A good pair of adjustable dumbbells is one of my favorite pieces of fitness equipment. They’re versatile and help to save a lot of space, especially if you don’t have room for a set of dumbbells or an entire home gym for weight equipment. Another big plus that I like to look for when it comes to adjustable dumbbells is that they’re easy to use and of good value and quality. The NordicTrack Select-A-Weight Adjustable Dumbbells really impressed us in our testing and they check all of these boxes.
They’re well-priced for the 55 lbs that each dumbbell offers and they’re really quick and easy to adjust with the orange pin-locking system. They also have a metal knurled handle that makes them feel like lifting regular dumbbells. In this full review of the NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells, I’ll go over everything you can expect, what we like, and what we’d like to see improved in the future, so keep reading to learn more.
Why You Should Trust Our Review Of NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells
Here at TRG, we work to test all of the latest fitness equipment on the market. Not only do we use our fair share of cardio equipment like treadmills and exercise bikes, but we use and test strength equipment of all kinds, too. From other adjustable dumbbells to kettlebells and smart home gyms, we’ve reviewed all kinds of equipment. We’ve also tested pretty much every product from NordicTrack so we’re extremely familiar with this brand.
Not only do we rely on our experience testing each piece of equipment, as well as our extensive history compiling reviews of various workout products, but we also like to compare equipment. When reviewing the NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells, we pulled out the NordicTrack iSelect Dumbbells, ProForm Adjustable Dumbbells, and Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbbells, among others to compare them to. This way we can help you narrow down your search.
- These are a great value for the amount of weight they offer.
- You can lift up to 55 lbs with each dumbbell, and adjust each in 15 different weight increments.
- They’re fairly compact and replace up to 30 dumbbells.
- They adjust really easily with a manual pin-locking system.
- They come with a free trial to iFIT as an optional training program to follow along with.
- The starting weight of 10 lbs might be too heavy for some people and the max 55 lb weight of each might not be enough for others.
- Adjusting between the 2.5 and 5 lb inner pin-locking adjustments is a little confusing.
- Manual pin-locking system makes them quick and easy to adjust
- Adjusts in 2.5 lb and 5 lb increments up to 55 lbs each
- Replaces up to 15 pairs of dumbbells
- There are 15 weight adjustments per dumbbell
- 30-day free trial of iFIT included
- Footprint With Tray: 19.4” L x 11.4” W x 8.5” H
- 2 Dumbbells Included
- Plastic Storage Trays
- Weight Per Dumbbell: 10-55 lbs
- 10 lb Metal Knurled Handles
- Smooth Weight Selection System
- Warranty: 90-days for parts
In-depth Review of the NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells
Construction Quality / Durability
The NordicTrack 55 lb Select-A-Weight Adjustable Dumbbells are pretty simple dumbbells with some nice features. They have a classic dumbbell design with rounded weights and metal handles.
Storage Trays
Each dumbbell fits into a plastic storage tray. The storage trays keep all of the weight plates and the dumbbells together. The storage trays are required to adjust the weights of the dumbbells. On both sides of each storage tray are numbered stickers to indicate how much weight you have loaded. When fully loaded with the dumbbell and weight plates on the storage tray, each dumbbell weighs 55 lbs.
It’s here that the orange pin locks can be pulled to adjust the weight manually on each dumbbell. Overall, this is a simple design and it’s typical for adjustable dumbbells to have to be adjusted when they’re in their storage trays or weight cradles.
Weights
One thing to keep in mind with this design is that they can roll when you set them on the floor. I like the rounded shape though, it makes them feel similar to regular dumbbells. They’re also a little more compact than ones like the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells. The more weight you have loaded the longer the NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells get, but they’re more compact the lower the weight you have on them. The Bowflex, on the other hand, remains the same length no matter how much weight you load.
Instead of twisting the handles to adjust the weight that’s loaded, like the Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbbells, the NordicTracks have 4 orange pins that look like tabs on the top of the weights.
The 2 outer pins adjust the 5 outer weight plates, while the 2 inner pins let you choose between adjusting the weight from 5 lb increments and 2.5 lb increments.
This isn’t as seamless as you would think though, (I’ll get into this more below). The NordicTrack Select-A-Weights adjust in different increments that include 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 22.5, 25, 30, 32.5, 35, 40, 42.5, 45, 50, 52.5, and 55 lbs. So, you can adjust each dumbbell to these specific weight increments.
Handles
I really like these handles. They’re metal and lightly knurled, like regular dumbbells. This makes these budget-friendly NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells feel really high-end and of great quality. It also makes them feel like using regular dumbbells. The knurling isn’t very sharp or pronounced, so it works for beginners and more advanced lifters, alike.
I prefer them over the rubber plastic handles that the Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbbells have. The lack of plastic is what I really prefer on the NordicTrack Select-A-Weights. The metal is a nice touch overall. The handles have a good diameter and length that I think should make them work for people of most sizes. I have pretty small hands and I can comfortably wrap my handles around them. They didn’t feel too small for our larger reviewers, either.
iFIT
A subscription to iFIT is completely optional to use with the NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells. They come with a 30-day free trial, but you don’t have to subscribe if you don’t want to. If you do want to stream iFIT, here’s an overview of what a subscription includes.
iFIT is an interactive training platform available to use with all equipment from NordicTrack. It comes integrated into their machines with touchscreens like their treadmills and exercise bikes. iFIT has over 17,000 trainer-led on-demand workouts and counting. These workouts are filmed in professional studios featuring an instructor who leads the workout and in locations all over the world.
The camera follows an instructor who leads you through trails and cities, as well as guides you through workouts on beaches and mountainsides. iFIT has a large consistency of cardio-based workouts, as well as mat classes for yoga and strength training, so you get a well-rounded workout experience using the training platform.
The mat classes feature workouts using free weights and strength machines from NordicTrack. The number of these classes isn’t as great as the treadmill and exercise bike workouts, but there’s enough to get guidance and structure in your training. You can participate in different challenges and workout series to work on progressing your fitness over a period of time through specific workout classes, too.
If you already have a piece of fitness equipment from NordicTrack or ProForm that you use with a subscription to iFIT, you can use the iFIT App with your membership to follow along to workouts while exercising with the NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells. The app is available to stream from your phone and/or smart TV. We recommend checking out iFIT if you want to follow along with an instructor while lifting with the 55 lb Select-A-Weight Dumbbells.
Functionality & Performance
Overall, we’re really impressed with the NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells. They’re well-priced, easy to use, and have great construction that’s functional. Some adjustable dumbbells are bulky and large, but these are fairly compact, compared to some. They’re also similar to use as regular dumbbells. The handles don’t have cages, like PowerBlocks, so you don’t feel constricted during certain exercises.
I was able to perform all kinds of lifts without my hands or wrists feeling constricted. I think the only exercise you’ll want to use caution when doing is dumbbell pushups. The rounded weights can make them roll, so they might not stay in place and as stable during pushups as regular hex dumbbells.
Compared to the NordicTrack iSelect Voice-Controlled Dumbbells, I’m glad NordicTrack stuck with a simpler design, here. The iSelect Dumbbells have a dial and can adjust when synced with Amazon Alexa. This sounds great, but it is the kind of technology that can break. I also like when adjustable dumbbells are “dumb” and uncomplicated, like the Select-A-Weight Dumbbells. The pin system is easy and rather intuitive to use. Sometimes the pins can get a little sticky to move, but overall this is a pretty nice adjustment system.
The only aspect that can be a little confusing is the increments that the NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells adjust to. The outer orange tabs that adjust the large weights are clearly labeled with stickers on the storage trays. The inner orange tabs that adjust the small horseshoe-shaped inner weights aren’t clearly labeled as to when you’re adjusting the weights by 5 lbs or 2.5 lbs. If you want to adjust the weights by every weight increment from 10 lbs up to 55 lbs, it can be a little confusing.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the starting 10 lbs of weight for each dumbbell might be too much for some people and the max 55 lbs of each might not be enough for others. You can’t purchase additional weight to add to the 55 lb limit as you can with other adjustable dumbbells.
You also want to use care to not drop the NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells. Like other adjustable dumbbells, these aren’t meant to be dropped because this could break the weights, especially the pin-locking adjustment system. Also, considering the storage trays are plastic, they could break if you drop the weights in them.
Warranty
The NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Set comes with a 90-day parts warranty.
Bottom Line Review: NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells
These NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells are easy to use, well-constructed, and well-priced. They replace up to 30 dumbbells and have a 55 lb max, each. They adjust by 5 and 2.5 lb increments for 15 different weight increments to choose from between 10 lbs and 55 lbs for each dumbbell. Although we wish that adjusting them between the 5 and 2.5 lb increments was more clearly labeled to be a little less confusing, these adjustable dumbbells have nicely knurled metal handles that are great for beginners and more advanced lifters. You can also use the NordicTrack Dumbbells with a subscription to iFIT on your device if you want some training guidance. Overall, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly and fairly compact pair of adjustable dumbbells, check these out.
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