Do One Complex, Use One Dumbbell, Work Every Muscle
October 4th, 2008 by Egan C. | Filed under Bodybuilding, Fat Loss Exercises, Strength Training, Weight Lifting, Weight Loss Exercises.Let’s see, there’s the pectorals, the abdominals, the lats, the trapezius, the biceps and triceps, the glutes, the hamstrings, the soleus, and the anatomical list of muscles goes on, and on, and on…
With so many muscles to work, shouldn’t it take an equal amount of exercises to work them all? The answer is a resounding, “NO!”
Actually, I’m going to show you how to work the entire body by doing only ONE simple weight complex that requires just ONE dumbbell. You read that right. You’ll be doig one complex and just about every single muscle of your body will be worked, and you’ll be using a single dumbbell.
This complex can be used for building muscle, strength, power, agility, coordination, balance, as well as for burning fat. It’s easy to do, and won’t require a lot of space, equipment, or time. Just a small area in your bedroom, living room, garage, or outdoors, one dumbbell, and about 4 to 20 minutes.
Before I continue, let me briefly explain what a complex is. It’s a series of exercises done in such a way that they flow from one to the next. For example, here’s a barbell complex consisting of deadlift for 10 reps, power cleans for 10 reps, front squats for 10 reps, and finish with push presses for 5 reps. That’s a complex.
A complex is different than doing a simple superset in that the exercises have to flow very naturally such as in the example above. Below are the actual exercises you’ll be using in your simple one dumbbell complex..
The clean - stand with the dumbbell between your feet, with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Bend over at the waist, and also squat down, and grab the dumbbell with your right hand. Keep your back straight, and your head facing forward, in one smooth motion, pull (or clean) the weight up to shoulder level. At the same time, your hips should be driving forward as you stand up. Rest the weight at shoulder level. By this time you should be standing upright. The clean works the muscles of the upper back and trapezius, the biceps, the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and to some extent, the calves.
The Squat - Keeping the weight resting on your shoulder, begin squatting down until your upper thighs are parallel to the ground. If you have the flexibility, you can go a little below parallel. Pause for a split second in the bottome position. The squat works primarily the quads, but also the hamstrings, lower back, glutes and calves to some extent.
The Push Press - From the bottom position of the squat, explode up. As you move up you should also be pushing the dumbbell up in a pressing motion. By the time you’re standing upright, the weight should be over your head with your arm fully extended overhead. The push press works primarily the shoulders, and triceps, and the trapezius to some extent.
You’ll also work the forearms, especially when you start using some heavy poundage. You should also feel it in the core as your body tries to stabalize itself as the dumbbell changes from one position to the next, and as you hold the weight over your head.
After completing the designated amount of reps on the right side, repeat the exercises on the left side. That’s one complete set.
Work this complex with a light dumbbell (25lbs to 35lbs for men, 15lbs to 25lbs for women) until it becomes smooth and you are comfortable with it. It should be fluid throughout.
Once you get the technique down, you can really start challenging yourself. For example, if you want to build strength and power, start using a heavier dumbbell. I’ve been known to throw around a 70 lbs dumbell for 5 sets of 5 reps and I only weigh 150 lbs.
I’ve also experimented with 3 sets of 8 reps using a moderately heavy weight, which is more of a muscle building protocol. I’ve done 2 sets of 20 reps using a moderately light weight which really gets the heart moving and is great for building aerobic capacity. I’ve even used this movement with the Tabata method where you do 20 seconds of high intensity work, followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 total sets using a very light weight. Tabata is great for fat burning.
You also have the option of substituting Kettlebells instead of dumbbells. Kettlbells require a bit of a learning curve though, so make sure you consult a kettlebell trainer, or view the various videos available online, before attempting the exercises with a kettlebell instead of a dumbbell.
If you really like to torture yourself, you can do the two handed version where you do all the exercises with two dumbbells instead of just one.
Whatever set and rep protocol you decide to do, or whether you decide to use kettlebells instead of dumbbells, or two dumbbells/kettlebells instead of just one, this complex can be its own workout routine. You can do 3 workouts per week using the same rep/set scheme (i.e. 5 x 5, 3 x 8, or 2 x 20), or you can mix it up by going heavy on day one, light on day two, and medium on day three. You can even mix and match kettlebells/dumbbells. For example, do kettlebells on day one, dumbbells on day two, and back to kettlebells on day three.
It’s really up to you and your level of creativity how you decide to use this highly effective, and versatile dumbbell complex.
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