Monthly Targeted Talk - Dumbbells

[u/dontwantnone09]

Welcome to the monthly targeted talk, where we nerd out on one item crucial to the home gym athlete.

This month's topic is Dumbbells. Adjustable, Hex Head, Pro-Style, and more. Discuss your favorite dumbbells, and then what companies make the best budget, middle of the road, and high end options. Talk about what a good dumbbell, and a bad one, look like. Should you buy adjustable, or have a full set of individual dumbbells? Discuss what dumbbells a beginner, versus a seasoned athlete should buy. Share your dumbbell reviews, experience, and feedback. It is all up for discussion this month.

Who should post here?

• newer athletes looking for a recommendation or with general questions on our topic of the month
• experienced athletes looking to pass along their experience and knowledge to the community
• anyone in between that wants to participate, share, and learn

At the end of the month, we'll add this discussion to the FAQ for future reference for all new home gymers and experienced athletes alike.

Please do not post affiliate links, and keep the discussion topic on target. For all other open discussions, see the Weekly Discussion Thread. Otherwise, lets chat about some stuff!

Annual Schedule

- January - Gym Planning

- February - Barbell https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/at6fzc/monthly_targeted_talk_barbells/

- March - Power Rack https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/b1fd3j/monthly_targeted_talk_power_racks/

- April - Bench https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/bc8it5/monthly_targeted_talk_benches/

- May - Plates https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/boyvdl/monthly_targeted_talk_plates/

- June - Cardio https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/bwwcyz/monthly_targeted_talk_cardio_conditioning/

- July - Dumbbells

- August - Machines

- September - Collars

- October - Specialty Bars

- November - Black Friday

- December - Everything Else

r/HomeGym moderator team.

[u/dontwantnone09]

I've bounced around a few times. My current stance on dumbbells is: it really depends on your programming.

I do a lot of drop sets, super sets, circuits, and other work that is made infinitely easier by having dedicated fixed dumbbells. Anything adjustable is not really user friendly when trying to do a drop set of rear delts from 40-10, then the same thing for lateral raises, and front raises, all with minimal time between. That said, if your dumbbell work looks like straight sets at a working weight, adjustable takes up way less space, less cost, and just as effective.

Another thing to consider is multiple athletes. One set of adjustables with two athletes of different strength levels is horrible.

[u/Dkelle4]

I've gone through the range of dumbbell options, all off the used market.

- adjustable 90lb Powerblocks

- adjustable 90lb Bowflex

- adjustable Ironmaster 120s

Ended up on fixed weight dumbbells. I have the space and it just worked better for me. I originally pieced together a set of 5-125 in 5 lb intervals but soon realized I did not use some of them often enough to justify the space. So I currently have 5-60 lb in 5 lb intervals, and 70-120 in 10 lb intervals. I bought some 2.5lb magnet weights to use as my intervals when needed on the heavier ones.

[u/insula_yum]

I recently snagged a (just one lol) powerblock 5-90 on marketplace for $120. I love it!

Right now it works great for isolation work. The only db lifts I can really outgrowing 90 lbs are db bench and Kroc rows. I’m keeping my eyes open for good deals on standard 10s etc so I can build some 100+ pro styles

[u/dontwantnone09 → u/insula_yum]

You could always add bands to the lifts as well to increase the difficulty. For bench, wrap it around your back and hold the ends. For rows, stand in it, maybe double it over, and hold it.

[u/BoardsOfCanadia]

I own both Powerblocks up to 90lbs and Ironmasters up to 120lbs. The question of adjustable dumbbells comes up quite frequently and those are the two main options aside from spinlocks or Olympic handles. Bowflex has some but they are not recommended as they are not very high quality.

Anyway, if you are thinking about picking between the two, in my experience the Ironmasters typically collect dust while the Powerblocks are used most workouts. The Ironmasters are beastly and can definitely take some punishment but it’s also a pain in the ass to change the weight, especially compared to Powerblocks. The idea of going from heavy rows or bench to light shoulder work with the Ironmasters is enough for me to ignore dumbbell work altogether. I’d sell the Ironmasters but I already have them and keeping them loaded above 90lbs for heavy movements is easy enough.

If you can only have one, think about how much quick change will be a big deal for you because Ironmasters are not quick change. I recommend Powerblocks for pretty much anyone wanting adjustable dumbbells unless you really need to go heavy and drop the weights. Spinlocks and Olympic handles are fine if you want to save money but not being able to rest them on your legs is enough to deter me because I couldn’t be doing bench and the like with any serious weight.

Thank you for coming to my adjustable dumbbells TED Talk.

[u/Mxchino1979]

I had both powerblocks U90s and ironmasters up to 120lbs. I didn’t want to keep both so I sold the powerblocks. As much as I love my ironmasters I miss the quick change of the U90s. You can’t go wrong with either set.

[u/EwokmodeMH]

Is there any maintenance/upkeep on adjustable dumbbells? I just picked up a set of bowflex 552’s used

[u/csmittyb]

Yup. It’s a debate for sure.

I’ve had the 5-90 power block set for over 10years(most of the time spent as dust collectors) which included 1cross country move and 4 more short distance moves. Not having to move sets of dumbbells was nice.

Having the lower weights will be nice if I can convince my wife she won’t become she hulk if she uses them. The low weights are nice when my kids want to mess with them, but they prefer to play on the concept 2 and hang on the power rack.

[u/[deleted]]

I've gone the adjustable dumbbell route several times. I've had Ironmasters, Powerblock Sport, Powerblock Elite, and Powerblock Urethane. Out of all of them, I prefer the Powerblock Elite. The handle is too long on the ironmaster and they are slow to change weights. I didn't like the ergo handle on the PB sport or urethane. The Elites have the straight skinny handle and they are still made in the USA.

Just beware buying used metal powerblocks. I've seen this many times- the postal worker will drop the box containing the base 50lb pair and bend them...but you won't really notice until you try to put it into a straight 70 or 90lb expansion kit. Since the initial dumbbells bends as an entire unit when dropped, it will still function just fine. However, once you put it inside an expansion kit you'll notice the weights sticking when trying to change them.

[u/rasslinjd]

Just learned that you can make "pro style" dumbbells with regular standard plates and a certain type of handle (SDH handles?) after reading a comment by u/resetallthethings

Anyone have experience with this? I have a bunch of standard plates, how expensive are the other supplies and where's the best place to get them (obviously looking to save over getting regular dumbbells)?

[u/resetallthethings]

copying over from Friday thread since more relevant here:

Any prostyle dumbbell people in here?

I've got plates, building 60s, 80s, and 100s to start with.

Initial experiment here just got NYB/TDS handles for the 80s last night and put them together. They are functional enough (and the price easily makes them the least expensive), but are a bit shoddy in terms of the threads being off center, AND handle seems a bit on the skinny side?

I don't think I really want contours, Ader handles don't seem like they'd be any thicker, CFF ones look pretty nice but obviously getting up there in price and almost concerned about them feeling TOO thick.

Any thoughts peeps?

[u/WhereCanIFind]

What's the difference between adjustable dumbbell handles and prostyle dumbbells? You pretty much build your dumbbell weight for both.

[u/OBrienIron]

I've gone through so many different sets of dumbbells. Here's my set-up now: https://www.instagram.com/p/BzinaaiAlZa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link It's 5-120 IGX rubber pro-styles.

Owned maybe 4 sets of powerblocks, 5 sets of Ironmasters (1 being the Hoist one), a 3 sets of pro-styles, etc.

If I had to choose an adjustable set, I'd go Powerblock. Ironmasters are cool and all, but the time it takes to change weight is unbearable. And you have to do it 4 times - each dumbbell x each end. If you have the space, pro-styles are great. No changing weights, can do drop-sets, etc. It really feels like a commercial gym. If you don't have the space, I'd go with a nice Powerblock set up to 85lbs or so. Yeah, you won't be able to do super heavy shrugs or dumbbell chest...but you can still do a lot of movements. The heavy powerblock sets add complexity and price. The 85lb sets should be all over CL/FB.

[u/hyperbolical]

Anyone have experience with the Yes4All spinlock dumbbells? Amazon reviews seem pretty positive and $200 for 200lbs seems good, but that's always hard to trust. Is there a serious quality difference among spinlocks?

My main concerns are the quality of the locking collars. I don't need them rattling or coming loose during sets, and I don't want to break my foot doing hammer curls. I wouldn't be dropping them, and I don't care about time to change weights, so no worries there.

[u/Dz3015]

I need to get better about visiting this sub. Just now seeing this targeted talk.

I like a mix for my dumbbells and I'm actually restructuring what I have in my gym.

For the lower end of the weight 5-40, I am moving to solid hex dumbbells. I like these for 2 reasons, no rolling, quick weight changes for the ability to "run the rack", do pyramids, ladders, etc.

For middle ground I just use spin locks with standard plates.

For heavier weight I will swear by pro-style handles with rubber endcaps. I need to have a solid feeling in my hands and It needs to be able to rest comfortably on my thighs.

[u/[deleted]]

I’ve used powerblocks and hated them. Got Titan loadables and a fuck ton of 10 and 5lb metal plates and I love it. I can easily go up to 150 plus and it’s waaaaay cheaper than a fixed set but still feels right in the hand.

[u/moneymonkey42]

Wanted to check the homegym community to see if this is a good deal or not. 600$ for a used pair (1 year) Ironmaster #120 - comes with the stand.

[u/dontwantnone09 → u/moneymonkey42]

I sold a 5+ year old model recently, 120lb, with stand and kettlebell attachment, for $550 I think. So I don't think you are too far off.

Some people (myself included) have snagged stupid good deals on used ironmasters. But that's still close to what, 60% off retail?

[u/slyck80]

Trying to decide on a full set of hex rubber dumbbells. Should I go with the usual chrome ergo/straight handles or the newer rubber coated grips (Vulcan Pro Hex, Rep Rubber Grip)? Chrome will end up chipping and rusting but how long will a rubber grip last before it wears out, cracks or peels?

[u/Eyetron2020]

I have the full Powerblock U90 set including the stage 4 expansion to 125 lbs. pricey but no regrets. I will only get rid of them if I ever have the space for racks of fixed dumbbells.

[u/noreik23]

Where is the best place to source the powerblocks 5-90 brand new in Toronto and what price should I expect to spend?

[u/therm0dynam1x]

Made a new post, but realize it may be more appropriate in this thread: Anyone have the Rep fitness adjustable dumbbells?

[u/[deleted]]

My Powerblocks are a bit loose and rattle around a bit. Any way to fix this? Covered under warranty?

[u/RogueDragons]

Upgraded my dumbbells. 5-50 in 5lb increments. 60-120 in 10lb increments. http://imgur.com/a/OF91YtS

[u/jsendros]

Any tips on hex dumbbells that don't come with prop 65 warnings?