Dumbbells have been around for a long time. This should lead any exerciser to believe they must be highly effective, because they have withstood the test of time. Unfortunately, in today's fitness world of shiny fitness machines and slick-tongued marketing, the dumbbell exercise program is often overlooked. But don't be misled, a dumbbell workout is an excellent fitness, fat loss and physique building tool that should be in everyone's exercise program.



I'm not going to get into the whole free weight vs. machines debate. My mind is made up. I believe free weight are more effective for training every aspect of fitness that can be used inside or outside the gym. And of all the free weights, I believe dumbbells have a lot of untapped potential. End of debate.

I'm not going to talk about how free weights are more closely related to movements you find in sport, work and life. I'm also not going to talk about how machines limit your range of motion and force you to training in ways you'll never encounter in the real world. I want to talk about mindset.

What happens when you walk into a gym and see an ocean of fancy gym machines on one hand, and a dumbbell rack sitting in the corner on the other? You believe the machines are better, that's what. And in the back of your mind, "better" means more results for less effort.

This is why I believe a dumbbell exercise program is better than machines. When you work on machines, you automatically feel you can get away with doing less. You think it's going to be easy to get the results you're after, whether it be building muscle or losing fat. After all, the expensive machine must be "better" than those old dumbbells, right?

Not necessarily! The fact remains, you'll get out of your exercise program what you put into it. If you look for shortcuts or "easy" ways to achieve the results you want, you will fail. But if you are determined to improve your fitness, fat loss and physique, and are willing to work for it consistently, you will succeed. I don't care if you only use your own bodyweight or a pair of rusty old dumbbells, your determination is more valuable than a gym full of fancy, expensive equipment.

Dumbbells have been around for centuries for one reason and one reason only. They are extremely effective! You can use them for a wide variety of exercises, over a wide range of motion and with varied weights. And used properly, they can simultaneously improve fitness, build strong, athletic muscles and burn off unwanted fat.

So the next time you have a choice between performing a dumbbell exercise program or one involving machines, choose the dumbbells. Find out why dumbbells have withstood the test of time. And most importantly, use dumbbells to their full potential. (Most people only do bodybuilding exercises, or light weight "sculpting exercises"... what a waste!)

I hope I've opened your eyes to the value of a dumbbell exercise program. Not only will you use a highly effective fitness, fat loss and muscle building tool, but you'll enter the program knowing you'll get as much out of it as you put in. This alone can make your exercise efforts more productive than ever before!