Dumbbells have been around for many years and remain one of the staples of all strength training. Strength training actually can burn more calories than cardio alone and is becoming more popular among men and women alike.

A dumbbell workout is great for burning fat and sculpting that lean, toned body you've always wanted. Over time, your body will begin adapting to your dumbbell workouts. As you go along you'll add more weight and reps and can try different combinations for variety. Variety is a very important part of your workouts because it can actually bring you out of a plateau or slump of sorts.

You'll begin by using minimum weight. If you have already exercised for a long time and already have begun building muscle you may want to adjust your weight accordingly. You'll start out by dong exercises that target various muscle groups using the dumbbells. Two sets containing ten repetitions is a good place to start, but over time you'll increase the amount of weight and maybe even the sets. You may find it helpful to decrease the number of repetitions as well. Remember, you are working your muscles so they'll grow. As you gain muscle mass the fat will begin to disappear. The muscle will weigh as much if not more, but your body will begin to take on a more lean, toned shape.

Over time you may find your dumbbell workouts are not as successful as they were in the beginning. This is because your body has become accustomed to the exercises you are doing. The following tips will help when this occurs.

Add dynamics such as swinging exercises. This is one of the best way sot burn fat and calories while getting toned. Simply add swinging motions to exercises you already do such as squats and lunges.

Switch to single leg or arm exercises. You can do this with a few of your exercises to add variety. They are called unilateral exercises and cause your core and glutes to become fully engaged. You'll know if you are successful at this if you are able to keep your balance.

There are many dumbbell workouts you can try. Vary your routine by trying out different ones. Talk to others at your local gym for ideas or search the Internet to find great routines. You never know what will help you break through that plateau and make you become even leaner than before. It can make all the difference in the world.