by David Aaron White

Created on: June 25, 2010

When people think about lifting weights, the most generic image that usually leaps to mind is a set of dumbbells; of course, dumbbells are used to strengthen the arm, chest, and back muscles, so it's only natural that one would consider dumbbells to be so important when it comes to working out; however, take a look at that first body part mentioned above: “arm.” Many people wish to build bigger arms by working out, and, to do this, need to employ dumbbell exercises, as well as others; this is the generic workout that beginning weightlifters use to start gaining muscle, so it must be done properly and must be supported by the right diet.

Start out by eating more. No, don't load up on junk such as crackers, donuts, and other fatty foods; rather, concentrate on eating fish, chicken, and other foods with a high protein value. Additionally, a few glasses of milk per day never hurt anyone (in fact, I've heard rumors that milk contains protein too), so be sure to throw that into your cereal bowl and wine glass. After all, you can't hope to gain muscle mass in your arms if you don't supply them with protein. Stock up on potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, to use after working out: potassium aids the body in recovering from a workout by decreasing the muscles' soreness.

When it comes time to exercise, start with dumbbells. These weights were meant to be used with your arms, and can be used in so many ways that they cannot possibly be ignored. These are the main exercises you want to perform when using dumbbells:

* Bicep curls. Hold your weights at your sides and turn your elbows into your body so that your arms are turned out to the sides. When you lift the dumbbells, you will feel your biceps burn; this exercise focuses on your biceps and forearms. Since you're trying to build muscle, as a general rule, focus on doing ten to twelve repetitions (no more) with your current weight. You should be lifting heavier weight in order to create larger tears in your muscles, whereas if you performed more repetitions with less weight, you would be toning your muscles and not adding much weight to them.

* Basic curls. Simply hold your arms, weights in hand, at your sides, and curl-up with your muscles; the only difference between this and the previous exercise is that this puts less emphasis on the biceps and more evenly distributes the workout amongst your biceps, forearms, wrists, and shoulders. These work for a more balanced, even workout that takes care of several

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