Dumbbells - Adjustable or 1 weight?

for that kind of lightweight stuff, I'd prefer adjustable too, but the only thing i'm using 5-15 lbs on are internal and external rotations, so I wouldn't be the one dealing with the excess bulk on the low end.

the 5-15's are fairly cheap, have you considered the adjustables for him and a set of 5-15's for you?

Cheap AND adjustable! http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-40-lb-Adjustable-Dumbbell-Set/21672511

I greatly prefer the single weight ones for low numbers to incorporate into other exercises.

When I have one way up over my head doing situps, or am on the floor in some weird position throwing it up and down I do not want to have to worry about a plate slipping off or something coming loose and smashing my head open like a watermelon.

i have the adjustables.

If you were to buy all those weights in assorted dumbells it would be much more expensive then the adjustables.

they are more then a bit akward because of the longer then typical dumbell design, but most of the time its not that much of an issue.

I thought it was cool that you got all the small weights that most men never bother with. They actually were necessary for many of the moves in p90x and there's a lot of stuff you can do with them that a lot of guys never think of.

Although they change quick, if speed of selection between exercises is key, they don't quite change fast enough. I was able to make it through most p90x dvds without pausing for weight change but not always.

I actually think thier greatest asset is space saving. If you live in an appartment or something, a full set of dumbells is going to take up a lot of space that these wont.

also has some issues with plates coming out of the docking station when they shouldn't have.

I think bowflex is doing some kind of deal with the select tech right now where they throw in a dip/pull up tower and ship it all for free. if you want the select tech its a good time to buy. thats what i have and i'm generally happy.

Cheap AND adjustable! http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-40-lb-Adjustable-Dumbbell-Set/21672511

if you're doing p90x, body beast, or any other beach body program that uses dumbells, your going to pull your hair out with these.

on the other hand, say you buy three sets of these, set up three different dumbell weights, then you'd probably have exactly what you need for a given workout and then you could just pick up the appropriate set of dumbells without haveing to adjust.

this way would probably still be much cheaper then buying three sets of single weights and much more versetile.

My husband has the adjustables and they work for him and his fitness training. However, when I try to use them for the moves I need to do, they are much too bulky and I end up hitting myself with them somehow. They are awkward to hold, but I have tiny hands.

I have the bowflex adjustables. I started out with plain old dumbbells like the ones pictured above and it was not working. I could not change out weights midworkout and then back again a couple mins later. I found a set on craigslist and have not regretted it one bit!! I love that they take up like 2 feet by 2 feet of space in my already small house.

I like the individual dumbbells better, but I have a PowerBlock adjustable set at home. Way less space than a full dumbbell set. They're a little awkward sometimes, but no so much that I can't use them.

if money and space are no object then just get a full set of single weight dumbells.

the adjustables get the job done but they are ultimately a compromise.

I agree with this statement. Having individual DBs in the 5-55lb range would mean 11 pairs of DBs and would get expensive awfully fast. Furthermore, I would get DBs that go much higher. You will surpass 55lbs for some exercises pretty quickly, especially your husband. I would get ones that go up to 90-100lbs at least. Those should at least last a while.