Need to buy dumbbells

christianteach

Trying to get back into lifting, something I’ve never stuck to for any period of time…more on and off and never building up any strength. So my husband, 60 and hasn’t lifted since he played football in high school, and myself 58, decided to make a small garage gym. We’re just starting with dumbells, a rebounder (which is supposed to be good for his cancer treatment) and a sauna (also good for his cancer). Our neighborhood clubhouse has a few things as well. My question is, which dumbbells should we buy? I’m looking at the Amazon Basics rubber hex dumbbells. Would these be sufficient for us?

nossmf

Are you limited in budget? Are you limited in space available?

Adjustable DB's cut down on space required, but are generally more expensive than regular DB's. If you're just getting started and aim to be more casual in lifting than dedicated bodybuilding, sticking with lighter-weight DB's will probably be ok.

Look on Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace, or at garage sales for the weights other people are trying to offload. You can usually get them for a fraction of the price that way.

As for brands, I'll leave others to comment.

christianteach

We already bought a vertical DB rack. I’ve tried the other kind before and didn’t like them. We had a great gym at our last house, but when we downsized a few years ago we sold everything. We have plenty of room for DB’s. We’ve been looking in FB Marketplace without any luck so far.

age_is_just_a_number

Depends on how heavy you think you’ll be able to lift.

I like Costco for equipment. I bought a set there from 10 to 30 lbs and it included the rack. I then needed heavier, so bought Bowflex Selecttech adjustable. The adjustable definitely save on space, but they are more expensive. I bought a pair. So, if you are exercising at the same time as your husband, then only one of you would be able to use them at a time.

I also have resistance bands. These are good, but you don't really know how much you are lifting. They are much less expensive than dumbbells.

Retroguy2000

I'll cut and paste from a previous response I gave to someone else:

Most expensive and most convenient:

Fixed db's. Say you have a pair of 20's and a pair of 10's now. Fine. Then you progress, you realize you can do more for back and squats, and Romanian deadlift, so you want a pair of 30's. OK. Now it's getting expensive, and 2/3rds of that cost is essentially paying again the cost of the 20's you already own. Then next year you need a pair of 40's. Rinse repeat. Unless you plan to compromise on your exercise selection and progression methods, you'll need a lot of money and space for this.

Not as expensive, compact, convenient:

Pair of adjustable db's. Be sure they can go quite a bit heavier than you currently need, to factor in future progression. Check garagegymreviews on YT for reviews of most of them. You might be able to get a great deal second hand via Facebook etc.

Least expensive and least convenient:

Loadable db sleeves. Buy weight plates separately, e.g. a pair of sleeves with 2" sleeves then buy standard 2" plates in increments of 2.5, 5, 10. Buy a couple pairs of good quality collars. The downside is, these are slow to change weight. If you're between exercises, no big deal, you're resting between sets anyway. If you want to do super-sets or drop-sets, much less convenient. The upside is, if you need another 5 pounds on each db, just buy four 2.5 pound plates for about $20 total. And, if you get a barbell, you can use all the plates on that too. If you get fixed db's or an adjustable db, then also a barbell, you'll need to buy all the plates you need for the barbell.

A bench is also hugely helpful. FID preferably, which gives you more angles for shoulder press, chest supported row, preacher curl, incline press, lying hamstring curl, back extension, etc.

christianteach

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48689633#Comment_48689633

We want to start with 5-40 lbs. we can always buy heavier weights later if needed. Current plan is to start there and add reps for progressive overload. I may never need more than 40’s and our clubhouse does have some type of weight machine thing we could use, if needed. We don’t want the Costco set because it included the rack and we already bought a rack we liked. I’ve had the adjustable weights before and found them too clunky and never used them. We are buying resistance bands as well and our rack has an attachment to use with them.

christianteach

We’re aware traditional dumbbells are more expensive but we’re ok with that. We’re going to start with 5-40, which should be more than enough for me. If my husband outgrows them we can always buy heavier ones as needed. Down the road we plan to buy a barbell, but not needed at this point since we will both be in the beginner stage. The rack we bought has a landmine attachment we will eventually add.

We do plan to buy an adjustable bench. Something that is easy for me to move up and down.

jillybeansalad

I would also look into getting one of those racks to store your dumbbells. They can start piling up and become scattered. Also, not having to bend over for each is a plus sometimes.

I have an adjustable bench from 2004. I'd try to purchase one you can see and feel. Try to find something sturdy with few (if any) plastic parts. You can also get ones that have attachments for hamstrings or other routines.