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There's a new Athlean-X video out today (embedded above) about the two dumbbell exercises you need to build your chest. As I've mentioned before, Jeff Cavaliere and his Athlean-X workouts were absolutely critical in my personal fitness journey. One of few t-shirts I own that's not a band shirt is an Athlean-X shirt, which I bought because the company literally changed my life for the better.
It's also because of Athlean-X I learned a fitness truth about myself: I freakin' love dumbbells.
It's also because of Athlean-X I learned a fitness truth about myself: I freakin' love dumbbells.
I started my first Athlean-X program in 2021, with the base program, AX1. After running through it a few times (my first attempts were fairly humbling), I bought a couple additional programs and, in early 2022, I tried the dumbbell-only program Jacked. I have since gone on to many other AX programs, including the annual all-access pass, but Jacked remains my favorite program in the library. I actually ran through the three-month program a full second time after completing it because I had so much fun with it. There are two reasons for it:
1. It proved I was stronger than I thought.
2. Dumbbell workouts are insanely versatile.
Like the video above, Jacked has a section in the program in which you're instructed to choose lighter weights than you think you can handle, then weights that you suspect are about as heavy as you can handle. If you're working with a fairly standard selection of dumbbells as I was at the time, you'll likely find yourself limited to 50 lbs. as your heaviest weight. And if you find yourself using those 50 pounders regularly as your heavy option, you'll start to see yourself putting up some high rep numbers before too long, as they're simply not that heavy for a reasonably experienced lifter. But when you're newer to lifting and you find yourself doing 12, 15, or even 20 reps on your dumbbell bench presses, as the author Grady Hendrix says at the close of his newsletter, that's a powerful feeling.
The first time I completed Jacked, it was 2022 and I worked out at home with an adjustable bench and a set of Bowflex 552 adjustable dumbbells, which adjust from 5 to 50 lbs. And honestly, that a good set of adjustable dumbbells and a bench is pretty much all you need. When I returned to the office after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and ran through Jacked again in my office gym, the equipment I used wasn't much different than what I had at home. I have since told many people that asked (and probably many that didn't) that all you need to get in a solid workout at home is a set of adjustable dumbbells and a bench.
I have since upgraded to the Bowflex 1090s, which adjust up to 90 lbs. Like I said, 50 lbs. is pretty light for many things once you've been lifting for a while. And although I have been completely obsessed with the cable machine lately (love that constant tension!), I'll never forget how dumbbells helped me realize what my body is truly capable of.
1. It proved I was stronger than I thought.
2. Dumbbell workouts are insanely versatile.
Like the video above, Jacked has a section in the program in which you're instructed to choose lighter weights than you think you can handle, then weights that you suspect are about as heavy as you can handle. If you're working with a fairly standard selection of dumbbells as I was at the time, you'll likely find yourself limited to 50 lbs. as your heaviest weight. And if you find yourself using those 50 pounders regularly as your heavy option, you'll start to see yourself putting up some high rep numbers before too long, as they're simply not that heavy for a reasonably experienced lifter. But when you're newer to lifting and you find yourself doing 12, 15, or even 20 reps on your dumbbell bench presses, as the author Grady Hendrix says at the close of his newsletter, that's a powerful feeling.
The first time I completed Jacked, it was 2022 and I worked out at home with an adjustable bench and a set of Bowflex 552 adjustable dumbbells, which adjust from 5 to 50 lbs. And honestly, that a good set of adjustable dumbbells and a bench is pretty much all you need. When I returned to the office after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and ran through Jacked again in my office gym, the equipment I used wasn't much different than what I had at home. I have since told many people that asked (and probably many that didn't) that all you need to get in a solid workout at home is a set of adjustable dumbbells and a bench.
I have since upgraded to the Bowflex 1090s, which adjust up to 90 lbs. Like I said, 50 lbs. is pretty light for many things once you've been lifting for a while. And although I have been completely obsessed with the cable machine lately (love that constant tension!), I'll never forget how dumbbells helped me realize what my body is truly capable of.
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