As a beginner or intermediate, you might be wondering whether you should be holding both Dumbbells during your reps?
Well, Yes it is recommended to be holding both dumbbells during the reps. However, holding a single dumbbell has its advantages too. Truly, it all comes down to the type and the goal of the exercise.
Why should you be holding both dumbbells for Biceps curls?
- Increases stabilization
- Increases Endurance
- More Time Under Tension
- More Tension On Forearms
- Improve Concentration and Techniques
- Lift More Weight
- Perform Different Variations of Curls
Increases Stabilization
Performing Biceps curls while holding both dumbbells on each hand will help increase stabilization as there will be less leaning and swaying. This will lead to an effective arms workout because the right muscle will be targeted with effective curls and there won’t be any unnecessary strains and curls will be clean and effective. By holding both dumbbells will provide a more equilibrium balance which help with stabilization.
Increases Endurance
Depending on your goals for the bicep curl workout, your endurance can increase dramatically. Remember holding both dumbbells is a workout itself. Holding weight for 1 minute could be fine the longer you hold the more fatigue your muscles get. To increase endurance, a light/medium weight should be used for a high number of reps like 80 or 100 for each arm and giving no rest to each arm until the target number of reps is hit.
More Time Under Tension
More time under tension results in to increase in muscle gain and is it done by measuring in reps how long each muscle spends contracting while performing an exercise. Withholding both dumbbells, there is more time under tension as each curl will be concentrated and because of stabilization, every rep is completed correctly.
Holding both dumbbells while curling will increase the overall duration which means there is more time under tension on each bicep spent. Muscle tends to grow quickly as the long time spent on muscle under tension.
More Tension On Forearms
The Biceps muscle is connected to the forearms bones called the radius and ulna. The tendon attached to both the biceps muscle and forearm is called the distal bicep tendon. Holding both dumbbells for a long time will create more tension on the forearms, in the same way, as hanging down a bar. More Tension on the forearms will increase the grip and forearm strength over time which will lead to building more bicep muscle and strength over time.
Improve Concentration and Techniques
There is a better concentration on correct form, better technique and effectiveness of the exercise when focusing on one arm at a time while doing bicep curls. For example, alternative biceps curls will help build better form and technique, and reduce over-compensation from the more muscular arm and more concentration.
Lift More Weight
More weight can be lifted/curled by holding both dumbbells during the workout. Curls will be more effective as holding the weight will increase the stability and concentration will help you to lift more weight. Mainly because of stabilization holding both dumbbells will make it easier to curl and will build strength over time.
Perform Different Variations of Curls
Using both dumbbells will let you perform different variations of curls such as :
- Hammer Curls
- Preacher Curls
- Zottman Curls
- Spider Curls
- Reverse Curls
- Cross Body Curls
- Incline Curls
- Drag Curls
- Seated Curls
Check the variation of bicep curls in more detail Variation of Curls
How to perform a Bicep Curl?
STEP 1 – Stand straight while holding both dumbbells where your palm is facing forward.
STEP 2 – Keep your chest up and roll your shoulder back.
STEP 3 – Start Curling from your weak hand.
STEP 4 – Maintain the counterbalance curls with the weight of the opposite dumbbell.
STEP 5 – Switch arms after every rep and complete targeted reps.
Check out the form of different variations of dumbbell curls
Should you curl both dumbbells at once?
Yes, you should curl both dumbbells at once but doing alternative dumbbells curls are effective too.
When lifting both dumbbells at once your body requires lots of energy and strength at the same time. Make sure each dumbbell is not too heavy for you otherwise you are likely to cause injury. It is recommended to start will lighter weight and work your way up over time.
Trainrightmuscle recommends adding both dumbbells and more variations to your arms day. Different variations will hit the biceps muscle slightly differently which will help your biceps to grow and gain strength over time. Also, the other factor comes in such as reps/sets, diet, rest day and more.
How do I build my upper body with dumbbells?
Building the upper body with dumbbells can be a little challenging but it can be done by doing different variations of compound exercises.
Some of the exercises which you should perform are:
- Dumbbell Chest press (incline and decline)
- Dumbbell Shoulder press
- Dumbbell Lateral raises (side and front)
- Dumbbell Curls
- Dumbbell Rows
- Dumbbell Pull-Over
- Dumbbell incline Row
- Dumbbell Renegade Row
These exercises above will help you build more upper body mass and strength by only using dumbbells. These exercises can be performed at home and in the gym too.
How can I increase my weight in dumbbells?
This depends on what your goals are. You want to Increase Strengthen Biceps, Gain Biceps Muscle Size, and Toning Biceps. All these goals will have a slightly different impact on Biceps.
Strengthen Biceps
This is where you challenge the strength of your forearms and biceps. By performing heavy dumbbells and performing two – 6 sets of biceps workouts. With a heavyweight aim for 8 -10 reps at the same time try to keep your form as correct as possible. Due to heavyweight, you need to make sure you have enough rest time between each set. Rest time should be anywhere between 2 mins to 4 mins between each set. Additionally, try not to perform the same strength training for the consecutive day. Give your muscle some rest to recover.
Gaining Bicep Muscle Size
Increase your biceps muscle. This is how Bodybuilders train. The aim for this is to have large and well-defined muscles (biceps). Get a dumbbell where the weight is medium/heavy and perform two – 6 sets of biceps workouts. Always ensure your form is correct when performing dumbbell curls. Make sure your rep range for each set is from 10 to 12 reps. Rest time should be anywhere from 30 – 120 seconds between each set. Make sure you perform Gaining Muscle Size training for the biceps once a week.
Toning Biceps
There is a high number of women who choose this type of workout as it tones down the muscle without increasing its size. Use a weight which is light and perform two- 4 sets of biceps workouts. With the correct form perform 15 -20 reps as you will be focusing on muscle endurance. The more reps the more resistance. As the weight is lighter, your rest time should be shorter, anywhere from 15 – 30 seconds. You can perform this type of bicep training 2 times a week.
All these types of training will help you increase your biceps. However, that is not enough. You need to make sure you have enough rest to allow the muscle to grow. Having a good diet is important as it will increase the process.
Are 10kg dumbbells enough to build muscle?
Yes, then 10kg dumbbells are enough to build muscle. However, the level of training might differ from person to person.
Some people might find 10kg dumbbell light, medium or even heavy to curl. Therefore, the number of reps and sets will vary from person to person.
If you find 10kg heavy/harder to curl then in order to build muscle do 5-8 reps per set for 3 sets. This will help build strength and muscle over time.
If you find 10kg medium weight to curl then to build muscle do 10-15 reps per set for 4 sets. This will help build the muscle and 10kg will become easier to curl over time.
If you find 10kg easy to curl then to build muscle do 20 – 40 reps per set for 3 sets. This will help build muscle, and endurance and help define your arms over time.
Remember training is one of the factors to building muscle but you to make sure you have a good diet, appropriate training, good recovery time and the right supplement intake.
Are 20kg dumbbells enough to build muscle?
Yes, then 20kg dumbbells are enough to build muscle. However, the level of training might differ from person to person.
Some people might find 20kg dumbbell light, medium or even heavy to curl. Therefore, the number of reps and sets will vary from person to person.
If you find 20kg heavy/harder to curl then in order to build muscle do 5-8 reps per set for 3 sets. This will help build strength and muscle over time.
If you find 20kg medium weight to curl then to build muscle do 10-15 reps per set for 4 sets. This will help build the muscle and 20kg will become easier to curl over time.
If you find 20kg easy to curl then to build muscle do 20 – 40 reps per set for 3 sets. This will help build muscle, and endurance and help define your arms over time.
Remember training is one of the factors to building muscle but you to make sure you have a good diet, appropriate training, good recovery time and the right supplement intake.
