5 ways you're lifting dumbbells wrong (and how to fix it!)

It's easy to pick up an affordable set of dumbbells, load your motivational playlist and start curling those biceps, but are you sure you're getting the most out of your workout?

Whether it's waking up in agony the next morning or not seeing any gains, here are the top five mistakes every beginner makes with dumbbells... and how to avoid them!

You're struggling to finish each set

It's easy to be overambitious when lifting dumbbells, but it's a sure-fire way to kill your motivation (and potentially cause an injury)! You should be able to do around 10 reps in each set if you're using the right weight, with the last few being tough on your arms.

The solution: Switch to a lighter weight. If you're not sure what the right weight is, trying using adjustable dumbbells - just add or remove weight plates until you find that magic number.

You're getting pain in your lower arms

If you're getting pain in your wrists or strains in your lower arm, it's probably because you're not keeping your wrists straight. It's easy to overlook, but most dumbbell exercises need straight wrists to support the weight.

The solution: Focus on keeping your wrists straight and you're still struggling, try switching to lighter dumbbells.

Strains in your shoulders and back

Lifting dumbbells uses more than just the muscles in your arms. A lot of arm exercises rely on your core, so if you're not engaging it properly, that might just be what's causing the pain in your upper body!

The solution: Before you start exercising, squeeze your stomach muscles. Feel it tighten? That's your core muscles engaging - and that's exactly what you're looking for! If you find your core muscles get exhausted before you've finished your sets, try some back exercises with dumbbells to strengthen them.

Pumping iron but not seeing any results

It's easily done - you're in the zone, pumping iron, eager to finish the set. Who cares if you get a little jerky?... You should, if you want to hit your goals! Move too quickly and you're using momentum to power the lift, not your muscles.

The solution: Concentrate on nailing your form by slowly lifting and lowering the weights to engage your biceps and triceps. Continue training in this way as part of your normal routine, and you should soon be seeing results!

You can do dozens of reps in each set

If you're finding it suspiciously easy to complete each set, it's probably not because you've eaten your spinach (if you know, you know...). It's more likely because the weights you're using are too light for you.

The solution: Just add more weight! The safest way to do this is slowly in increments of 0.5-1kg so you don't overdo it. Consider buying a varied set of dumbbells so you can keep on progressing, or get adjustable dumbbells and weight plates.