[danb19]

Hey guys, I’ve been looking for a week now about purchasing some adjustable dumbbell. I have a few questions about them and I’m hoping to get some feedback from you.

Which one (if any) do you recommend? I’ve looked into Bowflex, Gold Gym’s and Powerblock, among others but I always find something about either which get me thinking twice about them.
Among others, I’m looking to purchase this product because I’m an international student living in the U.S and I travel back home every once in a while and it would be nice to be able to travel with them. Granted, I know it will take a lot of bag space and such, but has anyone ever done this? Do they give any trouble at all in airport security?

I live in a small apartment in college so I cant have a huge dumbbell set(obviously), so whatever I am getting I’m hoping it is as practical as possible.

Anyways, thanks for any feedback.

[danb19]

Also, what about resistance bands? which ones are the best out there?

[Nick_123]

Originally Posted by dbrawermanm

Also, what about resistance bands? which ones are the best out there?

Iron Woody Bands are some of the best.

You can get some fairly good adjustable dumbbell sets but I don't know that you could travel cheaply with them. Say your airline luggage limit is 30kg and you have two 40kg dumbbells as well as your standard luggage - you're looking at a lot of weight and therefore extra cost/flight. Maybe there are better alternatives. Bands are a good idea. So are workouts with minimal equipment (the No Equipment No Problem Workout and the Playground Workout come to mind). So is just joining a gym at college and maybe doing bodyweight stuff when you go home, or paying for casual visits or a 1-3 month ticket to a local gym if that's available.

Maybe others who have done this before can suggest a way to pull it off!

[Darius Szpilewski]

I've heard nothing but good things about Powerblock's and Bowflex.

Bands, JC Predators all the way.

[Ampleforth]

This is something I have researched although I haven't invested any $ just yet. I wouldn't buy anything but the Powerblocks. They are more durable and they are expandable if you want to go heavy. The Bowflex weights have too many plastic parts for my liking and they don't get good reviews.

[Dev Chengkalath]

Has anyone had any experience with Ironmaster?

http://www.ironmaster.com/store/home.php

[hockechamp14]

My roommate has a set of the bowflex ones. I would seriously question the ability to carry or bring two heavy dumbbells with you flying, especially internationally.

As far as the bowflex dumbbells go, I like them, and they're even useable for supersets. Withsome slight practice, you can rack, change the weight setting, and get them out in 10 seconds - less if you're only changing the weight by 5 pounds or so.

Drawback on these is that you have to have them sitting in the base to be able to change the weight. In addition the dumbbells are long, and don't shorten - even when only using 5 pounds per side - which can cause some problems on some specific lifts (like the Christian Thibadeau cross body dumbbell swing/raise). Overall, I have very few problems with them.

[tmc712]

I have the PowerBlocks. For the most part, I like them. I have the 5-45 lb set, and I also have a heavier handle that weighs 20 lbs by itself, for a maximum of 60 lb per DB.

The shape and handle position can be a little bit awkward with some moves. I was doing DB clean and press this morning and the DBs hit my wrists a few times. Compared the shape and size of other adjustable DBs I've seen, I think I made the right choice. If I had the space for a full set of fixed weight DBs, I'd prefer that, but I don't, so I'm content with what I've got.

[Mark Shields]

I've used both Power Blocks and the Bowflex ones with clients.

I'd give the Bowflex ones the advantage as far as ease of quickly adjusting.

Not sure what the price difference is on them.

[nwiles]

Hands down, no question about it, Power Blocks. I'm about to purchase Stage III now.

As for bands, if you look beyond EliteFTS, you're crazy.

I can expand if you wish.

Oh and if you want to put them on a plane go ahead, but you will need deep pockets.