ExamineHealth

As a part of my P90X program I decided to go out and get some adjustable dumbbells.  In the program there is a need to have access to a variety of different sized dumbbells.  Due to the space of my workout area, which consists of the back of my living room essentially, I don't have room for racks and racks of dumbbells.  Beyond that, sets of dumbbells are expensive.  I started out using bands, which are great for their portability and easy adjustments.  However, they lack the same solid feeling of lifting actual weight.  The bands tend to give me a rubbery lift, and the resistance changes from the bottom of the movement to the top of the movement.  This uneven resistance started bothering me after a while.  So it seemed like these new adjustable dumbbells would be the perfect addition to my equipment.

The first thing I discovered when I began looking into this solution, was that these things aren't cheap either!  With such a high price tag, I actually started looking for alternatives.  I re-examined different types of bands, I experimented with buying just a couple of one-piece dumbbells of different weights and I looked at the old-school plate dumbbells that you actually screw on to keep in place.  What I found out was that the adjustable dumbbells were really the only way that I could get the functionality that I wanted.  And when you looked across the various options that there were for that type of product, the prices were fairly even.  So it was really down to which one worked better and which one did I want.

The major players are the Bowflex and the Powerblock.  They are both heavily marketed and seem to be decent competitors.  The Powerblock set is generally considered to be the best, but is a bit more expensive than the rest of the field, also they seem like they would be awkward with their square shape.  I haven't actually tried these out, but decided against them due to these points and the switching mechanism with the pins didn't seem like it would be much fun after a while.  I did play with the Bowflex SelectTech in the store.  These are nice in that they're dial-operated, which seems pretty easy to work.  They are really bulky however, which all of them are, but these especially.  Additionally, I've heard reports that the locking mechanism in these weights are plastic and can break with constant use.  Although, I understand that they've corrected this last issue in their 2009 version which I haven't had a chance to play with yet.

I ended up going with the Gold's Gym branded set.  They're not very common and kind of tricky to find, and I've also seen them branded with a different company for the same piece of equipment.  I got mine at Sports Authority on sale and they were a great deal, significantly cheaper than the competition and they work really well.  They utilize all metal plates and a sliding adjustment for each side of the weight.  You can set them from anywhere from 10lbs to 50lbs in 5lb increments.  The set comes with a stand, which increases it's economic value even more, since the rest of your options sell the stand separately.  They come on and off of the stand really easily, although it helps to lift them with a sharp motion to reduce any sort of sticking from the plates.  The adjustment levers themselves worked good, although they do occasionally get a little bit sticky.  This can be overcome with a little jiggling or with a strategic application of WD-40.  It was my experience that any and all sticking that the plates or adjustment mechanism occurred when the set was still fresh.  After a few weeks of using them regularly they broke in and now work as smooth as I could ask for.

The units themselves are very solid and sturdy.  They seem like they wouldn't be, but you can set them on the ground, or set them on their ends, moving them around to get them in position as necessary.  The only time I ever have a problem with them is when putting two weights together such as in overhead triceps extensions.  The grips on them are very good and easy to hold.  Over all these weights have surpassed all of my expectations and have taken my workouts to a new level.  The ability to use the right weight for each exercise is paramount to an effective exercise program.

More than anything, I highly recommend adjustable dumbbells if you are exercising at home, or going through P90X.  They are a great way to get your weight training in without using up a lot of space in your environment.  I'm very happy with the particular set that I ended up going with, but there are enough different flavors that it's worth doing a bit of your own research as well. 

 

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