About Dumbbells

Dumbbells (or hand weights) are free weights that can be used individually or in pairs for strength training. Dumbbells help you build overall muscular strength and can be used for a huge range of exercises to target different muscle groups.

Dumbbell Exercises

Dumbbells can be used alone or with a bench. Whatever muscle group you wish to target, there are numerous exercise options to reach your goals. You can perform hundreds of exercises with dumbbells alone. With the addition of a bench, this number increases further as you can perform exercises such as dumbbell bench presses and lying flys, which target your chest, triceps and shoulders. A bench can also come in useful as an additional, optional support for other dumbbell exercises.

Different Types of Dumbbells

Dumbbells are available in a wide range of shapes, sizes and designs to appeal to different needs and preferences.

• Fixed weight dumbbells: are weights created in a dumbbell shape. Inexpensive varieties consist of pro-style, Chrome and Round or Hexagonal Iron Dumbbells. Hexagonal Rubber, and Neoprene Dumbbells are coated with neoprene for comfort and safety.
• Adjustable / Selectable /Spinlock Dumbbells: These dumbbells are not a fixed weight, and can be adjusted depending on the needs of the user. Selectable dumbbells (such as the popular Bowflex Selecttech) are adjustable weight dumbbells that are easily changed when resting in a dumbbell stand. This is done by adjusting the number of plates that follow the handle when lifted e.g. by turning a dial or moving a selector pin. The benefit is that you do not need to manually add or remove weight plates or purchase multiple sets. This also makes them very space efficient. The stand also doubles as storage for the additional weights not being used for a particular exercise.