Getting in shape to play football doesn’t mean only playing football. Doing exercises that are completely unrelated to your sport can actually add immensely to your results. By the same token, dumbbell exercises aren’t only good for weightlifters! You can use dumbbell exercises to get better results in a huge variety of sports – here are some common dumbbell routines and the sports they can help enhance.

Benched dumbbell presses

Use your bench flat, on an incline and a decline to work your chest out for sports like rugby and football, as well as tennis, squash and other racquet sports.

Lateral raises and shrugs

These two dumbbell exercises are great for working the shoulders, so perfect for swimmers, racquet sport players and cricketers.

Squats and lunges

Squats and lunges with dumbbells are mostly aimed at bulking up the thighs, and are great for just about any sport. They help tennis players and squash players sprint for the ball, give power to rugby and football players, endurance to soccer players, speed to cyclers… the list in massive.

Calf raises

Great for cyclers, calf raises are a simple dumbbell exercise.
Tricep extensions and dumbbell skull crushers