Dumbbells are about the most versatile piece of exercise equipment you’ll ever use or own. You can train any body part with them, they’re suitable for anyone-beginners, intermediate and pros-and can be used by people of any age to get fit. They’re also the ideal regardless of your fitness goals. So whether you’re just looking to trim down, maintain or even build mass, dumbbells can be the right piece of equipment you need. And, assuming that you’re doing the movements properly, when you train with dumbbells you mimic the body’s natural movements, considerably reducing the risk of injuring yourself.

The point today is to present a few little known, but highly effective dumbbell exercises-it’s always good to do something new. When the body’s muscles get too accustomed to the same routine day after day, week after week, month after month, your routine’s effectiveness is diminished. That’s why knowledgeable guys change things up every now and then so they can keep seeing gains and achieving the results they want.

Here are a few dumbbell training exercies that you probably haven’t heard of.

Dumbbell thrusters (legs, shoulders):

Works the glutes and shoulders at the same time. Place an exercise ball behind your legs. Stand straight holding two dumbbells at shoulder height with palms facing each other about even with your shoulders. Squat down until your butt touches the ball, then thrust upward raising your arms towards the ceiling, while maintaining your palms facing the same direction. Squat down again lowering the dumbbells to the starting position, then repeat.

Dumbbell hamstring curl (hamstrings):

Lie face down on a flat bench with your knees hanging over about two to three inches. Have someone tuck a dumbbell vertically between your feet-if you’re limber and not too clumsy, you can manage it yourself. Grasp the front two legs of the bench for stability. Then, without lifting your waist from the bench, keep your knees together tight and raise your toes (and the dumbbell) towards the ceiling until your shins are perpendicular to the floor.