So I was asked by another one of my Hardcore readers the other day what he could do to increase the difficulty of his training program.

First off, THANKS Arturo for your question!

Now, to answer it- There is a whole list a mile long on what we can do!

The only problem Arturo was running into was that the heaviest DB he had was a 60 lbs DB.

Well, there’s a TON of things you can do to crank up your results with a single DB. Lot’s of people think that it’s all about how heavy the weight is that determines your results and difficulty.

Well, sometimes that is true but there are other times, when you can make the weight your currently using a lot tougher just by the movements you use.

Too many people think “inside” the box.  If you’re looking to bust down walls, increase your results like none other, you need to start looking “outside” the box instead.

What I did for this first part of the Single DB Training Series, is I created a DB complex.

I strung a bunch of different movements together into one flowing complex that was pretty tough!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PQ91y6Pb-Y[/youtube]

Here’s the complex:

Perform 3 reps per movement on each arm then perform 2 reps per movement on each side, then one…

1A) DB Explosive High Pull

1B) DB Snatch

1C) DB Military

1D) DB Front Squat

1E) DB Cheat Curl

1F) DB Front Lunge

1G) DB Bent Row

1H) Push Up Off DB

1I) DB Sumo Deadlift

Set it down and repeat on other side.

Now this is just a quick example!  You can create lots of different types of complexes with a single DB.

Training with a single DB will create:

  • more challenge for your core / abs
  • more attention to balance
  • singles out each side of the body
  • forces you to use your weak side
  • more functional movement patterns

On top of all of this, a DB complex will push your conditioning and endurance.  You get a chance to work on ALL areas – strength, power, conditioning in just one complex!

Pretty BADASS! Pretty POWERFUL!

I would give it a try!  Obviously you do NOT need to use a 60 lbs DB at first.  Use an 80lbs, or a 50 lbs, or a 30lbs!  What ever you have laying around!

Just get after!

Live Aggressive and Get Strong!

Travis

PS – I’ll be posting up Part II later on!  In the meantime, let me know your comments and questions!