Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells:
Stressing Your Body, Not Your Space
How to adjust the weight on a Bowflex SelectTech dumbbell. The 552's get 4.4/5 stars at Amazon and the 1090's get 4.6.
If strength building is your thing, you know about dumbbells. You know they are bulky. As your strength increases, so do the space requirements. Now you have the SelectTech 1090 dumbbells, or the smaller Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells to solve your space problems, and increase your strength.
Both work on the same “dial a weight” principle. Place the handle into the stack of weight plates, choose the needed weight, and turn to set the weight on the other end. (You do not have to use the same weight on both ends—certain exercises benefit from the asymmetrical weighting.) Need to switch to another weight for the next exercise? It’s a snap—literally. Metal clips hold the plates securely on the handle. Set, dial, snap-repeat on the other end. One reviewer says it takes between 5 and 10 seconds to change a weight—less time than moving to get the correct weight in a traditional dumbbell array.
>>>Buy SelectTech 1090 Dumbbells <<<
>>> Buy SelectTech 552 Dumbbells <<<
What about reliability? Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells manufactured in 2009 and later —those with metal clips on the weight plates—are very stable, reliable, and long-lasting. (Be very wary of an old set with plastic clips—there have been some serious injuries, and more near-misses when the plastic holding clips failed.) All of them come with a two-year limited warranty on all parts, five-year warranty on weight plates, and one-year warranty on labor. (Be sure to register your set immediately—the warranty is not in effect until registered, and the labor portion void 30 days after purchase, if not registered by then.)
Advantages of the Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells
The advantages of this high tech arrangement is more than space saving, though that is a major advantage. One set replaces 15-17 individual dumbbell sets. The speed of exchange helps you keep your momentum up, as well as your muscles warm, and your heart pumping.
You don’t need to wait to add weight. The Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells let you add weight incrementally as your strength, not your budget, dictates. You will not have to add 10 pounds, only because that’s the next weight you happen to own. Just dial up the weight you really want. This will not only save your budget, but also decrease the chances of incorrectly using the dumbbells, or even the risk of injury caused by increasing weights too fast, just because that’s the weight you have.
The official stand for the Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells fits both models. It puts them at a back-saving height. Its stability also enhances the speed of the weight changes and decreases the probability of dropping them. Both your floors and your toes will appreciate that. A, cheaper, less aesthetic option is to use the original shipping box with its lid removed will put them safely at almost the same height. A Cross-Fit devotee said, “Just bend your knees and pick them up from the floor,” the least expensive option. Don’t forget to bend your knees, or your back may well remind you in unwelcome ways.
Comparison of the Bowflex SelectTech 1090 and 552
So there are the SelectTech 1090 dumbbells, and the smaller Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells—the numbers refer to the weight ranges, to keep them straight. Which one should you buy?
If you are really serious about your strength training, you need the 1090s. These max at 90 pounds (just under 41 kg.) That may seem like a lot of weight. You might think you are too small for this size. Neither is the case. My Cross-Fit friend, who is just 5 feet tall and 120 pounds, routinely hefts 40 kg .weights in a variety of exercises. The more devoted you are to strength training, the more you need the 1090’s—they grow with you. The 10 90s begin at 10 pounds and increase in 5-pound increments to 90 pounds. Admittedly, as one reviewer put it, if you are an NFL linebacker, these will not be heavy enough for you—buy an Olympic-rated dumbbell set. For more ordinary humans doing regular workouts, these will fit the bill very well.
Read our review of the Bowfelx SelectTech 1090 Dumbbells.
This set replaces 17 sets of individual dumbbells—almost 800 pounds you don’t have to lug from storage for each workout, or stumble over in your workout area. (As good dumbbells cost about $1/pound, you will save a lot of money in buying the SelectTech 1090 dumbbells, too.)
On the safety and reliability issues, too, the SelectTech 1090 dumbbells outpace their smaller cousins. There have been no reports of any safety problems from reviewers. Similarly, none have grumbled about the reliability or durability. One Amazon reviewer said he’s had the dial “stick” maybe 1% of the time. Then he told exactly how to fix it, so you don’t have to send the whole apparatus back to Bowflex. Others have said “just jiggle the weight plates” if they have shifted and the dumbbell doesn’t slide immediately back into the holder.
>>>Buy SelectTech 1090 Dumbbells <<<
Any down side to the 1090s? Yes, two issues. This model has a metal handle with an etched surfaces, and is said, by a few folks, to be semi-rectangular. If your hands are tender, then these might rub. Applying cloth tape to the handle fixed this problem for several users. The other problem is the over-all size of the dumbbell. At 17.5 inches in length—required so all the weight plats can be fitted at the high weights—it is noticeably longer than average dumbbells. The length made it necessary for one reviewer to alternate arms on a two-arm exercise. One admittedly small woman said they were simply too long for her frame.
Read our review of the Bowfelx SelectTech 552 Dumbbells.
If that’s the case, try the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells. They are 1 ¾ inches shorter. They range from 5 to 52.5 pounds. They increase in 2.5-pound increments to 25 pounds, and 5-pound increments above that. Other than that, the new ones are the same as the heavier dumbbell. (Remember, those made in 2008 and before had plastic clips that proved to be dangerous in several cases.)
Advantages over the 1090s? Obviously, the weight, if you are not going to be as weight-driven about your workouts—or if you prefer “reps” to weight. The only other is that the handle is rubberized and completely round. Those with less work-out hardened hands may find this welcome, particularly at the higher range.
>>> Buy SelectTech 552 Dumbbells <<<
So, you have a choice. The SelectTech 1090 dumbbells are probably the better choice for nearly every serious body worker. Sooner or later, you will want the weight, and you will always appreciate the space savings. However, some of you may well find the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells the answer for at least the immediate future. Which ever you choose, you will certainly want the space, speed, and technological advantages of one of the Bowflex SelectTech dumbbell models. Nothing else compares.
>>>Buy SelectTech 1090 Dumbbells <<<
>>> Buy SelectTech 552 Dumbbells <<<
If convenient, when I recommend a product or service, I include an affiliate link to it. That means, if someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase, the vendor pays me something out of their advertising budget. I’d be a fool not to. If the product isn’t excellent, I won’t include a link; I probably won’t mention it at all.
