The Importance of Dumbbell Training

In today's world of fitness we have tons and tons of machines, as well as new ones being developed and put out in gyms everywhere. These machines do provide you with a good work out and I'm not saying they shouldn't be used. That would be nonsense! They are great to use when used safely and properly. There are a few problems that machines bring to the table though. First off you need to be within a certain height to safely use most machines. You could be injured or the muscle that is intended to be targeted isn't the muscle getting the workout. And second, all machines tend to only focus on the intended muscle used throughout the motion.

There isn't any resistance applied to the stabilizer muscles and this is the main reason why it is so important to use free weights in your workout routine. There are several different types of dumbbells available but the reason dumbbells are so important is the fact that when you use them they engage not only the intended muscle for the motion but also engage its stabilizers. When you do dumbbell curls the main focus is on the Biceps brachii but in turn you also work the stabilizers.

These would be the brachialis, the deltoids, muscles of the forearm and back as well. As you can see dumbbell and free weight training offers a better work out that targets your stabilizer as well as the muscle intended for contraction. There are literally hundreds of dumbbell exercises ranging practically for every muscle in the body. Dumbbell training allows for synergistic and stabilizer muscles to come into play far more prominently than most machines are capable of doing.

When you use dumbbells your stabilizer muscles are forced to act in all directions whereas the barbell connects your two arms together taking this use of stabilizers away. So the truth of the matter is you can get a good effective workout with a good set of dumbbells that range to weights you will be using. So next time your at the gym don't just go around using all the fancy machines.

Think about how effective and important it is to get your stabilizer muscles involved. What good would it be if you only trained your upper body and completely neglected your legs? How many back problems would you have if you worked your abs really hard and neglected your back? The same goes for all of your muscles, make sure you keep your stabilizers engaged in your routine!