Table Of ContentPraise for Myatt Murphy
“It has always been a pleasure to work with Myatt. I consider him one of
the top writers in the fitness industry and congratulate him on yet another
top-notch publication.”
—JUAN CARLOS “JC” SANTANA,
director of the Institute of Human Performance in Boca Raton, Florida
“I have worked with Myatt for many years, and I’ve never met anyone
who is more current on all aspects of the fitness industry. He has an
incredible ability to discern fact from fad. If Myatt wrote it, it’s worth
reading!”
—STEVE LISCHIN, BS, MS, NASM,
celebrity trainer and head of Steve Lischin Fitness in Manhattan
“Over the years, I have worked with many people in the publishing
industry, as well as the fitness industry. Myatt Murphy is one of the rare
individuals who truly has an understanding of the strength and fitness
world. He’s not just a writer, he’s a writer with knowledge and passion for
his topics. Myatt is a true professional in every sense of the word and
continues to turn out the highest quality information available.”
—C. J. MURPHY, MFS, SSC, CFT,
multiple award-winning trainer and head instructor of Total Performance
Sports in Everett, Massachusetts
“Myatt is a “fact sleuth” for exercisers, searching out the best available
information and crafting it into readable and entertaining material. You
can trust his work to help you accomplish all of your fitness goals.”
—DIXIE STANFORTH, MS,
Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of
Texas in Austin, Texas
“Murphy raises the bar yet again with Men’s Health’s Ultimate Dumbbell
Guide. If progress and performance are as important to you as they are
to me, you need look no further than the insight and in-depth
understanding of fitness and performance that he adds to each and every
book he puts his pen to. No hype. No hidden agenda. Men’s Health’s
Ultimate Dumbbell Guide is just about getting results.”
—JOHN MACLAREN, BS, CPT,
former US Navy SEAL, celebrity and performance athlete trainer
“Myatt understands the nuances of motivating people to strive to get
healthier and be more fit. He continues to get the message of fitness out
to the public, writing innovative, realistic, and imaginative books and
articles. With an uncanny insight into what people want to know about
their health and well-being, Myatt has a passion and dedication for
providing thoughtful and useful information in his articles and books. He’s
simply one of the best in the business.”
—HEATHER DILLINGER,
certification specialist for the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America
TO MY DAD,
whose exercise advice changed my life and guided me on
the path of doing the same for millions of men and women
worldwide. If this book gets you into great shape, he’s the
one to thank.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Part One: The Truth about Dumbbells
One: Two Weights … Many Options!
Two: Why You Need Dumbbells
Three: How to Pick the Perfect Set to Match Your Muscles
Part Two: The Master Moves
Four: Getting Started
Five: Everything in the “Right” Order
ABS
Crunch
Additional Abdominal Exercises
ARMS
Biceps Curl
Kickback
Lying Extension
Preacher Curl
Triceps Extension
Additional Arm Exercises
BACK
Back Row
Deadlift
Pullover
Shrug
Additional Back Exercises
CHEST
Chest Fly
Chest Press
Additional Chest Exercises
LEGS
Calf Raise
Lunge
Squat
Additional Leg Exercises
SHOULDERS
Bent-Over Raise
Front Raise
Shoulder Press
Side Raise
Additional Shoulder Exercises
Part Three: A Million Moves for Your Muscles
Six: The 6 Tricks That Quadruple Every Exercise in This Book
Seven: Create Your Own Specialty Dumbbell Exercise!
Eight: Designing the Best Plan for Your Body!
Index
Acknowledgments
I WANT TO THANK every editor who has—in one way or another—
allowed me to deliver my take on exercise and fitness with millions of
readers worldwide for 14 years now. I’ve been blessed to write more
than 620 features for 50-plus international magazines and work with
some of the best writers and editors in the business—and have been
inspired by a variety of successful book authors whose work taught
me to write books that readers can use not just today, but for a
lifetime. Hopefully, I haven’t left anyone off this list of professionals
that I admire—but here goes: Rochelle Udell, Lucy Danziger,
Gabrielle Studenmund, Stephen George, Malcolm Gladwell, Bobby
Lee, Mike Carlson, Nora Ephron, Pamela Miller, Michael Losier,
Jennifer Fields, Laura Gilbert, Jerome Groopman, Jeff Csatari,
Stephenie Meyer, Rosie Amodio, Jim Karas, Duane Swierczynski, Ed
Dwyer, Elizabeth O’Brian, Jennifer Walters, Trevor Thieme, Nicole
Dorsey, Jeffrey Gitomer, Albert Baime, Alex Strauss, Beth Bischoff,
Gordon Bass, Emily Spilko, Rhonda Byrne, Denise Brodey, Frederic
Delavier, Stephanie Young, Meaghan Buchan, Gunnar Waldman,
Scott Quill, Phillip Rhodes, Stephen Perrine, Nichele Hoskins, Mary
Christ, Su Reid, Gail O’Connor, Abigail Walch, Dana Points, Lisa
Delany, Tamar Geller, David Kalmansohn, Timothy Ferriss, Jerry
Kindela, Nina Willdorf, and Alison Ashton.
I’ve also had the opportunity to know hundreds of personal
trainers, exercise physiologists, nutritionists, and sports psychologists,
with whom I’ve either studied under, interviewed, trained with and/or
ghostwritten for: Joy Bauer, Harley Pasternak, Ian K. Smith, Judith S.
Beck, Jillian Michaels, Tosca Reno, Brenda Watson, Barbara Rolls,
Marion Nestle, John Berardi, Melissa Perlman, Nicholas DiNubile,
William J. Kraemer, David Pearson, Ellington Darden, Minna Lessig,
Mark Hyman, Kurt Brungardt, Brad Schoenfeld, Wayne Westcott,
Michael Thurmond, Bob Cooley, Brooke Siler, Pamela Peeke, Robin
McKenzie, and Eric Harr, to name just a few. It’s been a pleasure to
work with nearly every top fitness professional in the business, and as
I say in each and every book I write—there’s no greater education
than that.
I also want to thank everyone at Rodale who gave me the chance
to show you that dumbbells truly have infinite possibilities: David
Zinczenko, Zachary Schisgal, Courtney Conroy, Mitch Mandel, Susan
Eugster, Nancy Bailey, Keith Biery, Amy Kovalski, Troy Schneider,
Jessica Settle, Erik Nelson, Adrienne Bearden, Mark Sirinsky, and
everyone else who worked on this project. I’m sure that there are
probably a lot of behind-the-scenes people that I’m unaware of—
because a lot of hands take over after it leaves my desk—and if that’s
you, thank you very much.
Finally, thanks, Dad. I’ve said it in other books and I’ll say it
forever—thank you for teaching me about exercise when I was young.
If you hadn’t shared everything that you knew about fitness with me, I
never would have been able to share everything I know about fitness
with the readers in this book.
Myatt Murphy
