The Bowflex Selecttech 2080 Barbell does some of the heavy lifting so you don't have to

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The thing about strength training is that it’s usually beneficial to lift weights, but the Bowflex Selecttech 2080 Barbell with Curl Bar (£599) has other ideas – sort of. Instead of carting bulky bench press weights across the room, the Bowflex system uses a series of slats lined up on either end of a custom rack. Slot in the curl bar, then use the dial at each end to select the weight you want, and it adds the correct number of weighted slats to each end. The kit makes barbell training between 9kg and 36kg seemingly incredibly easy, right up until the point when you’re required to lift something. It’s also a massive spacesaver compared to a traditional barbell setup. They love guns in the US, so perhaps it’s no surprise to discover the bicep-building set is a sell out success on the other side of the pond, but it’s now available here, and given your chances of getting to a gym are non-existent right now this could be your ticket to coming out of the other side of lockdown looking like Johnny Bravo. You’ll probably have enough hair.

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You’ll find me covering every area of consumer electronics and technology alongside new and inventive ways to campaign for the return of the MiniDisc. A borderline audiophile, I DJ digitally to a mildly acceptable standard at weekends and tend to surround myself with smart home tech at all other times. In short, I’m hackable and likely to be wearing headphones and distracted while it’s happening.