Weight Bench and Adj Dumbbells

Powerblocks up to 50.

Rep fitness bench - AB 3100

You’ll drop $500+ but you’ll have equipment that will last a long time. You won’t have to upgrade if they really get into it. You can also recoup most of your money if you ever sell.

ill give you a couple options for benches, keep in mind that all of these are really nice and going to be much better, last longer and be safer than something cheap from like dicks, academy etc. list is in order of cheapest to most expensive

1) rep 3100 LINK

2) rep 4100 LINK

3) getrxd FIDAB-2 LINK

you will not need anything nicer but you could do something like the rep blackwing or rogue 3.0



as far as adjustable DB's.....you have a couple choices

1) nuobells- really nice, up to 80 lbs but if dropped can break

2) snodesport ad-80....same design as the nuoebells but can be dropped

3) adjustable olympic handles where you can just add olympic weights. rogue makes some nice ones.

4) pepin fast series- these are nicest but most expensive of all the adjustables.

5) ironmasters or pepin pro series. most similar to a db but also uses plates that come off and on and slowest to change

6) powerblocks elite stage 1- this would be my recommendation. comes with 5-50 and can be upgraded up to 90lbs overtime as they get stronger. pretty durable, i have had mine for over 10 years and only had 1 plate break which powerblock replaced very quickly. the elites now come with knurled handles.

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Is the power block that much better

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It’s not that they are better. They are tried and true. They are super sturdy and fast to change. Seems like the company takes care of their customers.

You can do basically everything that you would normally do with a dumbbell. Goblet squats, DB pullovers, and tricep extensions might be different. You could still do them just may not feel like a traditional dumbbell.

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the elites now come with knurled handles.

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My wallet did not appreciate you letting me know this…

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An honorable mention would be the Ironmaster one which is interesting because it has a ton of attachments you can buy with versatility always being a plus.

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I have this bench as well. Some things to note. Unless they've changed something in the newer versions, the bench height is weird, it's 2" taller than the REP bench I have. It's also much thinner (11" maybe). I don't use it for anything other than incline and leg extension/curls. That attachment is awesome BTW.

Checkout Garage Gym Reviews, he’s got a lot of adjustable dumbbell reviews.

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Is the shape odd when you’re doing certain lifts?

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Yes they can be. Any movement where you use both hands on one dumbbell, like overhead tricep extensions, you can't really accomplish the same grip as a traditional dumbbell. Wrist curls are also awkward due to the bars hitting your wrist/forearm. That being said, I haven't felt compelled to replace mine.

The Kensui Adjustabells look nice for the handle/plate setup since they don't have the pokey ends and can lie flat

Rogue dumbbell set 5-50 is on sale for $795.

Anyone use the Core adjustable dumbbells? Garage gym review guy likes them.