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Free weight exercises to build muscles can be understood as ones where you can simply pick weights such as dumbbells and move around easily.
They help build muscles and provide a greater range of motion along with providing many other benefits.
Free Weight Exercises to Build Muscles
We have curated a list of the five best and most efficient free weight exercises to build muscle:
1) Weighted Lunge
It can help build muscle by targeting both sides unilaterally. This exercise can also help build strong legs by engaging the calves, glutes, quads, and hamstrings.
How to do the exercise:
- Grasp dumbbells in both palms with your arms hanging by the sides and feet apart at shoulder distance.
- Bring one foot forward, and lunge to the ground. Repeat on the other side.
2) Overhead Shoulder Press
It provides a multitude of benefits besides helping you build muscles, including building strength in the upper body, enhancing balance, and improving posture. This exercise engages the deltoids, trapezius, triceps, and chest.
How to do the exercise:
- Begin in an upright standing position with your feet apart at shoulder distance and clutching dumbbells in both palms.
- Position the weights in front of your shoulders, with your palms angled to the opposite sides of the body.
- The elbows should be bent and pointing to the ground. With the torso straight, drive the weights straight to the ceiling while straightening your arms.
- Bring your body back to the starting position and repeat.
3) Dumbbell Bent Over Row
It's a great free weight exercise to build muscle, as it engages the lower back, rhomboids, rear deltoids, lats, and trapezius. This exercise can also help in getting rid of arm fat.
How to do the exercise:
- Clutch dumbbells in both palms, and position them hanging alongside the body, with your arms straightened.
- Hinge down at your wait to about 45 degrees while keeping your neck neutral and back straight.
- With your core tightened, drive both elbows backwards and upwards by squeezing the shoulder blades together at the top position.
- Hold before bringing the arms back to the center. Repeat.
4) Arnold Press
It's an underrated free weight exercise that engages the trapezius, deltoids, and triceps. This exercise can also enable sculpting of the shoulders.
How to do the exercise:
- Arnold's press can be done in both the seated and standing positions. Begin in a good standing posture, with your feet shoulder-distance apart and clutching dumbbells in both palms.
- Position the dumbbells in front of your shoulders, with your palms angled to the body.
- Tighten your core region before rotating your hands and extending them straight over your head.
- Hold before bringing your arms back to the starting position, and repeat.
5) Single Leg Deadlift
It's one of the best free weight exercises that unilaterally works on both legs while targeting the lower back, traps, and lats. This exercise can not only help build muscles but also increase core strength.
How to do the exercise?
- Begin by clutching dumbbells in both hands, with your palms angled against each other.
- Maintain a good posture while standing and feet placed slightly apart.
- Move your bodyweight to your left foot without locking the knees before hinging forward from the hips and raising the right leg at the back.
- Keep your back upright and chest lifted throughout the movement.
- Stop hinging when the right leg and upper body are parallel to the ground, keeping your hips squared.
- In a controlled manner, assume the standing position, with your leg back on the ground. Repeat, and swap sides.
Bottom Line
The aforementioned free weight exercises are among the best and most effective ones to help build muscles. These exercises are also beginner-friendly and involve an increased range of motion.
Some common benefits include toning the body, building muscle mass, sculpting the core, and increasing lower body power.
