Dumbbells are excellent for strength training, however they have major problems around the apartment. You need to keep purchasing brand-new ones as you get stronger. They take up too much room, and you have to hunt through them for the weight you need. They are an irritation to move. But there is a fix to these issues: the Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells.
There are two kinds of Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells: The Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells and the Bowflex SelectTech 1090 dumbbells. The numbers refer to the lightest and heaviest weights possible on a single dumbbell. What? Greater than one weight per item? Yes, that's exactly what is unique in respect to this high technology equipment. You have one shaft and a stack of plates. Place the arm in the pile, dial the weight you prefer; turn it over and do it once again. Voila! You can also have different weights on the two ends to offer some variation for different balance and muscle development due to the asymmetry.
As to "space-hogging lumps--tough to move and tough to store" the Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells have none of those qualities. The two 522 model stacks of plates nestle in an especially fashioned stand, or right in their shipping box. You pick it up as a unit and store it in a corner or storage room--barely larger than a few shoe boxes.
The Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells readjust in 5-pound increments. They are every bit as successful for use by small-frame females and a lot larger men. The quick-change feature--as little as 15 seconds--lets your exercise continue at the rate and level you like. There's no searching among a chaos of identical iron lumps for the weights you need. This is the model to start with. For most people, it is the only kind they will want. Proof is strong that many repetitions with a reduced weight can be just as effective in strength building as fewer "reps" with additional weight. One caveat--if you buy a used set, DO NOT buy those made before 2009 with plastic clips. They have actually broken and hurt a few users and imperiled many more. Newer sets all have metal clips.
The Bowflex SelectTech 1090s have always had metal clips--so no fears there. The seriously increased weight of this kind--180 pounds on a pair--enables further strength training, and possible replacement for formal weight-lifting equipment. The weight increases in 10-pound increments on this kind. The dial-a-weight, quick-change functions are the same. So are the space-saving, moving, and storage advantages. You undoubtedly want the storage space of 4 shoe boxes, however--unless you have genuinely huge feet!
Should you get Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells or not? If you are ready to get sincere about strength training, there is really no justification to be indecisive. They will make your life much easier.
