Training for athletic performance is something that we all strive for, even if we’re just playing in a community recreation league as adults. You may have seen some Pro Athletes, like LeBron James, Steph Curry, or even Patrick Mahomes, train with our dumbbells. The goal for all athletes is to be explosive and powerful, and that’s where these movements come in for your training.
Pro Athletes and Movements Inspired by Their Sport
For any sport, there are staple movements that help build strength and explosive power. Movements like squats, deadlifts, cleans, and chest presses. However, there are specific movements that athletes perform to maximize their performance.
Now, these movements are all theoretical and may not be part of some of these pros’ routines, but they are movements that we know are beneficial to each athlete's specific sport and can improve their performance.
LeBron James
LeBron James, if you don’t already know, is one of the best, if not the best, players in the NBA. His training has kept him in the league for 23 seasons. The two movements we think he’s performing are Goblet Squats and Lunges to keep him as explosive as possible.
Goblet Squat
Goblet Squats are a great movement for anyone, but especially for taller individuals and athletes. Unlike back squats, where your center of gravity changes, and you may not be able to get a full knee bend, goblet squats do. To develop more power, throw in a pulse during each rep.
How to Perform a Goblet Squat Pulse
1. Set your stance and hold the weight
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and toes slightly turned out. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest with both hands, keeping your elbows tucked in.
2. Lower into the squat
Sit your hips back and down until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor (or as low as your mobility allows). Keep your chest lifted, core tight, and heels planted.
3. Pulse at the bottom
Once in the bottom position, make small, controlled up-and-down movements, just a few inches, while maintaining tension in your legs and glutes. After performing one pulse, drive through your heels to return to standing.
Alternating Lunges
Lunges are another great movement to build leg strength and power, but they also help out the knees. Connective tissues, such as tendons and ligaments, need to be strengthened just like our muscles do. Lunges aid in that process for our knees, keeping them strong and healthy.
How to perform an Alternating Lunge
1. Start in a tall standing position
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core braced, and shoulders relaxed.
2. Step into your lunge
Take a step forward with one leg and lower until both knees bend—front knee over your ankle, back knee tracking toward the floor.
3. Alternate sides
Push through your front heel to return to standing, then immediately step forward with the opposite leg and repeat, moving smoothly from side to side.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The world-renowned soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is arguably one of the best soccer players to hit the pitch. The two movements below help develop the posterior chain (lower back, glutes, and hamstrings) and core, essential for longevity in this sport.
Kettlebell Swings
Kettlebell swings are a staple movement for developing the posterior chain. In soccer, it helps players prevent hamstring injuries and produce more power when kicking and running.
How to perform a Kettlebell Swing
1. Set your stance and grip
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width, toes forward. Place the kettlebell a foot in front of you, hinge at the hips (not a squat), and grab the handle with both hands while keeping your back flat.
2. Hike and drive
Pull the kettlebell back between your legs like you’re hiking a football, then snap your hips forward powerfully. Let the hip drive, not your arms, float the kettlebell up to about chest height.
3. Control the downswing and repeat
As the kettlebell swings back down, hinge your hips again and let it pass high between your thighs. Maintain control and rhythm as you move smoothly into the next rep.
Russian Twists
Russian twists are a great way to build core strength and stability. Training two portions of the abdominals, the obliques and transverse abdominus, players develop more rotational power. Improving kicks and changes in direction.
How to perform a Russian Twist
1. Set your starting position
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and heels down (raise your heels off the floor if you want to challenge your core even further). Lean back slightly to engage your core while keeping your spine long and chest lifted.
2. Position your arms
Hold your hands together in front of you or grip a weight if desired. Keep your elbows slightly bent and your core braced.
3. Twist with control
Rotate your torso to one side, bringing your hands beside your hip. Return to center, then rotate to the opposite side. Move slowly and keep your hips still while your upper body twists.
Serena Williams
Like the others so far on our list, Serena Williams is the top Women’s Tennis player in the world. Having a strong upper and lower body is what kept her at the top. The two movements below, we believe, would be programmed in her pro-level training program.
Arnold Press
The Arnold Press is a great movement as it doesn’t just focus on the strength of the shoulder, but the mobility of it as well. Having mobile and strong shoulders is a key aspect to anyone's tennis game.
How to Perform the Arnold Press
1. Start in the seated or standing position
Hold two dumbbells at chest height with your palms facing your body and elbows bent. Keep your core braced, and your shoulders relaxed.
2. Rotate as you press
Begin pressing the weights upward while simultaneously rotating your palms so they turn forward as the dumbbells rise.
3. Lower with control
Bring the dumbbells back down while reversing the rotation, returning your palms to face your body at chest height before starting the next rep.
Lateral Lunge
The lateral lunge helps train our inner thighs and helps with explosive power in our legs. With tennis, you need to be able to move laterally to get to where your opponent is hitting the ball. This movement will help you be more explosive and strong while in a match.
How to Perform the Lateral Lunge
1. Start tall with feet together
Stand upright with your feet together, core engaged, and chest lifted.
2. Step out to the side
Take a wide step to one side, bending that knee and pushing your hips back while keeping the opposite leg straight. Keep your toes forward and your weight on the heel of the working leg.
3. Drive back to center
Press through the bent leg to return to the starting position, then repeat on the other side.
Tom Brady
Arguably the GOAT of quarterbacks, Tom Brady had a long and triumphant career. That was due to a combination of strength and mobility training. Focusing on the range of motion over how much weight he could move kept him at the top of his game.
Dumbbell Bench Press
The dumbbell bench press is a foundational exercise in athletic training. It contributes to overall upper-body strength and promotes shoulder joint health. This is particularly beneficial for athletes who rely on throwing motions, as it helps maintain shoulder strength and mobility.
How to Perform the Dumbbell Bench Press
1. Set up on the bench
Lie back on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward. Keep your feet planted on the floor, core engaged, and shoulder blades slightly retracted.
2. Press the dumbbells up
Push the dumbbells straight up until your arms are fully extended, keeping a controlled motion and avoiding locking your elbows forcefully.
3. Lower with control
Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to chest level, keeping your elbows at roughly a 45-degree angle from your torso, then repeat.
Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
The dumbbell bent-over row is beneficial for throwing athletes, especially after performing a bench press, because it helps open the chest. Training the chest can cause the shoulders to round forward if the chest becomes too tight. Training the reverse movement forces the chest to open and stretch, allowing for more range of motion in a throw.
How to perform a Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
1. Set your hinge position
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hold dumbbells, and hinge at the hips while keeping your back flat and core tight. Let the weights hang straight down with your arms fully extended.
2. Pull toward your torso
Row the dumbbells up by driving your elbows back and keeping them close to your body. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top.
3. Lower with control
Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position without rounding your back, then repeat while maintaining the hinge.
Simone Biles
Seven-time Gold Medal-winning gymnast, Simone Biles, uses her legs to propel her forward to perform most of her acrobatic stunts. Quad and Glute training is what helped her become more explosive during her floor routines.
Jump Squats
Weighted jump squats are a great exercise to build lower-body strength and develop explosive power, improving your ability to accelerate, jump, or sprint. They also elevate heart rate and demand a full-body effort, which can boost cardiovascular fitness and calorie burn.
How to perform a Dumbbell Jump Squat
1. Set your stance and grip
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with your arms straight, and your core braced.
2. Lower into the squat
Sit your hips back and down until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground, keeping your chest lifted and the dumbbells hanging naturally at your sides.
3. Explode upward
Drive through your feet to jump straight up, keeping the dumbbells controlled and close to your sides. Land softly with bent knees and move right into your next rep.
Step-Ups
Step-ups are a glute-focused exercise that helps the body develop explosive power by taking the muscle through its full range of motion. With it being a single-leg movement, it can fix muscle imbalances, adding strength evenly for better athletic performance.
How to perform Step-Ups
1. Set your starting position
Stand tall facing a sturdy bench or box, feet hip-width apart, and core engaged.
2. Step onto the platform
Place one foot fully on the bench and press through your heel to lift your body up, bringing your other foot to meet it without leaning forward.
3. Step back down
Lower yourself with control by stepping down with the same trailing foot, then repeat until the desired reps are performed and switch legs.
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes is now one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in the league. His training is paramount to his performance on the field. His focus is similar to Tom’s: health and mobility for the shoulder, but adding a different movement to focus on his core.
Dumbbell Y-Raise
The Dumbbell Y Raise supports shoulder health by strengthening the stabilizer muscles of the upper back and rotator cuff, which improves shoulder blade control and reduces stress on the shoulder joint. For athletes whose primary focus is throwing, this movement helps with developing high-velocity throwing mechanics while improving shoulder stability and control.
How to perform a Dumbbell Y Raise
1. Set your hinge position
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hold light dumbbells, and hinge forward at the hips with a flat back and arms hanging straight down.
2. Raise into a “Y”
Lift your arms up and out at roughly a 45-degree angle, forming a Y shape with your body while keeping your thumbs pointed up and your core engaged.
3. Lower with control
Slowly bring the dumbbells back to the starting position without rounding your back, then repeat with smooth, controlled reps.
Farmers Carries
The farmer's carry is an ultimate full-body movement; it trains grip strength, the core muscles, and the legs. This movement forces the feet to move quickly, aiding in the need for quarterbacks to be quick and light-footed when outside of the pocket.
How to perform a Farmers Carry
1. Set your starting position
Stand tall with a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand at your sides, shoulders pulled back, core braced, and feet hip-width apart.
2. Begin walking
Take steady, controlled steps forward while keeping your torso upright, arms straight, and grip tight.
3. Maintain posture and control
Continue walking for the desired distance or time, keeping your shoulders level and avoiding swaying, then set the weights down safely.
Conor McGregor
The notorious fighter, Conor McGregor, is our last athlete on the list. Being mobile and having a strong core are essential for the ring, which leads to our last two movements.
Renegade Rows
The Renegade Row is excellent for simultaneously developing back and core strength. By engaging the entire core as you row with each arm, the movement is particularly beneficial for fighters, as a strong core is vital for absorbing body blows and grappling.
How to perform Renegade Rows
1. Set your plank position
Start in a high plank with a dumbbell in each hand, hands directly under your shoulders, feet wider than hip-width for stability, and core engaged.
2. Row one dumbbell
Keeping your body as still as possible, lift one dumbbell toward your ribcage by driving your elbow back, squeezing your shoulder blade at the top.
3. Lower and alternate
Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the floor, then repeat on the other side, maintaining a strong plank position throughout.
Turkish Get Ups
The Turkish get-up is essential for MMA fighters. It builds full-body strength, especially in the shoulders, core, and hips, which is critical for grappling, takedowns, and explosive power. It also improves stability, coordination, balance, and joint health, helping fighters maintain control, transition smoothly, and prevent injuries in the cage.
How to perform a Turkish Get Up
1. Start on the floor
Lie on your back holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand straight up toward the ceiling, with the same-side knee bent and the opposite leg extended flat on the ground. Keep your eyes on the weight and your core engaged.
2. Rise to a half‑kneeling position
Press through your planted foot, roll onto your opposite elbow, then your hand, and push your hips up, coming to a half-kneeling stance while keeping the weight overhead.
3. Stand fully and reverse
From the half-kneeling position, step your back leg forward to stand tall with the weight still overhead, then carefully reverse the movement to return to the floor under control.
As we said before, these movements may not be performed by these athletes exactly, but we’re sharing what we believe will help them enhance their performance and yours. Take each of these exercises, grab your PowerBlock Adjustable Dumbbells, and throw them into your next workout where you see fit.
