A Five-Pound Dumbbell Jump Is Bigger Than It Sounds
Adding five pounds to a dumbbell sounds like a small progression. For someone curling 15 pounds, however, moving to 20 pounds represents a 33% increase…
Training & Programming
Training One Arm Can Make the Other Stronger Too
Training your right arm can make your left arm stronger, even when the left arm never touches a dumbbell. Researchers call this cross-education, a phenomenon…
Sandow Sold Dumbbells You Had to Squeeze While You Exercised
More than a century ago, Eugen Sandow sold dumbbells with handles that actively resisted your grip. Every repetition required users to squeeze against springs while…
They Thought They Took Caffeine and Completed More Reps. The Capsules Were Placebos
Fifteen experienced lifters took identical, inactive capsules before bench pressing. Those who believed they had consumed caffeine completed nearly four more repetitions than when they…
A 10-Week Training Break Didn’t Mean Starting Over From Zero
Ten weeks away from strength training can leave your muscles smaller and familiar dumbbells feeling unexpectedly heavy. A 2024 resistance training study offers useful perspective:…
The First New Strength Guidelines in 17 Years Say Dumbbells at Home Are Enough
For years, the fitness industry has made strength training look more complicated than it needs to be. Specialized machines, elaborate workout splits, advanced training methods,…
Light Dumbbells Built as Much Muscle as Heavy Ones When the Sets Were Taken to Fatigue
Light dumbbells can produce muscle growth comparable to considerably heavier weights. This finding has appeared repeatedly in resistance-training research, including experiments where participants used loads…
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts Should Feel Like a Hip Hinge, Not a Back Lift
The dumbbell Romanian deadlifts are one of our favorite exercises for developing strong hamstrings and glutes. It’s also remarkably easy to get wrong, particularly when…
Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows Work Better When You Pull Toward Your Hip
Single-arm dumbbell rows seem straightforward. Support yourself with one hand, grab a dumbbell, pull it up, and lower it again. Yet the direction of that…
Longer Rest Times Make Heavy Dumbbell Exercises Better
A heavy set of dumbbell presses can make 60 seconds feel surprisingly short. You finish your first set, put the weights down, catch your breath,…