by James - This article may contain affiliate links.
If you have no time going to the gym, having some home exercise equipment at home can solve the problem. But, what if you live in an apartment or you have no space at home for weights? Well, that does not mean you cannot lift at home since you can get a compact weight set.
Since you have no space, a barbell or a machine is not a solution for you. But dumbbells are!
If you have a pair of adjustable hand weights, you have almost everything you need to have a total body strength training at home. Yes, you heard it right, the dumbbells are the most versatile pieces of workout equipment.
What else may you need? Well, a folding weight bench since with the help of it, you can multiply the number of exercises. For example, it allows doing bench presses.
Which products are worth buying? Check out the chart below for the best weights and bench.
The Best Overall!
The heaviest
The cheapest
Best Price/Value Bench
BOWFLEX 522
POWERBLOCK ELITE
YES4ALL DUMBBELLS
FITNESS REALITY 1000
The Best Overall!
BOWFLEX 522
The heaviest
POWERBLOCK ELITE
The cheapest
YES4ALL DUMBBELLS
Best Price/Value Bench
FITNESS REALITY 1000
Contents
Reviews
1. Bowflex Selecttech 552 Adjustable Dumbbell Set – The best buy for most of the people
My rating:
Without a doubt, these adjustable weight dumbbells are the most popular these days, even used by well-known fitness experts. And for a good reason.
Changing the amount of weight is a piece of cake. You just need to turn the dial system to the necessary amount, and you are ready. After picking the dumbbells up, the unnecessary plates are left in the tray. This way, you can have a continuous workout without spending time with adding and removing plates.
What makes the workout experience even better is that the plates do not cling or move; they are fixed to handle well.
The maximum load is 52.5 lb, with 2.5 weight increments. The minimum is 5 lb. Hence, perfect for both intermediate-level trainees or women who need light weights.
The dimension for a piece is 16.9” L x 8.3” W x 9” H, so smaller people may find them a bit big. The trays they come with are useful but could be more durable since they are made from plastic.
Bowflex 552 is a proper price/value ratio strength training equipment for home, which is suitable for most people.
2. Powerblock Elite Dumbbells – If you need hefty adjustable weights to lift (up to 90 lb!)
My rating:
The Powerblock dumbbells are also very popular for their durability, weight change, and excellent user experience. Even if they do not have a regular dumbbell shape that does not influence the moves thanks to the ergonomic design. Plus, they do not roll away if you put them on the floor.
The resistance you would like to use can be selected quickly with the help of a pin. No clinging during the training is experienced at all.
What makes Powerblock adjustable dumbbells different from Bowflex 552 is that this equipment is expandable. The basic dumbbell system is 50 lb with 2.5 increments. However, with the help of the expansion kits, you can boost it up to 70 pounds or even up to 90 lb! This way, they are a perfect choice for someone who wants to lift massive loads.
The dimension of a piece is 12” x 6.25” x 6” (L x W x H), so they have a compact design.
If you need a heavy compact home dumbbell set with excellent exercise experience, look no further. Powerblock weights cost a little bit more, but worth every penny.
3. Yes4All Regular Dumbbells – If you are on a budget
My rating:
Not everyone likes the new modern gym dumbbells like the previous ones, or they cannot afford to buy those. And for them, this standard free weight set is an excellent option.
You need to add and remove the plates manually, but thanks to rubber cover and the collar, they stick together seriously.
Yes4All sets come in various sizes from 40 to 200 lb for a fraction of the price of the previous ones. For example, 50 pounds just cost about 50 bucks. And, you can purchase a 200 lb set for only 200 dollars — an excellent price without a doubt.
To conclude, these pair of adjustable dumbbells are excellent price/value home fitness equipment suitable for all level trainees. Perfect cheap weights for home.
4. Fitness Reality 1000 Super Max Weight Bench
My rating:
Among the affordable and foldable workout benches, Fitness Reality 1000 is the winner for sure. It gives an excellent user experience, suitable for everyone, and cheap.
Firstly, it comes with an incredible 800 lb maximum weight capacity. Hence, it is an excellent choice for even the most muscular guys. That is also a sign of durability and robustness.
Plus, there are 12 backrest adjustments to choose from. It lets modify the board from -20 to +80 degrees. Therefore, you can perform the best dumbbell exercises in incline, decline, and flat positions to target one particular muscle group better. And, the leg holder with 3 adjustments helps you to keep the proper body position.
Even if it is packed with so many great functions, this bench does not take up so much space and folding to store it under your bed. The folded size is just 51″ L x 23.5″ w x 9″ H.
This adjustable weight bench is an excellent buy for someone who has no space at home. On top of that, it gives everything you need for a strength workout.
Buying guide
How to choose adjustable & compact weight sets?
These are very useful pieces since you can quickly change the resistance you would like to use, plus they are compact.
There are two types of multi-weight dumbbells.
The traditional ones when you add or remove the plates and tighten them to the handle by collars. And, the more modern interchangeable dumbbells when you change the amount of weight with a unique dial (Bowflex 552) or with a pin (Powerblock). And, the unneeded plates are left on the tray.
Both are the right choice, but maybe adjustable systems are more convenient and compact but more expensive as well.
What to look for?
- Check if the tightening function works well. If the weight plates are clinging, that is not only annoying but dangerous since they may fall off.
- The maximum amount of weight they provide. Typically, adjustable weight sets come with a maximum 50 lb load (Bowflex), which is enough for most of the trainees. If you want to lift heavy, get equipment over 70 lb such as Power Block Elit.
- Another factor are the weight adjustments, which are usually 2.5 lb. That amount is OK to get progressive overload from time to time.
- Metal plates are the most durable and affordable, but they are noisy.
- There are home weight sets for women that are covered with neoprene so looks better and give better touch.
How to choose a weight bench?
Since you have just a little space for storage, you need one that is folding so that you can store it quickly, for example, under your bed.
Again, there are two types of benches: adjustable and flat.
The adjustable benches let you change the angle of the backrest. This way, you can do incline and decline exercises besides the flat ones. Hence, they are more versatile, but they are bigger and more expensive.
Flat benches are not adjustable but smaller pieces of home gym equipment.
What to look for?
- The weight limit. The higher the max load it can stand, the better. That is a sign of stability, durability, and you are allowed to lift heavy weights with it.
- Stability. If a bench wobbles that is annoying since you cannot focus on your workout, and you may fall off. Equipment with broader and thicker stabilizers are typically more stable.
- The mentioned products above fulfill the criteria for these factors.
Conclusion
As you see, you do not need so much place at home to get total body strength training. Get one of the small weight sets above, and maybe the bench, and start building muscle without entering the door of the gym.
Last update on 2022-10-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This post really helps me a lot in selecting my gym equipment, because many times it may lead to severe injury also due to imperfect weight lifting. But your post helps me a lot in doing weight training because propper & good equipment lead to healthy & faster results.