How to Choose a Beginner Dumbbell Set in Australia

The beginner set that suits most people

The reason for two pairs instead of one is load. Your legs, hips and back handle far more weight than your shoulders and arms, so a single pair ends up too heavy for a press and too light for a squat. Two pairs cover both ends from the first session.

Delivery is charged at checkout, per item, based on your postcode. For the 5kg and 10kg pairs it is about $19 to metro Sydney and about $38 to metro Melbourne or Brisbane. Enter your postcode in the cart and the exact amount shows before you pay.

Starting weights by body weight

Body weight is a rough guide, and your training history matters more. Use this as a starting point and expect to move one pair up or down in the first month. Prices are for the goods only.

Your body weight	Toning start	Strength start
Under 60kg	1kg and 2kg pairs, $35	3kg and 5kg pairs, $83
60kg to 75kg	2kg and 3kg pairs, $58	5kg and 10kg pairs, $162
75kg to 90kg	2kg and 5kg pairs, $71	5kg and 10kg pairs, $162
Over 90kg	3kg and 5kg pairs, $83	10kg and 15kg pairs, $284

The light combinations carry small delivery charges because light pairs are cheap to send. A 1kg and 2kg pair together is about $12 to metro Sydney. The heavier pairs cost more to deliver, and the gap is widest in Perth and Hobart.

Starting weights by goal

Toning and general conditioning

Most of your time goes on higher rep work: lateral raises, curls, presses and circuits. The lighter pair does that job and the heavier pair covers squats, split squats and rows. A 2kg pair at $23 with a 5kg pair at $48 handles it for $71.

General strength

Goblet squats, Romanian deadlifts, rows and presses. A 5kg pair at $48 and a 10kg pair at $114 is the standard answer at $162, and you should expect to reach the top of what the 5kg pair offers on lower body work within two or three months.

Building muscle

Start with a 10kg pair at $114 and a 15kg pair at $170, $284 for the goods, if you already train and can manage eight controlled rows with 15kg in each hand. If you cannot do that yet, buy the 10kg pair with a 5kg pair and add the 15kg pair second.

Three starter sets with delivery added

Delivery is worked out per item from your postcode, so the useful comparison is goods plus delivery. These are example charges to metro postcodes. Your cart shows the exact figure.

Set	Goods	Delivery, metro Sydney	Delivery, metro Melbourne	Delivery, metro Perth
2kg and 5kg pairs	$71	about $15	about $24	about $46
5kg and 10kg pairs	$162	about $19	about $38	about $75
10kg and 15kg pairs	$284	about $31	about $53	about $109
5kg pair only	$48	about $9	about $14	about $28

Delivery scales with weight and distance. A 15kg pair costs about $20 to send to metro Sydney and about $62 to metro Perth, so if you live in WA or Tasmania it is worth checking the cart before you settle on the heavier set. Regional addresses cost more again: a 10kg pair to regional NSW is about $31.54.

Why two pairs beats one heavier pair

• Upper against lower body: a weight that makes a shoulder press hard is far too light for a goblet squat, and the gap is usually 5kg or more.
• Rep range: the lighter pair covers 12 to 20 rep work, the heavier pair covers 6 to 10, and most beginner programs ask for both.
• Fatigue: dropping to the lighter pair for your last sets keeps your form intact instead of ending the session early.
• Two people: if someone else in the house trains, the second pair means you are not swapping weights between sets.

Hex heads help with clutter. The heads are flat sided, so the pair you are not using stays where you put it instead of rolling across the floor, which matters more once you own three or four pairs.

What goes underneath the weights

Rubber coated heads are kinder to a floor than bare metal, but a 10kg pair still puts 10kg per head down every time you set it on the boards. Floor protection deals with dents and noise, and it gives you a defined spot to train in.

• 6mm Non-Slip TPE Yoga Mat, $60: delivery is included to most of Australia. It suits floor work, stretching and light pairs that stay in your hands. It is too thin to take heavy dumbbells being set down.
• For 10kg pairs and up on timber or tile: a 10 to 15mm rubber gym mat or rubber flooring tiles from a hardware store spread the impact far better than any yoga mat.

If you train on carpet or a garage slab, the weights are less of a risk to the floor and the yoga mat is mainly for your knees and back during floor work.

How to add weight over your first year

1. Train your two starting pairs for 6 to 8 weeks before buying anything else, so you know where you actually stall.
2. When the heavier pair stops challenging your squats and hinges, add the next pair up rather than jumping two sizes.
3. Move in 5kg steps at the top end: a 15kg pair is $170, a 20kg pair is $176 and a 25kg pair is $284.
4. Keep the light pairs. They stay in use for shoulders, warm ups and rehab work long after you outgrow them for squats.
5. Fill the gaps last. The 3kg pair at $35 and the 4kg pair at $46 are useful once you know which lifts you are stuck on.

Delivery is charged per item, so adding a pair later costs the same to deliver as adding it to your first order. There is nothing to save by over-buying now. The 15kg and 20kg pairs are $6 apart, so when you reach that stage, pick the one that matches your lifts rather than the cheaper one.

What the range does not include

The weights in the range are fixed rubber hex dumbbell pairs from 1kg to 25kg, with rubber coated heads and chrome handles, sold as a pair. There are no adjustable dumbbells, barbells, racks, benches or kettlebells, so plan your set around fixed pairs.

For a beginner that trade-off usually works in your favour. Fixed pairs have no collars to loosen and no plates to swap, so moving between exercises takes seconds. The cost shows up later, when you own four or five pairs and need floor or shelf space for all of them.

Beginner buying mistakes worth avoiding

• Buying one heavy pair: a 15kg pair at $170 is unusable for shoulder and arm work in your first month, so half your program has no weight to use.
• Buying too light across the board: a 1kg and 2kg pair at $35 run out inside a few weeks if your goal is strength rather than rehab.
• Ignoring the floor: one repair on floorboards costs more than a rubber mat under the spot you lift.
• Skipping the delivery check: heavy pairs to Perth, Hobart or a regional postcode can add a large share to the total. Put your postcode in the cart before you decide.
• Waiting for the complete set: two pairs bought now is more use than a five pair plan you keep postponing.

If you are unsure which two pairs to start with, the 5kg and 10kg pairing at $162 fits the widest range of people. Email [email protected] if you want a second opinion on your starting weights, or check the FAQ page first.

Recommended Gear

Frequently Asked Questions

What dumbbell weights should a beginner buy in Australia?

Most beginners do well with a 5kg pair and a 10kg pair, $162 for the goods. If you are starting from a low base or doing toning or rehab work, a 2kg and 5kg pair at $71 is the lighter option. Two pairs cover both upper and lower body work from the start.

How much does a beginner dumbbell set cost?

A 2kg and 5kg pair is $71 and a 5kg and 10kg pair is $162, before delivery. Delivery is charged per item by postcode, for example about $19 for the 5kg and 10kg pairs to metro Sydney and about $38 to metro Melbourne. The cart shows the exact charge before you pay.

Is one pair of dumbbells enough to start with?

One pair works if all your exercises suit the same weight, such as light circuits or rehab work. For general strength, one pair is usually too heavy for presses and too light for squats. A second pair fixes that.

Do I need a mat under dumbbells at home?

For light pairs held in your hands, a yoga mat for floor work is enough, and the 6mm TPE yoga mat at $60 includes delivery to most of Australia. Once you set 10kg pairs or heavier down on timber or tile, use a 10 to 15mm rubber gym mat under the lifting spot.

Should I buy adjustable dumbbells instead of fixed pairs?

The range only has fixed rubber hex pairs, from 1kg to 25kg. Fixed pairs are quicker to use because there is nothing to adjust between exercises. The trade-off is storage space once you own several pairs.

How long before I outgrow a 5kg and 10kg beginner set?

Most people outgrow the 10kg pair on squats and Romanian deadlifts first, often within three to six months of regular training. Presses and raises stay on the 5kg pair much longer. The usual next buy is a 15kg pair at $170.

How much is delivery on a beginner dumbbell set?

Delivery is charged at checkout per item, based on your postcode, and there is no free delivery threshold on dumbbells. As an example, a 5kg pair is about $9 and a 10kg pair about $10 to metro Sydney. Dispatch usually takes 1 to 3 business days and metro delivery usually 2 to 7 business days after that.

Related Guides

• Dumbbell Weight Guide: Starting loads exercise by exercise.
• What Size Should I Buy: Choosing weights by goal and experience.
• How Many Pairs in a Set: When two pairs is enough and when to buy three.
• The 5kg, 10kg, 15kg Set: The three pair set most people grow into.
• Progressive Buying Plan: Building the set in stages.
• Home Gym Mats: What to put under the weights.