Equipment and Product Reviews

Dumbbells

I get a lot of people ask me "what dumbells should i buy" this all depends on key factors, have you got the room for lots of different weights ? have you got the money to buy expensive weights ?

the answer in my case is no and no

now Jason reviewed the power block , a fine piece of equipment, and yes if i had £300 i'm sure that i'd like some, but i'm sure my wife could find something else to spend it on too .

so here's my cheap alternative

York cast iron weights, starter set is 20kg, so not to heavy, but if your new to all of this might just do the job, for a while.

The best place i find to buy these are Argos or Amazon, at different times of the month, one is cheaper than the other, and always look out for a voucher code when shopping at Argos, these are usually between £27-£35

Another alternative is

more weight , but with a barbell .

These are sold in two different ranges
First is 35kg, so you have quite a bit more on the dumbell if you like , usually between £45-£70

Second is 48kg if you can get these from the start, it's worth it, because as you get stronger, you'll want to buy more weight, 5kg plates cost around £30 in a set of four , so you can put the extra weight to one side until you grow stronger.

These are usually between £70-£100

It really is a case of checking daily, because the prices really can fluctuate




As for storage, it's just two dumbells, you can put them in the cupboard, the extra weights can be stacked away neatly , until your stronger to use them, they are quite small.

The bar can be put in a cupboard upright, or under a bed.

One last thing, the ends are whats called "spinlock", great if your going to use the same weight all the time, but in most workouts, P90X included, this isn't the case, you work your bicep with more weight, then the next routine is a tricep exercise, you need to lower your weight, this can prove to be very slow.

Never fear , you need to purchase these

Quick release spring collars, put these on the end of the bar, then when it's time to change your weight, press them together between finger and thumb, and they come straight off, giving you fast changes during your workout.
These cost £5 lots of sellers on ebay.

So that's my alternative to spending lots of cash, i hope it's helped you decide


Andy



Power Block Sport 9.0



Do you have space for a full set of Hex dumbbells? or is it annoying you the time it takes to switch weights with standard spin lock collars on your regular bar and weight plate setup? then maybe the Powerblock is the answer, regarded by many as the number one choice for adjustable dumbbells they are my choice after already owning the Bowflex which is another good choice, unfortunately Bowflex usa customer services is a complete waste of time if you live in the UK, so if you buy Bowflex make sure you get them from Fitness Superstore for the warranty.

Powerblock sport 9.0 stage one base kit

the set goes from 2.5kg which is the bare handle weight without the addition of the 2 adder weights right up to 22.5kg with the addition of the 2 handle adder weights.

first I'll show you what I mean by adder weights

do you see the two small metal cylindrical blocks on the right, these are the adder weights, they weigh 1kg each and are inserted into the handle itself, by sliding the pointer to the open position you can insert and remove the weights as you need, this is the pointer located on the handle

So all of a sudden the weight increments you can choose triples. with both handle weights inserted the handle weighs 4.5kg the increments including both weights would be 9,13.5,18, and 22.5kg , without both handle weights the weight increments would be 2.5,7,11.5,16 and 20.5kg or you can just add one weight to change them again.



If you've ever been to a regular gym you should be familiar with the way you change the weight increment on the Power Block, its as easy as sliding the bar out and sliding it back in to the desired weight you want, it takes roughly 5 seconds to perform a straight change without involving the adder weights in the handle. 10 seconds if you need to remove or add the adder weights. The pin bar has a strong magnet that is inside it so once you've selected your weight and pushed the pin through it will remain firmly in place, there is also an elastic tether either side of the pin to ensure you don't lose it.

The weight increments are colour coded on the top and side so for instance if you decided you wanted to curl 13.5kg you would leave the adder weights in the handle and put the selector pin under the white bar, this enables you to lift the weight clear of the remaining weights and you have only selected 13.5kg, where the Power Block differ to the Bowflex is that the Power Block dont need to be in a cradle to perform the weight. change making them a lot more versatile if your in the middle of a drop set and need to do a quick change without getting off your bench

Another important factor is the size of the powerblock, compared to even regular hex dumbbells the Power Block is quite a bit smaller and to me feels just as balanced.

To me though the main 2 selling points are warranty and upgradability, the Power Block. comes with a 10 year manufacturers warranty and can be upgraded a further two times, called "stages" stage 2 add on kit takes the total amount of weight available from 25kg up to 42kg and the stage 3 takes the total combined weight from 45.5kg to 59kg again in selectable increments of 45.5kg, 46.5kg, 47.5kg, 51kg, 52kg, 53kg, 57kg, 58kg, 59kg

The Power Blocks cost around £400 for the stage 1 kit, £300 for the stage 2 kit and £400 for the stage 3 kit

I hope you've enjoyed this brief review of the Power Blocks

Jase