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This past Christmas, I came up with the perfect idea for my 15-year-old son’s “big gift”—a set of adjustable dumbbells and an adjustable weight-lifting bench. It was perfect for two reasons. First, because my son and his friends had gotten into lifting several months earlier, and he loved it, but the weather (or life in general) couldn’t always cooperate in order for him to get to the gym when he wanted. And second, because we live in a 100-year-old home that is generally lacking in space—or even a garage—we’re limited on how much of a “home gym” we can really accommodate. Having essentially a full set of weights, plus a bench that could be folded up and stored, was a great solution.
The dumbbells can be adjusted in five-pound increments from 10 pounds all the way up to 55; the bench can lie flat or be adjusted at essentially eight different angles. Plus, they match, which is fun.
Credit: Meghan Walbert
He was thrilled and immediately began showing off some lifts while I sipped my coffee and watched from the couch. “Maybe you could create a little routine for me,” I said on a whim. “Like arms and shoulders and stuff.” With zero hesitation, he propped his phone up on the floor in front of the bench to take video of several lifts he thought would be good for me (shoulder presses, hammer curls, bicep curls, and such). I asked Lifehacker’s Senior Health Editor Beth Skwarecki for a recommendation for a good lifting app, and from the few suggestions she sent, I settled on the Hevy app, where I was able to find a couple more lifts I liked to add into the routine (incline bench presses and a hex press, if you’re curious).
Now, nearly four months later, and for the first time since before that 15-year-old was born, I have consistently stuck with a regular lifting routine. Pre-kids, sticking to such a thing felt a lot easier—I’d simply hit the gym on the way home from work to put in some cardio time and make my way around the weight machines. But now, I work from home, and my kids constantly need rides from this school to that activity, from this practice to that friend’s house. Finding the time necessary for a workout and for the time and energy it takes to pack myself up and actually go to a second location just isn’t something I’ve managed to do. But the commute to my basement is undeniably doable. I even take my laptop with me to edit articles between reps; one can’t be much more productive than that.
Credit: Meghan Walbert
These days, I actually use the dumbbells more than my son, who prefers to lift at our local YMCA with his friends whenever possible. Although, as this photo reveals, he used them yesterday and I’ve yet to use them today; mama is getting stronger, but not 35-pounds per arm stronger. Yet.
