Dumbbells & Free Weights | Home & Commercial Gym Equipment | MuscleSquad

Dumbbells

Dumbbells are an essential item for anyone who wants to build muscle. Not only are they extremely versatile, but they also take up little to no space in your home gym. This makes them, pound for pound, the best piece of kit for varied workouts from home.

FAQ

01

Find the right dumbbells for you

With all the options available, choosing your first pair of dumbbells can be daunting. If you're a beginner, you should start with a light pair of dumbbells to help build up your stabiliser muscles before moving on to heavier weights. When you're ready to work out your entire body from home, you may want to upgrade your collection to a pair of light, medium, and heavy weight dumbbells. A light set of dumbbells could be used for isolation exercises like lateral raises, bicep curls, and tricep kickbacks. The medium set for slightly larger movements like shoulder press, chest flies, and warm-ups for heavier exercises. The heavy set is for your biggest compound movements like dumbbell bench press, squats, and deadlifts. You'll benefit from using a dumbbell bench to do most dumbbell exercises such as bench press and bent over rows. You can get your hands on our flat bench for basic movements or our adjustable dumbbell bench with six different seat angles to cover more exercises.

02

What weight dumbbells should you buy?

To find out what weight of dumbbells you need, it's a good idea to test your current strength at home as a base. A litre of water generally weighs about 1kg. Pick up a full 1-litre water bottle and do a few bicep curls with it. Does it feel heavy or light? If it's too easy, try putting multiple bottles in a bag, following the same 1L=1kg rule, until you reach a weight that challenges you. The next thing that determines the weight you should be using is your goals. Someone wanting to build strength and muscle would need a heavy weight that challenges them much more than someone who wants to tone or build endurance. If you're looking to train and build muscle across your whole body, you'll ideally need three pairs of dumbbells. The weight of your light pair of dumbbells can be easily gauged by lifting household objects. The medium pair of dumbbells should weigh about double the weight of your light pair. Finally, the heavy pair should weigh roughly 50% more than the medium pair.

03

How many dumbbells should you buy?

The number of dumbbells you should buy will vary depending on your budget, space, and goals. If you have a limited amount of space, adjustable dumbbells are the ones for you. They provide the functionality of multiple different weights of dumbbells in one single package, allowing you to train your entire body effectively with just one pair. If space is not a constraint, consider opting for multiple pairs of rubber/hex or any of our other fixed weight dumbbells. These dumbbells can be used for a wider variety of exercises without you having to worry about dropping them and damaging your floor or the weight itself.