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Looking to transform your home workout? Here's our pick of the best adjustable dumbbells on the market

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A pair of the best adjustable dumbbells can help you in more ways than one. If you're looking to set up a home gym, you'll need a selection of weights that cover a useful range and enable you to do a large number of exercises.

However, trying to cover this range with individual dumbbells will not only take up a significant amount of floorspace, but it'll burn a significant hole in your wallet too.

So, investing in a set of adjustable dumbbells makes a lot of sense if you want a relatively small and inexpensive set-up. The initial outlay may seem expensive, but as long as you choose the right set, it should cover your lifting needs for a long time to come.

What makes a good adjustable dumbbell?

Before choosing adjustable dumbbells, consider the kind of best dumbbell exercises you intend to use them for. Are you going for heavy-weight strength gains, or looking to get leaner with some high-rep conditioning?

If you're just starting out with full-body dumbbell workouts, you'll probably be tempted to go lighter. Bear in mind that you will get stronger and be able to lift heavier weights as you progress, though. So before long a maximum weight of 20kg, say, may not be enough to continue seeing improvements.

Look for adjustable dumbbells with a simple, intuitive selection mechanism, and a wide weight range to give room for progression. Ideally you want a large number of adjustments between the highest and lowest weights, giving you a wide range of options and smaller jumps between weights.

Handle design plays a big part in comfort so look for adjustable dumbbells with wide handles with soft, knurled or patterned grips. The dumbbell's footprint is worth considering if storage is an issue, and waist-level stands can make changing weights more comfortable too.

What are the best adjustable dumbbells?