DUMBBELL OF THE BALL

It’s important to mix things up in the gym, otherwise it will just become monotonous and you’ll drift away from it. Don’t be afraid to try new workouts, or secretly mirror someone else’s workout — unless they’re clearly doing something hideously wrong. Here are a few ideas of what you can

do with a dumbbell, aside from basic concentric movements

PRESS- UP WITH ROW

> Start in a top plank position with a dumbbell in each hand. Lower your

chest to the floor, then press back up.

> When you hit the top of the press- up, steady your balance, add some tension through your core to help, and pull one of the dumbbells up to your chest. > Slowly drop it back to the floor and bring the opposite dumbbell to your

chest. Drop that back to the floor and repeat from a press- up.

ARNOLD PRESS

> Start with a dumbbell in each hand in front of your face, palms facing you, elbows pulled in towards

each other.

> Press the dumbbells up overhead, while rotating your palms inwards to face

away from you.

> Finish with the inside heads of the dumbbells touching overhead, then reverse

the movement.

FORWARD LUNGE TO PRESS AND KNEE LIFT

> Start with a dumbbell in each hand, resting them on your shoulders. Lunge one foot forward so your front knee hits a 90° angle, keeping it

stacked over the heel of your foot, not your toes.

> Stand back up by pushing hard through your front foot to bring it back toward your rear foot, but instead of letting it land, keep it raised. Once upright, press the dumbbells overhead. The challenge

here is to be careful with your balance.

> Return the dumbbells to your shoulders and repeat the movement. Finish one set on one leg before repeating the other.

OVERHEAD DUMBBELL LUNGE

> Start by standing with a dumbbell overhead in one hand. Keeping your balance through this

move is going to be key. > Keeping the weight balanced overhead, lunge backward to create a 90° angle in your front knee, keeping it stacked over the heel of your foot, not your toes. > Then step forward to stand back up, keeping the weight balanced overhead. Keep the weight in one hand and alternate your feet, then switch hands for

the next set.

DOUBLE DUMBBELL CLEAN

> Start in a bottom dead- lift position with dumbbells in each hand, one head of each dumbbell touching the floor, with soft

knees and a flat back.

> Deadlift the dumbbells to hip height to stand tall, and carry that momentum to shrug the dumbbells even higher, keeping

them close to the body. > Quickly shift your elbows underneath to catch the dumbbells in a half squat, stand up, pushing the dumbbells over your head before slowly returning

them to your hips, then the start position.