6 best dumbbells for women, tested by a health and fitness editor in 2025

Weight range: 4kg to 10kg

If you have space to store them and the budget to buy them, I recommend to everyone that they invest in sets of hexagonal, rubber-covered dumbbells. These ones from HOMCOM are the perfect example of why. Firstly, the hexagonal shape. It's my favourite for home workouts because the dumbbells don't roll away when you put them down. If you do upper-body exercises like push-ups on your dumbbells or renegade rows, you'll also find hex dumbbells more stable than round ones.

When testing, I put material, price, and availability at the top of the priority list for hexagonal dumbbells as they are largely all quite similar. The HOMCOM Rubber dumbbells ticked all the boxes being made from rubber-coated cast iron, which is great for durability but also for keeping your floors free from scratches. They are also sold on Amazon and often on sale, but even if they're not, the starting price of £20 makes them good value for money in my eyes.

I used these dumbbells for various exercises, including walking lunges, chest presses, and shoulder presses in my home workouts. I've got five sets currently and they take up a fair amount of space, but the KG etched on the head of the weight makes it very easy to spot which weight I'm using and the iron handle has a textured grip, so they feel very secure while using (even with sweaty palms). Otherwise, the design is very basic, which I like.

The only downside of these dumbbells is that the rubber marks fairly easily and will dent if you drop them or anything on them, as I discovered - but you can wipe away most of the marks and I'd rather have dented dumbbells than chips out my wooden floor.

Weight variation: 1.5 to 18kg (in 18kg) option, up to 40kg in others

The primary advantage of adjustable dumbbells - weights where you can switch out the plates on either side for heavier or lighter ones without having to use an entirely separate weight - is that it saves space. If you're working out in a small home studio, you'll be better off opting for an adjustable set than single weights or a rack, in my opinion.

Yaheetech Adjustable Dumbbells are the pick of the bunch in my opinion. While they are more expensive than other dumbbells on my list, you can easily switch resistances between 1.5 and 18kg, making them a great choice for a full-body workout.

I found the adjustable handle, which you turn to switch between resistances, very easy to use. The dial on the side shows you which weight is currently 'locked in', so you can cycle through them as you need.

Made from iron wrapped in PP plastic, they don't feel as premium as others on the list and grip room on the bar doesn't leave much room around your hand, but they feel almost unbreakably sturdy and you can't go wrong with these for the price for the pair.

We also tested the Mirafit Cast Iron Adjustable Dumbbells, which Editor Kerrie Hughes would recommend for anyone interested in a premium-feeling, metal-plated alternative. They are also slightly cheaper than the Yaheetech Adjustable Dumbbells by about £20 for 2kg more. However, they missed out on the 'best' title as it's much fiddlier to change the weight plates on these and the extra length left on the bar when using smaller plates caught her clothing during use.

Weight range: 1 to 10kg on a single plate

Over the last three weeks, I've swapped my gym workouts for Pilates and strength training on my yoga mat at home using a variety of workout apps. While I've been using all the dumbbells in this guide, I've gone back to the Les Mills Weight Plates so many times.

The versatility is what makes these unique dumbbells a winner in my eyes. The shape means you can hold them in at least five different ways, making them suitable for all kinds of single and double-hand movements that a regular dumbbell wouldn't allow for, as well as the basics like curls and presses. They also feel premium and are the perfect size to flow in-line with the body, so I found I could use them as much for Pilates and cardio workouts as for regular strength training. The flat shape also makes them much easier to store than regular dumbbells.

The Les Mills Weight Plates are made to attach to the brand's SmartBar as well, so you can turn your dumbbells into a barbell with ease, which is a great choice if you're looking to do strength training at home in the long-term and make serious progress.

The only downside is the price. These dumbbells are costly to buy individually, so I'd recommend bundling them up with the Barbell Set, for instance. It costs more but I feel it's better value for money.

Weight range: 1kg to 8kg

If Pilates with weights is in your workout routine, you'll need a small pair of dumbbells, ranging from 1kg to about 5kg maximum. For this, having done Pilates every day myself for the last couple of weeks, I can recommend Physical Company's Neo Hex Dumbbells. Unlike many options, these go as low as 1kg and up in increments of 0.5kg up to 3kg, giving you plenty of room to progress.

I love the design - being hex dumbbells they don't roll away from you when you put them down off your yoga mat and the neoprene coating around the cast iron feels premium and doesn't mark easily even in the lighter colours, which makes a nice change from the sea of black and metal.

At £10 for a 1kg pair, the Physical Company Neo-Hex Dumbbells are only £2 more expensive than the Amazon Basics Pair, which are also a good choice. But these won out on my list of the best kettlebells as they feel much higher quality and for Pilates, being able to choose weights in smaller increments is essential - especially if you're doing somatic Pilates or a Pilates abs workout.

Weight range: 1.1 to 9kg on each

You don't need to spend a fortune on weights to work out from home. While some are undoubtedly better than others, I'm a strong believer that you can buy great quality dumbbells on a budget. However, to get the most for your money, I'd recommend going for adjustable ones.

This adjustable dumbbell set from Amazon Basics is very simple - it has eight plates (four 1.1kg and four 2.3kg, adding up to 17.2kg on both) that spin on and off the bar. On one bar, I found you could get up to 15kg of weight on the handle, which was a lot more than I'd ever need to do a dumbbell core workout. But, it's great to have for lower-body movements like goblet squats.

At just shy of £60 (at the time of writing), these are budget-friendly for good quality dumbbells. As they're adjustable, you won't need to spend more to get stronger over time either, making them a worthwhile purchase for the long term.

The faff of taking them on and off the bar, which admittedly takes about a minute to do both, sets them apart from our top pick of adjustable dumbbells - the Yaheetech Adjustable Dumbbells, which you simply click in and out of place.

A dumbbell rack can be just as useful as a set of adjustable dumbbells if you're new to working out at home. The lighter weights mean you can do upper-body and dumbbell core workouts, while the heavier 6kg makes for a good springboard for lower-body exercises.

On first impressions, I thought the stand would be a bit flimsy, but over the three months I've had these weights, I haven't had a problem with it. It stands up to almost constant use and doesn't take up any unnecessary space around the weights, making the rack easy to store in a corner.

The hard plastic-coated dumbbells feel high-quality for the price, and they have textured handles for an extra supportive grip.

The only downside is that the weight only goes up to 6kg, which won't be enough for many people after a couple of months of training. If the budget can stretch, I'd recommend using the Yaheetech Adjustable Dumbbells for a long-term solution. However, if you're completely new to weight training, just looking to do upper-body workouts, or are returning to training after a break, these are perfect.