Micro-weight hack for hex dumbbells
cmeiron
Posts: 1,599 Member
So we all know that one of the limitations of training with dumbbells is that once you get above 15 lbs or so, the weight increments are pretty much set at 5lbs unless you've got an adjustable set (which cost a pretty penny - unaffordable if you're me).
These 5 lb increments can eventually become unmanageable for some lifts - I just got stuck trying to jump from 20 to 25 lbs for dumbbell curls; sure, I can knock out a couple at 25, but not the 8-12 required by my current program, and not with good form. I could probably manage 22 or 23 lbs though.
So what's a broke dumbbell user to do?
You could start by searching online, and discovering that there is a product on the market designed for this problem. For a mere $56.95 US, you can buy a set of 9 1/2 lb magnetic weights to stick on your hex dumbbells. Sounds great. Oh wait. No, you need two sets (one for each dumbbell). Ok, well, you can get 18 of them for about $90+tax. That's...ok...I guess. Oh, but if you live outside the US? Yeah, that'll be an extra $50 for international shipping. Uh, no thanks.
Here's what I came up with:
First you go to your local metal dealer and ask them for 18 small pieces of heavy steel, at 0.5 lbs each. These are about 3" long and about 0.48 lbs. Close enough. This custom order cost me $35 CAN.
Then you go to your local hardware store and get yourself 36 tiny but mighty rare earth magnets. These suckers are about 3/10" across, but they each can hold 5lbs of weight. These cost me $17 CAN
Stick one mighty magnet on each end of your steel bars - this will keep them from spinning.
Then stick however many of those bad boys you need on the ends of your dumbbells, and get massive gainz.
This hack cost me a total of $52. Winning.
(Note: this will NOT work if your dumbbells are rubber coated. I know, because mine were. A mere hour ago I traded a few of my rubber-coated pairs for these plain metal ones. Not pretty, but functional, which is what matters.)
These 5 lb increments can eventually become unmanageable for some lifts - I just got stuck trying to jump from 20 to 25 lbs for dumbbell curls; sure, I can knock out a couple at 25, but not the 8-12 required by my current program, and not with good form. I could probably manage 22 or 23 lbs though.
So what's a broke dumbbell user to do?
You could start by searching online, and discovering that there is a product on the market designed for this problem. For a mere $56.95 US, you can buy a set of 9 1/2 lb magnetic weights to stick on your hex dumbbells. Sounds great. Oh wait. No, you need two sets (one for each dumbbell). Ok, well, you can get 18 of them for about $90+tax. That's...ok...I guess. Oh, but if you live outside the US? Yeah, that'll be an extra $50 for international shipping. Uh, no thanks.
Here's what I came up with:
First you go to your local metal dealer and ask them for 18 small pieces of heavy steel, at 0.5 lbs each. These are about 3" long and about 0.48 lbs. Close enough. This custom order cost me $35 CAN.
Then you go to your local hardware store and get yourself 36 tiny but mighty rare earth magnets. These suckers are about 3/10" across, but they each can hold 5lbs of weight. These cost me $17 CAN
Stick one mighty magnet on each end of your steel bars - this will keep them from spinning.
Then stick however many of those bad boys you need on the ends of your dumbbells, and get massive gainz.
This hack cost me a total of $52. Winning.
(Note: this will NOT work if your dumbbells are rubber coated. I know, because mine were. A mere hour ago I traded a few of my rubber-coated pairs for these plain metal ones. Not pretty, but functional, which is what matters.)
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Replies
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genius. and you are officially my favorite person on mfp!0
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Wonderful that you managed to get it to work!0
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Tagging0
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So clever; just the way I like my MFPeeps :flowerforyou:0
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This beats the hell out of taping a dumbbell to a barbell.0 -
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This beats the hell out of taping a dumbbell to a barbell.
snort. teehee0 -
Pretty creative. I have to admit, my hack wouldn't have been quite as neat
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This beats the hell out of taping a dumbbell to a barbell.
My version of fractionals on a BB:
I knew those 1lb DBs would come in use sometime0 -
Not for nothing, but increasing just a few reps is a good way to micro load too. You say you want to do 8-12 reps of an exercise but you can't do that at 25lbs for example. So work your way up to 15 reps at 20lbs, then once you can do that, shoot for 8 at 25. Or if you're doing a 5 rep program (common), shoot for 6 reps. Then the next time, do 5 reps with 5lbs more. That extra rep is sorta a half step up in difficulty.
*shrug* works for me
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Tagging
This beats the hell out of taping a dumbbell to a barbell.
My version of fractionals on a BB:
I knew those 1lb DBs would come in use sometime
To be fair, duct tape was the first thing my brain turned to when this originally didn't work with my coated dumbbells 0 -
Not for nothing, but increasing just a few reps is a good way to micro load too. You say you want to do 8-12 reps of an exercise but you can't do that at 25lbs for example. So work your way up to 15 reps at 20lbs, then once you can do that, shoot for 8 at 25. Or if you're doing a 5 rep program (common), shoot for 6 reps. Then the next time, do 5 reps with 5lbs more. That extra rep is sorta a half step up in difficulty.
*shrug* works for me
My program has me progressing from 8 to 12 reps over five weeks (one more rep each week)...not sure this would work in my context, but it's a good idea otherwise!0
