I hope you find value in this Bowflex Selecttech Dumbbell review. I have always been the type of person that would rather get my workout in at home than go to a crowded gym and wander aimlessly while attempting to get a good lift in (remember my slight problem focusing on the task at hand from my Onnit Alpha Brain Instant review). I tend to get sidetracked rather easily at the gym. I’ll either be engaging in frivolous conversation or I’ll have to get on another machine because the one that’s really a part of my workout is taken at the moment. It’s just usually a mess. And if I’m being honest, I really don’t like the wandering eyes and judgmental atmosphere that encompasses the gym. So needless to say, I like to work out in the comfort of my own home. That way I can focus on the task at hand. Get it done. And get on with my life.
The only problem with that is that I don’t have a full gym of equipment. One of the best things about having home workout programs on hand is that they usually involve a lot of dumbbell workouts. While you may not have the amenities of a full gym, you can do almost anything with dumbbells. So I bought three sets of dumbbells; 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. In case you weren’t aware, you typically pay at least $1.00 per pound when you purchase dumbbells. So a set of 20 lb dumbbells would be around $40. You can see how this could add up quickly if one were to get enough sets of weights to be able to perform a good workout program. So I shelled out the money for the typical hexagon dumbbells at a sporting goods store. I thought I would be able to use these weights for pretty much all of my workouts.
Boy was I wrong!
There were certain exercises that I could not do even with the 20 lb weights. Especially since you are technically supposed to increase in weight if you are doing Super Sets, Drop Sets, Giant Sets, etc. You have to have a plethora of options if you are changing weights. Now a chance I could do some tricep workouts safely moving up to 40 lb weights. So for a while I made due by lifting 5 and 10 lb plates that I used on one of my barbells. But it wasn’t really working. I saw the Bowflex Selecttech Dumbbells when I started doing P90X+. I had never heard of them before that. And when Tony Horton was using these adjustable dumbbells, I knew I had to have them!
The Bowflex Selecttech Adjustable Dumbbells are touted as the “only dumbbell you’ll ever need.” That’s because they are adjustable dumbbells that allow you to change the amount of weight you are using from 5 lbs all the way up to 52.5 lbs with everything in between. It goes up by 2.5 lb increments for the first 25 lbs, then 5 lb increments after that. You simply put the dumbbell in the base and turn the dial on each end to select the weight you want. This is perfect for the home workouts I was doing. I could easily do lower weights when working on triceps or doing straight arm shoulder raises, and I could also easily bulk the weight up when doing chest pressed or squats.
The best part of these Bowflex adjustable dumbbells is the ease with which you can change the weights without having to clean up in between exercises. Even with the three sets of weights I was using in the past, I would have to dodge dumbbells on the floor in the middle of my workout. It wasn’t a good thing. Now I can quickly change weights up and down and get back to working out immediately. My biggest mistake was that I didn’t get the Bowflex Selecttech Dumbbell stand at first. I figured I could just keep the base on the floor and change the weights up from there. That quickly turned into a leg and lower back workout every time I wanted to change weights. So I had to get the stand. Now the weights sit just below my belt line and are aligned very nicely when I want to change weight or put them down. If you do any kind of working out at home, I can’t recommend these weights enough. The Bowflex Selecttech Dumbbells are the best adjustable dumbbells out there and really are all that they are advertised to be and more for me. And I don’t know if I will ever use another set of weights, especially once I purchased the Bowflex Selecttech Dumbbell stand. Highly recommended!
