The best time to lift weights

The days are getting shorter, we are outside less often and the sun tan from the garden or the sailing boat is slowly fading – at least on the northern part of the globe.

The festive season will soon begin with elegant clothing that often calls for well-trained arms.

If you don’t feel like celebrating this year, there are many other good reasons to pick up the dumbbells again: The Mayo Clinic in the USA recommends exercising with dumbbells, as does the NHS in England and the AOK in Germany.

The focus there is not on sleeveless ball gowns but on strengthening arm, neck and back muscles.

Exercising with dumbbells is good for posture, strength and balance. The aforementioned medical authorities also attribute a positive effect on bone density to weight training.

You shouldn’t need any more arguments to reach for the dumbbells, regardless of the time of year.

Maple dumbbell series made of polished stainless steel and solid wood from Kenko Sports Equipment Berlin

For all those who don’t have time

Exercising with dumbbells can easily be incorporated into everyday life. No gym or daylight is required for the simplest exercises. The stylish dumbbells from Kenko Sports Equipment are also an eye-catcher that can be placed on your desk or in the bathroom as a beautiful reminder of your good intentions.

Simple dumbbell exercises can be done during a break in the home office, on the phone or while brushing your teeth in the evening.

In most cases, the exercises have an effect after a very short time, which can be seen when you look in the mirror in the morning.

Training with dumbbells is an ideal complement to cardio training, yoga or Pilates. It trains the muscles in the back and neck that we need for productive hours at the desk as well as for playing the piano and many other instruments.

Five simple exercises

Getting started is the most important step. The following five exercises represent a basic program that trains important muscles and shows quick results in terms of strength and well-being.

1 bicep for the evening dress or T-shirt a la James Dean

Stand upright with your feet about hip-width apart. The dumbbells are in your outstretched arms, which hang loosely downwards. Your palms should be facing forward.

Move your hands upwards with the dumbbells so that your upper and lower arms are at a 90 degree angle. In a further movement, pull the dumbbells towards your shoulders.

As with all exercises with dumbbells: no hectic, swinging movements. A slow, controlled, conscious movement is required.

2 Do something good for bent computer and smartphone necks

The strength of the shoulder muscles is essential if you spend many hours bent over your laptop and phone.

With this exercise, you will usually notice immediately how the upper parts of your shoulders enjoy this counter-movement to the rest of your daily routine.

Stand upright, feet about hip-width apart. Take a dumbbell in each hand and stretch your arms up and to the side so that your upper arm and forearm are at a 90 degree angle. Now pull the elbows of both arms forward in front of your chest and then pull them back to the starting position at your side.

The exercise will immediately look familiar to you, as it is performed on a machine in the gym and is both characteristic and popular.

3 More stability is good for everyone

The following simple exercise is good for the delta muscle of the shoulders and provides more stability in the upper body:

Stand upright, of course always with a straight back. Hold the dumbbells at shoulder height in your arms stretched out to the right and left.

From this position, stretch your arms upwards so that your arms are parallel above your head and the dumbbells are sticking up. Stay up briefly and then bring your arms back to shoulder height.

Like all exercises, it is recommended that you repeat this exercise 7 to 10 times. After a few times, stowing the suitcase in the upper luggage compartment of the train will feel like child’s play.

4 All the muscles in the upper body like this

We have all learned that you should never lift heavy objects with your back bent. In this exercise, you train in exactly the opposite mode to train the muscles of the front and back of the back.

Beginners in particular use dumbbells, the weight of which is a far cry from a crate of beer or a carton of rosé wine.

Bend forward in a lunge, one dumbbell in each downward-hanging outstretched arm. If the left leg is in front, the right hand pulls the dumbbell up to chest height and vice versa.

The exercise can also be performed well and somewhat more easily by kneeling with one leg on a bench or stool. If the left leg is resting on the stool, the right hand pulls the dumbbell from the bottom up to chest height and vice versa.

5 When the day was just too much

Some days demand a lot from us. For this exercise, which is good for the chest, simply lie down on a carpet in the evening or alternatively on a yoga mat. Put your feet up. The upper arms rest on the carpet, the elbows are extended upwards at a 90 degree angle and each hand holds a dumbbell.

From this position, the arms are stretched upwards and brought back down in a controlled manner.

The easy way in

You can already achieve a great deal with these five simple exercises. If you like them, you can easily expand the program.

The fitness world is full of videos and every personal trainer will be happy to expand the program for you individually.

What to look out for:

Beginners should not start with weights that are too heavy. Sometimes 1 or 2 kilograms is enough. You can always increase the weight. Starting with weights that are too heavy can lead to injuries.

Next time you visit the hotel gym or sports store, simply try out different weight classes. You will immediately notice which weight you feel comfortable with and which weight makes you feel like you are overexerting yourself.

If the weights are too heavy, it is easy to take momentum in order to perform the exercise. This is counterproductive. The slow, controlled movement with the appropriate weight class brings the desired success.

For aesthetes

A simple dumbbell from the sports store is sufficient. If necessary, a water bottle will also work, but it should be easy to grip.

For all aesthetes who are inspired by the sight of stylish sports equipment, we recommend the beautiful dumbbells from the Berlin-based company Kenko.

Aerobic dumbbells maple 0.5 – 2.0kg from Kenko Sports Equipment Berlin

Many fashion companies, such as Louis Vuitton, also offer barbells made of metal and leather as well as endless repetitions of the brand logo. As brand experts, we deeply dislike this logo inflation. We prefer to invest the necessary budget elsewhere.

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Cover picture and product photos © Dumbbell series and aerobic dumbbells from Kenko Sports Equipment

Image Hotelgym © GloriousMe