Over a year ago, I conducted an interview with Coach Eddie Lomax regarding dumbbell exercise. In the interview, Coach Lomax introduced us to a simple and effective way to use dumbbells to achieve ones fitness goals.
I caught up with him again to do a follow up interview and to help us refocus our energies on simple, effective dumbbell exercise:
Parth: Hey Coach, it’s been a while since we spoke. I wanted to reach out to you again, because my readers have been asking for a simple dumbbell routine. There have been a lot of workouts coming out recently, but each one is more complex then the other. The thing I love about your Superior Dumbbell Workout is that it’s simple, yet effective. My first question to you is, what makes Superior Dumbbell Workout so effective?
Coach Lomax: Most people don’t use dumbbells correctly. They either use them just as “extra” exercises or to focus on very small muscle groups. Superior Dumbbell Workout is effective because it gives dumbbells the respect they deserve, and use dumbbells for a COMPLETE full body workout. Since you can use dumbbells in unison, single limb or in an alternating fashion… these exercises provide the biggest bang for your buck, because they work the body the way it works when challenged by work, sport and life activities.
Parth: Bodybuilders tend to get massive by focusing on volume rather then strength. You do have the rare breed that focus on building maximal strength, but most gym goers focus more on building show muscles then functional muscles. What is your opinion on this, and what is the best way to build a functional physique?
Coach Lomax: A lot of people are interested in building muscle, so they gravitate to bodybuilding style training (which is very good at packing on muscle). But ironically, most people do NOT want to look like a bodybuilder. So they think if they do a bodybuilding style workout, but less, they will get the body they want. They are wrong.
What most people DO want is a strong, lean, athletically muscular body. Form follows function, so you get this body by training more like an athlete than a bodybuilder. When you make strength, functionality and training your full body with complex dumbbell exercises… your body reacts by building the kind of muscle you need to perform better and dropping unwanted pounds that are keeping your from top performance. This results in the body most people are after.
Parth: We all know the benefits of resistance training. However, what is the primary benefit of dumbbells over barbells?
Coach Lomax: I like barbells as well, but dumbbells are more versatile. You can use them in unison, one limb at a time or in an alternating fashion. These movement patterns are very close to challenges you’ll find in the real world. You perform how you train, so it is best to train with equipment that mimics real world activities. For this, dumbbells are better than barbells.
Dumbbells have the added benefit of stressing your core. When you are doing alternating movement exercise, you core needs to tighten to keep your body upright. This leads to a side benefit of your dumbbell training strengthening your core with every exercise. (This kind of core training is much better for functionality and core strength than common crunches).
Parth: In your manual, you talk about using grinding, explosive, and combo lifts. What are these exercises and why are they so effective?
Coach Lomax: Most people are not ready for complex dumbbell exercises because they never have done anything like them before. So, the grinding lifts are designed to build strength and muscle and get you used to using dumbbells in a variety of ways.
The explosive lifts get you used to using explosive movements with very little rest. This not only increases power and explosiveness, but also burns a lot of fat and gives you a great heart and lung workout.
Then you are ready for Combo lifts, which combine grinding and explosive lifts in sequence. This is a really great full body workout that not only involves all your muscles, but also you endurance. So, the sequence is designed to prepare people to start using dumbbells for a more athletic workout that blurs the lines between strength training and endurance training.
Parth: You also spend a lot of time explaining how some movements are more effective then others. What exactly makes a movement more effective then others?
Coach Lomax: Isolated movements are very limited. They are great for isolating a small muscle group like a bodybuilder. But they are not good for full body, complex movements. And it is exactly those full body, complex movements that improve your performance. An athlete uses their full body when performing their sport, they do not move like a robot. Training your body like a bunch of unrelated parts and then praying all this comes together when you need to perform a complex task is not the way to go. You are not very efficient because the transitions are not trained at all.
Parth: Thanks Coach
Coach Lomax: No problem. I hope people start to see the great benefits of dumbbell training they are not tapping into.
If you would like to learn a more effective way to use dumbbells, then check out Coach Lomax’s manual: Superior Dumbbell Workout.
