Who doesn’t love bulk?
I mean, consuming some excess calories in the winter while lifting with your hood up and headphones on with hopes of gaining some serious muscle. What could be better? Oh, wait, not that bulk. Sorry, buying in bulk? So like Costco, right? I mean, where else can you get 30lbs of rice, 3 whole rotisserie chickens, and a tire rotation at the same time? Alright, I’m hearing that this one’s a little bit closer, but still not quite the correct bulk. Alright, stick with me. Third time’s always the charm.
All joking aside, this buying in bulk might just take the cake.
Let’s first jump in and look at the reasons to buy in bulk when it comes to dumbbells and kettlebells.
Whether we are talking rubber-coated, color-coded, or iron dumbbells, it doesn't matter if you are looking at York Barbell, Tag Fitness, Body Solid, or even a budget-friendly brand; these principles apply.
I call these the 3 C’s. I can only imagine how impressed you are.
#1) Cost
Alright, this is by far the biggest reason to buy in bulk for your gym. It is simply cheaper.
Now this is a small-scale example, as it is not really that large of a “bulk” order; however, let’s look at an example from Rogue, an online fitness equipment retailer. They offer a set of dumbbells from 5-50 lbs for around $950. Now, if you buy each of those dumbbell pairs individually, you are looking at about $1125, equating to about a 15% discount. Not too shabby.
The savings typically only increase as the amount purchased grows. Even if you are looking at saving costs for your home gym, we would recommend buying a set. This will save you some money and also allow you to reap the benefits of #2 and #3.
Side note: If you are looking to seriously cut costs, consider adjustable dumbbells.
Adjustable dumbbells can be a fraction of the price and are great for saving space. These would probably only work for a home gym, though, as you would need quite a few pairs to reasonably allow proper use in a traditional setting.
#2) Consistency
Buying kettlebells or dumbbells in bulk is going to bring a certain level of consistency to your gym. Here’s what I mean: when you walk into a gym, you expect to see matching pairs of dumbbells from 5 pounds to at least 50 pounds, ideally 100 pounds plus. It doesn't necessarily matter if they are rubber-coated, cast-iron, anti-roll, color-coded, or even specific brands like York Barbell, Tag Fitness, or Body Solid; they should match. Of course, the exact dumbbell weight increments depend on the space and the gym. A hotel gym would be quite impressive if it had 100-pound dumbbells, whereas a traditional commercial gym would be expected to have at least 75-pound pairs, if not 100-pound plus.
Now the same rules of consistency apply to kettlebells. You want them all to look the same.
You don't want cast iron kettlebells here, rubber there, and three other different types in the corner.
The biggest difference, though, is that you likely don’t need nearly as many kettlebells as you do dumbbells. For example, if a commercial gym has 2 pairs of dumbbells from 5-100 lbs for every 5lb increment, they likely have 2-4 kettlebell weights of the following: 10, 25, 35, 45, 55, 70, and maybe 80 or 100 lbs. This varies considerably based off of gym type and needs of the member base, but typically you need anywhere from about 2-4x the number of dumbbells compared to kettlebells.
Dumbbells are simply more common in strength training and gyms in general than kettlebells.
Regardless of the size, a gym really should have matching kettlebell and dumbbell sets. It looks professional. Now you may say, Louie Simmons or my local underground gym doesn’t have matching sets, they have iron dumbbells, mismatched dumbbell sets, and different weights, and their strength training is legit - and you’d be right. However, generally, it looks professional and is expected at traditional gyms.
It is more of a personal preference for a garage gym, but I would still argue it looks better and more complete.
#3) Convenience
This one is often overlooked. Sure, you can try and piece together different sets of dumbbell weights from a sale here, FB there, a long-lost cousin there, but for one, it’ll look inconsistent, and second, it is wildly inconvenient and inefficient.
Now, if you are doing this to save costs, don’t worry, we’ll help you out there next, so keep reading.
The convenient thing doesn’t have to break the bank either. It is much easier to get all your dumbbells or kettlebells from the same store, wholesaler, or even FB marketplace seller. Save time shopping so you can spend more time strength training, you fitness enthusiast.
Alright, you are set on buying in bulk. You know it will save you on costs, look better, and be more convenient. Let’s now look at some things to consider as you are trying to buy in bulk.
#1) Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace can be a bulk buyer's best buddy. We’ve talked about convenience as a reason to buy in bulk; however, you know who else is looking for convenience - sellers. Whether the seller is moving, upgrading, or ditching their dumbbell sets to pursue their career as a professional Hyrox athlete, they likely want to sell in bulk just as much as you want to buy in bulk.
You can find some really good deals from motivated local home gym sellers in any of the situations mentioned above.
Now, if you are looking to fill a commercial gym, you may have to look a little harder, but you can still find a great deal on marketplace as gyms will go out of business, move, or upgrade and have kettlebell or dumbbell sets they are looking to move in bulk.
A key here is to set your notifications to alert you for keywords on marketplace postings. This will allow you to see some of the deals right as they are posted. Be warned, this is a competitive space, and good deals are earned. Some ideas for keywords include: “
“dumbbells”
“dumbbell set”
“bulk dumbbells”
“gym sale”
“commercial dumbbells”
You can also interchange “kettlebell” for “dumbbell” there.
Side note, when you are looking at kettlebell or dumbbell sets on marketplace - whether cast iron, rubber coated, or any other variation, be sure to negotiate. Of course, there are all the traditional tactics, and we won’t get into that here; however, I would look for small amounts of rust, chips, or slightly disfigured dumbbells. None of those things will really change the use of them, but they will give you a negotiating leg up. The only thing to add here is that I would have a much smaller tolerance for imperfections when shopping for a commercial gym than a personal home gym.
#2) Look at gym equipment wholesalers
Fitness wholesalers are another great option. They are able to offer better pricing than a lot of the competition. Now, if they choose to do so, is up to them. Wholesalers typically offer a mix of new and used weights and equipment.
You will typically find that these companies can be flexible to meet your needs, whether it is outfitting an entire commercial gym or if you simply need a dumbbell set for your home gym.
These companies can also typically be more flexible on pricing, especially as the size of your bulk order increases. They are often more solution-oriented and designed to outfit your space in a way that makes sense for you, something you may not always see with retail fitness companies.
At Freedom Fitness, we offer many options when it comes to buying dumbbells and kettlebells. Whether you are looking for new dumbbell sets, used dumbbell sets, individual dumbbells or kettlebells, or even adjustable dumbbells, all at competitive pricing.
Whether you use us or not, just know that using a fitness wholesaler is a great move to save some extra money and still get quality weights - sometimes even better quality than you find at name-brand stores. Here’s why - much of what wholesalers like us sell is commercial-grade weights, machines, and barbells. Whether sourced directly from the manufacturer or sold to us from a gym, commercial-grade gym weights are built to last. You can rest easy that your garage gym is in good hands when you opt for commercial-grade gym weights and equipment.
Now, if you are buying for a commercial gym space of your own, honestly, you really shouldn’t consider any other type of weights, only commercial-grade. The amount of heavy use weights and equipment receives at a traditional gym versus a home gym is night and day - you need durable weights that are suitable for the test. You simply cannot buy from just anywhere and expect your dumbbells to last. Durability is key.
#3) Skip shipping and pick up local
Okay, I think Amazon Prime has ruined our expectations when it comes to shipping costs. If you buy kettlebell or dumbbell sets online, expect to pay quite a lot when it comes to shipping. I mean, if you just ordered the most common dumbbell set bulk order - 5 to 50 lb sets - you are looking at 550 pounds. Of course, the shipping costs are going to be insane. Honestly, that is the smallest scale. As we have talked about, in order to do this right, a traditional gym needs probably 2 sets of 5 to 100 lb weight pairs each. As you can imagine, the shipping costs would be absurd.
This one move will save you tons - skip shipping and pick up local.
This is another reason why buying dumbbells wholesale or through a marketplace seller nearby is a good idea.
Even if you have to drive a couple of hours, you should still come out on top. You know what that means - more money to spend on other cool tools like hack squats, barbells, or weight plates for your workout space. Also, most of the principles we've discussed above apply to weight plates and other gym staples as well.