Rapid Strike Adjustable Dumbbells review

Quick Summary

Like a bolt of lightning into the home fitness market comes ProForm’s latest introduction, the Rapid Strike 50 lb. Adjustable Dumbbell. Seemingly designed to go head-to-head with the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells, the Rapid Strike units offers users the opportunity to add floor-work and strength training into their cardio routines. Considering ProForm’s existing lineup of treadmills, bikes, rowers, and ellipticals, this makes for a strong combination when partnered with the iFit workout app.

The Rapid Strike 50 lb. Adjustable Dumbbells range from 10 to 50 pounds in 10-pound increments, making for a total of 100 pounds, and one of the big plugs here from ProForm is compatibility with the iFit workout program. The big benefit obviously is that one can use the dumbbells with, or without, a workout app, and they do make a handy piece for a home gym big or small.

Adjustable dumbbells make sense for the home as they save space and money. Having two units which replace 10 individual dumbbells is a big plus, especially if one partners them with a bench, such as the ProForm Carbon Strength Adjustable Bench. What’s new here is the entrance of ProForm into the strength-training arena as opposed to its traditional lineup of cardio machines. Adjustable dumbbells are a popular buy these days. To read our review of The Best Adjustable Dumbbells go to our comparison guide. For more information, continue reading our full review below.

Specifications

Model	ProForm Rapid Strike 50 lb. Adjustable Dumbbells
Rating Our custom rating considers all of the Home Gym's features, specs, warranties, and 100's of user & expert reviews, to save you time!	89%
List Price Suggested retail price, typically higher than the price you'll pay with our recommended retailers.	$399
Best Price Since prices change daily, this link goes to our preferred retailer for the current best price. Note: MSRP stands for Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
Type There are a few different types of Home Gyms. There are weight stack, power rod and body weight.	Free Weights
Max. Weight Home Gym Max Weight is the maximum amount of weight, in pounds (lbs), that can be lifted on the machine.	50 lbs x 2
Exercises Home Gym exercises is the number of exercises you can do on the machine.	30+
Seat The seat on a Home Gym can be adjustable, padded, or detached.
User Weight Home Gym User Weight is the amount of weight, in pounds (lbs), that it can safely support, which can represent durability.	n/a
Dimensions Dimensions are included to help you figure out if this Home Gym will fit properly (Length x Width x Height and Height x Depth).	Dumbbells: 20.16" x 16.93" x 12.17" (Each)
Workout Area Home Gym Workout Area is the amount of space needed to use the Home Gym (Length x Width)	N/A
Legs This field lets you know if this Home Gym has the option to do leg workouts or not.
Abs This field lets you know if this Home Gym has abdominal workouts or not.
Curls This field lets you know if this Home Gym has the option to do arm curls or not.
Pulldown This field lets you know if this Home Gym has the option to do pulldown workouts or not.
Rows This field lets you know if this Home Gym has the option to do rows or not.
Accessories Many Home Gyms have optional accessories you can purchase separately.	n/a
Warranty The warranty is a very important part of your investment. The longer the warranty, the longer you can get free/discounted repairs by the manufacturer.	30-day money back guarantee

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Compact units measuring 20.16″ x 16.93″ x 12.17″
Two fitted storage trays included
Durable steel construction
Each unit replaces five dumbbells
Patented quick lock design
Premium hand grips
Patented push-button Rapid weight selector
30-day money back guarantee

Cons:

New product with few reviews out yet concerning durability
A little pricey if someone just wants to use one or two weight settings

Full Review

The Rapid Strike 50 lb. Adustable Dumbbells provide resistance levels between 10 and 50 pounds in 10-pound increments, meaning they replace 10 units total for a combined 100-pound set. As a comparison, the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells offer 5 to 52.5-pound units which increase in 2.5-pound increments for a total replacement of 30 pieces in the set.

The question of poundage is one for each individual to weigh on their own, but as a rule, 50 poundss per hand is a pretty good load for any range of exercises. Although one doesn’t need to have any other equipment to use these, it’s clear that ProForm intends these units to work in conjunct with their cardio equipment and the iFit app. For those unfamiliar with iFit, our full review can be found here. What’s interesting is that ProForm has engineered so many of its cardio machines with the automatic trainer function, meaning the professional trainers of the iFit community can actually control the resistance and speed of the machine from remote locations. Whether as part of a class or as an individual, the user can work themselves into a lather and concentrate on their routine rather than having to adjust the machine. In addition to cardio classes for treadmill, bikes, rowers, and ellipticals, the iFit program also features a number of strength movements to go along with those routines, and that’s where these dumbbells come into play.

The Rapid Strike 50 lb. Adjustable Dumbbells come with two fitted storage trays and a 30-day money back guarantee. Users unfamiliar with adjustable dumbbells should note the importance of safe handling. While these units are new to the market, other models have been noted with problems when dropped on their end. The quick lock which selects each increment of weight can become damaged if dropped repeatedly, and this effectively renders the dumbbell stuck at one weight. Built from durable steel, there’s little question the weight itself won’t break, but take care of those dials.

Priced online at $399 plus free shipping, the Rapid Strike dumbbells are a good bargain for sure. Just one pair of 50-pound York PVC Hex Dumbbells from Rogue costs $210 plus shipping. To buy an entire set of dumbbells from 5 to 50 pounds could easily cost $1,000 and take up a good deal of space. By adding in the ProForm Carbon Adjustable Bench, priced at $249, one gets an insta-gym of sorts. ProForm is at this time offering a combo Rapid Strike Pro package of the dumbbells, bench, and 30 days of iFit, but we expect pricing discounts and combination deals to improve going forward as the company could perhaps include these units with any of their cardio equipment as well.

The Workout

The great thing about dumbbells is, like blue jeans, they go with anything. That said, a 10 to 50-pound set is pretty inclusive for the general population of exercise enthusiasts. Dumbbell lunges and Stiff Legged Deadlifts are gym favorites, and this is a most appropriate weight range for any level of lifter there. Standing lateral raises for the shoulders and hammer curls for the forearms and biceps are also solid go-to’s with these weight ranges. For the most part, dumbbells are used for isolation exercises while barbells work best with compound movements. Isolation exercises, like bicep curls, put the focus squarely on one muscle, whereas compound movements like squats, incorporate many muscle groups. This isn’t to say one can’t use dumbbells for squats and bench presses, but because each unit is held in one hand individually, it provides more opportunity to focus on uni-lateral movements.

With fitted grips on the handles and solid steel inside the plastic coating, one will certainly know they’re lifting weight. We’d offer caution with regards to dropping these units though. Adjustable dumbbells work by users sliding a dial and pressing a button to control the weight selected. If that button becomes damaged, then the unit can be effectively broken.

For those unfamiliar, great dumbbell exercises include:

Goblet Squats
1-arm Cleans
Farmers Walk
Swings
1-arm Rows
Lunges
Shoulder Press

Warranty & Guarantee

The ProForm Rapid Strike 50 lbs Adjustable Dumbbell comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. We know this is a new offering from the company, but going forward we’d like to see them up that a bit to include a warranty. The Bowflex SelectTech 552 includes a 2-year warranty on all parts, and that’s more in line with our expectations.

Trainer’s Tips for the Rapid Strike Adjustable Dumbbells

The great thing about dumbbells is they can be used for nearly any exercise. One of the training tips I’d offer is that they make for a great tool when doing drop sets. The drop sets are a great exercise for hypertrophy where we begin our work set with a heavy weight – say 50 pounds – and perform as many repetitions as possible, the immediately drop the poundage and keep going. You could do this with bicep curls and perform 8 repetitions with 50 pounds, then drop the weight to 20 and crank out as many as possible. What makes these adjustable dumbbells nice is you have access to a wide range of poundage all in one easy unit. Drop sets are a great way to really expand the muscles capacity and flush blood into that area.

Conclusion

The Rapid Strike 50 lb. Adjustable Dumbbells can provide a great bang for the buck, no doubt. A new product, we do expect price discounts in the future. Whether bought on their own, or to include within a home gym, they’re definitely solid buys.

Rating: 89/100