What Does Dualbell Feel Like? A First-Time Bench Press Reaction

When someone sees Dualbell for the first time, there's an obvious question that sometimes comes before anything else:

What does it actually feel like?

You can explain how Dualbell works. You can show how the dumbbells attach to a bar. You can talk about different exercises and loading options.

But eventually, someone has to pick up the bar.

At HomeGymCon, we had plenty of opportunities to watch people do exactly that. One first-time user recently gave Dualbell a try on the bench press, and his reaction addressed something other people may wonder about when they first see dumbbells being used as weight on a bar.

After his first experience with it, he told us:

“Honestly, it felt better than I thought.”

He explained that he had expected the weight to feel somewhat off-centered.

After actually bench pressing with it?

“That feels good.”

And then came another question we were particularly happy to hear:

“How much are they?”

Dumbbells Don't Behave Exactly Like Weight Plates

Dualbell isn't designed to make a dumbbell magically become a conventional weight plate.

A dumbbell is still a dumbbell.

When attached to a bar with Dualbell dumbbell to barbell converters, the dumbbell can naturally move and rotate as you exercise. That's part of the design.

It's also one of those things that's much easier to understand once you actually use it.

The dumbbells provide the resistance while Dualbell allows you to perform familiar barbell-style movements using weight you may already have in your home gym.

That includes exercises such as bench presses, deadlifts, bent-over rows, overhead presses, curls and landmine exercises.

What About Balance?

Seeing a dumbbell hanging from a bar can lead someone to wonder whether the weight will feel awkward or off-centered.

That's exactly what made this HomeGymCon reaction interesting.

The concern wasn't something we suggested to him. It was his own expectation before experiencing the product.

Then he tried it.

His reaction provides a useful reminder that looking at an unfamiliar piece of fitness equipment and actually lifting with it can be two very different experiences.

Dualbell holds the dumbbell around its handle, allowing the weight to hang naturally beneath the bar. As you lift, the dumbbell can move and rotate rather than being rigidly fixed in one orientation.

That movement is normal.

As with any exercise equipment, users should start with a manageable weight and become familiar with how the setup feels before increasing resistance.

A Familiar Exercise With a Different Source of Weight

The bench press itself hasn't changed.

You're still pressing a bar.

What's different is where the resistance comes from.

Instead of loading conventional weight plates onto the bar, Dualbell allows compatible dumbbells to provide the resistance.

That can be particularly useful for someone building a home gym who already owns a collection of dumbbells—or adjustable dumbbells—and wants additional ways to use them.

Dualbell works with most traditional dumbbells and many adjustable dumbbells with compatible handle designs. It accommodates handles up to approximately 1.38 inches (35 mm) in diameter and fits standard 1-inch (25 mm) bars.

And when you're finished with the barbell exercise?

Take the dumbbells out.

They're still dumbbells.

From “How Does It Feel?” to “How Much Are They?”

That's probably my favorite part of this particular first-time reaction.

The conversation began with how Dualbell felt.

It ended with:

“How much are they?”

Dualbell currently starts at $44.99, giving home-gym owners another way to expand the exercises they can perform with equipment they may already own.

It's not intended to replace every weight plate or every piece of equipment in every gym.

It's another option.

For someone trying to get more versatility from their dumbbells, save space, or build out a home gym over time, that can make a lot of sense.

Sometimes the easiest way to understand Dualbell is simply to pick up the bar.

“That feels good.”

We'll take that reaction. 💪

🇺🇸 Made in USA from durable Nylon 66. Lab tested up to 1,900 lbs. Maximum recommended load: 125 lb dumbbell per Dualbell.