Friday, June 29, 2012

Dumbbell Cardio! DO WORK!

I am gonna double it up this Friday! In addition to my afternoon weight training session I did a bodyweight/dumbbell circuit this morning. I used a 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off split and 10 exercises. I ran through the entire circuit twice, got my heart rate up and it felt great!

Now I know what some of you are thinking: Cardio with dumbbells? It is a common misconception that cardio has to consist of running, biking or many other forms of exercise that many of us consider tedious. That is not true! Cardio is anything that gets your heart rate up! When done correctly, weight training can get your heart rate up and burn more calories than other forms of training! 

Here is the workout I just finished doing. What do you need? Some floor space, a couple of sets of dumbbells, and a mat if you feel so inclined. THAT'S IT! Give this one a try and let me know what you think. 

1) 1-Arm Dumbbell Snatch Left Arm
2) 1-Arm Dumbbell Snatch Right Arm
3) Dumbbell or Bodyweight Squats
4) Push-up Variation
5) 1-Arm Dumbbell Row, Left Arm
6) 1-Arm Dumbbell Row, Right Arm
7) Dumbbell Swings
8) Dumbbell "Shoulder T" (Front Raise then take the dumbbells to the side, lower, side raise, bring to front, lower, repeat)
9) Dumbbell Split Squat, Left Leg Forward
10) Dumbbell Split Squat, Right Leg Forward
11) Stiff-legged Dumbbell Deadlfts
12) Crunch Variation of Choice
13) Reverse Crunch Variation of Choice
14) Side Crunch Left Side
15) Side Crunch Right Side
16) Dumbbell Russian Twist
17) Prone Cobras
18) Plank Variation of Choice
19) Side Plank Left
20) Side Plank Right

Try to do the same number of repetitions with each side on the unilateral exercises even if it means stopping a second early or going a second late on the second side. As far as weight to use, it depends on your strength, conditioning and overall purpose. I try to keep it light when I do these workouts as I know I have a heavy training session this evening. If you want to use this as a part of your strength training work you can very heavy on some of the movements. Typically, I keep the dumbbells under 50lbs. 

There you have it. I hope you enjoy. Can you get two training sessions in today? Here is one you can do in 20 minutes! 

DO YOU

-SideMeat

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