Do these 7 free weight exercises for a complete workout

Author: Aussie Fitness  

So you’ve found yourself a decent gym, that’s stocked with all the latest equipment. Your motivational levels have never been better, too. You are well on your way to achieving your fitness goals with every week of effort. So what comes after that? Does your routine stay the same, or should you step it up a bit with more variety, or intensity?

One of the most common perspectives about exercise is that there’s always more than one way to work out your different muscle groups. This being said, you may or may not be aware of all the possibilities, when it comes to the variety of equipment available.

Not to worry. If you’re starting to feel bored of repetitive machine presses or rigid cable workouts, we’ve singled out the following list of free weight exercises for you to add to any existing routine.

Single Arm Rows

You may have seen this one being performed around the gym. It doesn’t take up a lot of space, and only requires a bench and at least one dumbbell of suitable weight to your training needs. This one’s perfect for people looking to strengthen their back through regular exercise.

Dumbbell Chest Press

Here’s one for those who find themselves waiting around for a free bench press station. If you’ve got at least one bench and a couple of suitable dumbbells free, remember that doing dumbbell presses can help you with the coordination and strength training of your individual arms.

Split Squats

If you’re looking for an exercise to strengthen your legs, grab a pair of dumbbells and check out the split squat. This exercise helps you focus on just one leg, and can really help if you are looking for a workout to strengthen the major muscles in your legs.

Seated Shoulder Press

Using dumbbells instead of a barbell can help you develop better control and posture for your exercises. With dumbbells, control of your weights rests singularly upon either one of your limbs. This gives you a way to be more specific with how you train, and which muscles you’d like to strengthen.

Step Ups

Step ups are a great way for anyone to train each of their legs independently. This exercise can be popular across all athletic profiles, whether you’re a serious weightlifter, or more of a runner. Using a pair of free weights for this exercise can greatly help you strengthen your quadriceps, as well as knee and hip joints.

Seated Bicep Curls

When you use dumbbells instead of a barbell, your body is forced to operate each limb independently on either side. Seated dumbbell bicep curls are an exercise that can definitely bring a difference to the way you train, especially if you are looking to strengthen your arms.

Hip Thrusts
Hip thrusts are performed with a person’s shoulder blades and arms resting against a bench. This exercise begins with a person’s hips and feet on the ground, and is completed with a single movement that raises the hips off the floor. A great exercise that can use the addition of a dumbbell to add resistance.