I’ve got a two-year-old son, a full-time job and a fairly constant battle to find time to train. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy going to the gym, but there’s a big difference between wanting to work out and actually having an hour spare to get there, do the thing, then get home. With a toddler in the mix, 30 minutes can sometimes feel like a luxury.
So, for the past two weeks, I’ve been testing the BowFlex SelectTech 52 adjustable dumbbell at home, using a series of workouts created by Men’s Health Fitness Director Andrew Tracey. The question was simple: could one adjustable dumbbell give me enough scope to train properly, without transforming my house into Muscle Beach?
Getting to Grips
I’ve used adjustable dumbbells before, and my experience wasn’t great. I’m talking about the old-school variety where you screwed different iron plates onto a handle, spent half your workout changing the weight and became increasingly nervous whenever you took them overhead, let alone doing anything dynamic.
The SelectTech 52 adjustable dumbbell feels like a different proposition. Here, the weight is selected using a dial on either side of the dumbbell, so changing resistance takes seconds. It offers 15 weight settings from 2kg to 24kg, which gave me plenty of scope during the test. The dial adjustment is genuinely a breeze. Turn it, pick up the dumbbell and get on with the next exercise.
No unscrewing, no moving plates around and no pile of spare weights on the floor. And, crucially, it feels secure with a premium touch.
Putting it Through its Paces
Tracey’s programme was a good test because it forced me to use the dumbbell in ways I probably wouldn’t have if I’d simply been doing my own workouts.
Across 10 sessions, I used it for everything from goblet squats, lunges and rows to single-arm snatches, cleans, push presses and devil’s presses. One workout paired 15-minute rounds of devil’s presses, hang cleans and suitcase deadlifts; another combined snatches, prisoner squats, rows and push-ups.
To me, that variety is crucial. It’s easy for an adjustable dumbbell to look good if you’re only doing curls and rows. It’s another thing to repeatedly pick it up, move it quickly and take it overhead with total confidence.
There was none of the rattling and movement I’ve experienced with other adjustable dumbbells. During dumbbell snatches, devil’s presses and push presses, I wasn’t distracted by the feeling that something was going to come loose and it helped me lock in during each workout.
The Busy-Dad Test
This is ultimately where the adjustable dumbbell won me over. If I’ve got 25 minutes before I need to get on with the rest of the day, I don’t want to spend five of them setting up equipment. With one adjustable dumbbell, there’s very little set-up. Pick it up, turn the dial and get to work. Simples.
There were sessions where I had to train around work and childcare rather than having a nice uninterrupted block of time. I wasn’t always able to complete a workout exactly as planned, but having the dumbbell there meant I could still do something worthwhile.
And that’s where the adjustable design really earns its keep. The workouts often required different loads for different movements, so I could use a lighter setting when I needed to move quickly and dial up the resistance for slower, strength-focused exercises. Being more intentional during each phase of the lift — slowing down the eccentric (lowering) section of the lift, for example — is already having plenty of carryover outside of my home workouts.
It’s a Lean Machine
This is another obvious advantage of adjustable dumbbells. A collection of fixed weights quickly becomes a lot of equipment. This, however, effectively condenses 15 dumbbell weights into one unit, with a storage tray to keep it contained.
I don’t have a dedicated home gym. I have a flat that contains a two-year-old, which means floor space is already at a premium. Therefore, I need something I can put away and get out when I have 20 or 30 minutes to train. That’s exactly what this does.
Did I Miss the Gym?
Not exactly. Would I want to train exclusively with one dumbbell forever? That depends — if you’re chasing maximal strength, for example, there are obvious advantages to having access to heavier loads and a wider range of equipment — but for general strength, muscle-building and conditioning at home, 2kg to 24kg covers a lot of ground.
I also never felt particularly restricted by having just one dumbbell. Single-arm exercises give you plenty to think about, while the combination of strength and conditioning meant I wasn’t simply repeating the same handful of movements; and because the weight is adjustable, it can progress with you. You aren’t buying one 10kg dumbbell and then having to replace it when you get stronger.
The Verdict
After two weeks with the SelectTech 52, I’m genuinely impressed. Adjustable dumbbells have clearly come a long way from the rattling, plate-covered things I remember using years ago. It’s quick to adjust between exercises — a heavy floor press to a lateral raise, for example — while feeling secure during dynamic movements and offering enough resistance for a broad range of training without compromising.
I’m not trying to recreate a commercial gym in my spare room. Rather, I want enough kit to train properly without making the process such a chore that I stop bothering. For me, that’s the most useful thing about having an adjustable dumbbell at home — here, there’s nowhere to hide.
Ready to level-up your home workouts? Shop the SelectTech 52 dumbbell at Bowflex
