Free Weights

Using free weights can help to improve your strength and fitness. Whilst lifting weights you are burning calories, increasing your muscle size, strength, endurance, power and bone density. Dumbbells are the most common purchase and they can be utilised to offer a huge variety of workouts. Dumbbells have the advantage that they do not take up to much room, and are cheaper than multi-gyms. Relatively new to the UK market are the excellent Bowflex SelectTech adjustable dumbbells.

The ingenious Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells enable you to select between 2-21kg at the turn of a dial. These dumbbells are perfect for people with space constraints or who simply don’t want 15 pairs of individual dumbbells. You can select 2-10kg in 1kg increments and after that in 2kg increments. There is an optional stand which, in our opinion, is useful as it discourages you from leaning over and potentially hurting your back when picking up the weights.

Below is a list of just some exercises you can perform with dumbbells.

LEG EXERCISES

• Wide squats
• Calf raises
• Stationary lunges
• Stiff-leg dead lift
• Reverse lunge
• Side lunge

Chest Exercises

• Flat chest press
• Incline chest press
• Flat fly
• Incline fly
• Decline chest press

Arm Exercises

• Standing curls
• Concentration curls
• Incline bench curls
• Scott curls
• Overhead triceps extension
• Triceps kickback
• Lying triceps extension
• Hammer curls

Back Exercises

• Alternating rows
• Wide row
• Dead lift

Abdominal Exercises

• Ab crunch
• Reverse crunch
• Lying trunk rotation
• Twisting side crunch
• Lying leg raise

Shoulder Exercises

• Standing shoulder press
• Lateral raise
• Seated overhead press
• Front raise
• Rear delt row
• Shrugs

If the idea of getting fit interests you then please visit www.exerciseequipment.co.uk where you’ll find a great range of cardio vascular and strength training equipment.