Equipment:
- Dumbbells (weights will vary based on individual’s strength)
- Adjustable bench
Benefits:
- Muscle gain
- Increased metabolism
- Increased energy
- Improved bone health
- Stronger joints/ligaments
Duration: 45 minutes
Dumbbells and free weights are great tools to use in your pursuit of a stronger, healthier body. About ten years ago, when I first started implementing dumbbells and other free weights such as kettlebells and barbells, I almost immediately noticed a difference in my body. The amount of strength and muscle density I was gaining was something I wasn’t getting from my usual training regimen. At the time, I was heavily involved in martial arts (Muay Thai and submission wrestling), which meant my workouts consisted mainly of bodyweight exercises along with intense bouts of cardio and interval training.
After working consistently with dumbbells, I noticed a few things. My muscles were growing, I was feeling stronger, I was recovering better, my energy levels went up, and I just felt better. Overtime, I began to work more with weights until it became a regular part of my routine. This consistency in weight training eventually led me to adding more muscle and overall strength than any other training method I used previously. However, with all of the gains I received from weight training, I did notice one downside…My mobility was turning to shit.
I wasn’t stretching or working on my mobility nearly as much as I was when I was competing in martial arts. Over time, these poor habits caused me to become tight and restricted almost everywhere. It wasn’t until I started doing some research on the ongoing benefits consistent mobility work can do for your body, that I actually started taking it seriously. I think a lot of times, guys (girls too, but guys tend to be worse) think of stretching and mobility work as an afterthought.
“I’ll get around to it eventually.”
Why wait? I know why, because I was guilty of this. There’s no immediate benefit from working on your mobility. You don’t get a pump, you don’t become better in one session, and you don’t get that ‘high’ you get from lifting weights or hitting the heavy bag. But, if you take action now and are consistent, you will feel better, recover more effectively, reduce overall pain, and actually become stronger.
Trust me.
Try taking just five to ten minutes before and after your workouts to tackle some mobility work for two weeks. It won’t take the full two weeks to feel better, but if at the end of those 14 days you don’t notice a difference in your overall health and performance, then you can write me a complaint personally.
Move better with these mobility drills >>> 10 Mobility Drills to Make You Move Better
The Jacked Upper Body Dumbbell Workout is a combination of compound and isolation exercises to break down your muscles to grow back stronger and fuller. This workout follows a ‘push/pull’ routine, which means exercises are paired together in a superset* (a pushing exercise followed by a pulling exercise).
* A superset is a pair of exercises performed one after the other with no rest. Rest after both exercises have been completed unless outlined otherwise.
Warm up and cool down with five to ten minutes of mobility drills before and after your workout.
3 sets of 10 reps each; 45-60 sec rest:
- A1. Flat Bench Dumbbell Press
- A2. One Arm Renegade Row on Bench
3 sets of 10 reps each; 45-60 sec rest:
- B1. Single Arm Close Grip Dumbbell Press
- B2. Lateral Overhead Dumbbell Raise
3 sets of 15 reps each; 30-45 sec rest:
- C1. Flat Bench Dumbbell Fly’s
- C2. Dumbbell Pullover
3 sets of 15 reps each; 30-45 sec rest:
- D1. Skull Crushers
- D2. Standing Hammer Curls
3 sets of 15 reps each; 30-45 sec rest:
- E1. Lateral Dumbbell Raise
- E2. Reverse Dumbbell Fly’s
