Centr assembly
Equipment plus an app. The dumbbells barely assemble, so the real setup is the app.
Centr, Chris Hemsworth’s fitness brand, is an ecosystem of gear and a workout app. The flagship Smart Stack adjustable dumbbells have almost no assembly, you dial 5 to 50 pounds by twisting the handle in the tray, so the real setup is activating the membership and telling the app what you own.
A workout app that grew into equipment
Centr began as Chris Hemsworth’s workout app and branched into equipment, so it is best understood as an ecosystem: gear plus the app that programmes your training. The flagship gear is the Smart Stack 50 adjustable dumbbells, which replace ten pairs of weights, you dial anywhere from five to fifty pounds by clicking a dumbbell into its tray and twisting the handle until the weight shows on the display.
That means there is essentially nothing to assemble on the dumbbells, they arrive ready, and the real setup is the app. You activate the included membership, and, importantly, tell the app which equipment you own so it serves you the right workouts from Hemsworth’s team of trainers.
The one piece that does assemble is the Centr bench, if you have it. And the app subscription is central to the experience, so it is worth knowing that going in rather than expecting the gear to stand alone.
The setup
Dumbbells: no build. The app is the setup.
| Model | Time | People |
|---|---|---|
| Unbox the dumbbellsReady to use; seat them in the tray. | 5 min | 1 |
| Learn the tray dialTwist the handle to select weight. See below. | 5 min | 1 |
| Activate the membershipDownload the app; onboarding can be clunky. See below. | 10 min | 1 |
| Set your equipmentTell the app what you own. See below. | 5 min | 1 |
| Assemble the benchIf you have it. See below. | 20 to 30 min | 1 |
The dumbbells are genuinely no-build, they store in their tray and save a lot of floor space. The subscription, included for a few months, is the ongoing part of the setup.
What setting up Centr involves
Adjust the dumbbells in the tray, and lock before lifting
There is no assembly on the adjustable dumbbells, but there is a habit to learn. Always change the weight with the dumbbell seated in its storage tray, click it in, then twist the handle until your desired load shows on the built-in display, rather than trying to adjust it mid-air. And before each set, give it a quick check that the selected plates are fully engaged and locked to the handle, as with any adjustable dumbbell, so nothing sheds mid-rep. Done in the tray, changing from five to fifty pounds takes seconds.
The app is the point, so activate it first
Centr is really an app with equipment attached, so getting the app going is the main setup. Activate the membership included with your gear, usually around three months, and be prepared for onboarding that some owners find a little clunky, you may need to download the app rather than signing up through the website to get past the intro. Once you are in, you have Hemsworth’s team’s coached workouts, programmes and recipes, and the ongoing subscription is what keeps that content available, so factor it into the value.
Tell the app which equipment you own
A step that makes or breaks the experience: in the app, set the equipment you actually have, so it filters the workout library to routines you can do with your gear. This matters because the library leans towards dumbbells and machines, and some cheaper essentials-kit items have fewer dedicated workouts, one owner found no programmes matched their kit until they adjusted this. So set your equipment accurately, and if you own the dumbbells and bench you will find plenty of matching content, which is exactly what the ecosystem is designed for.
Assemble the bench if you have one
The Centr Multi-Adjustable Bench, previously sold as the Inspire FID5, is the one piece that needs building. It is a premium steel FID bench with a ladder-style seven-position backrest from decline to steep incline, a four-position seat, and a handy four-position mid-back rest you adjust with a remote handle. So bolt the frame together squarely, fit the pads, and check that each position locks firmly before loading, standard for a quality adjustable bench. Combined with the dumbbells it turns into a compact, capable strength setup with app programming to match.
Before you start
Have the app ready to download, that is where the setup really happens.
Locate your membership activation code, included with the gear.
Plan to set your owned equipment in the app for matching workouts.
Clear a small space, the dumbbells store compactly in their trays.
And factor the ongoing subscription into the value.
Where an installer helps
Honestly, the dumbbells need no assembly, so help there is minimal, they are ready out of the box.
Where a hand is useful is assembling the Centr bench squarely and confirming its positions lock.
And, for anyone less comfortable with apps, getting the membership activated and the owned equipment set so the right workouts appear.
So help here is mostly about the bench build and the app setup, rather than the dumbbells, which are genuinely plug-and-play.
What an installer does
- Shows you the tray dial mechanism and how to lock the weight.
- Assembles the Centr bench squarely and checks its positions lock.
- Helps activate the app membership if wanted.
- Sets your owned equipment in the app for matching workouts.
- Confirms the dumbbells seat and store correctly in their trays.
- Advises on the subscription and getting started.
Get it built by someone who has built one before.
Tell us your ZIP and what you bought. Installers near you will quote you directly, and you deal with them, not with us.
Questions people ask
Do the dumbbells need assembling?
No, the Smart Stack adjustable dumbbells arrive ready to use, there is nothing to build. You just learn the mechanism: seat a dumbbell in its tray and twist the handle until your weight shows on the display, changing from five to fifty pounds in seconds. Always adjust them in the tray rather than mid-air, and check the plates are locked before each set.
Do I have to use the app?
To get the point of Centr, effectively yes, it began as Chris Hemsworth’s workout app, and the equipment is designed around it. Your gear comes with a few months’ membership, and the ongoing subscription is what keeps the coached workouts, programmes and recipes available. You can of course use the dumbbells for any routine, but the value is in the app-plus-equipment ecosystem.
Why are there no workouts for my gear?
Usually because the app does not yet know what you own, in the app, set your equipment so it filters the library to routines you can do. The library leans towards dumbbells and machines, and some cheaper essentials-kit items have fewer dedicated workouts, so setting your equipment accurately is important. With the dumbbells and bench set, you will find plenty of matching content.
Is the onboarding difficult?
Some owners find it a little clunky, in particular, you may need to download the app to get past the intro rather than signing up through the website. Once you are in and have activated your membership and set your equipment, it works smoothly. So expect to spend a few minutes on setup in the app, that is where the real configuration happens rather than in any hardware assembly.
What about the bench?
The Centr Multi-Adjustable Bench, formerly the Inspire FID5, is the one piece that needs building, a premium steel FID bench with a seven-position backrest, four-position seat and a remote-handle mid-back rest. Bolt it together squarely, fit the pads, and check each position locks firmly before loading. Paired with the dumbbells it makes a compact, capable strength setup with matching app workouts.
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