Reddit reviews Ironmaster 75 lb Quick-Lock Adjustable Dumbbell System with Stand

I recently purchased my home gym, all in all, it was about $1300.

I bought this half rack - $350

This bench - $100

This bar and set of plates - $250

These Dumbbells - $600

These Rings - $34

This belt - $27

Total if you buy it all today: $1361

I looked to get as much of it as I could while it was on sale, or discounted. I also went to raise.com and got something like 15% off a Dick's Sporting Goods gift card, so I got it for an even better price.

It allows me to do basically everything I need to do, and I've bene loving it! Let me know if you have any questions.

I was on the same page until I saw this amazon review. Even though I don’t think the locking mechanism would fail, it still scares me away from buying ironmasters.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B000GE5QRM/RSU76CIB46N7H?ref=pf_vv_at_spk_ssp&tag=glimpseamzn20-20

I highly suggest you consider the IronMaster adjustable dumbbells.

The base set goes up to 75lbs, and there are extension sets to go to 125lbs and 165lbs, all in 2.5lb increments. And they are made of cast iron so they will last forever. In fact, they come with a lifetime warranty.


Craig

Author of Supermen: Building Maximum Muscle for a Lifetime

I hate the ones with the threaded ends. They're such a pain in the ass if you aren't loading the thing all the way up. I had a barbell like that (on loan from a family member), I think I used it 2 time before I just bought a new bar. 80% of the time changing the weight was just screwing the thing off and on.

I had some of these at one point which were a pretty good middle ground, but they aren't cheap. Plus, if you're doing something where you want to change weight quickly or go back and forth between a few different weights, the Powerblocks make that much easier.

I read previously that upright rows are only potentially dangerous when using a straight barbell because of the position of your arms. It isn't an issue when using dumbbells as in P90X. Here's a source: Dumbbell upright rows

For adjustables, I'm trying to get my hands on Ironmasters. They are much closer to the feel and form factor of actual dumbells without the ganky plastic parts, and you can use the plates on a special EZ Curl bar, also from Ironmaster. This makes them ideal for Body Beast. The price is about the same as PowerBlocks.

The most recommended premium (read: expensive) brands seem to be IronMaster and Power Block. (I don't own either so I can't tell you which is better.)

Some examples:

http://www.amazon.com/Ironmaster-75-Quick-Lock-Adjustable-Dumbbell/dp/B000GE5QRM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405192549&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/PowerBlock-Elite-Adjustable-90-Pounds-Dumbbell/dp/B001CC724W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1405192569&sr=8-3

I'm saving up to get the Ironmaster adjustable set and the 1st expansion kit, will have 5-120lbs. The 5-75lb set is $599 on amazon and the expansion kit from 80-120 is $300 or so.

on the expensive side for sure, but they're supposedly very sturdy and feel much more like a solid dumbbell than most adjustables.

I've always hated going to the gym fighting with other people for equipment and altering my exercises around what is available. I also let the distance from my house creep in as an excuse. It resulted in a lot of fuckarounditis and quitting for long periods of time. Best thing I have done was get some proper equipment for my garage. I am addicted now.

I had some weights, a bench, a short olympic bar, and two olympic dumbell bars I got off of classifieds awhile ago. The bar sucked since it was so small. I never got into using it for years. I decided to finally get a real bar and a power rack. I also supplemented my olympic weights a bit. It has made a HUGE difference in the quality of my workouts. The power rack allows me to push myself a lot without the use of a spotter.

Below is the equipment I got and can absolutely recommend all of it. The bar has the perfect amount of knurling to not rip your hands up. The weights are not works of art, but cheap and perfectly suitable.

PowerLine PPR200X Power Rack

Body Solid 7-Feet Olympic Bar

Cap Barbell Free Weights

Lockjaw Olympic Barbell Collar

My bench is kind of a shitty bench that came with all the other junk I purchased earlier. Not sure what would be good if I was in the market right now. You can modify the power rack to hold some of your plates, but a weight tree isn't expensive and laying weights on the floor isn't a problem at first. A pad is pretty much necessary for dead lifts and you can pick up 3/4 inch rubber horse stall mats at those farm feed store for about $45. Get on a program like SS and this is all you need until you decide to move to splits, giving you plenty of time to slowly add more equipment as you find it.

When I finish SS I will pickup the Ironmaster 75 lb Quick-Lock Adjustable Dumbbell System and I already ordered the Powerline PLA200X Lat Attachment, both of which get great reviews.

Overall you will save a ton of money on membership fees in the long run and it's really hard to make excuses to not workout. The equipment is a joy to use.

Well I think because of things like this, examine their design http://www.amazon.com/Bowflex-SelectTech-1090-Adjustable-Dumbbell/dp/B000OC5RXE/ the length always remains the same despite the weight used? How is that sensible. Infact it makes no sense to me and compared to these http://www.amazon.com/Ironmaster-75-Quick-Lock-Adjustable-Dumbbell/dp/B000GE5QRM/ Bowflex leaves a lot to be desired. The actual Bowflex resistance machine like the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym http://www.amazon.com/Bowflex-Blaze-Home-Gym/dp/B000GRDS6U/ costs about the same as getting good plates and dumbbell handles like these http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/im-0030.html

With dumbbells you have more versatility in my opinion, get some wooden blocks to stand on and you have a reasonably good squat to practice. Overhead press, chest press even if on floor, etc.

Just a few thoughts