Dumbbell workouts at home are better for reaching your fitness, fat loss, and physique development goals than gym machines. It’s hard to believe that these weight training hand tools can replace a room full of expensive equipment. But it’s true, which is good news for some athletes.

In tough economic times, a gym membership is one of the first things to go. Many gym members calculate the cost of each gym visit and realize that it simply isn’t worth it and the money can be better spent elsewhere. But what are they going to do? Should they give up their dreams of a fit, lean and athletically muscular body along with their gym card?

Absolutely not! In fact, former gym goers should see this as an opportunity, not a downside. You are now free to take responsibility for your fitness, fat loss and physique and explore highly effective training methods that you may have previously overlooked… like dumbbell workouts at home.

Exercise is all about movement

Walk into any commercial gym and…listen. Just listen to other users to see what they say. You will inevitably hear about which MUSCLES a certain exercise works. You’ll hear a trainer explain to a new client that this gym machine “works the glutes” or “works the lats.” And you’ll hear enthusiastic gym rats talk about “pumping up your pecs” or “exploding your biceps.” It’s clear…they are concerned with the specific muscles that the exercise works.

But focusing on muscles is the wrong approach. Exercise is about movement, not muscles. Your performance is enhanced due to your ability to better MOVE your own body weight or a heavy object. And ironically, training to move better strengthens the muscles needed for movement and makes them grow…resulting in the lean, muscular, athletic body that most exercises seek.

Dumbbells are better for training movements with weights than gym machines. Therefore, they are better at creating the physical changes that lead to increased performance and a more attractive appearance. Let’s look at the gym machines first…

Gym machines restrict your movement

Strapping yourself into a machine and working against resistance in a predetermined movement pattern is a lousy way to train. Even if you can set the machine up correctly for your body type and size, the motion is completely foreign to any motion you’d encounter in the real world. This makes it less effective!

Ah, but I forgot. You are training muscles, not movements, right? If that’s your only concern, sit back, buckle up, and push and pull these weird shapes. But if you want to improve the way you perform (and look) OUTSIDE of the gym, you need to train the moves. And that’s where the dumbbells come in.

Dumbbells train your body as if it were moving

Dumbbells are an extremely versatile training tool. You can use them together, one limb at a time or alternately. This means they closely mimic the movements you’d find in real-world activities, sports, and work. This means more physical upgrades that you can see, feel, and USE!

Now, just don’t think that by switching to dumbbells you are free of the “muscle vs. movement” problem. Most dumbbell workouts are designed by bodybuilders who ONLY care about muscle. And they use the versatility of dumbbells to “isolate” specific muscle groups. This is not the way to get the most out of your dumbbell training!

A well-constructed dumbbell routine uses a wide range of exercises to train every movement imaginable. And it does it in a way that is most closely related to the movements you’ll find in the real world. Using a full body workout that uses dumbbells in unison, one at a time, and alternating is one of the best ways to improve fitness, burn fat, and build an athletic body. If those are the reasons you use gym machines, it’s time to leave the gym and get some dumbbells. If you’re considering quitting the gym to save some money, this could be a blessing in disguise. Take this opportunity to get out of the “muscle train” mentality and start using dumbbells to train the movements. I think you will be happy with the performance, health and appearance RESULTS you get. Dumbbell workouts at home will become your new best friend.