7 Dumbbell Exercises You've Never Heard Of

Dumbbells may look like pretty restrictive due to their fundamental shapes, but it's because of their basic shapes that they can be used for countless exercises and workouts and are considered one of the most versatile pieces of workout equipment you can buy.

Here are 7 dumbbell exercises you've never heard of:

Dumbbell thrusters (legs, shoulders): This workout involves placing an exercise ball behind your legs. Now you need to stand up straight in front of the ball and hold two dumbbells at shoulder height. Your palms should face each. Squat down until your glutes touch the ball and then shoot upward while raising your arms straight up.

Dumbbell hamstring curl (hamstrings): For this one, you'll need a flat bench. Start by lying face down on the bench; make sure your knees are extended over the end of the bench by a few inches. Now, have your spotter place a dumbbell vertically between your feet. Take a hold of the front legs of the flat bench for support, keep your waist where it is on the bench and raise your toes, thus lifting the dumbbell upward until your shins are at a perpendicular angle to the floor.

Dumbbell ab crunch (abs): While lying on your back with knees bent and both of your feet flat on the floor, hold a dumbbell with both hands near your chest and below your chin. Now, gradually roll your upper back upward, making sure to maintain loose neck positioning. For the best effect on your muscle and to avoid strain, pause and hold that rolled up position for a few seconds.

Low dumbbell crossover (chest): Put one foot forward to steady yourself, hold a dumbbell in each hand, put your arms out at a 45-degree angle with your hands close behind your hips. Now, lean forward just a little bit and bring the dumbbells up and together, using a gradual arcing motion and stop that arc directly in front of your lower chest.

Dumbbell press and fly combo (chest): Sit on a flat bench and situate yourself as if you were going to do a dumbbell chest press. Do a regular chest press, but when you've pushed the weight to the extent of your arm, slowly move them outward.

Wrong way tricep pullover (triceps): For this exercise, you will need to start by lying sideways with your upper back on a flat bench. Hold one dumbbell with both hands and raise your arms up and behind your head. Now, stretch your arms backward, maintain the upper arms in a fixed position and bend your elbows down, lowering the dumbbell and stretching the triceps.

Zero impact dumbbell row (back): Start in a standing position with semi-bent knees and bend over a bit while maintaining a straight spine. Hold each dumbbell in front of your thighs with semi-bent elbows. Now, raise the dumbbells out and behind you in a gradual semi-circle.