Strengthen your back with the dumbbell row. The row exercises your biceps and shoulders, but focuses primarily on strengthening your upper and lower back muscles. This video also introduces you to the barbell row, a variation of form and equipment.

Rowing exercises are similar to the motion of rowing a boat. You may perform rows with a barbell or dumbbell, a set of machine handles, a bar attached to a low cable pulley, or an exercise band. Rowing exercises use the same muscles as pull-downs and pull-ups, except that they don’t involve your chest. Rows are particularly helpful if you want to find out how to sit up straighter — to perform a row correctly on a machine, you have to sit up tall.

Using kettlebells has been hailed in recent years as the most efficient and effective way to train your body for burning tons of fat, getting super strong and lean, and obtaining the ultimate physique. Many people have found in kettlebells what they couldn’t find in other workouts — an exercise program that can be done in half the time of a regular workout with twice the results.

If you want to get into weight training, start by sorting fact from fiction. Don’t let stories you’ve heard about weight lifting keep you from the gym. You'll reach your fitness goals sooner by getting some simple home equipment and finding a qualified personal trainer. Follow some basic etiquette when working with a trainer and using the gym, and learn some muscle terminology so you’re comfortable with weight training.

You can perform exercises such as iso lunges in your hotel room if you're traveling on the road and your hotel doesn't offer a gym. Exercising in your room is also a viable option if you are pressed for time or just prefer to exercise alone. This is an effective exercise for the legs and buns. You can do it with an Exercise Bar for added intensity or just use your own body weight for a great workout.

If you’re in the market for dumbbells for your weight training exercises and want to save money and/or space, here are a few inventive gadgets that might suit your needs.PlateMateThis product is like an oversized refrigerator magnet that you stick on both ends of a dumbbell to increase the weight. Plate mates come in four weights: 5⁄8 pound, 1-1/4 pounds, 1-7/8 pounds, and 2-1/2 pounds.

Bands and tubing can’t provide as much resistance as free weights or machines, but you can develop a surprising amount of strength, muscle tone, and flexibility. Here are ten band exercises and offer tips for using bands safely. Note: The photos accompanying the exercises show bands, but tubing can just as easily be used instead of the bands to supply the required resistance.

Use your ball exercises as part of your weekly strength-training routine or rotate ball exercises in and out of your regular workouts. The variety challenges your muscles in different ways and also keeps your workouts fresh and fun. As with all other resistance exercises, perform 8 to 15 repetitions per set and at least one set per muscle group, unless indicated otherwise in the specific exercise.

When you move your arms in virtually any direction — up, down, backward, forward, sideways, diagonally, or in circles — your shoulders are in charge or at least involved. The ingenious design of your shoulder joint makes the shoulders one of the most mobile, versatile muscle groups in your body. Unfortunately, their amazing capacity for movement also makes the shoulders, along with a nearby muscle group called the rotator cuff, particularly vulnerable to injury.