Adjustable
dumbbells have their advantages and disadvantages. I used
adjustable dumbells for many years because I just couldn’t afford a
huge set of
hex dumbbells.
Now, hex dumbbells are even more expensive due to the rising cost of
pretty much everything in the United States. Even groceries have
doubled in cost over the past few years. Weight plates
have doubled in cost too! Adjustable dumbells will still cost
you much less
money
than a good set of hex dumbbells!
Dumbbells are great for certain exercises, and you
could design a workout routine with only dumbbells if that’s
the
way you wanted to go...
You could do dumbbell squats, incline dumbbell
bench press, dumbbell rows, dumbbell stiff legged deadlifts, dumbbell
overhead press, alternate dumbbell curls, close grip dumbbell bench,
and pinwheel curls. Now you’ve covered every major muscle group with
only a set of adjustable dumbbells!
There are some disadvantages to using only dumbbells, though, and I
will discuss those later.
A good set of
adjustable dumbbells will last you
for the rest of your life. You’re going to need a good set of dumbbell
handles, the best weight fasteners, and the correct type of weight
plates. If you have those things, you can make dumbbells anywhere
from a few pounds all the way up to 150 pounds or more per dumbbell.
I've also got another good dumbbell option for you later too!
Adjustable Dumbbell Handles
You’re going to
have to find a good set of
dumbbell handles. You do not want to buy cheap dumbbell handles.
Get
the best quality handles you can find and get them as long as possible.
I found a decent set around 5 years ago for $30, but I wish I would
have found a little better quality handles that were a little longer.
The longer the dumbbell handles, the more weight you can put on them in
the future.
The handle shown in the image is the one that I
have. I recommend these to anyone because they've lasted me for about 5
years
now, but like I said, I wish I could have found a set that was longer
in length.
I'm not sure anyone makes a longer set, though.
These handles will easily make over 100 pound dumbbells with 25 pound
standard weight plates. I wanted a
longer set of dumbbells so I could make large weights with 10 pound
weight plates. The set at the link above is the best adjustable
dumbbell set
that I could find.
Get yours today before the price goes up again!
If you can’t find a good set, do not buy the cheap
ones! Take my advice on this one. You’ll only end up spending more
money in the long run. As you get stronger, which you will, you’ll
start adding more and more weight to the dumbbells.
Eventually, cheap dumbbell handles are going to bend on you.
I’ve bent 3 or 4 sets of
handles along the way until I finally became smart enough to buy a good
set. You don’t want to be lifting heavy weights with bent handles! I
wouldn’t trust that much weight on a cheap pair of handles anyway.
Weight Fasteners
If you choose an olympic dumbbell handle set as shown
here, the Olympic fasteners will work just fine.
Then you have the
kind of weight fasteners that screw on. I suggest that you get the
screw on weight fasteners for your adjustable dumbbell set - if you
choose the standard size. If you choose Olympic sized handles, the
collar type fasteners will work fine. Just don't buy anything cheap
here!
Safety is key.
The dumbbell handles at the link above will have a good set of fasteners with them. These
are also great quality dumbbell handles that I recommend. You can use
your olympic weight plates with these handles. I recommend that you get
extra 10 pound plates that are thin to go with these handles!
Safety is the number one option here. With the
collar type fasteners there could be a chance that one of them becomes
lose and the weights fall! You don’t want to take a chance with a
collar becoming loose because even a small amount of weight could
really do some damage to your body.
Just imagine doing bench press with 100 pound
dumbbells, and the weight falling on your face. It’s not worth the
risk! Get you some screw on weight fasteners. They might take a little
more time to screw on and off, but it’s worth the extra effort.
If you do choose the olympic dumbbell option as
shown above, always ensure the fasteners are not loose. I've had some
fasteners that were loose on certain bars and tight on others due to
the differences in the bars. I'm sure the set above will have the
correct fasteners, so always ensure you use those! Never change to a
different set of fasteners.
Weight Plates
You’re going to have two options on weight plates
depending on the style of dumbbell handles you choose to purchase. You
can buy dumbbell handles that hold Olympic sized plates or standard
sized plates.
I suggest you get the dumbbell handles that hold standard
sized weights because you’ll be able to fit more standard sized plates
on the bar. In some cases this may not be true depending on the style
of plates you purchase. You want to get the thinnest weights possible
so you’ll be able to add more weight in the future.
Most of the time, the standard plates are thinner.
If you compare the Olympic and standard sizes you’re going to purchase,
you’ll have a better idea of which type you’d like. I’ve always found
that the standard plates work better.
You also don’t want the plates to
get in the way during specific exercises. For example, smaller plates
give you a greater range of motion on incline dumbbell bench press.
Larger plates will restrict your motion somewhat.
No matter which choice you make, either standard
or olympic, I suggest you get four 25’s, eight 10’s, four 5’s, and four
2.5 pound weight plates to start with. That will give you up to 105
pound dumbbells if you have handles long enough to fit the plates.
If
you have shorter handles, you’ll want to get some more 10’s and some
more 25’s for future use. You might as well plan ahead because I’m sure
the prices are going to continue to rise! Get yours today. I wish I
would have bought more weight plates in the past.
Advantages of Adjustable Dumbbells
The one huge advantage here is the cost! And I
mean huge! A good set of adjustable dumbbells that will last you a
lifetime should cost around $200 depending on the style you get and the
amount of weight you purchase.
This might sound like a lot to many of
you, but try buying a set of the cheapest dumbbells you can find. A set
from 5 to 100 pound hex dumbbell will cost you over $3000 dollars. I don’t know
about you, but I don’t just have $3000 laying around.
Another advantage is the increased number of
exercises you can perform with dumbbells. You’ll also have the extra
weight plates you can use on your hip belt or other bars to do other
exercises. I use my standard weight plates to load my triceps bar for
use on the hip belt. I use the hip belt for many different exercises.
Disdavantages of Adjustable Dumbbells
Of course, adjustable dumbells have one huge disadvantage. The
time it takes to load up your adjustable dumbells can be a huge
disadvantage
depending on the number of exercises you use that require dumbbells.
If
you only use them for one exercise, the time it takes to get the weight
ready will be minimal. If you’re continuously changing the amount of
weight on your dumbbells throughout you’re workout, then you’re workout
time will go up tremendously. You’ll get tired of changing the weight
all the time!
If you’re like me, you don’t want to make your
workout any longer. I like to do as many exercises in the shortest
amount of time during my workout. If I have to keep changing my
dumbbells, the time it takes me to do the same amount of exercises can
go up way too much! Plus, changing all those dumbbells requires energy.
I like to save all the energy I can for my weight lifting.
Summary of Adjustable Dumbbells
So, you might want to look into purchasing a set
of adjustable dumbells to save you time. You can usually find some good
deals at
certain times of the year.
The set in the image gives you a set of adjustable dumbbells that are
safe and quick to use. They are much cheaper than the hex dumbbell
alternative and they save space in your home gym. Really think about
giving these a shot. If I had to do it over, I would definitely buy the
ones in the image from Amazon. They go all the way up to 90 pounds!
You should also pay attention to classifieds and
large gyms that are going out of business. You might find a large gym
going out of business that wants to get rid of all the dumbbells and
equipment in the gym. Sometimes they’ll give their weight lifting
equipment away! Watch for those kinds of deals.
Or, you might have to live with the adjustables
for a while due to the high cost of sets of dumbbells. I lived with
mine for a long time and still use them for the heavier exercises. The
heavier the weight of a dumbbell in a set, the higher the cost. The
current cost for a dumbbell is around 60 cents per pound. A 100 pound
set of hex dumbbells will cost you at least $120. Most of the time, a
store will charge even more for the heavier dumbbells.
You can't beat the deals given on Amazon for adjustable dumbbells.
You'll
get free shipping on many of the items! That's tough to beat when
you're ordering heavy items like weight plates. Do not pay expensive
prices for shipping. It's not worth it unless you just have extra money
to throw around. I know I don't!
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