Pro Style Dumbbells

The short of it: these are very popular style dumbbells in the body building community but, from my experience, a lot of home gym owners are looking more for the rubber/metal hex style.

What makes a dumbbell “pro style”? I’m glad you asked! The pro style dumbbells use 1” plates to build the dumbbells with a metal handle in the middle. There are also some rubberized styles on the market that offer a similar look and feel but have rubber encased metal on the end instead of the plates.

From my experience, the people that buy these either want to have the feeling that their home gym matches the gym they used to workout at, they like the look of them, or they feel that these function better.

One interesting thing to keep in mind with these dumbbells: not every company measures the weight the same! Since there are plates on the end, you’d think 80 pounds of plates = an 80 pound dumbbell, right? Not quite. The weight of the handle and bolts usually adds a few pounds and the heavier the plates are the stronger the bolts need to be, meaning that even more weight is added. Some companies make the handles weigh 5 pounds and then include it in the weight, but others just count the weight as however many plates you have on the dumbbell… meaning your 80 pound dumbbell could really weigh more like 85 (or even 90) pounds.

Pros:
-Depending on the style, you can add/remove plates so you can combine dumbbells for heavier use (for example)
-The round sides mean there aren’t any “sharp” edges to kick/rub against
-The round edges can make them slide against your legs easier (during shrugs, for example)

Cons:
-Require a special style dumbbell rack (at least, if you don’t want them rolling around when you pick the other dumbbells up)
-They don’t like to stay put when you put them on the ground! (Makes sense, right?)
-Harder to find. Usually you have to go to an online shop to be able to get these and generally it is harder to missing ones if you’re trying to complete your set
-More expensive. They are quite a bit more expensive than the hex dumbbell styles

Personally, I like the rubber hex style over these, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to work well for your home gym!