Sports Insurance Blog

If you want to start exercising at the house or are even buliding your own personal home gym then a set of dumbbells is a great buy. For a small investment you can get a set of Dumbbells that you can basically use to work your whole body yet they take up no room and can be used anywhere in the home or taken outside.  

For those of you who haven’t been introduced to Dumbbells they typically come in various forms. Some have a short bar with a static weight on each end. Many dumbbells available are a moulded one piece item made from plastic of foam. Other types include weights or various size that can be swapped or added on as you wish.

The moulded and the static weight dumbbells are generally the less expensive to buy are very sturdy and relatively safe to use. However what can happen especially if you are training regularly is that you need more weights to help you progress so you end up actually buying more equipment that works out more expensive and. As you progress with your training the adjustable dumbbell sets will give you more flexibility because you can keep adding weight as you need it. 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. When training at home it is easy to not be dressed properly. Always wear suitable footwear because a 5kg dumbbell landing on your exposed foot is not a pleasant experience. If training alone then I would advise to start with light weights to make sure you can fully control the dumbbell through the whole exercise movement. When training with dumbbells for the first time it is normal for your arms to shake or move around as you try to perform an exercise.This is especially common when attempting pressing movements like the dumbbell bench press. After practice you will find this does get easier and after a few weeks you should be able to handle the weights more comfortably. 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 who are more experienced and have a bigger budget there are some great dumbbell sets available. A popular adjustable dumbell set is from Bowflex. The weight range of each dumbbell is from 2kg-21kg. So instead of having lots of different weights to attach and store you just can adjust the weight with a turn of a dial. The benefits of this style of dumbbbell are a reduction in messing around changing weights, you don’t need much storage space and you won’t have to keep buying extra bits of equipment as these will last you 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.