Buying some dumbbell weights are they worth it?

Claire8614
Claire8614 Posts: 157 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have roughly another two stone to lose but have lost nearly 2.5 stone in the last 20 months, a lot of people on my fitness pal said i should get some weights, what do you think?

Replies

  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    I have an adjustable set that I find very useful even though I like to hit the weight room in the gym, too.

    Dumbbell workouts can be great.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Weight/strength training is never a bad thing, but ultimately your goals should determine what you do, and your budget should determine what you buy. So I guess we need some more info to make any meaningful suggestions.

    Taking things at face value...
    Yes, they are worth it. Most people should start with dumbbells that are twice as heavy as they think they can/should lift.
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
    I love my dumbbells! You will need to either get adjustable weights or be prepared to buy a bunch of different weights over time because you will progress. Jacksonpt is right about people underestimating how much they can lift. Try not to do that because it's a waste of money/time.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I will third (or fourth?) the "yes" to dumbbells. I started with a set of handles and about 100# of plates for them. That way I could increase the weight as I went along. I highly recommend handles/plates or the powerblock adjustable kind for that reason. If you think you might move on to using a barbell at some point, you may lean toward the handles/plates so that you can use the plates on it too.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Whether they are worth it or not is highly dependent on your fitness goals as well as how you intend to use them...just willy nilly lifting some dumbbells isn't going to do you a whole lot of good...dumbbell exercises utilized in a smart, progressive lifting program can be very beneficial.

    Dumbbells are just a tool...one of many that I utilize for resistance work. You should be doing resistance work...but you should also find/establish an actual program. If all you can do is dumbbells at home I would look into routines that utilize those as well as bands and body weight for home lifting...but proper programming is pretty important to net benefits.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Yes if you use them properly. They are very versatile and you cna do a lot of exercises with them. Adjustable as they said above.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    You dont need to do strength training to lose weight....
  • browndog1410
    browndog1410 Posts: 28
    Dumb bells are great and very versatile. Contrary to popular belief a moderate weighted set can be increasingly challenging if you use rubber resistance bands. I use 50 pound sets for db bench press now but the bands substantially add to the resistance.
  • sentaruu
    sentaruu Posts: 2,206 Member
    IMO they are worth it. You can give yourself a nice little workout with some dumb bells and a few feet of floor space.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    ones that you can adjust the weight can be worth it

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  • Butrovich
    Butrovich Posts: 410 Member
    I have a set of Bowflex adjustable dumbbells and absolutely love them.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    It depends... Are you talking about a set of weights, increments of 5lbs, from 5-50+lbs? Then yes. If you are talking about a set of weights, 1lb, 3lb, 5lb - no.
  • Darkhawk1969
    Darkhawk1969 Posts: 1,419 Member
    I prefer Kettlebells over Dumbbells :)
  • fitfabforties
    fitfabforties Posts: 370 Member
    I have the Bowflex Select Techs.....I love them because I can adjust the weight for upper body or lower body exercises......I can't afford the gym and I live in a small apartment so I don't have room for lots of stuff.....these are awesome....
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    eldamiano wrote: »
    You dont need to do strength training to lose weight....

    No you don't, but it will help you attain the look you want. Usually just losing weight isn't the only goal.

  • justcat206
    justcat206 Posts: 716 Member
    I love my dumbbells and got some great workouts in with them before I had a gym membership. I prefer the single-weight dumbbells over the adjustable simply because they fit my hands better, but they are more expensive to collect (and take up more room - I have a whole row in my living room). I have everything from 10 lb dumbbells (that I use for things like lateral raises) to 30 lbs (for rows and deadlifts). They're great for following along with fitness dvds, or just google "dumbbell routines" to find some good workouts :)
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
    edited October 2014
    Dumbbells are worth it if you use them. I have a 3 level rack with dumbbells ranging from 5 to 60 lbs in 5 lb increments. I bought them over time. If I had it to do over again, I'd go with something like the Bowflex adjustable dumbbells which wouldn't have been that much more expensive but would have saved a lot of space.

    Another option is to start with bodyweight exercises. You can do those without any weights at all, or add weights just for specific exercises like curls and overhead presses. Or you can add different kinds of weights. I use a 40 lb weighted vest to add resistance to pushups and other exercises. I also use a basic backpack with three 10 lb plates. It's a lot quicker to adjust weights in the backpack than with the weighted vest, although the weighted vest is more comfortable to wear.

    Resistance bands are yet another option. You can use them in place of dumbbells for certain exercises, or you can use them to add an assist for things like pullups and dips.

    Any approach is good if you stick with it, and if you do, they are all worth the money.
  • wildeyezz
    wildeyezz Posts: 84 Member
    The key is to use them regularily...then they are worth it.

    If you want to test yourself to stick with a routine, first commit to doing some excercises like push-ups, chair dips, plank etc.

    Personally, I don't buy equipment because it collects dust in my house. But my gym membership gets used alot and it gives me access to alot more equipment.
  • wildeyezz
    wildeyezz Posts: 84 Member
    ...and weight training won't help you to lose weight...but it will help you to become leaner.
    I do cardio and strength training everyother day.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    I have some Bowflex 1090's (I hear the PowerBlocks are better but I found a good deal on these) and I like them a lot. That said, adjustable dumb bells of this short have a few disadvantages, namely they're much more fragile than traditional dumb bells. They're also generally more bulky than a traditional dumb bell.

    That said, my home gym setup didn't really come into its own until I picked up a power rack and barbell setup. I could workout with the dumb bells alone, but I found myself still going to the gym for certain workouts. These days I can pretty much do everything at home, although I still go to the gym on occasion for indoor cardio and to mix things up.

    But, are dumb bells worth it for you? You have to figure out what your goals are and how dumb bells fit into that. Also look at how much space you have, how quickly you anticipate progressing in weight, what other equipment you'll want (probably a bench at minimum) and so on.
  • DvlDwnInGA
    DvlDwnInGA Posts: 369 Member
    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
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    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
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    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
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    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
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I have the PowerBlocks and they are freaking awesome.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    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.

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