back to the start
Power Pointer: Don’t stop the downward motion when your arms form 90-degree angles; instead, bring the dumbbells all the way down until your elbows point toward the floor and the weights are just above shoulder level. It’s safe for your shoulders, and you recruit more muscle fibers when using this greater range of motion
Dumbbell Shrug
The range of motion here is only a few inches. The up-and-down movement should be fluid and controlled, not explosive. Because you’re using dumbbells, the neutral (palms-in) grip helps keep your arms and shoulders in the most comfortable and safest position possible.
Do it Right: Stand erect holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with your palms facing in. Keeping your chest up and abs tight, shrug your shoulders straight up toward the ceiling, squeezing your traps at the top. Slowly reverse the motion, letting the weights lower your shoulders as far as possible.
Power Pointer: Avoid rolling your shoulders — it doesn’t engage the upper traps more successfully and can actually cause severe strain of the delicate rotator-cuff muscles. Keep the motion strictly up and down.
Crunch
How Lie flat on the floor, holding a dumbbell across your chest. Engage your abs, then raise your torso off the floor. Squeeze your abs at the top, then lower yourself slowly and under control.
Why The crunch is great for developing your upper abs, but only if you do it right. And the added resistance of the dumbbell will force those muscles to up their game to lift and lower your torso without help from momentum.
Triceps extension
How Stand tall, holding a dumbbell over your head with one hand and arm straight. Keeping your chest up, lower the weight behind your head, then raise it back to the start. Do all the reps with one arm and then switch and repeat.
Why Working one arm at a time allows you to focus on making your triceps work hard to keep the dumbbell under complete control throughout the lift and lower, while your core must be engaged to keep your torso upright.
Squat
How Stand tall holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your chest up and core braced, squat down as deep as you can. Push back up through your heels to return to the start position.
Why It’s the classic lift for building bigger and stronger legs and because it’s a big compound lift that recruits multiple muscle groups, it’s also effective at torching belly fat too.