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Firstly, for the elephant in the weight room: yes, at more than $400, there's no denying that this is an expensive set of dumbbells. But it’s not just one set, it’s 10 sets in one, because each of the dumbbells you get in a NordicTrack iSelect Adjustable Dumbbell set can be configured to weigh in at five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 pounds.
Were you to buy 10 individual pairs of dumbbells in each of those weights, you’d actually pay more than the price of these weights if you bought a halfway decent set, and you’d also have to have space to accommodate all 10 pairs of said weights and their total of 550 pounds, as opposed to the 100 pounds of this smart weight set.
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Now to the other reservation you might have here: yes, there are several options for decent adjustable dumbbells out there that cost less than these yet offer the same five-pound increments between five- and 50-pound minimum and maximum weights. But do you really want to settle for decent when you’re investing in what can be the only set of weights you’ll need?
Having used several different brands of adjustable dumbbells over the years, I can say that it’s a serious blow to the workout flow when a weight gets jammed coming off its stand, requiring you to set one dumbbell down in order to use both hands to free the other. The same is true when a weight comes off the stand with the wrong number of plates on it and must be resettled in position, re-set, then retrieved. Little issues in the big picture, but they throw me off balance, break the rhythm, and more times than I care to admit have led me to simply stopping a workout early in frustration.
With these Alexa-enabled smart weights, there’s no fumbling with the grip to twist it to the right weight; rather there are simply commands like: “Alexa, set weight to 45 pounds!” or “Alexa, add 10 pounds of weight!” or “Alexa, set weight to curls!” or, of course: “Alexa, play ‘Eye of the Tiger!’” so I can get a real workout going on.
Beyond the ease of setting weights via voice command, there’s also the ease with which these weights rise from and return to their cradles, which, as noted, is actually kind of a big deal. For things like interval training or participating in a planned workout routine, which you can do many of live or pre-recorded thanks to the partnership NordicTrack has established with iFIT, weights that adjust fast and come out easily are critical.
You can of course also adjust the weight of these dumbbells via a dial and you certainly don’t have to use them in tandem with a fitness instructor’s planned regimen, but if you’re looking to work smarter, not harder, then… you’re missing the point: work smarter and harder.
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