What dumbbells to buy?
threeyears2024
Posts: 52 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 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).
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
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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.2 -
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.0 -
threeyears2024 wrote: »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!
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I like the PowerBlock adjustable dumbbells. They come in several ranges and can be added to as you progress. (or not)5
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I just bought the Bowflex SelectTech 552 (new, but a good sale price) - they are quite good!0
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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.3
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Adjustable for sure. I have bloks adjustable up 100lb. There awesome. But good luck finding any dumbells right now 😬0
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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.0
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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 ) 😊0 -
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.0
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Mithridites wrote: »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 wrote: »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.
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I like the bowflex selecttech 552 dumbbells - look for a deal or buy them used.1
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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.2 -
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).2
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[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.
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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.0 -
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.1 -
Happy with my power block elites2
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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.1 -
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.0 -
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.
Normally, I'd suggest that too, but figured gyms probably hadn't re-opened in the OP's area yet (or, if they are, that the OP might not be comfortable with it at the current time).0 -
I get one day passes at gyms to try out different commercial equipment. Especially with so many gyms closing and selling off their machines, I want to see if there’s any new pieces I wish to add to my home gym on the cheap 😜0
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Kettlebells2
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I think I am joining a gym. I actually went today and liked it there. It wasn't that intimidating as I thought. But thank you guys for all your advice. I really appreciate it.0
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IMO joining a gym is your best option. Depending on their monthly dues, you really can't beat the quality and variety of equipment available for the cost. This was my decision when looking for a cardio machine to use when it was either too hot or too icy to run outdoors. $21 a month for RetroFitness or $3,000+ for a good elliptical (for which it would take 142 months [12 YEARS] to break even. Plus you get everything the gym offers. They open now?1
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IMO joining a gym is your best option. Depending on their monthly dues, you really can't beat the quality and variety of equipment available for the cost. This was my decision when looking for a cardio machine to use when it was either too hot or too icy to run outdoors. $21 a month for RetroFitness or $3,000+ for a good elliptical (for which it would take 142 months [12 YEARS] to break even. Plus you get everything the gym offers. They open now?
Yes. Dwell gym, Toronto. I got one for $330 (Canadian dollar) for six months. The adjustable dumbbells were around $2500 -
I spent over 1.5 years building my home gym by shopping around on places like let go and fb marketplace. My home gym is almost 100% used commercial equipment and I did it for about $7-8k. It took a lot of dedication and patience though to wait for the right prices. I would still love to find a great deal on a used concept 2 rower, but until then, I have plenty of other stuff to use. 🤗
I live in the middle of nowhere and despise the commute to the gym, so the home gym was the way to go for me.2 -
threeyears2024 wrote: »I think I am joining a gym. I actually went today and liked it there. It wasn't that intimidating as I thought. But thank you guys for all your advice. I really appreciate it.
Good to hear 👍.1 -
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.
This is a really good idea. Or, if anyone you know has dumbbells (and the coronavirus situation near you, and your sensibilities about it, allow), borrow some to try or try a workout at the friend's house. Others speculating about your current strength level are . . . speculating.
I won't.
To be more pointed: Some of the recommendations, IMO, may be low-ish. Possible you're there, at the start, and no negative judgement if that's so. But it's equally possible that the low end of the range suggested is underestimating you, for the exercises you say you want to do. Some experimentation would sort that out.
I also second the idea of checking out what if anything you can get locally, used, which could save you some cash. You can always fall back to buying new if nothing's available.
The rest of this may be simplistic and naive, because I'm really not a tuned-in lifter (dislike it, do some anyway).
I have mostly fixed dumbells, and wish I'd gotten adjustable. The adjustable are expensive up front, but if you use fixed-weight ones, you'll be buying more, and more. And then, after a while, there's the question of storing the fixed ones at home. I have a nice sturdy rack, but that's another expense, and it takes up a good bit of space.
It's true that if you go with adjustable, you'll have to mess with switching them between exercises. If you get plates/bars/clips, you could get multiples (long run, that would still be cheaper, and smaller storage, than lots of fixed weight, I think). I've only used the Powerblock or similar things at hotel gyms, so I don't have a strong impression about how annoying they'd be for switching, or not, once I got used to them.
FWIW, noodling around with the fixed-weight ones over a long period of time, I've ended up getting quite a granular range in the lower weight (5 to 10, or 10 to 15, seemed too big a jump, for me, for some things, for example, even when messing with reps/sets to work my volume up . . . but maybe that's just me). It didn't seem to be as big an issue, as I got heavier, for whatever reason.0 -
Try this dumbbell guide Might help you out
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