Going Beast Mode with the FitRx SmartBell
- Jordan Fargo - Author
- Weights
There’s no doubt that the pandemic fundamentally changed how people work out. As everything shut down at the start of 2020 and we all had to stay at home, our exercise plans had to be switched up on the fly. Most of us no longer had access to gyms or any type of real equipment, which ultimately led to the rise of home workout equipment. It had to be compact, stored easily, and still provide a solid workout—it had to be a smarter way to enhance your fitness. FitRx met this need with its top-selling SmartBell.
As a fitness aficionado myself, I struggled to keep up with my workout routine during the lockdown, and ended up buying some dumbbells and weight plates to keep in my basement. I wasn’t going to let almost a decade of weightlifting gains just slip away by doing nothing at home besides lifting chips to my mouth all day.
Fast forward a couple months – life was getting back to “normal”, and I start working for a company that specializes in FitRx products. Just my luck! I felt right at home from the minute I started, and made sure to get my butt in the gym every day after work. Later I was asked to participate in one of our fitness promo videos for the SmartBell, and I instantly said yes. I could relate to looking for the best workout equipment to use at home, and I knew this video would be a perfect opportunity to show its versatility and all the exercises you can do with it.
At first glance, the SmartBell looks odd…it’s not your typical dumbbell. It seemed complicated to use at first glance – how do you get such a huge range of weights into one dumbbell? Once you grip the dumbbell handle, though, it’s surprisingly intuitive as to how the plates work. All I had to do was push down on the dumbbell a bit, and firmly grab and turn the handle to our desired weight, anywhere between 5-52.5 lbs. With the SmartBell, you get a full rack of dumbbells in one, which was easy to get used to. Depending on the model you use, you can choose between 5-52.5 lbs., or 10-90 lbs. After I got that down, there was no limit to the number of exercises I could do, including bent-over rows, Russian twists, crunches, and more.
This dumbbell is great for anyone, no matter how old you are, or whether or not you’ve lifted weights before. Shooting this video, I was paired with a colleague who, compared to me, has way less fitness experience, but she was able to have just as great a workout and do every exercise I was doing with the same SmartBell. Thanks to the multiple weight configurations, she was able to customize it to her comfort and strength level for a great workout.
It didn’t take us long to get a good feel for the product and how it can be used. With its ergonomic design and anti-slip comfort handle, I was getting an awesome workout, and found myself struggling during the core and leg exercises, but that’s always the case no matter what piece of equipment I’m using. While the two of us powered through seemingly endless sets of crunches and Russian twists, I could feel my abs screaming at me. I even began to wonder if our videographer was doing this on purpose to torture us.
Because we were shooting a video, we had to do many takes of the same movement, including turning the weight dial, taking out the dumbbell, and reracking it over and over. Thankfully, though, it was a breeze thanks to the storage tray’s smooth slots for each weight plate, along with its sturdy design. Each weight plate easily slid into place into the slots on the tray. It holds your weight plates securely and protects your floors from any damage, which is great for anyone with a girlfriend like mine, who gets really mad whenever I slam my weights down. There may or may not already be a little crack in our living room floor from my old dumbbells, which this tray also covers up nicely.
This dumbbell is great for anyone, no matter how old you are, or whether or not you’ve lifted weights before. Shooting this video, I was paired with a colleague who, compared to me, has way less fitness experience, but she was able to have just as great a workout and do every exercise I was doing with the same SmartBell. Thanks to the multiple weight configurations, she was able to customize it to her comfort and strength level for a great workout.
It didn’t take us long to get a good feel for the product and how it can be used. With its ergonomic design and anti-slip comfort handle, I was getting an awesome workout, and found myself struggling during the core and leg exercises, but that’s always the case no matter what piece of equipment I’m using. While the two of us powered through seemingly endless sets of crunches and Russian twists, I could feel my abs screaming at me. I even began to wonder if our videographer was doing this on purpose to torture us.
Because we were shooting a video, we had to do many takes of the same movement, including turning the weight dial, taking out the dumbbell, and reracking it over and over. Thankfully, though, it was a breeze thanks to the storage tray’s smooth slots for each weight plate, along with its sturdy design. Each weight plate easily slid into place into the slots on the tray. It holds your weight plates securely and protects your floors from any damage, which is great for anyone with a girlfriend like mine, who gets really mad whenever I slam my weights down. There may or may not already be a little crack in our living room floor from my old dumbbells, which this tray also covers up nicely.
Throughout the video, I ended up banging out dozens of reps of sitting biceps curls. I could feel my arm muscles begin to slowly awaken – the dumbbell was certainly doing its job, that’s for sure. As I sat on the incline bench that we had brought with us, I realized how someone could easily do some bicep curls at home. You don’t need a weight bench; all you need is the SmartBell and a chair or seat of some kind. You can even do curls with the dumbbell while sitting on the edge of your bed, if you happen to be feeling a bit lazy that day. Believe me, I’ve been there before.
At the end of the shoot, I was asked to do some bent-over rows. Keep in mind, filming a video I had to do at least 5x than the average sets and reps for EACH exercise—I was already pretty spent. Wanting to get a good pump, I turned the weight dial and chose the highest weight possible. Each rep made me feel stronger and more energized, and quickly hit what Arnold refers to as The Pump, and what all weightlifters love so much: BEAST MODE!! I hit failure, slammed the dumbbell down on the floor hard (don’t worry, there was a rubber mat below me), let out a yell, and smacked my chest like the wild, uncaged animal I was in that moment. It felt amazing.
Quick-Select Adjustable Dumbbell, 5-52.5 lbs.
Maximize your strength training with minimal equipment using the FitRx SmartBell! This adjustable dumbbell lets you customize the SmartBell’s weight in increments ranging from 5 to 52.5 pounds.
Everyone should experience the raw power and superb customizable training that the FitRx SmartBell can provide. It’s an innovative piece of workout equipment that anyone can use, whether you’re a seasoned athlete, a dedicated weightlifter with years of experience, or just a beginner. Home gyms are growing in popularity, and having equipment that works for your home and complements commercial gyms is where it’s at. Even though the pandemic is now in the past, home gyms and smarter equipment are definitely in everyone’s future.
I highly recommend this product for those of you that prefer to workout at home, don’t have a gym membership, or can’t always make it to the gym. The SmartBell saves you time, space, and most importantly, money, which truly makes it the perfect addition to your exercise toolkit.
To watch the FitRx SmartBell promo video (and see me go Beast Mode), click here