Dumbell Weight vs Barbell Weight for Bench

[tropo]

Dumbell strength has very little carry over into barbell strength and vice versa.

That's a interesting statement.

Let's take a person who has never done DB presses in his life. Let's say this person has worked up to 300 lbs for reps on the bench press.

Then he starts with DB presses. I'm sure he will push big DB's compared to a non-trainer. I'm sure he would be using 100+ DBs after a few practice sessions to get his balance sorted.

I would say that barbell strength would carry over nicely to DB work, but not so much the other way around.

It's likely that people push big DBs because of their BB work because most trainers do both.

 

[Scotsman]

That's a interesting statement.

Let's take a person who has never done DB presses in his life. Let's say this person has worked up to 300 lbs for reps on the bench press.

Then he starts with DB presses. I'm sure he will push big DB's compared to a non-trainer. I'm sure he would be using 100+ DBs after a few practice sessions to get his balance sorted.

I would say that barbell strength would carry over nicely to DB work, but not so much the other way around.

It's likely that people push big DBs because of their BB work because most trainers do both.

The strength may carry over but you won't be able to lift anywhere near as much weight on dumbells especially the first time due to stabilization issues. Otherwise everyone who could bench 300 could also use the 150's on dumbell presses. I was pressing over 400 before the 140's were manageable.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[tropo]

The strength may carry over but you won't be able to lift anywhere near as much weight on dumbells especially the first time due to stabilization issues. Otherwise everyone who could bench 300 could also use the 150's on dumbell presses. I was pressing over 400 before the 140's were manageable.

Cheers,
Scotsman

Sure, the combined weight of the DB's will always be less than the BB weight.

Here's an interesting question:

If you were in a competition to press the most weight possible with DBs, would you concentrate on DB's or BB bench in your training? If it was me I'd concentrate on the BB bench mostly. Once you're mastered DB stability it becomes second nature, even after a long layoff.

 

[b fold the truth]

I"ve had a lot of guys here superset the two. Going to near failure on flat bench and then straight to dbells to failure...as well as the opposite. Both see good results.

 

[Scotsman]

Sure, the combined weight of the DB's will always be less than the BB weight.

Here's an interesting question:

If you were in a competition to press the most weight possible with DBs, would you concentrate on DB's or BB bench in your training? If it was me I'd concentrate on the BB bench mostly. Once you're mastered DB stability it becomes second nature, even after a long layoff.

I'd do both, but really work hard on the dumbells. Knowing how to stabilize and stabilizing on a max effort are two very different things.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[mad_monkey59]

It will always come down to a number of factors...

1. Who is going to be spotting for you and are they an idiot?
2. Are we talking hypertrophy or strength?
3. Are you prone to injury?
... and so on...

Every person is going to have different set of answers here. However I personally would lean towards the bar.



Lets be honest here for a moment, since some idiot made the first set of pink dumbells with 0.5 on the side, I'm sorry, I feel betrayed, there was no need for it, no-one doing 0.5 on anything deserves to be in a gym.

Dumbells switched sides, they cheated on the iron soldiers with the flouncy abercrombie wearing, mobile-in-the-fricking-gym generation. They gave birth to the squat rack curlers, the old ladies who stand around infront of the mirrors, the guys with the missing lats, the idiot with the perma belt who tells everyone how to leg-press, 'don't squat, its bad for your knees', everything we despise was caused by those dumbell touting idiots wanting to open the sport up to a bunch of tards for a profit.

So don't forgive them so easy, they started this.

Like that ex who cheated on you once, you might accidently go back every now and again, after all he/she serves a purpose, but by God I am not letting that cheating bitch take the place of the most faithful thing in my sport - have you ever seen a pink barbell with 0.5 on the side???

- so yeah use the little bitch when it suits you, sometimes she might put on a nice 70kg jacket, but damn we know where she has been and we know where are heart lies.

 

[tropo]

I'd do both, but really work hard on the dumbells. Knowing how to stabilize and stabilizing on a max effort are two very different things.

Cheers,
Scotsman

Which really begs the question, does anyone do one rep maximums on DBs?..or even 2, 3 or 4 reps?

I would say it's the heavy BB benches that builds most people's DB strength. Of course because most serious trainers use both it's impossible to test this scientifically.

Progression of weight can be a problem with DB's. Most good racks don't offer a jump of less than 5 lbs per DB, so that's a 10 lb jump for presses. My gym for example jumps by 10 lbs per DB giving a 20 lb jump for presses. A lot of people will therefore be using weights they cannot properly handle because the jump up is too much. This can seriously hinder progress and lead to unnecessary injuries.

 

[Longhorn85]

One thing is that if you are going to be using really heavy dumbells try and get two spotters who can hand you the weights so you don't have to try and wrench them into position.

Cheers,
Scotsman

That limits me because I like to work out alone. The most I can probably use safely is 100lbs right now.

 

[Scotsman]

That limits me because I like to work out alone. The most I can probably use safely is 100lbs right now.

True, unless you have the benefit of a dumbell bench rack, but I've only seen them in a couple of gyms.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[Longhorn85]

Which really begs the question, does anyone do one rep maximums on DBs?..or even 2, 3 or 4 reps?

Not me, usually 6 reps minimum or it was too much weight to handle without a spot