Dumbell weight for beginner.

[paulguitar]

I'm just after some advice. I'm stuck at home as many of us are. I'm walking around four miles per day but have been advised some basic weight training would be good for me. So I am looking at getting a pair of dumbells and following some online exercises.

I'm just after some advice as to what weight might be appropriate for the dumbells. I am just short of 50 and not particularly fit.

Thanks in advance everyone.

[toasty]

One tip is to get them delivered.

I bought a weights set from Argos a few years back. They brought it all out and I couldn't lift it.

My guess is you'd need a set rather than just one weight.

[Animal]

paulguitar said:

I'm just after some advice. I'm stuck at home as many of us are. I'm walking around four miles per day but have been advised some basic weight training would be good for me. So I am looking at getting a pair of dumbells and following some online exercises.

I'm just after some advice as to what weight might be appropriate for the dumbells. I am just short of 50 and not particularly fit.

Thanks in advance everyone.

You can honestly get an awful lot done with just your bodyweight. Maybe a yoga mat and a doorway chin up bar if you want to be fancy! The Nike Training Club app has lots of bodyweight-only workouts that go from 'Easy' (i.e. I definitely felt that one working) to 'Advanced' (i.e. please, just shoot me!).

If you do want to use some weights, I'd suggest a 12kg kettlebell (but don't get one of those plastic-handled ones) which should be plenty taxing for a while.

[ReverendCounter]

Animal said:

You can honestly get an awful lot done with just your bodyweight.

Yep, doing dips is great for the upper body and arms, especially the triceps. Once you can get a decent number of those out, put a backpack on with some kind of weight in it.

[paulguitar]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I think my bodyweight is rather too high to consider anything like pull-ups, unfortunately... So on that basis, I think I will still get the dumbells.

Would a pair of 4KG ones be okay?

[DanL]

Depends what you want to do, but 4kg is going to be very light I would have thought.

I’d get a set of 20kg adjustable dumbbells. Something like this:
https://yorkfitness.com/products/york-fitness-20-k...

You can knock the weight down for arm exercises, and increase it for back and chest. Odds are 10kg in each hand won’t be too hard for a chest press even as an absolute beginner, but having got these you can buy extra plates for them as and when...

Of course, finding anywhere that has weights in stock at half way reasonable prices is something of a challenge at the moment, but that’s a different issue!

[V8mate]

paulguitar said:

Would a pair of 4KG ones be okay?

For what? Is there an exercise regime you've seen which requires them?

Otherwise, it's like asking if a silver car will be ok.

[paulguitar]

DanL said:

Depends what you want to do, but 4kg is going to be very light I would have thought.

I’d get a set of 20kg adjustable dumbbells. Something like this:
https://yorkfitness.com/products/york-fitness-20-k...

You can knock the weight down for arm exercises, and increase it for back and chest. Odds are 10kg in each hand won’t be too hard for a chest press even as an absolute beginner, but having got these you can buy extra plates for them as and when...

Of course, finding anywhere that has weights in stock at half way reasonable prices is something of a challenge at the moment, but that’s a different issue!

Thanks, I will start the search.

[Calza]

As above, you need a set of adjustable ones like from york etc..

Combine that with a pull up bar and some resistance bands, you're sorted..

[BurtonLazars]

I completely realise I’m going to sound like a dick here, but I’m genuinely trying to be helpful:

Dumbbells are a tool. Your body does various movements. If you can do each movement then you can add resistance to the movement to make it harder, then you can move onto more complex movements, and then you can add resistance to those to make them harder.

To pick on an example above, one day you may be able to substitute chin ups for a whole bunch of less complicated movements, but as you’ve said - today is not that day.

So... on that basis, you’ve asked a question about what tool is the right tool for the job: “I want to move some soil, would a normal spade be ok?”. There’s simply isn’t enough information their to answer the question helpfully, only to guess based on average people and their needs. it could be that 4kg is way too low for your needs (I bet your last shopping bag weighed more than that) or it may be way too heavy because of the type of exercise you’re doing and how well you (don’t) move.

[BurtonLazars]

^ no, I don’t get invited to parties

[hyphen]

Calza said:

As above, you need a set of adjustable ones like from york etc..

Combine that with a pull up bar and some resistance bands, you're sorted..

If can afford it, get the adjustable dumbells where you just move the dial to the required weight.

[hotchy]

Get two buckets. Fill with water or sand (id say sand and tape the top shut) You can now do just about anything the dumbells could do and its adjustable and costs about £2.

[anonymous-user]

hotchy said:

Get two buckets. Fill with water or sand (id say sand and tape the top shut) You can now do just about anything the dumbells could do and its adjustable and costs about £2.

I use dumbbells for my workout and I could do absolutely none of the exercises with that setup and even if you could there is no way you would be able to follow the proper form for the exercise., A set of cast iron 20kg adjustable dumbbells would be perfect to begin with, you can then add a 2nd set later to make it easier to switch between arm and chest exercises.

[hotchy]

Bluequay said:

hotchy said:

Get two buckets. Fill with water or sand (id say sand and tape the top shut) You can now do just about anything the dumbells could do and its adjustable and costs about £2.

I use dumbbells for my workout and I could do absolutely none of the exercises with that setup and even if you could there is no way you would be able to follow the proper form for the exercise., A set of cast iron 20kg adjustable dumbbells would be perfect to begin with, you can then add a 2nd set later to make it easier to switch between arm and chest exercises.

Iv got a near enough full garage gym set up and you simply can.
You can do bicep curls easily, you can side shoulder lifts, even single bucket shoulder press. You can do your back, traps. You probably couldn't do chest. Need to be inventive when nearly the entire Internet was sold out for a year.

Infact YouTube full body water bucket workouts. Simply put, you do not need to spend £2-300 on a set on fancy dumbells and you can get going right now with what you have.

Edited by hotchy on Wednesday 24th March 15:15

[anonymous-user]

hotchy said:

Bluequay said:

hotchy said:

Get two buckets. Fill with water or sand (id say sand and tape the top shut) You can now do just about anything the dumbells could do and its adjustable and costs about £2.

I use dumbbells for my workout and I could do absolutely none of the exercises with that setup and even if you could there is no way you would be able to follow the proper form for the exercise., A set of cast iron 20kg adjustable dumbbells would be perfect to begin with, you can then add a 2nd set later to make it easier to switch between arm and chest exercises.

Iv got a near enough full garage gym set up and you simply can.
You can do bicep curls easily, you can side shoulder lifts, even single bucket shoulder press. You can do your back, traps. You probably couldn't do chest. Need to be inventive when nearly the entire Internet was sold out for a year.

Maybe when you have been working out for a while and have the supporting muscles to deal with a moving weight without a proper grip, but for a beginner it's terrible advice.

[paulguitar]

I'd prefer not to use buckets, fellas!

[BurtonLazars]

Bluequay said:

Maybe when you have been working out for a while and have the supporting muscles to deal with a moving weight without a proper grip, but for a beginner it's terrible advice.

Then don’t fill the buckets so full...

[Sheets Tabuer]

Gyms open on the 12th of April, just find your cheap ass pure gym and pay £20 a month, then you don't have to ebay anything if you pack it in after a month,

[SarlechS]

30kg should do it, 15kg per side if you want to use them to train your back and chest etc.

if just triceps, biceps and shoulders 20kg total will do it