Buying some dumbbell weights are they worth it?

DvlDwnInGA

If you plan on using them they are. If not, I guess they can make good door stops, booby traps, tie offs to tie your children to keep them from running out of the yard, etc. So yeah, they can be worth it.

yoovie

get some that are a little too heavy for you, like 12.5 or 15's. Cause you grow into them super fast, but those weights are always great to keep around, long after you get used to them. I use the barbell for most things now, but keep those 12.5/15s for hammer curls and db bench and a few other accessories, as well as help with stretching my arms.

contingencyplan

Regardless of your goal, dumbbells are a worthwhile investment. If you can afford to, get adjustable ones like Powerblocks because you never really outgrow them. If you can't afford that and can only afford to get one single pair of dumbbells for the time being, use the shoulder press to be your guide. Using circuit training style workouts you can get a lot of work done with lighter weight dumbbells, and the weak link in these types of workouts is ALWAYS the shoulders. Go to your local sporting goods store and experiment with the weights until you find a pair you you can only do 6-8 reps of the standing overhead shoulder press with. When you find a pair that is heavy enough to where you can't manage more than that amount of reps with the weight for that specific exercise, take them home and start doing circuit training style workouts for the time being.

SnuggleSmacks

Having a set of dumbbells (or adjustable dumbbells) at home is well worth the expense. They are very difficult to break and they don't wear out. You will definitely want a variety of weights, or a set that adjusts with a variety of weights, because you won't be able to use the same weight for butterflies as you do for rows, for example.

Check Craigslist first. Let me repeat: Check Craigslist first. You can very often find some incredible deals on Craigslist for fitness equipment. Watch it for a couple of weeks before you try anywhere else.

If nothing seems to be going on there, check your local paper's classifieds, and also see if there's a second-hand sporting epuipment store. We have one called Play It Again Sports, and they have tons of weights much cheaper than you'd pay retail.

If you're still having no luck, try Amazon and other online stores to find the best deal. Lots of times you can find a sale with free shipping (shipping can cost a lot for a dumbbell set, considering it might be 40 or 50 lbs for the set).

BlueBombers

I have the PowerBlocks and they are freaking awesome.

sofaking6

I think so. I have 5, 8 and 12 lb dumbbells, got them *barely* used from Craigslist and I get tons of use out of them. The light ones are great for changing up low-impact cardio to boost the heart rate (ie shadowbox with them), so don't count them out.