dumbells????

[muscledog95]

Im thinking about just buying a bench and some more dumbells and do my upper body at home. Can you get a good workout on dumbells alone. Can i still reach my bodyweight goal of 200lb on dumbells?

thanks

 

[bigmag]

you can get a really good workout with just dumb-bells but I would definately suggest using barbell also. It's been my experience that variety is the key. The more variey I put into my workout the more I grow.

 

[muscledog95]

Thanks

The reason im thinking about bringing home a small bench and adding more weight to my dumbell set is that im getting pretty fed up with guys at the weight room using up more then one machine at a time. That or its really crowded and you can't get to where you want to go.

 

[WarriorPL]

personally, i prefer dumbbells for my upper body, i feel the burn quicker, but i think the barbell is still a necessity

 

[DaveNY]

personally, i prefer dumbbells for my upper body, i feel the burn quicker, but i think the barbell is still a necessity

where's cack when you need him? "the burn" is a bunch of crap. lactic acid build-up doesn't = you're getting a better workout.

 

[goahead]

There are some interesting new dumbell systems around, like the ones that use brackets that slide in another like russian dolls and can be adjusted with one pin (they go up to 90 lbs)

Should save you bigtime on dollars and space compared to a large dumbell rack

 

[Welsh power house]

i think, in terms of mass barbells are, in most cases better....bench presses are better with barbells, curls are better with a straight barbell, deadlifts with barbell, barbell rows, close grip bench presses...and of course squats!
dont get rid of the dumbells though, dumbell presses for shoulders work far better for me than do barbell presses.
alternative d/b curls are another great bicep mass builder, d/b rows are good for the back, laterals are one of my favourite isolation movements..


in short, dont just use one, use both...i personally think when training for mass(which you want, right?) everyone should:
squat
deadlift
bench press
barbell row
straight bar curls
dips
d/b or military press


dont worry about 'feeling the burn' just try to use good form, and add weight, whilst using good form to the above lifts as frequently as you can(every week if you can) But only 1-2 lbs to the bar, even if you can do more...if you go adding 5 lbs in a week to the bar, chances are you wont be able to use the same incerease next week around, or you will probably sacrifice form...stick to the 1-2 lb increase, but dont sacrifice form, if you cant do them properly wait until you can then add that weight and grow!!
stick with the basics, it always works!

 

[buffal2001]

Theres no doubt dumbells are really good but use barbells too..............with regard to training at home, i would personally not do it.......i spend a fair amount of money on a bench and weights but dont find them as good as in the gym........In the gym the motivation is there but if you cant get there or in muscledogs case equipment is not always available in the gym then home is ok as a back up( at least thats my opinion anyway)

 

[GenetiKing]

i think, in terms of mass barbells are, in most cases better....bench presses are better with barbells,

I have to disagree. DB incline, decline, and flat bench presses recruit many more stabilizers, require more balancing and offer a much fuller range of motion than barbell.

 

[MonStar1023]

I would defintely say that you can get a good workout with just dumbbells. I have worked out strictly with dumbbells for every bodypart before and I have gotten great results. Dumbbells force you to really use as much stabilizer muscles as possible and it really defines the term "free-weight." Barbells the bar is still locked into position with dumbbells you have to balance and cooridinate.