Dumbbell vs. Bodyweight Workout

Dumbbell vs Bodyweight Workouts

I'm currrently training an actress that has killer arms. She said her arms looked amazing in one of the close-up action scenes from her new movie.

She's also 3/4 of the way to doing her first full chinup.

During her workouts, I have her train almost exclusively with bodyweight exercises only...no "arm" exercises, no high-rep dumbbell exercises, and no isolation movements. Sometime we bench, and sometimes we do reverse-grip pulldowns, but everything else for her upper body is bodyweight (full pushups, incline pushups, kneeling pushups, eccentric chinups, mountain climbers, inverted rows, and spiderman lunges).

And this approach has translated into "the perfect arms", while at the same time improving her real world strength and fitness, and helping her work her abs and cut her body fat all at the same time.

Now compare that to the approach that most women take because they read about some "high rep toning dumbbell workout" in the latest issue of some well-meaning, yet no-so-helpful female fitness magazine.

Just on Monday, after I trained the actress, another woman came into the gym and did this high-rep dumbbell routine that probably felt like it was working, but I have my doubts.

She used really light dumbbells and did side raises, front raises, overhead presses, triceps extensions, and dumbbell rows all back to back. At least 15 reps per set.

Let me just say that even if that worked for building better arms (which in my professional opinion it won't), it doesn't do anything to get her strong.

And strong is ALWAYS good. It is good to be strong. It makes you more confident, makes you more independent, and its just fun.

I've never trained a woman that was disappointed when she was finally able to do her first full pushup.

Quite the opposite in fact. When women do their first full pushup or chinup, or bench press the bar for the first time, I always see a little fire in their eyes and a look of accomplishment that I wish they had the pleasure of seeing.

When they get the feeling of, "I can do this!", it's like watching a kid come down the stairs on Christmas morning.

Strength opens a whole new world for women in the gym.

Not too mention showing them a quicker path to success,

CB

P.S. For more female success stories, visit www.grrlAthlete.com


dumbbell bodyweight workout
The other day in the gym I wat