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| It’s
long been agreed that the use of dumbbells are in some ways
a preferred choice over using barbells when it comes to effective
weight training. For starters, each arm is made to work independently,
which ensures that both sides of your body get an equal workout,
helping irradicate strength imbalances that may have crept
into your workout. Secondly, dumbbells allow certain exercises,
such as the bench press, to be performed through a greater
range of movement than you’d get with a barbell workout.
If you now dump the standard bench as the means of support,
and introduce a Swiss ball into the equation, a further dimension
is brought into play – that of balance and stabilisation.
This ensures that your core is getting as good a workout as
the muscles that you’re trying to isolate – two
for the price of one! But be warned, because bringing your
stabilisers into action reduces the amount of weight you can
lift, so don’t be surprised if you have to take off
a plate or two. |
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THE
‘BRIDGE’ |
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Before
you move on to any of the other exercises in this sequence,
you’d be advised to master the ‘bridge’,
as it forms the starting point for many of the following
exercises. It looks simple enough, but to hold it solid
(in form), is no mean feat. |
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Position Feet
flat on the floor, head & shoulders supported
on the ball, eyes straight to the ceiling, chin tucked
in.
Method Hold a flat back by keeping
your abs and glutes switched on and tight. Hold for
60 seconds, and repeat 3 times. |
| Always
watch your form. This is especially true when using
the Swiss ball as you are using an unstable means of
support. Concentration and attention to detail are essential |
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BENCH
PRESS |
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Muscles
worked: Pectoralis major (pecs),
deltoids and triceps, plus stabilisation muscles
through the lower back and abdominals, and
also your glutes and hamstrings.
Starting Position: The ‘Bridge’
Method: Starting with your
elbows straight, but not locked out, bring
both dumbbells down evenly towards your chest.
Stick your elbows out so that they are in
line with the middle of your chest, and only
come down so that your upper arms are parallel
with the floor. You shouldn’t feel any
stretching across your chest. If you do, you’ve
come down too far. |
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SHOULDER
PRESS |
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Muscles
worked: Deltoids, triceps and trapezius,
plus stabilisation muscles through the lower
back and abs, and also your glutes and hamstrings.
Starting Position: Sitting
on the ball, feet flat, knees at 90°,
chin tucked in, chest out, eyes to the front,
abs switched on.
Method: From the lowered
position (hands parallel and no lower than
your ears), push the dumbbells up evenly
and in line with your forehead. Too far
behind, and you could cause an extension,
and hence strain, on your lower back. On
the way down, do not lower your hands below
your ears, as this puts excessive stress
on your shoulders |
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PRONE
ROW |
 |
Muscles
worked:
Upper back and abdominals, plus the back of
your shoulders through the rhomboids, trapezius
and latissimus dorsi (lats).
Starting Position: With ribcage
taking most of your body weight, lie across
the ball with your toes supporting your stretched
out legs. Your abs and erectus spinus (lower
back) should be kept tight throughout the
exercise.
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Method:
Keeping your shoulders back and
your eyes focussed on the floor, bring
both bells up evenly until your elbows
are at 90°. Slowly release the weight,
but be sure not to let the dumbbells touch
the floor. A bigger ball could be necessary
to gain maximum extension.
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BICEP
CURL |
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Muscles
worked: Bicep brachii, plus stabilising
muscles through your abdominals and lower
back.
Starting Position: Sitting
on the ball, feet flat, knees at 90°,
chin tucked in, chest out, eyes to the
front, abs switched on.
Method: The essential
point here is to keep perfectly still,
with the shoulders back and down, and
your elbows tucked into the sides of your
body. Also, keep your palms facing forward.
All these factors will help to isolate
the bicep. It is also important that you
carry out these bicep curls in tandem
to keep your balance on the ball.
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STRAIGHT ARM PULL-OVER |
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Muscles worked: Abdominals,
triceps and chest, plus stabilisation muscles
through the lower back and abdominals, and
also your glutes and hamstrings.
Starting
Position: The ‘Bridge’
Method: Holding one dumbbell
directly over your head, gradually ease your
the weight backwards, keeping both arms straight.
Only let your arms go back as far as you feel
comfortable with, without losing the form
of the ‘bridge’. |
With time,
you will find that your flexibility and
strength will increase, and you will be
able to go back further, but never let
your arms go beyond the horizontal, ie.
below the level of your head. As a beginner,
you might want to practice this exercise
without weight to start off with.
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PUSH-UP |
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Muscles worked:
Abdominals, chest, triceps and shoulders,
plus, to a lesser extent, glutes and hamstrings.
Starting Position: Hands
flat on floor, chin tucked in, eyes focussed
on floor, shins resting on the ball, maintaining
as straight a back as possible. This position
takes great abdominal strength to hold,
so, as a novice, you may want to start with
your knees on the floor, as illustrated
right.
Method: Starting at the
lower position, your elbows should not flex
below the perpendicular, and your forearms
should be kept vertical at all times. Push
evenly upwards until your
elbows straighten, but never lock out, before
lowering your body to the starting position.
Ensure that you keep your abs, lower back,
hamstrings and glutes switched on at all
times. This is a tough exercise to perform
correctly, and should be mastered from the
‘knees on the ground’ position
before progressing to fully prone. |
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