Dumbbells are an excellent addition to a home gym for both novice and elite athletes. If your goals are to build strength, work on muscular imbalances, improve coordination, or integrate a variety of exercises into your routine (isolated and whole body functional movements), dumbbells can undoubtedly be an excellent piece to add to your exercise programming.
Aside from these benefits, dumbbells are incredibly versatile, easy to move around, and simple to store out of the way when not in use. Of course, if you have a large dumbbell rack with multiple weight options, the more space you will take up; that’s why we’re going to look at adjustable dumbbells today.
Adjustable dumbbells make switching from one weight to another a breeze and make storage a breeze for those with limited space or not wanting all your workout gear in sight. Let’s compare the adjustable dumbbells from ProForm and those from BowFlex, and you can see if one set is more compatible with your fitness goals and budget.
ProForm Adjustable Dumbbells
The ProForm Rapid Strike adjustable dumbbell retails for $399 and, when used with the iFit platform, allows you to access thousands of on-demand and streaming workouts. These workouts are accessible through your iPhone or tablet and allow you to utilize virtual trainers to encourage and motivate you during your resistance workouts.
If you need a day away from the weights, other workouts are also available – anything from yoga and core work to intervals and meditation.
The steel construction ProForm dumbbells are adjustable, ranging from 10 to 50 pounds in 10-pound increments per dumbbell, essentially giving you five dumbbell sets in one. In addition, the dumbbells can be stored in a tray, keeping them secure when not in use.
With a total of 100 pounds between the two dumbbells, you’re sure to have plenty of variety in resistance for just about any workout!
Bowflex 552 Adjustable Dumbbells
The Bowflex 552 adjustable dumbbells retail for $429 and include a one-year membership to the JRNY platform. This app, available through your iPhone or tablet, allows access to full body strength classes on-demand. In addition, the JRNY platform has a plethora of workouts that can be used along with the Bowflex dumbbells, from single dumbbell movements to full body workouts and upper/lower splits.
The steel construction dumbbells range from 5 to 52.5 pounds each, giving you 15 dumbbell weights in one. With a combined total of 105 pounds in the set, you can easily ensure a full body workout (or isolated muscle groups).
The Bottom Line
Adjustable dumbbells make an excellent addition to any home gym. You can’t beat the convenience, storage, or cost compared to traditional weights. Both Proform and Bowflex make high-quality equipment that should last many years.
If you’re on a budget, the edge goes to the Proform adjustable dumbbells at almost $50 less.
