<p>If you are talking about squats and lunges, then yes I would agree. But if you are talking about bench presses, shoulder presses, standing curls and many other upper body exercises then I would not. Your example with bench presses is a good illustration. Doing bench presses with heavier weights using a straight bar and a bench with safety bars is much safer for a new lifter than using dumbbells, particularly without a training partner. And nothing that I’m saying is to suggest that a new 16 yr old should be doing Olympic lifts or power lifting without proper coaching or for that matter should be doing it at all outside of training specifically for those sports. From the time I was 14 until I was an adult, I used nothing but a straight bar and a curl bar for all of my upper body lifting. It was convenient, effective and I was able to do it safely without a training partner because of using a straight bar with safety stands (which come integrated with many benches or can be bought separately). Dumbbells for upper body work have all the drawbacks for a neophyte that I described plus the expense and space needed for an array of dumbbells. And yes, a typical 16 yr old male who gets into lifting can quickly hit weight points where using dumbbells for upper body work becomes programmatically difficult and unsafe without a training partner. I would much rather have a neophyte lifter using a barbell to bench 160 lbs or seated press 100 pounds than have that same kid use comparable dumbbells without a training partner. The technique and form needed to safely use dumbbells for upper body work at higher weights to avoid joint and tendon injuries is more advanced than using a straight bar for foundational upper body lifting. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it :).</p>
<p>BTW, my advice would be the exact opposite if we were talking about someone 30+ who wanted to start resistance training with weights. There, I would recommend getting some dumbbells in the 10 - 35 pound range and doing both upper body and lower body exercises with them. My opinions expressed above are driven by the age of NYMomof2’s son and my experience both as and with teenagers who start weight lifting. The goals, objectives and behaviors are very different!</p>
<p>And in looking at the Ben Bruno video: how did he get the 110 lb dumbbells onto his thighs in a seated position? Who was there to spot him if he lost arm stability or control while either lowering the weights or pushing them up? Who was there to assist with his form if his arms went out of alignment with his shoulders. What he was doing was advanced dumbbell work that no neophyte teenage lifter should do without coaching and a spotter. Compare the safety of those movements with a straight bar on a bench with bailout racks or a similar safety system.</p>
Wow, idad - that is a super buy on Walmart dumbbells and kettlebells! Especially with free shipping! The UPS dudes must absolutely love delivering that stuff. 
I had a little disagreement with my doctor. She thought 15 lb dumbbells were too heavy for me and suggested getting 5 lb ones. Say wa?! I can do multiple sets of 10 reps of my upper body exercises with those 15 pounders easily, so no, not going to downgrade.
<p>I convinced my husband to join my CrossFit gym! It’s so much fun going together. We like going to the 7 am class. I am still very impressed with the two coaches. They scale a lot of stuff down for me since I’m old and unathletic! They give very clear instruction and make sure I’m using correct form.</p>
<p>Good for you and your H, MaineLonghorn! I can’t get H to do any exercise, anywhere. </p>
<p>4.5+ miles run/walk today. For whatever reason, Wednesdays are always difficult for me. (I run/walk on M,W, & F.) Almost from the beginning of the interval sets I was looking to be finished. I didn’t give in but was very tempted. </p>
<p>How many calories will I burn composing the annual Christmas letter, and stuffing, addressing, stamping and sealing the envelopes?</p>
<p>Nothing yet. Went to see sports med doc about new treatments for arthritis instead of exercising. </p>
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<p>I know. They aren’t the super nice ones (although the rubber coated DBs are decent). The KBs and gray DBs are just plain cast iron, Chinese made. Alwyn Cosgrove refers to them as “prison dumbbells”. But, for home use, the freight savings blows every other deal out of the water. Especially when you figure that just getting this stuff home can be a workout. I’ll never forget schlepping the 200 pound Olympic barbell set home from Dick’s Sporting Goods. Seven foot long barbell that, at 45 pounds, I could barely pick up! Could have made a great 3 Stooges movie with me carrying that through the house and down the stairs to the basement!</p>
<p>I loved the free shipping when the UPS man plopped down my 50 lb WalMart kettlebell on the deck outside my door. :)</p>
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<p>You should ask your doctor how much her purse weighs. 
Rachel Cosgrove says, “Ladies, your dumbbells should weigh at least as much as your purse!” Boxes of cat litter are 14 or 20 or 25 pounds.</p>
<p>MKat:</p>
<p>I hear ya on the mindset of a teenage male. They want to lift the biggest possible number and that’s always going to come from barbells. In large part because the bench press racks and squat racks let you “lift” more weight than you could actually pick up off the floor and get into position by yourself. That’s part of the danger/injury that Mike Boyle has seen. Kids walk out from under the squat rack with more weight on their shoulders than they can actually support on their spine and then go through all kinds of contortions (mostly loaded flexion) with it. That’s hell on the lumbar spine.</p>
<p>His attitude on DB bench pressing is that if you aren’t strong enough to take a weight out of the rack and get it into position, you really aren’t strong enough to be lifting it over your head. But, he’s also not looking at it from “muscle group” standpoint. He’s looking at it from the perspective of building functional integrated strength for hockey or football or other athletics. And, he does coach the barbell bench press because the teens will have to do the bench press for their college programs and the college athletes will have to do it at the NFL combine. In terms of functional strength, that Ben Bruno video is more impressive than an NFL bench press with 225 pounds. Those alternating DB presses are brutal. There’s no cheating to help the weaker side. His goblet squat is no piece of cake, either.</p>
<p>Yeah, that Bruno video is impressive. I’ve used 80 lb dumbbells for DB benches, which was much less than I could bench with a straight bar but there was no way I was going to safely, in control, get into DB bench positioning with anything much heavier. And I agree with you about the squat racks. I shudder at the thought of what my 148 lb son is doing when he does squats and dead lifts with ridiculous amounts of weight (like twice his body weight). Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. </p>
<p>@Lizardly - what did I miss? </p>
<p>Short 3.2 miles this morning - up and over a big hill, then turned around and came back - up and over the same big hill. Tough workout but I need to work on my downhill running. On the plus side, I was done before 6 and each mile got progressively faster. Then off to the salt mine. I can’t wait for vacation. </p>
<p>Nothing. I have a bad left hip, some arthritis. Several years ago I asked what could be done for me short of a hip replacement. The doctor told me about synthetic synovial fluid. I didn’t try it. (Cost, not FDA approved, so no insurance help, mixed results) Recently I had read that there was a new procedure that worked better, and I went to hear about it. The new injectable is also $, but is supposed to work better, but not in everyone. I am thinking about it. </p>
<p>I can easily pass the clinical “can you do this/does this hurt” tests, but an x ray reveals pretty advanced arthritis. I have good days and bad days. Not that many bad ones, and truth be told I can move pretty much like anybody else. There are a few things I can’t do or can’t do well anymore, however, and I want to know what my options are. </p>
<p>^^^Hope you will have some options other than surgery, Lizardly.</p>
<p>Worked out with my trainer on Tuesday–mostly we did work on the TRX; also did kettle bells and free weights. Today, I went to a slow flow yoga class with my favorite instructor. I’ve been fairly serious about yoga for the last year and I’m starting to feel like a know what I’m doing. I asked my kids to get me a few private sessions with this instructor for my Christmas present.</p>
<p>FandD: I worked up to 25 minutes on the Jacob’s ladder–it’s really tough for me and I feel it afterwards. </p>
<p>My cousin had both hips replaced at a relatively young age - mid forties - and has recovered well. Good to explore all the options, though. </p>
<p>Basement for me. The KB swings were really good. I feel like I’m finally getting some snap in them. Rear foot elevated split squats were hard… as in I almost couldn’t do the first rep! One of those where I try to push up and nothing happens. :)</p>
<p>I was about to brag on my little 9 inch folding stools that I use to hold DBs up off the floor, but when I went to find a picture, I noticed they have been recalled. Of the 1.6 million of them sold in US, there have been 15 reports of them breaking and people falling. Goodness only knows what those 15 people were doing, but if any of mine ever break, I hope the dumbbell survives the 9 inch crash to the floor!</p>
<p><a href=“Kennedy International Recalls Folding Step Stools Due to Fall Hazard | CPSC.gov”>Kennedy International Recalls Folding Step Stools Due to Fall Hazard | CPSC.gov;
<p>Lizardly:</p>
<p>If you do most movements pain free, I bet that making it a priority to work on hip/glute strengthening and mobility exercises would pay dividends over a year or two. For almost all of us, hip/glute gets progressively weaker over time, due mostly to the amount of time we spend sitting. Even a little bit of consistent work targeted at the hips makes a big difference for us “middle age” folk.</p>
<p>My favorite hip exercise is this one:</p>
<p><a href=“Quadruped Hip Extension on Elbows - YouTube”>Quadruped Hip Extension on Elbows - YouTube;
<p>Those stools have a 200 pound weight limit. I’m sure they are over-engineered by a pretty fair margin, but there’s a lot of over-weight people.</p>
<p>I second IDad’s comments. As a “case study”, I had been experiencing what felt like an extreme arthritic condition in my right hip to the point where I couldn’t find a comfortable sleeping position. I incorporated a lot of 1 legged squats with stability challenging and resistance progressions using resistance bands, dumbbells, Airex pads (like in the video) and a Bosu. Also threw in a lot of Bosu work. Pain virtually disappeared. I’ve also done away with my office chair and work either standing or sitting on a 65 cm stability ball (I get lots of strange looks and can no longer ask my secretary to put my mail on my chair 
). I find using the ball as a chair keeps my core engaged as well as my hip muscles.</p>
<p>And the “good thing” about hip dysfunction is that even the simplest exercises targeting the hips and glues make a huge difference over time. Lots of good exercises requiring little or no equipment.</p>
<p>I do the one I linked above three times a week and have for a couple of years. First time, I got a hamstring cramp right away, showing that I was using my hamstrings instead of the butt muscles. That particular exercise is great because the elbows on the floor really lock out the lower back (a common way of cheating on hip exercises). Now, I can do it and it is just a terrific way of warming up and working on that hip mobility.</p>
<p>Here’s another one. I’ve been doing three times a week for two years, although I’ve been doing variations of this one since day one four years ago:</p>
<p><a href=“Single Leg Hip Lift - YouTube”>Single Leg Hip Lift - YouTube;
<p>Starting out, put both heels on the ground and do the two legged version. The one leg version is a more advanced version. This is a long-term project. You’ll almost certainly cheat with the lower back and the thighs at first.</p>
<p><a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube;
<p>And here’s one that requires a miniband for a few bucks. The MEDIUM green one is a good place to start:</p>
<p><a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube;
<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Exercise-Mini-Bands-Loop-Green/dp/B00032QBIK”>http://www.amazon.com/Exercise-Mini-Bands-Loop-Green/dp/B00032QBIK</a></p>
<p>These are great exercises for all of us, but if I had specific hip problems and could do these pain-free, I’d give them a shot for a year. Beats hip replacement.</p>
<p>I had so much hip pain about 20 years ago (walking) that I’m pretty sure, in retrospect, I must have had a stress fracture. Just a stabbing pain whenever I walked any distance. Now, nothing, except one hip clicks when I’m going up stairs.</p>