Dumbbells vs Barbells

There is a long standing debate among strength training enthusiasts and professionals over the differences between training with dumbbells or with a barbell. Using similar exercises which version is more effective to gain muscle mass using dumbbells or a barbell?

General properties barbells:

-More stable than the dumbbell variant of the same exercise.

-Allows more weight to be used compared with the dumbbell variant of the same exercise.

-Will require less effort from stabilizing muscles compared with the dumbbell variant of the same exercise.

 General properties dumbbells:

-Less stable than the same exercise using a barbell.

-Allows less weight to be used compared with the barbell variant of the same exercise.

-Will require more effort from stabilizing muscles compared with the barbell variant of the same exercise.

Barbell Bench Press vs Dumbbell Press

The barbell bench press is one of the classic powerlifting exercises and widely used by fitness and bodybuilding athletes to develop size and strength in the pectoralis major, triceps brachii and deltoid muscles. The bench press requires the athlete lie horizontally on a bench while pressing a barbell upwards. The dumbbell press or dumbbell chest press is practically the same exercise as the bench press but instead of a barbell two dumbbells are used.

Advantages Barbell:

-Weight:

The bench press with a barbell allows for more weight to be pressed because there is less stability required.

-Muscle activity:

Higher muscle activation in the triceps brachii muscle

Advantages Dumbbells:

-Range of Motion:

The dumbbell press allows for a greater range of motion during the exercise. Unlike when holding a barbell, the dumbbell press allows the arms to come closer together during the last phase of the press. In addition, when the shoulders allow it, the upper arm can be lowered further than using a barbell. A barbell can only be lowered until it touches the chest.

-Muscle activity:

Comparable to higher muscle activity in pectoralis major and anterior deltoid muscles while using dumbbells compared with a barbell.

Verdict Hypertrophy:

Although to this date no long term studies have been done to evaluate which of these exercises is most effective for increasing muscle mass in the chest muscles, the dumbbell press is more effective for producing chest muscle hypertrophy. The dumbbell press activates the pectoralis major and anterior deltoid muscles equally if not more depending on the study. In addition the range of motion that can be performed while using dumbbells is larger which is an important factor as well while training for larger muscles. Is the barbell bench press a bad choice then for muscle hypertrophy of the chest? No, although it would seem that the dumbbell press is a better choice, the bench press using a barbell leads to more triceps brachii activation and allows for more weight to be pressed.

Aside from scientific reasons, there are practical arguments as well. If an athlete gets very strong and needs heavy weights to reach the proper training stimulus to achieve muscle growth, dumbbells will get rather bulky and get harder to wield properly. In addition the size of the dumbbells will also limit range of motion a little which is one of the greatest advantages of using dumbbells.

Bench pressing using a very heavy barbell does not suffer from these drawbacks and someone can more easily spot the athlete while pressing heavy weights. So from a practical point of view, the barbell bench press is easier to use when an athlete gets stronger.

See also:

-The most effective chest exercises

References:

-Barnett, C., Kippers, V., Turner, P. Effects of Variations of the Bench Press Exercise on the EMG Activity of Five Shoulder Muscles. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 1995, 9, 4, 222-227

-Saeterbakken, A.H., Tillar, R. van den, Fimland, M.S. A Comparison of Muscle Activity and 1-RM Strength of Three Chest-Press Exercises with Different Stability Requirements. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2011, 29, 0, 1-6.

-Tillaar, van den, R. Saeterbakken, A.H. The Sticking Region in Three Chest-Press Exercises with Increasing Degrees of Freedom. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2012, 26, 11, 2962-2969.