Dumbbell Training

Maximum results with minimal equipment.

Dumbbells have always been a strength training staple because of their versatility, affordability, and effectiveness. With the enormous popularity of all-in-one, adjustable versions, dumbbells have solidified their standing as the must-have muscle building tools. Now comes the one authoritative guide to using dumbbells to achieve the results you want.

Developed by renowned strength and conditioning coach Allen Hedrick, Dumbbell Training features the most effective dumbbell exercises for increasing strength, power, and muscle mass. Targeting the core, upper body, lower body, and total body, the more than 81 exercises are accompanied by step-by-step instructions, common errors and corrections, and safety considerations. Expert insights, variations, and training tips further explain how to isolate muscles, increase range of motion, and stimulate stabilizing muscles to protect joints.

More than just exercises, Dumbbell Training includes workouts and programs proven to add muscle mass and definition and enhance sport performance. You’ll find 33 programs for increasing power, speed, agility, and balance for athletes in 11 popular sports: basketball, cycling, ice hockey, skiing, soccer, softball, speed skating, swimming, track, volleyball, and wrestling. It’s all here and ready to use.

At the gym, home, or on the road, Dumbbell Training is a targeted approach to improving strength, power, musculature, and performance. If you own dumbbells, this book is a must-own.

Allen Hedrick, M.A., CSCS*D, FNSCA, coach practitioner, was named the first-ever head strength and conditioning coach at Colorado State University at Pueblo in September 2009. He earned his bachelor’s degree from California State University at Chico and his master’s degree from California State University at Fresno. For three years he worked as a strength and conditioning coach at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He then worked as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at the United States Air Force Academy, also in Colorado Springs, for three years before being named the head strength and conditioning coach at the academy, a position he held for nine years. In that position Hedrick was responsible for the strength and conditioning programs for football and volleyball while overseeing the academy’s entire strength and conditioning program.

Hedrick then moved to the National Strength and Conditioning Association's headquarters, also in Colorado Springs, as the head strength and conditioning coach and later as education coordinator. Hedrick stayed in that position until moving into his current position at CSU-Pueblo.

During his career, Hedrick has worked with a variety of athletes, from elementary school age to professionals and Olympic medalists (speed skater Bonnie Blair and Greco-Roman wrestler Matt Ghaffari). Hedrick’s work has been published over 100 times in a variety of publications covering diverse topics, and he has written a book on strength and conditioning for football. He has also produced numerous DVDs on topics related to strength and conditioning, including Strength for Sports Performance (Human Kinetics, 2007). Hedrick has spoken at various conferences and clinics worldwide, including Guatemala, Japan, Australia, and China. In 2003 Hedrick was selected by his peers as the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year.