drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
by Matt Weik
If you’ve always wanted a home gym, but never had a home that gave you extra space to build one, you might find this article quite interesting. When you thing about it, you don’t need all of the fancy machines and weight plates, and fancy dumbbells with the gyms logo on them. In fact, in my opinion, all you need is a set of adjustable dumbbells for at home.
Regardless if you have a gym membership already or if you are looking to get started with a home gym on a budget, you can’t go wrong with picking up a pair of adjustable dumbbells. For those who have a gym membership, but can’t find the time before or after work to make the drive to the gym, you can fit in your workout at home with a set of adjustable dumbbells. For those of you who are just getting started, this allows for a no excuse reason to fit in your workouts since you can do them in the privacy of your own home any time of day. In my opinion, this is money well spent—not only to help control your weight and musculature, but to also help improve your health and longevity.
The brands
Let me first start by saying, I don’t care what the brand is—Bowflex, Power Block, XMark, Proform, NordicTrack, Bayou Fitness, Weider, doesn’t matter. You could spend all of your money on the best set of adjustable dumbbells or you can buy a set from Dick’s Sporting Goods or Amazon and get the same benefits from them. Pricing generally starts around $150 and goes up from there. Obviously the heavier the set goes, the more expensive they will be. Do some homework on the various brands out there to decide what fits your needs in terms of weight, space needed, as well as the ease of use with transitioning from one weight to the next.
Space
If you don’t have a ton of space in your home, adjustable dumbbells will fit just about anywhere. We’re talking in a closet, on the floor, under the bed, in a corner of a room, anywhere. You’re looking at roughly no more than a foot and a half by a foot and a half area. You could even go as far as to purchase a stand to put them on. Many brands sell these separate, while some come as a packaged set—but, it’s not 100% necessary to have a stand.
When it comes to the workouts themselves, all you need is enough room to perform each exercise without hitting anything in your home. You can even take the adjustable dumbbells out into the garage or even outdoors if it’s nice out. And when it comes down to it, you can pretty much take these anywhere you want in order to fit in a great workout—the park, the beach, the mountains, etc.
Why adjustable dumbbells over the tried and true barbell and weight plates?
When it comes down to it, space is an issue as well as ease of use without extra equipment. With a barbell, you generally need a place to store the plates as well as extra room around you to complete the exercises. In addition, many people are forced to purchase a weight bench and power rack in order to use the barbell and weight plates to their full potential. While this is fine, this article is looking for the most minimalistic footprint in order to complete home workouts (and while being cost conscious).
Adjustable dumbbells simply give you more bang for your buck. Sure, you won’t be pressing 315 with a set of these, but they are good for what they are—a small piece of equipment with many weight adjustments to get in a full body workout. Speaking of full body workouts, let’s look at all the movements that can be done using adjustable dumbbells.
Can you effectively hit all muscle groups with adjustable dumbbells?
Absolutely! Adjustable dumbbells are no different than the dumbbells you would be using at the gym anyway. So, you can effectively hit all of your muscle groups without ever having to leave your home. Squats, deadlifts, chest press, one-arm rows, bicep curls, tricep extension, shoulder press, calf raises, abdominal crunches, oblique twists, you name it. The versatility of this single piece of equipment will pay dividends over the years.
Your workout routine can mimic the exact (dumbbell) routine you would do in the gym, save time from not having to travel, save time by not needing to share equipment, save money from monthly gym memberships, save money on gas, and allow you to workout in privacy if you are somewhat self-conscious.
Personally, I can’t recommend adjustable dumbbells enough. I’ve used them in difference circumstances (mainly at hotel gyms) and if I didn’t already have a private studio at my house, I would invest in these in a heartbeat to have around the house.
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