Barbell vs. Dumbell Bench Press for Mass

[GreenMountain]

Are dumbell bench presses really just as good for buiding mass? I get a great "feel" from doing the dumbells but I have a mental issue believeing they are as effective as heavy barbell bench presses. Please clear this up for me.

Also, when doing dumbell presses should you try to keep a constant distance between the hands throughout the movement or should your hands drift together and get narrower as you press the weight up?

 

[MarshallPenniford]

I would think that if you believe the barbell is more effective than DB's, then you would believe the Smith is more effective than the barbell, no?

 

[rippedup]

My chest is one of my best bodyparts and all I do is a few heavy sets of DB press (6-8 reps) and a few sets of dips.

No sissy cable cross-overs or other pec-deck...

 

[bigdelt69]

Ok, several things you must consider in this question
(Which is better for building mass; dumbells or barrbells?)
A traditional barrbell not only works the chest but also the front delts, tris, and lats. When doing a db press you are getting a greater stretch at the bottom of the movement. This is the area that works the chest the most. To best answer your question, it is my oppion that bb is the best mass builder. I have noticed that when I use all db's for my chest ( working tri's, back, and shoulder's on different days) my bb bench goes way down.

 

[gymtime]

Mass is more a matter of weight amount and intensity that what kind of apparatus you're using. DBs and bars both have their place in chest work. But I don't think one is inherently better than the other. Like bigdelt, my bar weight goes down when I use dbs, and vice versa. But that's not because I'm losing any strength or size, my muscles are simply adapting to whichever excercise I'm currrently doing most often.

 

[bigdelt69]

well said.

 

[coolcolj]

Dumbells are superior, more balancing required, greater stretch hence more intense contraction and thus more fibre recruitment

Plus you can vary the arc of the arms to change the stimulus from workout to workout. Narrow or wide from rep to rep, plams facing or palms down, any way you want it

 

[b fold the truth]

My thoughts are as follows...

Build mass through your entire body...that means your lats, shoulders, triceps, and chest...and as efficiently as possible. "If" people say that the dbells isolate the chest more, then it does so at the expense of working the shoulders, triceps, and lat less...

I have done flat dbell bench presses before...but always after flat bench press. I have even supersetted them before...talk about fun!!!!

B True

 

[coolcolj]

Dumbells require more synergists so how would they isolate better?

Barbells are more like machine vs the free float of a dumbell -relatively speaking that is - plus you don't need a spotter

Plus each side of the body gets equal load and work. The weaker side gets worked more intensely.

 

[onemind]

I believe its really more of prefrence which one works for you. I have done both and got grat results from both but my advice would be to switch them around till you find what works for you. I like dbs.