And that is a waste of valuable training time.

Let's face it, most people have trouble setting aside time to work out as it is. When they do get themselves to the gym, or set aside part of their busy day to work out at home, the last thing they want to do is waste their time. Every minute spent training needs to count! So, stop wasting your time with those dinky weight dumbbell workouts, and start using dumbbells to their full potential.

At this point, some of you might be offended. You may believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that "isolation" dumbbell exercises and "feeling the burn" is the way to get the most out of your dumbbell workout. (Even though you've failed to make major changes to your body). Please, keep reading and give me a chance to change your mind.

Honestly, most people start dumbbell workouts, or any workout for that matter, because they want to change the way they look. Yes, there are health and performance benefits to a properly performed dumbbell workout. But, who are we kidding, appearance is the top motivating factor!

And, since we are being honest, most people only start to work out when their appearance gets so bad they just can't stand it anymore. They've ignored the lack of muscle tone and the accumulating fat for so long they are not just out of shape, they are REALLY out of shape! They just don't need to lose a pound or two of fat and tone up their arms. They need to lose a LOT of fat and build a LOT of muscle to make a major impact on the way they look!

So, the dumbbell workouts they perform should be designed to build muscle and burn fat, preferably in the shortest time possible. So, they pick up a 2 pound dumbbell and perform triceps kickbacks. Wrong, wrong, WRONG!

Let's look at it this way:

A sculptor is given a 2 ton block of granite to sculpt a figure that ultimately weighs 1/2 ton. Should they:

a)Use a small pick and start to lightly tap on the block?

or

b)Pick up a sledgehammer and whack away most of the unneeded material?

I hoped you picked option b!

You see, when you have a lot of work to do, use the right tool for the job!

So, if your goal is to significantly change the way you look by putting on muscle and burning fat, make sure your dumbbell workouts are designed to do both. Don't waste your time with small weights and small exercises. Dumbbells are an excellent choice for full body transformation, but only if you use them correctly!

Here are three tips for changing the way you look with dumbbell workouts:

1)Perform dumbbell exercises that recruit as many big muscle groups as possible.

Dumbbell lifts like squats, deadlifts, rows, presses and cleans, snatches and jerks require a lot of big muscle groups to complete the movement. Plus, using big muscle groups allows you to use heavier weights. Using more muscle with heavier weights means more muscle!

2)Perform dumbbell exercises that require a great deal of energy.

Heavy grinding exercises, explosive exercises and combo matrixes require a lot of energy for completion. Expending more energy means less fat!

3)Perform dumbbell workouts in such a manner as to simultaneously build muscle, improve cardiorespiratory endurance and burn fat.

Doing workouts like super sets, timed circuits and peripheral heart action training, you can make your dumbbell workouts SUPER efficient. You'll get the most out of your training time by attacking your body on many fronts!

I hope this short article has opened your eyes to the true value of dumbbells in your quest to change the way you look. If you want to see the greatest change in appearance in the shortest period of time, leave the light weight dumbbell workouts alone, and start using dumbbell to their full potential. Following the above tips makes your dumbbell workout more effective than ever before!