Dumbbell Training

One of the most versatile and effective forms of equipment, dumbbells have long been part of the training formula for building strength and power and toning the entire body. Now in Dumbbell Training, Second Edition, former NSCA Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Allen Hedrick describes how to use dumbbells as a primary mode of training and shows how dumbbells can be an excellent alternative to traditional barbell workouts for just about anyone. Whether you are an athlete wanting to improve your sport performance or a fitness enthusiast wanting to improve upon your current exercise regime, you can use dumbbells to achieve your goals related to fitness, weight loss, increased muscle mass, or improved athletic performance.

Hedrick, the former strength and conditioning coach at the United States Olympic Training Center, guides you through proven exercises and programs based on more than 25 years of experience working with athletes. The book is loaded with more than 110 exercises targeting the core, upper body, lower body, and total body. Exercises feature a variety of variations and are supplemented with photos and concisely written exercise descriptions, making it easy to understand each exercise and implement it on your own. Did You Know? sidebars offer interesting details and tips about the use of dumbbell exercises.

You’ll also find 66 ready-to-use programs that target your specific goals. Fitness-oriented plans will help you with fat loss, general fitness, hypertrophy, and strength, while athletes will find plans for increasing power, speed, agility, and balance in eight popular sports: cycling, ice hockey, skiing, soccer, speed skating, swimming, track and field, and wrestling.

If you train with dumbbells, or are interested in starting a dumbbell training program, Dumbbell Training will put you on the path to a refined physique or improved performance.

Allen Hedrick, MA, CSCS, FNSCA, has a bachelor’s degree from California State University at Chico and a master’s degree from California State University at Fresno. Following graduation, he was hired as a strength and conditioning coach at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he stayed for three years. Hedrick then served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs for three years before being named the head strength and conditioning coach, a position he held for nine years.

Hedrick then moved to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) headquarters, where he worked as the head strength and conditioning coach and later as the education coordinator. In 2009, he was named the first-ever head strength and conditioning coach at Colorado State University at Pueblo.

During his career, Hedrick has worked with athletes from elementary school students to athletes at the professional and Olympic levels, including athletes who have won medals in the Olympic Games (Bonnie Blair in speed skating and Matt Ghaffari in Greco-Roman wrestling). A frequent writer, Hedrick has been published over 100 times in a variety of publications on a variety of topics related to strength and conditioning. In addition, he has presented at numerous conferences and clinics, both nationally and internationally, including in Guatemala, Japan, Australia, and China. In 2003, Hedrick was selected by his peers as the NSCA's Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year.