6 expert recommended weight loss exercises you can do with a pair of dumbbells

Bought a pair of dumbbells but no time to exercise? Bring them out as these exercises will take only 15 minutes of your time!

People have lots of excuses ready at the drop of the hat to skip workout lack of time, motivation, interest is just to name a few. However, if you are keen to lose weight (as obesity and being overweight are becoming an epidemic in our country), fitness expert and director of GFFI Fitness Academy, Neeraj Mehta opines that you don t need a huge infrastructure to begin with, even a pair of dumbbells will do. So if you have a pair of dumbbells gaining dust at home and want to lose weight, here are some exercises you can do with them to reach your target weight. Start with 10 reps of each exercise to lose weight:

1. Squat, Curl and Press

• Hold a dumbbell in each of your hands and stand up straight. Your palms should be on the side of your legs. Now slowly bend down into a squat with your thighs parallel to the floor. However, make sure that your knees are not beyond your toes.
• Now rise and come back to your initial position of standing while bringing the weights to your shoulder and perform a bicep curl.
• Balance your torso and move your arms upward performing an overhead press with the palms facing out. After that, gradually get back to the starting position.

2. Lying Press

Lie down on your back holding the dumbbells next to your shoulders with palms facing forward and keeping your elbows bent. Slowly return to your starting position. Repeat.

3. Lying Overhead Reach

• Lie down on your back. Your hips and knees should form a 90-degree angle. Raise your arms overhead, keeping the elbow joint slightly bent.
• Now bring the dumbbells to tap on the floor above your head. Relax, and get back to your starting position for one rep.

4. Bent Over Rows

Stand up with your feet and shoulders in the same width, bend your knees and torso slightly to the front and stay at a 45-degree angle with the floor. After few seconds (or counting up to 10) get back to your initial position to complete one rep.

5. Bicep Curls

This exercise can be performed with either arm together, alternate arms or one arm at a time. Hold the dumbbells close to your body. Your palms should face forward. Then lift the dumbbells up by flexing at the elbow joint. The dumbbells should reach of the way to your shoulders.

6. Abdominal Crunches

In this exercise, you need to lie down on your back in a semi-supine position which means your back should be on the floor and knees bent. Hold a dumbbell in each of your hands. Straighten your arms and point them to the ceiling.

Now gradually raise your shoulders and upper back, focusing on your upper abdominals. Then come back to the initial position in a controlled manner. Repeat.

P.S.: Before you begin any workout, a warm-up session is necessary, says Neeraj. A walk or jog of five to ten minutes will make you feel energetic and all ready.

Pictures used are for representational purpose only. Read the instructions carefully before performing the exercises. Discuss with a personal trainer about the same before you start with the mentioned exercises.

Image source: Shutterstock

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