How To Get Six Pack Abs

Review by Mark:

These are decent weights – carry case arrived damaged, it was replaced for us – the weights themselves are solid and easy to handle.

Caveat: a 40 pound set is not much weight – I figured it would be plenty for me as I’m just getting into this, but actually my wife’s outgrown them as well.

Thing is, the bar weighs 5 pounds, you get 15 pounds of assorted weight for each of the two bars, total 40 pounds, this allows you to set up from 5 to 20 pound dual dumbbells or a single up to 35 pounds – not quite enough to get there from here.

Plan on adding a few more 5 pounder or 10 pounders to it, is all – they are available separately so no big deal. I’ve set these bars up with 65 pounds of weights with no problem using 10 pounders.

The bars are good quality and have rubber washers to lock the weights in place.

For some exercises the 14 inch bars get in the way compared to simple hex dumbbells, and it does take a while to change weights between moves, but it’s tolerable, especially compared to blowing 0 on adjustable weights with plastic adjustment tabs, no less.

For the price, keep a couple sets around – you get more versatility in weight, and you get the ability to set up 2 sets for yourself at a time – allowing quicker workouts at the weight of your choosing without investing in a zillion separate dumbbells.

Would definitely do again.

Review by T. Wilson:

The quality is what you expect. They are your basic set of dumbbells. The carrying case will likely get damaged in shipment. Mine had a dented corner and broken latch.

But the case would be the least of my worries. Like the other reviewer, mine came with an incredibly strong gasoline scent and the bars are covered in this oily slightly sticky… substance. It leaves your hands smelling of gas even after a couple washes.

Review by M and G:

We own three sizes of this dumbbell, 8, 15, and 25 pound.

Pro:

+ Good looking

+ Seems well manufactured

+ Sturdy

+ Hex shape won’t let them roll around

+ Weights permanently affixed to the bar so won’t rattle

+ Coated weights are temperature nuetral when they make contact with skin, which will be nice in the winter

Con:

- Coated with an oil when arrived, definitely will need to be cleaned (the oil got into/aggravated my eye)

- Bar is a “bell” shape, so center is fatter than ends, for the bigger weight my hand tends to slip off the center and my hand ends up right against the rubber end

- Black color can mark floors or walls, but it doesn’t seem to do it much for me as I am careful and work out on carpet

Neutral:

> The 8-pound dumbell has a smaller diameter handle bar than the other dumbells… I like the bigger grip frankly, but hard to call it a con

Bottom line: recommended, bought an additional size after purchasing and using the weights I originally ordered.

Review by Lisa M. Trafton:

This is the perfect “in between” weight. Not too light and not too heavy to lift high reps bicep workout to Jari Love’s cd’s or Kelley Coffey-Meyer (my two favorites). The rubber coated ends save my floor from getting scratched and the grip is comfortable and non-slip.

Review by mom2boyz:

I purchased my Cap Barbell neoprene dumbbell 3#/5#/8# set from another online fitness store about 6 months ago. This set is a great starter set for toning and weight training at home.

These are good quality dumbbells (comparable to Troy brand) and are colored red, aqua and purple. Neoprene dumbbells are less damaging on flooring, don’t smell bad, and (because of their hex shape) don’t roll away. They are also easier to grip and more gentle on your hands (especially if you prefer to weight train without gloves).

I use these dumbbells almost daily and really like them.

Review by mom2boyz:

I purchased my Cap Barbell neoprene dumbbell 3#/5#/8# set from another online fitness store about 6 months ago. This set is a great starter set for toning and weight training at home.

These are good quality dumbbells (comparable to Troy brand) and are colored red, aqua and purple. Neoprene dumbbells are less damaging on flooring, don’t smell bad, and (because of their hex shape) don’t roll away. They are also easier to grip and more gentle on your hands (especially if you prefer to weight train without gloves).

I use these dumbbells almost daily and really like them.

Review by K. Schaub:

I purchased the PowerBlock dumbbells after returning the SelectTech dumbbells. The SelectTechs are cumbersome, the weight plates feel loose, and you have to dial two dials to select one weight. Furthermore, they are over 0 more expensive than the PowerBlocks.

On the plus side for the PowerBlocks:

1) They take up very little space for an adjustable dumbbell

2) They feel solid

3) While not cheap, they are much cheaper than the SelectTech dumbbells

4) You can do over the head tricep extensions using both weights or one using the handles on the bottom

5) Selecting the weights is a one step process for each weight

6) They are upgradable with a heavier handle option and a barbell option

On the minus side:

1) Alligning the pins to select the weight is a bit more difficult with the weights on the ground. The stand or a table top would alleviate this problem.

Overall, I’m pleased with the PowerBlocks and definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a quality, adjustable weight dumbbell.

Review by Patrick D. Goonan:

In general, I think these dumbbells are great. However, they can be a bit dangerous if you don’t do a safety check. For example, if you are not paying attention you can insert the pins at an angle. This creates a possiblity that a plate can come loose and hit you. Also, you can accidentally put the pin mechanism upside down, this creates the possiblity of an accident too.

I like that there is a back up system of an elastic cord and magnets holding the pin mechanism in place. I have found there is only a real danger on certain exercises and only if you don’t follow the instructions. Even then the odds are small anything will happen, but it’s something I want to warn people about because I have had some near misses.

I find the smaller version of these are better than the larger version. The large version can be cumbersome and a bit long for some exercises. However, I agree with the other reviews you can comfortably do a variety of exercises and the trade-off in terms of a slightly smaller range of motion on some particular exercises isn’t a big deal. For example, for upright rows I tend to prefer a short curling bar… ditto for overhead triceps extentions. However, using one dumbbell with two hands is possible and quite comfortable.

This is a solid well made product. I have owned mine for about a year and I think they are great. Over time, there can be an issue with friction between the plates, but I very thin layer of lubricant can help. For most people, this will only have to be done infrequently.

Review by W. Yee:

I guess there is a reason why it’s so cheap. Because it is cheap. You can tell the materials are cheap. Let me start off by talking about the shipment. I got the free delivery deal thing and even though it said 5-9 days. It actually came in 2 days after the order. Super fast 5/5 on that. But when it arrived, the box holding the weights was pretty smashed up its not usable and super dirty. Not sure where these shipments come from but boy are the weights and the box dirty as hell. There are sands or gravel or whatever inside the box with the weights. I decided to wash the weights and it started melting. Not really melting but black stuff started peeling off. I guess it’s because its rubber or whatever but small rubber ink thingys were peeling off. I don’t even know how to explain it. But after 30 mins of washing my tub looked like there was an oil spill. 1/5 there on the dirty job. After my weights dried I decided to try out the weights. Everything was fine until the spring clips. These clips are there to help hold the weights in place but boy are they hard to put on. and most likely super hard to take off too. could not had put it on myself without my friend helping. i originally wanted to do reps with all the weights on then slowly reducing the weights but it seems like its not possible because the spring clips are so hard to put on. maybe its just me but other than the spring clips and dirty shipment, the weights are a great set for its price. overall its a great set but i minus a few points for the dirtyness and the horrible spring clips. without the spring clips the dumbells are nothing more than normal 20lbs set because i can’t remove the weights and put on the clips without a 2nd person helping me. so it defeats the purpose of having a detachable dumbell bar + plates. I am thinking of buying a new pair of clips becuase these cheap clips are pretty useless. the weights are fine tho.

Review by Johnny Huynh:

I have been using these for over a year, and they seem very durable. However, take note that I do take care of them (i.e. I do not drop them onto the ground from high above; instead, I gently lower my hands to the ground before dropping them no more than 4-5 inches off the ground on in-door carpet). They do seem like they can be dropped on concrete just fine too though.

These seem to be constructed well on the outside, but the durability may vary from one set to another because the weights have some kind of powder in them, and a (in my case, well-constructed) plug keeps the powder in.

The clips work well. There are 6 total. Two of the clips are (barely) bigger (but bigger nonetheless) and very strong. These two clips do not slip at all handling the heaviest of weights on this weight set. I use these two clips on one dumbell handle. The other 4 clips are not as strong, but works about as well as the two larger ones when combined. I use 2 of these clips on each side (4 total) of the other dumbbell handle.

Review by J. Finkel:

First off, I ALSO did not receive 2 of the five pound weights. So, this ended up being a 100 pound weight set. Ideally you should be able to put equal weights on each side of a bar for proper balance and increase weight by 10 lbs. increments (or 5lbs. if you want to buy 2 1/2 lbs. weights). If you’re going to use the two dumbbells together, then you’re limited to properly placing exactly 20 lbs! The addition of the 2 missing weights would allow for 10 or 30 lbs, which is a vast improvement.

The bars are made of a sturdy metal, though fairly light and not likely to endure much abuse. The barbell weighs in at roughly 4 lbs and the dumbbells under 2 lbs. a piece. The barbell comes in two pieces which you must pound together on concrete and seems to handle all the weights that come with the set, but i’d be curious how much weight it can handle safely. I suppose if it came apart during a bench press, the weights would simply fall to either side of you harmlessly though. The barbell can fit up to 5 weights on each side and the dumbbells can handle 2 weights per side. The 6 included locking springs do a good job holding the weights in place. You can even tip the dumbbells fully to one side without any sliding.

The weights are a cheap but solid plastic with a plug holding in the fine packed chalky dust that fills these weights. There seemed to be some dust here and there when I unpacked the weights, but it wasn’t leaking out of any of the weights. The weights have a nice design on one side mimicking real metal weights but the other side is flat and makes it harder to pick up the weights with one hand than it should be.

Considering the current half-off sale and free shipping, this is just an unbeatable deal. I was tempted to give it 5 stars, but the missing weights are a real issue and I will have to buy some extra weights (though I probably would have bought 2 more 25 lbs weights anyway and maybe even 4 x 2.5 lbs). Honestly, given the price though, I think I’ll just buy a second set of these and find somewhere out of the way for the extra bars.

Review by Debbie:

The actual weights are as expected; however one of the top selling points for me was the storage case to enable portability & clean efficient storage. When the shipping box arrived it seemed too big for such a small item and did not properly secure the contents. With that said the internal black storage box for the weights was cracked & broken which doesn’t close. Quite useless. Reading prior reviews stating the same issue it begs the question if the reviews and comments are taken in to consideration by the supplier. Obviously they need to either not ship damaged product OR package it better so it’s not damaged during shipping. Difficult to determine the actual factor

Review by Shaun McParland:

The weights are great in serviceability and price. However the packaging the box was sent in was loose and the box became deformed. Since the weights are the relevant part this product is recommended.

Shaun

Review by Jannica:

If I were writing this review just on the weights/dumbbells, I would have given 5 stars. The weights are great, and their color is unique, and their grip great. Also, their unique shape makes exercises such as skull crushers, hammer curls, and front shoulder raises easier to grab the dumbbell by the top. However, I am rating this product as a whole, that means with the stand included. First of all, the stand is weak and plastic with two metal clips that slide into it to hold the weights. If you ask me, it is just for looks, and not to move the “dumbbell tree” around with, even though that handle on top looks rather deceiving. Do not pick this tree up by the handle or your toes will hurt as the weights come rolling off! Other than the stand, these weights are great! Get a new stand if you can !

Review by CT Text for Less:

If you’re buying this because you think either a) a stand would be nice or b) a DVD would be great or c) you like posters – go buy something else.

-Stand is not as cool as it seems

-The dvd is only 5 or 10 minutes long, featuring a random blonde in front of a pool not really doing too many exercises.

-The poster is okay, but you can bring out any [...] article and get the same

The weights have a comfortable grip and come in cool colors but I wish I hadn’t bought these.

You probably won’t need the 3lb ones anyways, so I imagine it would’ve been cheaper if I had just bought my own dumbbells at Walmart individually.

Review by Kurt A. Johnson:

With the recent birth of my new daughter, I wanted to get back into shape, so she wouldn’t think of me as “old fat Dad.” Well, my loving wife got me this weight set, and I am very pleased with it. The kit consists of two dumbbell handles with collars (about 3.5 lbs. when put together), eight 2.5 lb. weights, and four 1.5 lb. weights. The plates fit on the dumbbells quite easily, and the nut-like collars ensure that they won’t fall off.

I am very happy with these weights. It is quick and easy to change the weight of each dumbbell, and when it is together, it stays together, rather than the plates rotating and threatening to unscrew the collars. Also, the plastic container holds the plates and handles nicely and when the pieces are stowed away, it makes a nice small package for storage.

I have had these weights for a year now, and am quite happy with them. If you or someone you know wants to do some light weightlifting to get back into shape, then I highly suggest that you get this set. Looks great and works great!

Review by Jeffrey Guillaume:

If you take the time to read his seller profile, you’ll see plenty of unsatisfied buyers such as myself who have waited forever for our purchases, and receieved no communication from the seller! I bought this dumbbell set, it did not come cheap after shipping, but I really liked how it came in a case, plus the pieces looked nice. After 2 weeks of no confirmation of delivery and no contact from the seller until the last minute, I finally received my item and they were nothing as shown in the picture, nor as described! My shipment only came with 34lbs, not 40, and there was NO CASE!!!!

It came with NO CASE, they were all put in little plastic bags and some of the dumbbells had some grease-like substance on it. The plates looked NOTHING as pictured, they were black and were made from some cheap plastic. This was by-far the WORST experience I’ve ever had, since I’ve been using Amazon for the past couple years. If I was you, I wouldn’t even gamble on buying whatever this guy sells. BUYER BEWARE!