Bowflex SelectTech 552

No — the dumbbells work fully on their own with no app or subscription required. You select your weight with the dial and lift; that's the entire system. JRNY is an optional companion app that adds motion-tracked guided strength, yoga, and Pilates sessions, and remembers how much weight you lifted in previous sessions to suggest progressions.

Every purchase includes a 2-month free JRNY trial. After that, JRNY renews at $11.99/month or $99/year if you choose to keep it. Most of our testers found the dumbbells just as useful in pure manual mode, so don't let the optional subscription factor into your buying decision unless guided programming specifically appeals to you.

No assembly is required — the SelectTech 552 arrives ready to use straight out of the box, with each dumbbell pre-loaded with its full stack of weight plates inside the housing. Simply place the dumbbells in their included storage trays and you're ready to start lifting.

To change weight, set the dumbbell down in its tray, rotate the selection dial on the end to your desired setting, and lift — the locking pins inside engage automatically to pick up only the plates corresponding to your chosen weight, leaving the rest seated in the tray. Always perform weight changes with the dumbbell resting flat in the tray, not while held in the air, and lift straight up once the dial is set rather than twisting further. This is the correct technique for any dial-style SelectTech dumbbell and is detailed in the included quick-start guide.

Each dumbbell measures 16.9" L × 8.3" W × 9" H and comes with its own storage tray, so the pair takes up roughly 2 feet of floor or shelf space — dramatically less than 15 separate sets of fixed dumbbells would require. Many buyers pair the set with the optional Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbell Stand ($199) for elevated, back-friendly storage, or simply keep the trays on the floor against a wall.

For safe use, allow enough clear floor space around you to fully extend your arms in any direction — at least 3 feet of clearance on each side is a reasonable minimum for most strength exercises. As with any dial-style adjustable dumbbell, always set the weight down gently and squarely into the tray rather than dropping it; this is standard best practice that helps the locking mechanism seat correctly and prevents the dumbbell from rolling or tipping.

Buy the Bowflex 552 if: you want the fastest possible weight changes via a quick-twist dial, finer 2.5 lb increments for isolation work, and a lower price point. It's also the more compact, ergonomically curved option, and the JRNY app integration is a nice bonus for guided sessions even though it's entirely optional.

Buy the PowerBlock Elite EXP if: you train somewhere weights will inevitably get dropped, want a higher 70 lb per-hand ceiling, or prioritize a longer 3-year warranty. PowerBlock's selector-pin design and block-style construction are explicitly built to handle drops during heavy or fatigued sets, which the 552's dial mechanism is not designed for. For lifters focused purely on speed of weight transitions and fine-grained progression at sub-52.5 lb loads, the Bowflex 552 remains the better everyday tool. See our full adjustable dumbbell comparison for a complete breakdown.

Bowflex's standard return policy allows returns within a window set at checkout, detailed at bowflex.com/customer-service/return-policy.html — review the current terms before ordering, as policies are subject to change. The Results Series 552 carries a 2-year parts warranty by default, with optional 3-year ($69) or 5-year ($99) Protection+ plans available at checkout for extended coverage.

If you own an original pre-2025 Bowflex 552 or 1090 affected by the June 2025 recall, do not purchase a Protection+ plan or attempt a standard return — instead, go directly to bowflex.com/recalls or call Johnson Health Tech Trading at 800-209-3539 (Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–7 p.m. CT) to file a recall claim. Depending on when and where you purchased, you may be eligible for a prorated refund voucher or full replacement, plus a complimentary one-year JRNY membership.