Even though many people are out of lockdown restrictions, lots of fitness fans now have resistance bands and their best adjustable dumbbells, and are always looking for new home workouts to get some use out of their equipment. Fortunately, we've got a great workout from top London barre studio Barreworks' trainer Vicki Anstey, using just a pair of dumbbells.
Vicki's workout is just ten minutes long, perfect for any time of day, and uses long, slow movements to really engage your arms and abs. Check out the workout in full below:
Try the dumbbells workout here
Why do this workout?
The slow bends, twists and positions held during this workout offers similar benefits to the plank, as they're both isometric exercises. An extended contraction of a group of muscles, isometric exercises are very good for activities like ballet and barre because they're both reliant on holding positions for a long time.
Isometric moves aren't just great for honing your burgeoning six-pack: it can also play its part in keeping your body healthy. A study published in the journal Sports Medicine found isometric exercises play a big part in reducing blood pressure.
High blood pressure is one of the early markers of cardiovascular disease, so even a ten-minute dumbbells workout can help keep your heart healthy.
Developing a strong core is useful in all walks of life. From something as simple as standing up from a chair to dynamic twisting motions used in sports, a strong core is very important – and looks great if you're after those six-pack abs.
Meanwhile building up muscle mass is a great way to get physically fitter and a solid bet for people looking for answers on how to lose weight on your arms. Building muscle changes your body composition ratio, a measure of how much fat your body has in comparison to muscle. The more muscle you carry, the fitter and stronger you'll be, but you'll also burn more calories as muscle demands more oxygen than fat.
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