NordicTrack will now let you yell at its smart dumbbells

Smart dumbbells aren’t new to connected fitness, but today NordicTrack announces a unique version of the product. The NordicTrack iSelect Adjustable Dumbbells are voice controlled weights that work with Amazon Alexa. Now you can ask Alexa to adjust the weight of your dumbbells instead of having to do it yourself.

The dumbbells can be electronically adjusted between five and 50 pounds in five-pound increments. According to iFit, NordicTrack’s parent company, the dumbbells feature a “motorized weight selector” that allows users to quickly change the weight of the device. As for the Alexa integration, you can ask the voice assistant to set a specific weight, increase or decrease the weight, or create a preset weight for specific exercises. You can create presets for 15 common dumbbell movements: bicep curls, overhead shoulder press, lateral shoulder raises, front shoulder raise, triceps extension, incline row, chest press, squats, deadlift, Lunge, Side Lunge, Wood Cut, Chest Fly, Reverse Fly, and Renegade Row.

While an iFit subscription is not required to use the dumbbells, the weights do come with a free one-month family membership. You also need a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi connection, apparently for firmware updates and other support functions. The dumbbells also come with their own shelf, which is equipped with a tablet holder so you can follow workouts from iFit or any fitness app of your choice. The dumbbells can also be adjusted manually via a knob.

Image: iFit

At this point, you may be wondering: what is the point of voice controlled dumbbells? Accessibility reasons aside, it all comes down to speed. If you’ve ever followed a strength training class from a fitness app, you’re often only given 10-30 seconds between sets. Many adjustable dumbbells work with a pin mechanism to attach or detach additional plates, which means that if you rush, you may end up with a plate that falls off mid-exercise. (True story: Rather than pause, I hurried while adjusting my adjustable dumbbells and ended up with a five-pound disc hitting me in the face during a chest press.) or remove dishes.

If the dumbbells can change weights quickly and safely, that would solve one of the biggest problems with adjustable dumbbells. However, other connected weights make similar promises with mixed results. i tried JaxJox Smart Adjustable Kettlebell, and while convenient, the electronic locking mechanism took a second to secure the weights. In this case, you’d still have to deal with Alexa understanding your commands, a good Wi-Fi connection, and background noise of whatever kind you’re seeing.

At $ 429, these are on the cheaper end of connected fitness equipment, but are still a hefty investment for the average person. Having said that, dumbbell prices have been unstable since the beginning of the pandemic thanks to shortages and delays in shipments. As for adjustable weights, options with a similar weight range can cost anywhere from $ 200 to more than $ 500. A full dumbbell rack can cost a few hundred or thousands of dollars, and it can take up a lot more space than you’d like in your home. Another factor to consider is that you need an Alexa-enabled device to use the voice controls. If you don’t have one yet, that’s another purchase to add.

We would have to review the NordicTrack iSelect Adjustable Dumbbells before we can say definitively how useful the voice control feature is. But if you’re impatient, the dumbbells are available starting today at Amazon’s NordicTrack Store.