There are several advantages of dumbbells in your badminton training. I introduced some compound exercises to help develop your strength previously. I also mentioned some of the advantages of performing such exercises for badminton. These were performed with barbells, but in this article, I want to discuss the importance of dumbbell use in your routines.
They offer many advantages to barbells and so you can tailor your routine to what suits you.
Whether you use dumbbells or barbells the concept is the same. You want to lift as heavy as possible within the 1-5 rep range to develop strength.
Advantages of Dumbbells
Dumbbells are the rack of weights you normally find in a gym ranging from 2kg-50kg and more in certain gyms. Generally, you can load much more weight onto a barbell than dumbells which make it the prefered method of strength training. However, there are important advantages of dumbells which barbells do not have.
Firstly, when lifting a barbell, you might find that your dominant side is compensating a lot for your weaker side. This is obvious in exercises such as the bench press or military press. It will be
Using dumbbells helps to correct this imbalance by having an even amount of weight in each hand. Therefore, one side cannot compensate for the other. You will need to lower the weight a little to correct these imbalances. This allows the weaker side can catch up. You can also specifically target the weaker side by doing additional dumbbell exercises only on this side of the body. Over time, the weaker side will catch up with your dominant side. As a result, you should notice an obvious improvement in your barbell lift.
Remember, in badminton, we constantly stress one side of our body much more in a game. Correcting these imbalances will help prevent injury and lead to greater strength gains in the long run, increasing power and speed.
Secondly, dumbbells are safer as you can bail on the lift more easily should you need to. Great if you don’t have a spotter! With a barbell, if you’re under it, it’s going to hit you. However, with dumbbells, you can drop them either side of you. Perfect for not getting smacked in the face.
Thirdly, with a barbell, you are restricted to a certain movement. However, with the dumbbells, there’s a greater range of motion. This might help if the path of the barbell feels uncomfortable. If something is uncomfortable, it could be a potential injury. Something we want to avoid as sportsmen and women! Dumbbell movements are a little more natural and this helps to perform the exercise in a more comfortable position for you.
Exercises With Dumbbells
The main exercises from the last article were the squat, bench press, deadlift and overhead press. All of these can be completed with dumbells. Below are some great ideas for dumbbell workouts.
What About Machines?
Throughout the gym, you will find there are a million different machines. The problem with machines is that they tend to isolate certain muscles groups. This is not a bad thing, but remember to train strength effectively, compound movements with free weights are superior.
When performing compound movements, a lot of stabilisation occurs in your core to help deal with the weight. Machines effectively take away a lot of this stabilisation so the focus is only on one main muscle group. Machines and other isolation exercises are great to supplement your other exercises but should not be the main component of your strength workout.
How Should I Balance It?
Barbells are the go-to option for strength development. You can load more weight onto the bar and therefore it’s easier for you to progress. There are also some exercises which are just easier with a barbell. For example, it’s easier to squat 50kg with a barbell across your back than hold a 50kg dumbbell in your hands.
However, if you are a new lifter, do not have a spotter, or have very obvious muscle imbalances, I would start with dumbbells for all the advantages above. You’ll be in a much stronger position when you come to the barbell exercises and it will significantly increase your ability to lift heavier weights. Here is a manual for weight training for badminton for further inspiration.
Having said this, dumbbells shouldn’t be considered a precursor to barbells. Both complement each other. A dumbbell and barbell of the same weight will have almost identical results. The body doesn’t recognise what it’s lifting, only that it’s coming up against resistance. So use both to your advantage to develop strength for the badminton court!
Advantages Of Dumbbells – Conclusion
Finally got to the end of strength! Granted there is a lot of information here on a few other areas which are not specific to badminton. However, I just wanted to make sure that everyone had enough information to perform the exercises correctly and recognise the options available to further progress your strength for improvement on the court.
As I mentioned before, I believe it’s equally important to work all areas of your body, not with a focus on legs or upper body. They should be both worked with the same intensity to avoid imbalances and to emphasise performance on the court.
Being able to squat twice your body weight like Lee Chong Wei takes a lot of time and dedication. Take time to figure out where you’re at right now and work continuously at improving your strength through incremental increases in the weights.
As you get stronger, you will start to notice positive differences in your on-court performance, whether it’s stronger smashes or faster movement. After a month or so of consistent training, I was reaching shots that I wouldn’t have reached before and
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