It's a great weight for beginners because 20 lbs won't be too hard on the wrists/shoulders compared to 25's or 30's. With 20's you can still get a great pump, whereas with 15's one might leave the gym feeling a bit short of a great workout. For the more advanced, 20 lb dumbbells are still amazing!
Yes, you can certainly build muscle using 20-pound dumbbells, especially if you are a beginner or if the exercises are challenging for you. While heavier weights can be beneficial for certain types of strength training, lighter weights can still be effective when used correctly.
Intermediate Lifters
Typical range: 20-50 lbs per dumbbell.
Or, to increase the intensity, you can perform supersets that only target one muscle. This will vastly increase the burn you feel from the 20 pound dumbbells. An example is bicep curls, hammer curls, and then concentration curls. Try to keep each set in the range of 8–12 reps.
Beginners should start with a fixed or adjustable set of dumbbells that goes to at least 30 lbs in 5 lb steps. Stronger lifters should look at a dumbbell set that ranges from 5 to 55 lbs. For anyone building a gym for long-term use should buy a set that expands up to 90 lbs or more over time.
Medium vs. Heavy Weights. For beginners, Ben recommends trying five to 10 pounds for light weights, 10 to 20 pounds for medium weights, and 15 to 30 pounds for heavy weights—or simply starting with five-pound weights for each exercise and working up from there.
For any man trying to gain weight, start a routine, or simply maintain muscle mass; 20 lbs + work = results. What makes the functionality of 20 lbs so great? Because they aren't too heavy and they aren't too light. For beginners, 20's could be the first step into some real weightlifting.
It's not necessary to lift weights every day, and if you do, you increase your risk for overuse injuries and overtraining syndrome. For most people, strength training two to three times a week is sufficient, but if you prefer to split training different muscle groups, then you can train up to five days a week.
Build Strength and Tone Muscles
Durable 10 lb dumbbells provide the perfect amount of resistance to help you build strength and tone your muscles effectively. Whether you're targeting your arms, shoulders, or even your core, these dumbbells offer the versatility to work multiple muscle groups.
The average Dumbbell Curl weight for a female lifter is 30 lb (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association discovered that the typical adult male can bench press 135 lbs, squat 125 lbs, and deadlift 155 lbs. For the average adult female, these numbers are 64 lbs for the bench press, 72 lbs for the squat, and 93 lbs for the deadlift.
Bench pressing isn't a one-size-fits-all exercise. Factors such as age, gender, fitness level, and training history contribute to the amount you should be able to bench. The average male beginner might aim to bench press 135 lbs. A beginner female, on the other hand, might start with a 65 lbs lift.
Benefits of dumbbell exercises for weight loss
A 2021 study published in the journal Sports Medicine found that resistance training or weightlifting can help reduce body fat percentage, body fat mass and visceral fat in healthy adults. Dumbbell exercises may not only help you lose weight, but gain muscle too.
A resounding yes. Dumbbells are one of the top resistance training tools for both beginners and elite athletes. Their effectiveness at building strength and muscle makes them a staple for any fitness routine – and their storability makes them a staple for any home gym.
Strong biceps help with lifting, holding, and carrying heavy objects. The old-school curl is still the best exercise for building biceps. Use a pair of light dumbbells (about 10 pounds each). You also can use soup cans, full plastic water bottles, or any other easy-to-hold item that feels like an appropriate weight.
You don't need to spend hours a day lifting weights to benefit from strength training. You can see significant improvement in your strength with just two or three 20- or 30-minute strength training sessions a week.
Lifting and doing strength training without adequate nutrition, especially without enough protein, can actually lead to loss of muscle tissue. Furthermore, if you aren't eating right you won't have the energy to do the workouts that lead to muscle gain.
To build muscle mass, you must use a weight that is heavy enough so you can only complete between six and 12 repetitions for four to six sets of each biceps exercise. Curling 20-lb. dumbbells will build your biceps if you stay within this range of repetitions.
For beginner men – For men looking to pack on muscle, aim to lift dumbbells ranging from five to 50 pounds. This wide range should give you the dumbbell weight required to not only challenge your biceps curl for five to eight reps but also give you options when it comes to working out other muscle groups.
Depending on how strong your upper body is, 20 pound dumbbells might be relatively heavy or quite light to do lateral raises. If it's too light, incorporate eccentric contractions by slowing the rate you lower the weights. In contrast, if it's too heavy, do fewer reps or regress to a bodyweight version.
Yes, so long as you increase the weight over time.
You can absolutely bulk up with dumbbells, but you're going to hit a wall if you don't keep adding weight. Every few weeks, increase the amount of weight you're lifting by 5–10 lb (2.3–4.5 kg) or so to keep those gains going.
The study found that the muscle size results for both groups were similar. However, for strength gains, the subjects using higher weights and lower reps saw the most benefit. When it comes to gaining muscle, as long as you're working close to failure, the weight you choose becomes less important.