What dumbbells to buy?

Hi, I ordered some gymnastic rings and a couple of resistance bands which will be delivered on 27th. I have been meaning to buy a pair of dumbbells each month too. What weight should be my first two pairs?

I have never strength trained. I am a 110 lbs, 30 year old petite woman who have recently learned to do push ups and crow and crane stand, eating 1200-1400 calories on average, trying to lose fat, build muscle and get stronger in the process. (if any of this information helps).
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Replies

  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    Gymnastic rings? I am impressed!
    What plan do you want to follow with the equipment you are getting? Having a plan on what you will do with the dumbbells, and knowing of course how much weight you can lift in different exercises, will help guide you.
  • threeyears2024
    threeyears2024 Posts: 52 Member
    LKArgh wrote: »
    Gymnastic rings? I am impressed!
    What plan do you want to follow with the equipment you are getting? Having a plan on what you will do with the dumbbells, and knowing of course how much weight you can lift in different exercises, will help guide you.

    1. Chest press
    2. Lat pull overs
    3. Tricep extensions
    4. Upright rows
    5. Shoulder presses
    6. Bicep curls
    7. Side to front lat complex
    8. Plank to single arm row

    I am trying to build my upperbody.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,971 Member
    Hi, I ordered some gymnastic rings and a couple of resistance bands which will be delivered on 27th. I have been meaning to buy a pair of dumbbells each month too. What weight should be my first two pairs?

    I have never strength trained. I am a 110 lbs, 30 year old petite woman who have recently learned to do push ups . . .

    IMO, and good starting pair of dumbbells for you would be 5# but instead of buying a pair every month it might be simpler (as well as a space saver) if you buy a pair of adjustable 25# dumbbells instead.

    The base weight is 5# w/o attaching any plates and goes up in 5# increments (using a 2.5# plate on each end) up from there but, if you need an in between wt, like 7.5 or 12.5, you can easily drop 1 of the 2.5# plates in each dumbbell.

    Thev only other dumbbells you would have to buy is a 2 or 3 if 5# is initally too heavy for you to do certain lifts and if/when 25# eventually becomes too easy for you, you can then buy an adjustable pair of 50#ers

    Good luck!


  • bdelaney33
    bdelaney33 Posts: 150 Member
    I just bought the Bowflex SelectTech 552 (new, but a good sale price) - they are quite good!
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member
    Another vote for adjustable dumbbells. I bought a set of the aforementioned Bowflex Selecttech 552s in late 2011 and they're still a key piece of my home gym today, even with heavy use. 2.5lb increments in the 5-25lb range help with managing progression. The handles are longer than your average dumbbells but wouldn't impact any of the exercises you listed above.
  • Covidcantstopme
    Covidcantstopme Posts: 9 Member
    Adjustable for sure. I have bloks adjustable up 100lb. There awesome. But good luck finding any dumbells right now 😬
  • Mithridites
    Mithridites Posts: 595 Member
    What you can get. For months now, I’ve been trying to find dumbbells, but they're out of them in regular stores and elsewhere the prices are ridiculous.
  • AgnesFerniot
    AgnesFerniot Posts: 62 Member
    Hi ! This is a fitness topic dear to my 💜 heart !
    I would recommend
    one pair of 3 # dumbbells,
    one pair of 5 # dumbbells , and
    one pair of 10 # dumbbells.
    The heavier ones are to train the bigger muscles: legs , back, chest , and arms . Smaller ones for smaller muscles such as shoulder lateral raises so for the more inner smaller muscles.

    Have a lovely 😊 day ,
    AF
    ( dare I say it? Master of Public Health ) 😊
  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
    You can usually find a decent deal on used adjustables on Facebook marketplace. I have a pair of adjustable power blocks that go up to 90lbs (my husband and I share them as I will probably never have a use for them at their top weight). Easy to adjust and a nice space saver.
  • slade51
    slade51 Posts: 180 Member
    What you can get. For months now, I’ve been trying to find dumbbells, but they're out of them in regular stores and elsewhere the prices are ridiculous.
    I would recommend
    one pair of 3 # dumbbells,
    one pair of 5 # dumbbells , and
    one pair of 10 # dumbbells.
    The heavier ones are to train the bigger muscles: legs , back, chest , and arms . Smaller ones for smaller muscles such as shoulder lateral raises so for the more inner smaller muscles.


    For a 110 lb woman, I agree with Agnes - my wife uses colorful 3# and 5# weights, I have a 40# adjustable pair (Power blocks are way too expensive for me), which I use for 10, 15 and 20 lb exercises. It’s more convenient to have separate pairs rather than adjust them in the middle of a workout, but these days get what you can. $1 - $1.25 per lb is reasonable in normal times.
  • tomhancock
    tomhancock Posts: 100 Member
    I like the bowflex selecttech 552 dumbbells - look for a deal or buy them used.
  • threeyears2024
    threeyears2024 Posts: 52 Member
    LKArgh wrote: »
    Gymnastic rings? I am impressed!
    What plan do you want to follow with the equipment you are getting? Having a plan on what you will do with the dumbbells, and knowing of course how much weight you can lift in different exercises, will help guide you.

    Oh I totally missed your point there. With the gymnastic rings, I kind of want to learn dips, inverted rows, pull ups, l-sit. I am initially going to follow the reddit recommended routine and then Fitness Faq has some good calisthenics routine.


    @sgt1372 @pondee629 @bdelaney33 @steveko89 @Covidcantstopme @slunburg I am going to look into adjustable dumbbells. Since they start from 5 pound, I was thinking I probably am not that strong on shoulder.

    @Mithridites I know, its sad. Scouring through internet gave me a few output though.

    @AgnesFerniot @slade51 I think I will get the pink ones for the starters and may be upgrade to adjustable ones later.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Another option (especially as a beginner) is to eliminate the accessory lifts, sticking to the basic few compound lifts... in which case, don't bother ordering the barbie weights. The lowest weight required then would be overhead press, and 10 lb each will most likely be low enough for at least a few reps starting out. (Beginner ladies - which was once me- often need to start with the empty junior barbell for these, which are normally 25ish pounds).
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    edited July 2020
    [quote="threeyears2024;

    @sgt1372 @pondee629 @bdelaney33 @steveko89 @Covidcantstopme @slunburg I am going to look into adjustable dumbbells. Since they start from 5 pound, I was thinking I probably am not that strong on shoulder.

    Truth be told, the PowerBloclks I have have 2.5# inserts to make then very adjustable. you can just use one insert in each hand and start at 2.5# Early going would be 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10.


  • threeyears2024
    threeyears2024 Posts: 52 Member
    ritzvin wrote: »
    Another option (especially as a beginner) is to eliminate the accessory lifts, sticking to the basic few compound lifts... in which case, don't bother ordering the barbie weights. The lowest weight required then would be overhead press, and 10 lb each will most likely be low enough for at least a few reps starting out. (Beginner ladies - which was once me- often need to start with the empty junior barbell for these, which are normally 25ish pounds).

    I know what you mean but I am going to do the reddit recommended routine as the compound full body workout and since I have an aesthetic goal of getting a wider shoulder, prominent deltoid, I am going to focus on the accessory movements in a hypertrophy kind of style.
  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
    ritzvin wrote: »
    Another option (especially as a beginner) is to eliminate the accessory lifts, sticking to the basic few compound lifts... in which case, don't bother ordering the barbie weights. The lowest weight required then would be overhead press, and 10 lb each will most likely be low enough for at least a few reps starting out. (Beginner ladies - which was once me- often need to start with the empty junior barbell for these, which are normally 25ish pounds).

    I primarily do compound exercises (4 days upper/lower split).

    Upper days are:

    Flat bench
    Lat pulldown
    Incline bench
    Row
    Flies (even though they aren’t so much compound, I just like flies)

    Lower day

    Deadlift or leg press
    Crunches
    Squats (body squats because my legs are pathetically weak and I’m fat)
    Incline sit ups
    Seated leg curls

    OP, each person has different goals, but I do think overall your goals would be easier to achieve if you added in more of the compound exercises. They will target both large and small muscle groups.
  • mca90guitar
    mca90guitar Posts: 290 Member
    Happy with my power block elites
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    If you were thinking the adjustable style, I would just search out "used standard weights" on several playforms. You could possibly find a the dumbbell/clips included or just buy the dumbbell new.

    If you were thinking "fixed dumbbell, I would first either try a friends or go to a gym and ask for a free one day pass(standard). Then train your program for one day. You might find you like the idea of gym and if not, then you have a better understanding of what you need for your program including your current strength for the exercise selection you plan to use.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Depending on how much longer it's going to be before the gyms re-open, I need to invest i some dumbbells myself. I did full body, basic workout 2-3x per week (varied with running/cycling schedule to adjust for fatigue)..
    in & out in 30 minutes - 2 supersets of 3 sets each (alternating each session):
    • Squats/bench then bent-over-rows//sit-ups/back-extensions/bicep-curls (1 set only each on the latter 3)
    • Deadlift/pull-ups or lat-pull-down then OHP//"/"/tricep pushdowns
    A huge effect on both strength and appearance for what was pretty minimal time per week within a few months.
    Assisted pull-ups and push-ups have not been agreeing with the technically-still-broken collarbone which had been fine with the barbells at the gym if I carefully selected the weight.