If looking to build your home gym or just want to do a little exercise at home or outside then a must have buy is a set of dumbbells. With only a minor outlay you can buy a set of dumbbells that you can use anywhere in the house of outside and will give you a really effective total body workout.
For those of you who haven’t been introduced to Dumbbells they typically come in various forms. Most have a small bar with a static weight on either end. Some come in one piece form made from foam or plastic. Others have discs or varying weights that can be swapped out, added to and so on.
Generally the moulded and static weight sets costs less and on the whole are sturdy and safe to use. However you can end up buying several pairs of varying weight as your training progresses, which can offset the savings, made initially plus you have more equipment to store and move around. Over time the adjustable dumbbell sets allow you to progress with your training as you can choose how much weight you want to work with. The only downside is swapping around the weights between exercises which can take a little extra time.
From a safety perspective always make sure the weights are securely fastened before performing any exercise as the last thing you want is a 5kg weight flying off the bar as you perform a bicep curl or overhead press. If training at home don't forget to wear appropriate footwear because you definately don't want a dumbbell landing on your bear foot. When you first start to use free weights I would advise to select a light pair of dumbbels. This allows you to control the weights confidently when performing the exercises. You will find that when training with dumbbells for the first time is does take some time for your muscles to get accustomed to using the weights so for various exercises especially those where you are pressing the weight (eg dumbbell bench press) you may find your arms shaking and moving around as you try to keep the proper form while performing the exercise. After a few weeks of consistenty using the dumbbell you should find you can handle them with more ease and control. As a final note if your not sure how to perform any exercise please consider investing in some professional fitness adviser to teach you correct technique
The main reason I recommend getting a set of dumbbells is that from a training perspective they offer you so much flexibility and variation. With a great variety of dumbbell workouts to choose from you can easily train all muscle groups in the body. It doesn't matter if you are complete novice or have been training for years everybody can have a effective and safe workout using dumbbells.
Because a dumbbell is free weight the range of motion you can apply to your exercises allows you to work your muscles far more effectively than say a weight machine. A workout with dumbbells can burn lots of calories due to the amount of muscles used and can also improve balance and coordination due to the various movements and exercises you can employ.
If you’re a complete beginner I would recommend to start with a small set of dumbbells that range from 2kg –5kg. For those with larger budgets there are available some really adjustable dumbbell sets. A highly recommended (I own a pair) adjustable dumbbell set is from a company called Bowflex. They come as a pair of dumbbells with a weight range from 2kg-21kg. The great benefit this offers is no more messing about with weights and locks, just a turn of dial and you can go from 4kg to 20kg. This obviously saves you lots of messing about, keep storage to a minimum and will allow you to train without further purchases in equipment for a long time. Again I would only look at these if you are serious about your training and are committed to getting the most from your investment.
