In the book "Dumbbell Training" by Allen Hedrick he begins by going over a brief history of dumbbells and then goes on to describing the advantages of working out with dumbbells. The advantages, such as, low cost and a large range of uses makes dumbbell training seem like such an alluring form. In his book, Allen Hedrick shows us many different forms of workouts to pick from and even shows us how to put together a workout for ourselves. Workouts range from front raises, for the upper body; front squats for the lower body; and alternating press crunch for the core. The most expensive part of working out with dumbbells would be having to own the different weights, from five pounds to seventy pounds.


All in all I think that this is a pretty good book. I think that dumbbell training is definitely a good way to workout, but people should also keep their minds open for other types of workouts. Every type of workout has its advantages and disadvantages. The cost of the dumbbells could be annoying if you dont have a lot of money, but the physical aspects can be rewarding.

I work out 4 or 5 times a week, and I love using dumbbells. This book does a great job of explaining some staple exercises. The extra material about goals, workout routines, and so on are also pretty detailed and right on. There could have been more variations of exercises--I'm thinking of the arm in in particular--and the "Common Errors" sections were repetitive to the point of being annoying, but this book is a good place for beginners to start. ( )

This is a pretty good guide to weight training using barbells. The exercises are well-laid out and easy to follow. The idea is to lay out an exercise program for yourself. I think the photographs could have been a little sharper, and the book needs an alphaabetical index to be able to find things more easily, when the book transcends from a read to a personal reference volume. I do like the listing of common errors in exercises, as many of us would not haveany intuitive knowledge about this. ( )

Dumbbell Training is a book about, well, training using dumbbells. It presents a large number of exercises, some modifications from barbell exercises and some specific to dumbbells. For each exercise, there is a detailed description of how to perform the movement as well as common errors. In the beginning and end of the book, the author presents routines and schedules for beginners, seasoned lifters, and specific sports.

The book is well written with many very useful photographs. The exercises are realistic. Having a list of common errors is a wonderful idea and one I have not seen in other weightlifting books.

My biggest complaint is the routines in the back are mostly for specific sports such as sprint cycling. Yes, there is a 1-week introduction routine and a general muscle-building routine, but I would have liked to see more routines for the general public, like me. Still, this is a valuable book to help someone (like me) get back into shape. ( )

If you want to start a new dumbbell training program, or just modify your existing one, this book is like having a coach in the room with you. Dumbbell training can be used to help athletes who practice any sport. The techniques presented in this book can fit right into your training program.

I was fascinated to learn that there is a long history of training with dumbbells. The introduction to the book tells of ancient Greeks using weights fashioned out of rock or metal as a method of resistance training. I had no idea!

The book shows you exercises based on a scientific approach to designing a total body training plan. The author doesn’t just focus on building up big arm and chest muscles. As he writes in the text, some people confuse big arm and chest muscles with strength, when it’s actually better to train the entire body so that you get endurance at the same time as building strength. There are dumbbell exercises for each area of the body, including upper body, lower body, core, and total body.

Also included are training programs, outlined for many of the most popular sports. Did you know that the training program differs not only by sport, but by the position the athlete plays within that sport? It’s true. There are detailed instructions for each program.

I liked the schedules that were presented that outlined how many of each exercise to perform, and how many times to do it, how many times per week, etc. And, these all depend on your own personal goal. Maybe you play basketball or volleyball, where the focus is on muscle power and strength. So, you choose the program that works best for your own goals, not just some random program written to cover most cases. These schedules were really dialed in and easily adapted to any training program. Whether your goal is to increase muscle size, strength, power, or endurance, the schedules tell you how many repetitions of each exercise, how frequently, how much rest to allow between them and much more. These sample schedules outline multi-week programs. Agility, balance, speed, endurance, strength, power, muscle size – all these and more are covered.

While I am not an athlete, I found plenty of useful information in this book that I can use in strengthening my muscles overall. It’s not the amount of weight that you lift; it’s doing the exercise correctly that gives you the most benefit, while exercising the correct muscle group. So, you can do the exercises presented with any amount of weight that allows you to do them correctly and without injury. Someone like me could start out with very light dumbbells, in the range of 2-3 pounds each. Someone more experienced might want to use more weight to give themselves a better workout. There are great photo diagrams of every exercise. The athletes in the photos are shown doing the exercises correctly, so that you can match their positions to make sure you are performing them right. There are tips on some common errors that could lead to injury or a reduced training effect. Each exercise is explained in detail so that you can do it on your own. Like I said, it’s like having a coach right there in the room with you.

The author, Allen Hedrick, is well-qualified to write this book. According to his biography, he has worked as a strength and conditioning coach in such places as the US Air Force Academy, the Olympic Training Center, and several universities. He has won awards, is a conference speaker, and is a frequently-published writer on the subject as well. So, if you want a book written by a professional, this is it!

In conclusion, I had no idea that there were so many exercises you could do with dumbbells. I was impressed! I was also impressed with the author’s knowledge of the subject and his ability to present it in an easy-to-understand way that will allow anyone to pick up this book and correctly perform the exercises. I recommend this book for any athlete, in any sport, who wants to increase their endurance, speed, agility, strength or muscle size. This book is even appropriate for non-athletes who just want to improve their overall health and muscle strength. Get yourself a copy of this book, a set of dumbbells, and start your training today! ( )