Dumbbells are Life
You don’t need much to change a lot.
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TJ’s Blog this week is about the benefits of dumbbells in your home. Enjoy!
Dumbbells are the best home gym equipment you can own.
No, they don’t have a screen that tells you how awesome you are, or a built-in instructor who plays the sweetest beats and sweats in all the right places.
Dumbbells just change your body for the better.
Here are my tips and tricks for finding the most effective tools in a body-changing program:
Go Local: Tell every neighbor, friend, co-worker and parent at your kids’ school that you are truffle-pigging for dumbbells. Everyone has a pair somewhere in their garage or bedroom closet, and most of them want to get rid of them. Especially the older folks in your ‘hood from when their son left them there in ‘95 after he moved to Asheville to become a stagehand for the Shakespeare festival and met that sound guy and never moved back. I’ll bet you can find at least one pair of dumbbells in a ten-neighbor radius.
Be The Nudge: Everyone wants to get rid of them. They don’t want to be bothered with Craig’s List pests or having a garage sale, because strangers can be weird sometimes. Yes, I have walked past people who were working in the garage during my dog walk and asked them if they have any dumbbells they want to get rid of. Yes, it has worked. Wealthy people like to buy lots of stuff. Why not do them a favor and unload the stuff they don’t want anymore? All you have to do is ask. Some people just need a nudge.
Be That Pest: Craig’s Lst is both the best and worst place on the planet. I have had far better experiences than most, but mostly because I rarely haggle. I’m patient, and even though we’ve got supply-chain issues and inflation, the almighty dumbbell can be found for less than a dollar per pound if you persevere. I would spend up to $2 per pound if they are new. Dumbbells are being gouged right now, but with a little internet elbow grease, you can avoid overpaying.
Go Ugly: Cleaning up dumbbells is a piece of cake. I might even make a video on how easy it is. It’s also incredibly satisfying to bring something back from the dead with very little time, effort, and money. Did I mention sustainability? Screw China.
Go Big. Here’s what happens when you work out. You get stronger. Don’t be intimidated by acquiring bigger, heavier weights than you think you might ever use. You might not be able to bench press 50-pound dumbbells yet, but putting them inside a tire and dragging them around the back yard until you can will change your body faster that you can say “Wait, I have to get a tire?”
Go Little: Get whatever you can get your hands on. Putting a pair of pink neoprene 3-pounders into a backpack with a pair of 5-pound purple Jane Fonda’s make for a great front raise, skull crusher, single arm overhead press, weighted sit-up/accessory piece of workout equipment. It will also be funny to put it into your kids’ backpacks and watch how exhausted they are walking to and from school. Do kids still walk to school?
Be Patient and Consistent: Consistently follow the above steps and you’ll put together a nice little workout package in a few weeks or less. Keep asking the neighbors, keep bothering Sue at work to remember to put them in her car, and offer to drive over to that weird dad from school’s house to pick up those weights he’s promised you. I’ll even go with you.
Also, You might be a patient: I don’t want to be the one to ruin your week, but if you’re reading this, you’re probably old. That’s OK. I’m old, too. spend an incredible amount of time working with people who have temporarily hurt their back, shoulder, hip, knee, etc. and want to know what to do to not lose those gainz. Remember, muscle retention is the goal, right after muscle gain. If you’ve suffered an orthopedic catastrophe pulling your $ 10,000 12-pound, adamantium (Marvel universe reference) bike down from the roof rack, you don’t get to take more than a couple of weeks off. Moving the parts that aren’t hurt is a necessity. Having basic gear around the house is key for when life gets in the way. Who knows, you might even influence somebody else under your roof to pick up and put down those beauties.
Have a great week!
~TJ