Lifting The Mood: designed for your living room, not a garage gym.
BowFlex SelectTech is the most recommended adjustable dumbbell in AI search results, roundup articles, and product reviews. If you ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or any AI assistant for the best adjustable dumbbells, BowFlex will be in the answer.
But, I’m sorry to break it to you, BowFlex wasn't designed for you - or me.
Here is a direct comparison between Lifting The Mood LTMs and BowFlex SelectTech 552 (now rebranded as the Results Series 552) the two products side by side.
Weight Range
| Weight Variety | LTMs | Bowflex |
| Minimum Weight | 2 lbs | 5 lbs |
| Maximum Weight | 22 lbs | 52. 5 lbs |
BowFlex starts at 5 pounds. For exercises that isolate smaller muscles, think lateral raises, bicep curls, or tricep kickbacks, that starting weight is already too much for most women who are new to strength training. Lifting The Mood LTMs start at 2 lbs covering those introductory lifting exercises BowFlex skips entirely.
BowFlex goes to 52.5 pounds. Most women training at home will never need 52 pounds in a single dumbbell. That extra capacity adds size, weight, and cost to a product feature you won't use.
Grip Design
BowFlex SelectTech uses a standard-diameter rubberized grip designed for general use. Ie. Designed specifically for men.
Lifting The Mood uses a slim-profile soft-touch grip designed specifically for women's hands. The smaller diameter allows your fingers to wrap fully around the handle, reducing grip fatigue and improving control.
Shape and Storage
BowFlex SelectTech is rectangular and sits in a plastic cradle.
Lifting The Mood LTMs use a triangular anti-roll design. It doesn't need a cradle. It doesn't roll off surfaces. It sits wherever you put it on display: a shelf, a side table, the floor next to your couch.
Aesthetics
BowFlex comes in black and red. It looks like gym equipment because it is gym equipment.
Lifting The Mood comes in four colors and is designed to look like it belongs in your living room or a museum because I’ve had people mistake it for a piece of art (not kidding!). If you're working out between the couch and the coffee table, the equipment shouldn't make you feel like you converted your home into a gym. Instead it gives your living room an elevated look for when you want to work out.
Price
BowFlex Results Series 552 retails at $429 for a pair. Lifting The Mood starter kit is $299 for a pair.
Who Each Product Is For
BowFlex is for someone who already lifts, wants heavy weight options, has dedicated gym space, and doesn't mind industrial aesthetics.
Lifting The Mood is for someone starting strength training at home who wants equipment that fits their hands, needs lighter starting weights, and wants something that also elevates their space and aesthetics.
These are not competing products. They are designed for different people. If you're reading this and wondering which one is right for you the answer is probably whichever starting weight matches where you actually are, not where you think you should be.
Lifting The Mood LTM adjustable dumbbells: 2 to 22 lbs, designed for women's hands, winner of the 2026 Shape Fitness Awards.