Dumbbell Sets For A Home Gym – Buyers Guide

If you are thinking about setting up your own fitness studio, including dumbbell sets for a home gym will be one of the most beneficial pieces of workout equipment.

But where do you start with choosing a home gym dumbbell set?  How many dumbbells and what amounts of weight do you need?  How much should you be paying for a dumbbell set?

Many of these questions will be answered in this dumbbell buyers guide.

 

Dumbbell Benefits For A Home Gym

A set of dumbbells can be a full home gym setup in themselves since you could get by without any other pieces of home gym equipment.

They are the most versatile type of workout equipment that you can get.

Here is a list of more dumbbell benefits:

• They offer an unlimited amount of exercises
• Easiest way to get an intense, full body workout
• Dumbbell training creates intramuscular coordination for faster muscle growth
• Compact and don’t take up much space
• Increased range of motion enables more muscular activation
• Work to strengthen imbalance
• Provides more exercise options than barbells or kettlebells
• Less injuries than barbells and kettlebells
• Made of  durable material and can last forever
• A less expensive option than many other home exercise gym equipment

 

 

Dumbbell Sets For A Home Gym

In order to know which weights you will need, it’s best to first organize and plan your fitness goals.

Dumbbell sets range from small 2 1/2lb to 150lbs each and chances are they are not all necessary for your basement gym.

Light Dumbbells

The lightest weights are normally used in joint and muscle recovery just as resistance band sets are.  When you get to 70 or 80lbs and up, these are the weights that rarely move from the dumbbell rack at the gym.

Lighter weights are also associated with dumbbell exercises for women since the majority of ladies are not interested in extreme strength training or muscle mass.

Most Popular Dumbbell Weight

The most popular dumbbell weight range is between 10 and 50lbs.  Some home gym owners will only start purchasing 50lb and up when they have an adjustable weight bench.  Adding a home gym weight bench adds quite a few more dumbbell exercises that can require heavier weight.

Dumbbells for Men

Since men tend to be stronger and are more interested in muscle size.  This means that they may need to spend more money on purchasing a full dumbbells set.  You can go crazy and get every type of dumbbell weight they make.  However, this will depend on the amount of home gym space and budget.

Dumbbells for Women

Dumbbells for women usually range from 5 to 25lbs.  Since Dumbbells usually come in 5lb increments, this means that a home gym for women may only need about 5 different dumbbell weight pairs depending on the individual.

 

See the Best Exercise Equipment for the Home for 2020

 

 

Dumbbell Shapes and Size Options

For some, this may be personal preference based on past workout history or can sometimes just depend on how the dumbbell looks.  Here are some examples of what types of dumbells you will see.

Dumbbell Shapes

The most popular dumbbell shapes are hex or round, but you may see many different variations.  The differences in functionality may seem pretty obvious when using them.

The dumbbell hex shape is more stable and won’t move around on you.  This can be advantageous with exercises such as “deep push-ups“.

Round dumbells will easily roll around making them less sturdy for some dumbbell exercises.  However, they can be more beneficial with many other exercises such as “ab rollouts”.

Either way, both shapes can be used for a limitless amount of exercises.

Dumbbell Handles and Grips

Then there are the barbell grips that may be important to some.  You may have seen steel, iron, rubber, foam, or neoprene grips.

Some lighter dumbbell sets can come coated in brightly colored neoprene.  This makes them safer and quieter because they are usually used for fitness classes, but the covering tends to rip over time.

For the heavier weights, I would definitely recommend textured steel grips.  These won’t rust or deteriorate over time.

Solid or Coated Dumbbells

The end weights of a dumbbell or the “bell”, can come in many different materials or combinations of materials.

Besides solid iron or chrome coated steel, they may also be solid rubber, urethane, PVC, or plastic.  They could be metal in the middle, and coated with rubber, neoprene, PVC, or plastic.  to cut down on the dumbbell noise of banging around.

Depending on the material, a dumbbell with an outside coating will not hold up as well as solid material.  I prefer just the solid molded iron dumbbells, but they will be the most “clangy”.

⇒ If you have any questions about what type of dumbbells to purchase, please leave a message below and I will respond.

 

See My Rogue Fitness Dumbbells Review

 

Amount of Home Gym Space

Not all of us have enough space for a basement or garage home gym setup.

Keep in mind that a dumbbell set will take up less space than a full barbell set with a rack or bench.  Although dumbbells are compact, this is the part that could trip you up.

A full dumbbell set for the home could contain more than 30 pairs.  To organize and save space, I recommend a home gym dumbbell rack.  They come in all types and sizes from holding just a few pairs of dumbbells or buy more than one that can join together.

Best Space Saver – Resistance Band Sets

 

 

Dumbbell Pricing

The best dumbbell sets for the home gym can have a lot to do with your budget.  With any piece of home gym exercise equipment, you can go cheap, or the skies the limit.

It used to be easy just to follow the $1 per pound rule, and this may still be good for some brands of barbell plates.  However, things have changed because of inflation, and the quality and materials dumbells are made with.

If your plan is a full home gym dumbbell set, plan on paying in the range of $500 to $1000.  When you start adding the extra heavy dumbbells to the mix, the price can go into the $1000’s.

When planning out your first set of workout dumbells at home, consider your personal fitness goals.  Is cardio with weights part of your fitness routine?  Do you plan on lifting heavy?  Will others be using this home gym dumbbell set?

Women many times will spend less money since they tend to use lighter weight, while men want to push the limits.

If you are purchasing workout equipment online, don’t forget to budget in the delivery fees since weights are obviously very heavy.

My Struggle With a Tight Budget

When I first began my home gym workouts I was on a tight budget.  I soon realized that just a pair of 15lbs and a pair of 35lbs worked out really well for me.

Since I was concentrating on shoulders, these two dumbbell sizes gave me a lot of options.  I could to front, rear, and side laterals, shoulder presses, bicep curls and tricep extensions, shoulder shrug, etc.

Are Dumbbells a Good Investment?

Since dumbbells will be the most versatile type of exercise gear in your home gym, you will never outgrow them and can always add more variety.  As long as you stay motivated, dumbbells will always be a part of your fitness journey.

A dumbbell set for home is a solid investment, and the standard dumbbell shape and look does not go out of style.  If you purchase a good quality set, dumbbells will always hold strong retail value for resale.

 

See the Best Dumbbell Sets For A Home Gym

 

 

Adjustable Dumbbells

These are the newest and most compact home gym option, and they are becoming very popular for good reason.  They are an all-in-one breakthrough where one dumbbell actually contains an entire set.

The many different weights that easily separates into many different dumbbells.  Usually, there is a dial that will lock in your selected weight.  Then only that amount of weight will still be attached to the handle when lifting it off of the stand.

The most popular adjustable dumbbell size is one that adjusts from 5lbs to 55lbs that adjust in 2.5lb increments.

This size set seems to be the best “bang for the buck” in adjustable dumbbells and still an easy size to work with.  They do come in heavier weight options depending on what you are looking for.

The adjustable dumbbell sets may seem pricey at first, but consider that they can take the place of 15 sets of dumbbells.  Not everyone prefers this type of system though.  Many don’t like the way they feel, and they can seem a bit bulky.

Adjustable Dumbbell Price

I found some cheap Chinese versions for around $100, but I caution against this.  You get what you pay for; these will not last and the shipping fees for returns will make you cringe.

It’s recommended to spend at least $300 on this type of set, and that they are manufactured by a well known name.  Bowflex SelectTech is an excellent, heavy duty pair that will last and is reasonably priced.

If you are looking for HEAVY, the Pro Series PowerLock Dumbbells come in up to 175lbs per hand!!  I prefer the more scaled back version called the PowerLock EXP Adjustable Dumbbells.

Most of these come with an adjustable dumbbell stand or will have one available for an additional cost.

Check out the Bowflex Adjustable Barbell Set and the Bowflex Adjustable Kettlebell as well.

 

Check Out the Best Interactive Home Gyms

 

Home Gym Dumbbell Conclusion

I highly recommend including dumbells as an integral part of your home gym exercise setup.

Dumbbells are easy to use and are the most versatile piece of gym equipment that you will own.

They are durable, don’t take up much room, and don’t go out of style, making them an excellent home gym investment.

Dumbells can be used to do almost any exercise or work on any muscle group.

Using dumbells activate muscles in a way that improves stability and they grow muscles faster.

The way dumbbells work also brings functional strength as well because of the extra balance and coordination exerted by the muscles.

⇒ If you have any questions or comments about dumbbell sets for a home gym, please leave a message below and I will respond.

 

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