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Dumbbells for Dummies

duaneho
duaneho Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all! Thanks in advance for those who reply this thread!

I'm 1.79m and to cut the long story short, I started my weight-loss journey at 124kg in April and have now reached about 80kg. I did so by mainly cardio (primarily brisk walking and jogging and of late circuit training that includes squats, jumping jacks, mountain climbers etc.) and cutting carbs.

Having cut a reasonable amount of body fat, I'm thinking now would be a good time to start some weight training to burn more fat and build some muscle. Because I cannot afford a gym membership as of yet and do not have one that's near my house, do you think hand weights / dumbbells are a good investment?

They aren't the cheapest and I'm worried that I might 'outgrow' them quickly so can anyone recommend a good starting weight to purchase such that the use and effectiveness of it can be maximized? Haven't really explored weight training so any advice/input would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • deanconnors3
    deanconnors3 Posts: 22 Member
    Buy the adjustable ones, that way you can always add weight when you need to. Right now you can buy the basic 40lb sets for around 40 bucks, individual plates go for around a buck a pound. 40lb set gets you two 20lb 'bells, if that isn't enough for you then get a set of 2.5 or 5 lb plates to add to it.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    As posted on another thread, if you get DBs that you can add or remove plates, you can put up to 60kg on each DB handle. That's more than enough for most people. Bulgarian squats with 2x60kg, anyone?
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    Buy elastic bands if DBs are too expensive.
  • NeverCatchYourBreath
    NeverCatchYourBreath Posts: 197 Member
    We cannot recommend an actual weight for you as we do not know how strong you are to begin with.

    I train a guy right now who can squat 225lb, bench press 185lb but when it comes to shoulder day.... on certain exercises he has to use 8's and 10's.....

    There is no way for us to determine what you might need.

    Go buy a day pass at a gym on your day off and do some different exercises for different muscle groups and write down the weights used... This is the only way I could think you could get an IDEA of what you might need.
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    I asked the same question not long ago and was given this answer:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1096120-can-t-get-the-bike-out-what-next

    Hope it helps.
  • chani8
    chani8 Posts: 946 Member
    I think it's worth it to get a set of dumbbells. But you may very well out grow them, I mean, you kind of hope to, actually. ;)

    When my husband and I first started out our home routine, we weren't sure we were going to carry through with it, so we didn't want to buy anything. We came up with some substitutes. Maybe you could start like we did, by getting a couple of water bottles and one large jug. Do your 'dumbbell' exercises with the water bottles, and use the jug to do kettleball/core type exercises.

    I don't know how in shape you are, so maybe the bottles are just way too light for you already. But thought I'd suggest it, because maybe you can come up with something homemade on your own. Also, there are some exercises that rely on body weight, and those will build muscle if you've got any body weight.

    Push ups are a great one, and free. There are many variations to work varying muscles.
    Pick ups - picking up a heavy jug with both hands, lift it up to your chin, then put it back down almost to the ground, then back up again to your chin.
    Step ups - holding something heavy, take a big step up onto a step/stool of some kind. Be careful! Switching lead legs of course.
    Get ups - holding something heavy, get up out of a chair, up into standing (sqeeze your tush muscles as you come up), then almost sit back down, but get right back up again.
    Sledgehammer - holding a heavy thing with both hands, swing like your sledgehammering something into the ground. Bring it back up and then back down, trying not to smash the floor of course. That little bit of stopping before you hit the floor is killer!
    Curls - find something and just curl them!

    I could go on and on... But I wont.
  • GymTennis
    GymTennis Posts: 133 Member
    Oh yes.. You can do miracles with dumbbells.. Just buy the ones you can add more weight to, cause you will get stronger quickly.. Btw.. This is a great website with some cool dumbbell workouts and everything about dumbbells in general.. http://produmbbellworkouts.com/.... Just start with the beginners workouts and stay consistent.. Good luck

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