Follow
Health and FitnessFitnessExercise EquipmentGymConditioning

What are the best adjustable dumbbells for conditioning?

3
Options 
Considered
4
User 
Recs.
Last 
Updated
Related Questions
Activity
Ad
Have feedback or ideas?
Discord logoJoin our community
on Discord
Here’s the Deal
Slant is powered by a community that helps you make informed decisions. Tell us what you’re passionate about to get your personalized feed and help others.

3 Options Considered

3 Options ConsideredPriceWarrantyDimensions (L x W x H)
PowerBlock Elite
10 years12.5 x 7 x 7.5 inches
Bowflex SelectTech 552
2 years15.75 x 8 x 9 inches
StairMaster TwistLock
2 years16 x 9.1 x 8 inches
See Full List

PowerBlock Elite

Add Video or Image
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Versatile and expandable

•••
The PowerBlock Elite dumbbell weight plates are a mix of 2.5 and 5 lbs increments, ranging from 5 to 50 pounds. After you've reached the point where 50 lbs seem too light, you can buy an expansion, increasing the weight up to 90 lbs. You can use these for both strength and conditioning exercise...
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Easy to change weight

•••
There is no fancy mechanism - you just pull a metal 'fork' out of each dumbbell and place it where you need to. The weight plates are color coded, and correspond with a color coded chart on the side of each dumbbell. It might take some getting used to, but once you're familiar with it,...
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Durable

•••
There are no moving parts that would break with misuse, and the construction of these dumbbells is solid and stable. There is also a 10 year home use warranty, which is considerably more than other options (most offer 2 year warranty).
Inguna Gudareva
Top Con

Changing weight plates with shaky hands could take slightly longer than on dial-adjustable dumbbells

•••
If you've done, for example, 3 reps of your workout and you want to change the weight of your dumbbells to less, your hands could be a bit shaky at this point. This would make inserting the adjuster 'fork' more fidgety than with a dial, but it's not a dealbreaker.
See 2 more ProsSee 2 more Pros

Bowflex SelectTech 552

Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Easy to change weight even when your muscles are already fatigued

•••
These dumbbells have a dial-adjust that allows you to change the weight in about 5 seconds in between reps. This is great, because your hands will get shaky after some time of lifting, and after just turning the dial you can spend your break actually resting, instead of fidgeting with your dumbbel...
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Versatile

•••
The Bowflex SelectTech552 dumbbells are a good investment for people who want both strength training and conditioning. Their length forces you to use your stabilizer muscles a lot, which makes for a better (harder) work out in both strength training and conditioning. It's very easy and quick to...
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Takes up less space than stand alone dumbbells

•••
Because of their dial-adjust mechanism, the Bowflex SelectTech 552 is a great investment for people who want to work out at home, but don't have the space for a home gym. Given the number of increments these dumbbells have, you'd need 14 separate dumbbells to cover you from 5 to 52.5 lbs.
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Very easy to customize your workout

•••
You can change weights in 2.5 lbs increments, starting from 5 lbs up to 52.5 lbs. This gives you a lot of control over any stage of your workout. Combine this with the ease of using the dial-adjust, and you can fine-tune these dumbbells to suit your every need without frustration.
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Comes with exceptionally user-friendly instructions

•••
Bowflex stands out from the competition by providing instructions for picking up/putting down their dumbbells in a safe and sustainable way. It's encouraged that you read these instructions and follow them, because that will help you avoid injuries and increase the lifespan of your dumbbells. T...
Inguna Gudareva
Top Con

Need to be handled with care

•••
The trays (need to be purchased separately) for the Bowflex are set up so that you need to be mindful when placing the dumbbells back. All weights need to be lined up for it to fit, which takes an extra second or two of concentration. Furthermore, it's not recommended that you drop these weigh...
See 4 more ProsSee 4 more Pros

StairMaster TwistLock

Add Video or Image
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Great if you really need to change weights fast

•••
The StairMaster TwistLock dumbbells are a great (but expensive) option if changing weights as fast as possible is the most important thing. These dumbbells use their handles as the primary mechanism for adjusting weight. Just place the dumbbell in it's tray and twist the handle. It's a good...
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Very comfortable handles

•••
The handles have soft, contoured and textured handles that can really be felt when using them.
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Good for beginners

•••
These dumbbells go from 5 to 50 lbs in 5 pound increments, which is a great place to start for someone just starting out. It's not as customizable as some other adjustable dumbbells, but it's still good.
Inguna Gudareva
Top Pro

Saves a lot of space

•••
These dumbbells have a very small footprint, so they're great for use at home.
Inguna Gudareva
Top Con

Expensive

•••
With a 50 pound weight limit there isn't much room for growth for experienced athletes, yet for beginners these dumbbells might be too pricey.
Inguna Gudareva
Top Con

Doubts over durability

•••
It could be that with any mishandling or heavy use the metal pin that catches and releases weight plates could fail. These dumbbells have a lot of non-metal parts, which also add to the uneasy feeling about their durability.
See 4 more Pros & ConsSee 4 more Pros & Cons

4 Community Recommendations

Inguna Gudareva
Harvey Rose
Request recommendations from the community
No highlighted recommendations.
I Recommend...
Help millions of people make better decisions.
Each month, over 1.7 million people use Slant to find the best products and share their knowledge. Pick the tags you’re passionate about to get a personalized feed and begin contributing your knowledge.
undefined