Which dumbbells to choose?

Despite their small size, dumbbells allow you to work all muscle groups and perform small isolated exercises as well as complete basic training. All that is required from the athlete – to choose the right dumbbells!

Dumbbell brands

Many athletes successfully work out with self-made dumbbells, with no less results than frequenters of fitness centers. However, in order to turn your home into a kind of gym, you should choose dumbbells from well-known companies:

1. rotrain

2. Fora
3. Vimpex
4. Eleiko
5. Regal
6. HMS

Before you give your choice in favor of the manufacturer and a particular model, you should carefully examine its functional characteristics, as well as read the reviews of professional athletes on thematic forums and social networks on the Internet.

What dumbbells can be? The most common types

Depending on their design, all modern dumbbells are divided into two basic types.

Dumbbells are not collapsible

Dumbbells are discs of a certain weight fixed to the bar, usually made of plastic coated metal. Not expensive and perfect for beginners. The disadvantages include the inability to adjust weight and the need to keep several pairs of dumbbells of different weights available for a productive workout;

Advantages of

• Reliable design;
• Variety of weights;
• Dumbbells are suitable for beginners;
• Inexpensive;

Disadvantages

• Not suitable for experienced lifters who continuously increase their weights;
• Dumbbells of different weights are required for a productive workout

Collapsible dumbbells

The set includes a compact dumbbell bar with a handle, a set of pairs of discs of different weights, and a pair of locks designed to fix the discs on the bar. Getting such a set, the athlete gets an opportunity to assemble dumbbells of required weight and thoroughly work all muscle groups without exception, providing them with a progressive load;

Advantages

• Don’t take up much space;
• Suitable for experienced athletes;
• Collapsible design allows you to assemble dumbbells of the desired weight;

Disadvantages

• Expensive;
• Assembly and disassembly take quite a lot of time;

Dumbbell selection criteria

Material and bar design

Dumbbells with a metal alloy handle and comfortable rubberized feet are considered the best dumbbells. The diameter of the bar is about 20-25 millimeters for maximum comfortable grip during exercise. This applies to both collapsible and solid dumbbells.

Lock design

In order to rigidly fix the pucks on the dumbbell, special locks should be used. Dumbbell dumbbells are best suited for dumbbell weights that use screw locks that clamp the discs with a thread. The latter are located on the end faces of the bar and ensure that the weights can be comfortably locked in place during the exercise. Of course, this question is not relevant to non-disassembled dumbbells due to their design features.

What dumbbell weights to choose

For muscles to grow, working weights must constantly progress. In the case of dumbbells, weight change step is preferably minimal, because sometimes increasing the total weight even by 1-2 kilograms leads to the inability to perform the exercise. It is for this reason that the weights of the dumbbells should start at 1 kilogram and end at the 5 kilogram mark, and two discs should be available for each weight, and the most popular, 2.5 and 5kg – 4 each.

Choose dumbbells for women

If we do not talk about professional women’s bodybuilding, for fitness and aerobics women a compact set of one-piece dumbbells, consisting of 1.25, 2.5.5 and 10kg models. Preference should be given to compact models made of metal and coated with a polymer shell in different colors depending on the weight of the dumbbell. Such a set is more than enough to keep your body toned and give your body an appetizing shape.

Dumbbells for Men

The choice of dumbbells for men is very different. With proper nutrition and compliance with the regime of training men’s body progresses quickly enough, and with progress will be observed a significant increase in the working weights of dumbbells. For this reason the collapsible models should be preferred, with an emphasis on weights of 5-10 kg, of which at least 4 pairs should be available.

Dumbbells for beginners

Beginners should also opt for collapsible dumbbells, but it is unlikely that they require a large set of dumbbells. Instead one should focus on the technique of exercising, and the set of discs should include weights up to 5 kg. It is quite enough to accustom the muscles to the strain. As muscle mass and strength increase as a consequence, collapsible dumbbells can always be outfitted with discs of greater weight.

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