Thinking about getting a decent dumbbell set

[explody pup]

But I have no idea what to look for.

I'm kind of strapped for money so I can't get one of the fancy $200+ sets.

Spartan Sports makes a 40lb set (http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1201688&cp=&origkw=dumbbell+chrome&kw=dumbbell+chrome&parentPage=search) for about $30. I'm wondering how fast I'd outgrow something like this. Either way, it probably would be a good starter kit but I'd still like some opinions on it.

Does anyone here who is/was in my situation have any other suggestions?

[samundsen]

I recently bought a set of regular dumbbells used from Play It Again Sports for about $100 total. I got 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35lbs weights (I do need to get a pair of 40lbs as well soon). I did consider some of those adjustable sets (like PowerBlock), but decided the premium price wasn't worth the space savings.

The set you link to seems nice, but you would constantly have to add or remove weight plates. That's gotta be a real PITA, especially if you do down-the-rack type exercises (ie. I do curls, 8 reps with 25lbs, then 8 reps with 20lbs and 8 reps with 15lbs, no rest in between), or supersets where you need different weights. To me, just regular old fashioned dumbbells seemed to be the most practical.

[finnegan]

How well this would suit your needs depends on what results you want - if you're just looking to tone up and this is two short bars with weights, that might be enough - but that's only upper body (and really, mostly arms) - once you get into trying to do legs and single-bar stuff (curls/presses/etc.) there's no way you're getting out of it with 40lbs or under $100 new - but look used. There are a lot of failed new year's resolution weight kits out there for sale - here in the northeast we have "Uncle Henry's" and the "Want Ads" but I'm sure there's something near you (local craig's list?) (and "local" is key - you don't want to incur shipping charges on weights) - but definitely look used -there's not a lot of wear and tear on weight kits. And if you can ripple for it then, get a good bench with a versatile kit.

[explody pup]

Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't even think about used (I usually glaze over the obvious). There's a used shop down the street I'm going to check out over lunch.

[Revtor]

youll find that you only really need two or three different weights, so it might pay to get two sets of the adjustable bells and buy some extra plates to get the weights you need. also, many exercises youll probably be using only one bell at a time, so you can load up diff weights on each bell and not spend alot of time adjusting things. once you buy these extra plates, you might also think about buying a 5foot bar for light squats/lunges, curls, other things...

theres also home depot where you can buy lengths of black pipe and make nice enough dumbells..

check craigslist and local papers, people are always getting rid of the rusty heavy plates (gold for others)



~Steve

[kuan]

As a cyclist who weights 150# for example, you could potentially push up to 50# each on an incline dumbell press, or up to 60# on a one arm row. That's working the large muscle groups.

For smaller muscle groups, up to 25# would work for things like curls, lateral raises, or flys.

That's pretty much as heavy as you would want to go if you're looking to maintain cycling performance without putting on too much bulk.

[cal_gundert05]

I just don't like the idea of weight training because you just keep increasing the weight, building tremendous (but often useless) muscle mass.

As a recreational rock climber, I prefer bodyweight exercises. These exercises don't use weights, and reputedly increase your power to weight ratio instead of building muscle and the consequent weight. I'm no scientist, but it seems that it's hard to get overly-bulky with bodyweight exercises; you build muscle until the point of diminishing returns (where more muscle is a hindrance).

Here's a good website for fitness:
http://dragondoor.com/
and one for bodyweight exercises in particular:
http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode2/Workouts

[maximusvt]

Two dumbells with removable discs works great for me- got em for like $35 at wallmart, I lift for up to an hour after a ride a few times a week, going for lotsa reps rather than weight. My goal isn't to bulk up and I don't get HUGE, but I look alright down on the beach and it keeps the muscles tuned. Keeping your muscles strong is different than keeping them big. If you let yourself go and your muscles get weak, it's much easier to pull a muscle or get an injury when you're not even doing anything strenuous.

[Roody]

If money's an issue, buy the dumbbells two at a time from a sporting goods store. They usually price them by the pound, like 79 cents per pound. Find the heaviest one you can curl and buy one in that size, not two. Also find the heaviest one you can press and buy one of those. (Most likely, if you've never lifted weights and you're male, you'll need a 20 pounder for curls and a 30 pounder for presses. Hold both of them to make 50 pounds for squats and deadlifts.) If you're buying the right size, it'll be real hard to carry them out of the store.

In a couple weeks, as soon as you're stronger and you have the money, buy one 35 pounder and one 25. Next time after that, buy the 40 and the 45. You'll probably want up to 50 or 60 pounds or so just for general fitness.

The main point is--if you don't have much money--only buy one dumbbell in each weight class. You will have to exercise just one side of your body at a time, so it will take you a little longer. But since you want to rest between sets anyway, it won't really make that much difference. When you get richer, you can double your weight set. Of course, by that time you might want to buy a barbell and a bench instead.

[LastPlace]

Have you considered buying a swiss ball and a subscription to Men's Health? To it's credit it has a wealth of fitness, and diet information. Probably the best $10/year I have ever spent.

If you are set on dumbells I would check out the local papers and or 'traders'. In this case 'used' will be more than adequate.