Winter is just around the corner. Even if the next summer still seems far away, now is the best time to start working on your beach figure. You don’t necessarily have to make a pilgrimage to the local gym. You can also work out in the comfort of your own home. To ensure that your workout is as muscle-building and joint-saving as possible, you should stick to the right movement patterns. Experienced trainers with expertise ensure this in the gym. Meanwhile, thanks to YouTube and fitness apps, you can also exercise at home following instructions. But after a while, jumping jacks, push-ups and sit-ups simply become boring. A suitable piece of equipment is the solution. In the Bowflex Selecttech Dumbbells 552i review, we take a close look at a gadget that’s supposed to bring variety to your home gym. Is it an unnecessary piece of technology or a real asset to your home workout?
Revolutionary Dumbbells
Exercising in the comfort of your own home is becoming increasingly popular. This is not only because many people simply lack the time to visit a gym. On top of that, it has recently become more and more attractive to work out without separate equipment. The magic word here is calisthenics or dead weight training. Here, you transform your own body weight into the necessary sports equipment. But as effective as this training may be, at some point everyone wants to bring variety into the development of muscles and endurance. Dumbbells in particular are an ideal option for many people. If a classic model is too boring for you, you should take a look at the Bowflex Selecttech 552i dumbbells.
In a sense, this is a pair of smart dumbbells that aim to eliminate typical drawbacks of conventional dumbbells. In particular, the lack of flexibility is namely a thorn in the eye of many home athletes. The model from Bowflex has come up with an ingenious system here. So you can not only quickly change the weight of your dumbbell. On top of that, the set comes with interesting smart features that want to make your workout as effective as possible. In particular, the customized app is supposed to enable a goal-oriented workout that meets individual demands. It all sounds pretty promising, doesn’t it? We tried out the pair of dumbbells!
Bowflex Selecttech 552i Test: The Technology
At first glance, the pair of dumbbells looks like a futuristic fitness gadget. And it is. Nevertheless, in its basic concept, it resembles conventional dumbbells. On the one hand, this means that you can use them with different weights. For this, you simply decide on a desired weight level. Between 2 and 24 kg everything is possible. Certainly, the weight will not be high enough for some veterans in the field of arm training. However, for a conventional training of “Otto normal users” it should be perfectly sufficient.
However, BowFlex has also thought of those with training experience. Finally, you can secure a much heavier weight with the SelectTech Dumbbell 1090i. Between 4 kg and 41 kg are possible here. Even though dumbbells may seem like a compact piece of fitness equipment at first glance, they come with a crucial problem in the standard version. Over time, you celebrate training successes and, as a result, naturally want to increase the weight. But with the change to a higher weight you also have to buy a new dumbbell.
So it’s inevitable that you’ll eventually have three, four or five pairs of dumbbells of varying weights lying around with you. Alternatively, there are also models with removable discs. But again, you have to clear the space you need. BowFlex wants to solve this flexibility problem with its smart dumbbell. Here, you don’t need a new plate or dumbbell to increase or decrease your weight. Instead, you can change the weight on the dumbbell itself with the help of a handy rotary wheel.
In seconds, the whole thing is done. In practice, it works really well! Not only the dial, but also the rest of the training device scores with a great finish. You won’t have to worry about longevity here. As cool as the principle of adjustable weight without changing discs may be, it is unfortunately impractical with lower weights. No matter whether you choose 2 or 24 kg – the dumbbell is always the same size apart from the discs. This can be annoying, for example, during cardio training with light weight, because unwieldy.
Bowflex Selecttech 552i Test: The App
So that you can complete a tailored and targeted workout with the smart dumbbells, you get with the JRNY app a suitable software to the side. Here you can play practical training videos that serve as a template for your workout. A level system provides motivation. This allows you to increase the level of difficulty step by step. In particular, the weight and duration of the workout change here. The app tries to analyze your training in detail in order to offer you customized sports units.
Your movement patterns are again analyzed by your smartphone or tablet’s camera. With good lighting, this worked quite well. Although the workout naturally focuses on the dumbbells, the app also offers other workouts. You can also practice calethenics or forget the stress of everyday life with a round of yoga. However, if you want to use the full range of functions, you will need a premium membership for a fee. Fortunately, you get this free of charge when you buy the dumbbells – at least for two months.
In this case, you benefit from background music during the music classes, for example. Furthermore, iOS users can link the app to their own Apple Health app. This way, your workout is taken into account for daily exercise achievements. Within the app, I definitely wished for a bit more variety after a few days of practice. For example, professionals in particular are looking in vain for a more targeted workout for individual muscle groups. Here BowFlex should perhaps improve again with an app update.
Conclusion
After a few days of sports program, it’s time for a conclusion on my part. Let’s start with the positive. First of all, the Bowflex Selecttech Dumbbells 552i bring a very practical advantage. Thus, this is a piece of sports equipment that, unlike conventional dumbbells, is pleasingly space-saving. Especially if you plan to vary the weight of your dumbbell, this is a great advantage. After all, you don’t have to put on or put down discs every time. However, you should be aware that this also brings a disadvantage. Even if you only train with a weight of 2 kg, you have a rather unwieldy dumbbell in your hand. So if you only want to use one weight level for your workout anyway and don’t need a flexible change of weight level, reaching for a classic dumbbell is probably a much more cost-saving way to go.
Positive mention must also be made of the clear app. Here you will find customized training and, above all, a goal-oriented improvement option thanks to different levels of difficulty. However, we wish BowFlex would expand its range of available workouts a bit more. This should especially please demanding athletes who want to train certain body regions, for example. Apart from that, there is little to complain about here. If you want to give your home workout a breath of fresh air and are particularly interested in weight training, then the Bowflex Selecttech 552i dumbbells are certainly worth considering. However, not only the dumbbells themselves are sporty, but also their price. So they hit with proud 499.00 euros.
Bowflex Selecttech 552i
Workmanship
Hardware
Usability
Value for money
90/100
The Bowflex Selecttech 552i take dumbbell training to a new level. But the whole thing also has a proud price.
No replies yet
Neue Antworten laden...
Gehört zum Inventar
Beteilige dich an der Diskussion in der Basic Tutorials Community →