9 Of The Best Dumbbells For HIIT Workouts At Home (Ranked)

Are you looking to use dumbbells to rapidly lose fat at home and build some muscle along the way? If so, then HIIT training is a highly effective option. But it’s essential to choose the right weights for an effective workout. This post reveals the best dumbbells for HIIT workouts.

The best dumbbells for HIIT should offer light to moderate weights at an affordable price. This weight should feel challenging to the user for 15+ repetitions of a given HIIT exercise. Durability is also important because HIIT exercises often involve dynamic and explosive movements.

Choosing a dumbbell that’s a light to moderate weight is easy.

But how do you know how durable they are?

My first set of HIIT dumbbells were cheap plastic spinlocks. Whilst they provided enough weight, they also broke in no time and I had to waste money replacing them.

Below, I’ll share 9 of my recommended HIIT dumbbells to help you avoid making my mistake!

Summary: Best Dumbbells For HIIT

Here’s an overview of the best dumbbells for an effective HIIT home workout:

HIIT Dumbbell	Durability	Fat Loss / Muscle Gain Capacity	% 5* Amazon Reviews	Price
Papababe Hex Set	Very High	High / Moderate	70%	$$$
Hola Hatha Handweight Set	Very High	High / Moderate	85%	$$
CAP Cast Iron Dumbbell	Very High	High / Low	81%	$$
Amazon Basics Dumbbells	Very High	High / Low	85%	$
Amazon Basics Handweight	Very High	High / Low	85%	$
Yes4All Iron Spinlock	High	High / High	73%	$$
Flybird 25/55 Dumbbell	Moderate	High / High	80%	$$$$
Bowflex 552	Moderate	High / High	88%	$$$$$
Powerblock Elite	Moderate	High / High	83%	$$$$$

You may also be interested in my other article for a complete guide to doing HIIT with dumbbells!

1) Papababe Hex (Top Recommendation For Men)

The Papababe hex dumbbell set offers great value for money for men to perform HIIT workouts at home. The one-piece cast iron construction lends for a high degree of durability, whilst the rubber casing protects the dumbbell and floor from damage during dynamic HIIT movements.

With the 150lb set, you get a range of fixed-weight hex dumbbells that go from 5lb (2.5kg) to 25lb (12.5kg) in 5lb increments.

Now, 25lb dumbbells may be a bit too much for the average beginner to do HIIT.

But remember- you should always factor in some redundant weight to minimize the likelihood that you’ll need to waste time and money on upgrading your dumbbells in the future.

And that’s why the Papababe set is great.

It will provide the average male with at least 2 years of HIIT progression (this is sufficient to take a beginner to the intermediate stages of HIIT training)

Additionally, the Papabbe dumbbell set comes with an A-frame rack which helps you keep your HIIT workouts organized as you switch between weights.

Overall, the Papapbabes are some of the best dumbbells for male beginners to do HIIT at home.

You can find the cheapest Papababe price on Amazon here.

2) Hola Hatha Hand Weight Set (Top Recommendation For Women)

The Hola Hatha hand weight set offers great value for women to perform HIIT dumbbell workouts at home. Each dumbbell is made from a neoprene-coated cast iron core which makes them resistant to knocks that often happen during HIIT workouts. They are also affordable and come with a rack.

The 60lb set comes with 3 pairs of dumbbells at 5lb (2.5kg), 10lb (5kg), and 15lb (7.5kg) increments.

That’s enough to take the average female beginner to the intermediate stages of dumbbell HIIT training (around 2+ years of progression)

I recommend going for the 60lb set over the more expensive 56lb set (which has more weight increments).

Although the 60lb set only comes with 3 increments, that’s still enough for long-term progression in a HIIT program.

The additional increments of the 56lb set are unnecessary fluff in my opinion.

Overall, the Hola Hatha set provides good value for most female beginners to do HIIT at home.

However, if you’re a gal with ambitious muscle-building goals (i.e. you wanna gain more than 5lbs of lean muscle), then the Papababe set (see above) will be more suitable.

You can find the cheapest Hola Haha price on Amazon here.

3) CAP Cast Iron Hex Dumbbell

The CAP cast iron hex dumbbells are a cheap and durable option for men and women to perform weighted HIIT workouts at home. They are sold as individual pairs at specified weights, making them ideal for those who do not need an entire set of dumbbells.

If you know exactly what weight dumbbell you need for a good HIIT workout, then you can get away with buying just a single pair of dumbbells (rather than an entire set).

This is the cheaper route to go down compared to buying a dumbbell set.

Just be aware that having access to just 1 weight can limit the number of dumbbell HIIT exercises you can do.

That’s because big exercises like the clean and press require more weight to challenge you, compared to smaller exercises like the bicep curl.

Nevertheless, the CAP dumbbells are a cheap and knock-resistant single-dumbbell option for HIIT.

You can get the CAP dumbbells delivered quickly from Amazon here.

Or you may be interested in my other article to find out the ideal dumbbell weight for HIIT.

4) Amazon Basics Hex

The Amazon basics hex dumbbells are an affordable and durable single-dumbbell option for men to do HIIT at home. The rubber-casing protects your floor and dumbbells. They also come in a variety of moderate to heavy weights that are suitable for males of different training levels.

Just like the CAP dumbbells, these are available as individual weights.

They are sold as single dumbbells, unlike the CAP dumbbells which are sold in pairs.

This doesn’t impact their capacity to give you a good HIIT workout though.

You can use them for single-dumbbell HIIT exercises like the dumbbell swing, renegade row, clean and press, and more.

They are one of the cheapest dumbbell options you can get and the reviews are great.

Women can also use these, but the Amazon basics hand weights (see below) offer lighter poundages and may be more suitable.

You can get the Amazon basics dumbbells delivered quickly here.

5) Amazon Basics Neoprene-Coated Handweight

The Amazon basics hand weights offer an affordable and durable light single-weight option for female beginners to do HIIT at home. The neoprene-coating not only protects your floor and dumbbells, but also provides a good grip for dynamic HIIT movements.

They come in 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5lb options.

Just like Amazon basics hex dumbbells, these hand weights are a cost-effective single-weight option for HIIT.

They are ideal for female beginners since there’s a greater variety of weight to choose from in the lower poundages.

These are best used for burning fat and toning the arms.

If you have more ambitious goals of building muscle, then I’d advise you to go for something slightly heavier (at least 10lbs).

You can find the cheapest price for the Amazon Basics hand weights here.

You may also be interested in my other article to find out the best dumbbell weight for toning the arms.

6) Yes4All Iron Spinlock Dumbbells

The Yes4All spinlock dumbbells offer an affordable and adjustable dumbbell set for men and women to do HIIT workouts at home. The weight plate adjustment mechanism allows the user to do HIIT as well as target individual muscle groups for growth.

The fixed-weight dumbbells mentioned above are the most cost-effective way to do HIIT, lose fat, and build some muscle along the process.

But if you want to emphasize more muscle gains, then your dumbbells should ideally provide a variety of light to heavy poundages.

This allows you to effectively hit both small muscles like the biceps, as well as larger muscles like the pecs.

This is something fixed-weight dumbells don’t offer unless you buy a complete set which can easily cost over $1000.

The Yes4Alls solve this issue.

They are extremely durable, cost-effective, and provide a range of weights for you to do HIIT as well as build muscle effectively.

You can find the cheapest Yes4All price here on Amazon.

For more information on dumbbell weight classifications, you can check out my other post to learn what’s meant by light, medium, and heavy dumbbells.

7) Flybird 25/55

The Flybird selectorized dumbbells are a great set of HIIT dumbbells for those who have limited space at home. Each dumbbell contains 5 weight settings that are fully adjustable. The lighter settings are great for HIIT, whilst the heavier settings are perfect for beginners to build muscle.

These are ideal for beginner men and women who want to lose fat and build a good amount of muscle at home without needing an entire set of dumbbells which consume space.

Depending on the model you choose, each dumbbell goes from 5lbs to 25lbs or 55lbs per dumbbell.

I’d recommend guys to get the 55lb model whilst the 25lb model is sufficient for girls.

The weight settings are adjusted with a turn of the handle.

This makes for rapid weight changes which are ideal for fast-paced HIIT workouts.

You can find the cheapest Flybird price here.

Or you may be interested in my other article to find out the ideal dumbbell weight for building muscle.

8) Bowflex 552

The Bowflex 552 selectorized dumbbells are versatile dumbbells that are great for HIIT workouts as well as muscle-building programs. They are fully adjustable from 5lbs to 52.5lbs. The lighter weight settings are ideal for HIIT, whilst the heavier settings work well for building muscle.

I’ve personally tested these, and they are some of the best-selectorized dumbbells on the market (evident by their reviews).

Not only do they feature light and heavy poundages, but they also have small 2.5lb increments.

This makes them great for beginners and intermediates alike to progress smoothly in their HIIT and strength programs.

Simply add 2.5lbs whenever your current program starts feeling easy.

That way, you can continue losing fat and building muscle at a constant rate as you become stronger and fitter.

These dumbbells are a bit pricey for solely HIIT purposes.

But if you’re looking to maximize muscle gains and build a ripped physique at home, then these are for you.

You can find the cheapest Bowflex price here.

If you like, you can also check out my other article to find out exactly how much dumbbells should cost per pound/kilogram of weight!

9) Powerblock Elite

The Powerblock Elite dumbbells are great all-around for strength, muscle-building, fat-burning, and HIIT workouts. They are fully adjustable from 2.5-90lbs. The lighter weight settings work great for fat-burning and HIIT, whilst the heavier settings are effective for building muscle and strength.

I swapped my Bowflex dumbells for the Powerblocks.

Why?

The Powerblocks are more flexible in terms of their maximum weight capacity.

You can purchase separate add-on kits to upgrade each dumbbell from 50lbs to 70lbs and 90lbs.

This makes them awesome for people of all training levels to build a ripped body at home.

Just like the Bowflex’s, the Powerblock dumbbells feature a range of light to moderate weight settings in addition to the heavy poundages.

The light and moderate settings work excellently for people of all abilities to perform HIIT training at home.

You can find the cheapest Powerblock price here.

Don’t Forget These Optional Extras!

A mat and heart rate monitor are entirely optional. But they will facilitate more effective workouts.

Why?

Dumbbell HIIT workouts invariably include dynamic exercises that often involve explosive swinging movements.

I like to use a cheap yoga mat like this Balance From High-Density Mat to protect my floor and the dumbells themselves.

You can also use a large carpet-cutting if you have one.

A fitness watch will help you effortlessly keep track of your heart rate during your workout.

This is important for making sure you’re working hard enough and not wasting your time on a workout that doesn’t do anything for you.

You could just use the old-fashioned two-finger pulse method.

But I found this to be cumbersome and extremely annoying to do in the middle of an intense workout.

I use the Fitbit Versa (you can see the customer reviews here), but the Fitbit Inspire does the job equally well at half the price. Both watches will monitor your heart rate and caloric expenditure.

Cheap gloves like these Ihuans will also protect your hands from blisters and callouses..

Product Recap

Conclusion

I’ve shared with you the best dumbbells for HIIT workouts.

All of the recommended dumbbells will work great to help you lose weight and gain some muscle along the way.

Which dumbbell you choose should depend on your current fitness levels and future goals.

For most people, the Papababe dumbbell set (for men) or Hola Hatha dumbbell set (for women) offers a great balance between price and effectiveness.

But if you don’t mind spending a bit more money on a pair of dumbbells that allow you to maximize muscle gains, then the Bowflex and Powerblock dumbbells are the way to go!

Which dumbbell will you be choosing?

Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions! You can find my details on the “contact us” page.

You may also be interested in the downloadable Kalibre Blueprint PDF which details exactly how I gained 40lbs of lean muscle (it’s 100% free!). It details the exact exercises and nutrition (with printable worksheets) I used to go from skinny to ripped!

Thanks for reading guys!

Peace Out,

Kal

(Biochemistry BSc, Biomedical Sciences MSc, Ex-Skinny Guy)