Is dumbbell bench press as good as barbell bench press?
It is a matter of preference. Both have their benefits. However, dumbbells are more challenging because each arm and pec muscle has to work independently. Also, the dumbbells allow for a greater range of motion. Yes, you can most definately get a good size chest using dumbbells. Contrary to what is said, pushups are not effective at building size, but rather, endurance. What weight you press is not really important. There is no exact number of what you should be lifting at age 15, 20, etc. 50 lb dumbbels are pretty good for being 15, but it is relative to what you weigh.
Is it normal to dumbbell bench press more than barbell?
Hi!No, it is not normal to use more total weight when doing bench presses with dumbbells than with a barbell.In all the years I have been in the “iron game”, I have neither seen nor heard that anyone has been capable of using more weights in the dumbbell-bench press than barbell-bench press!Thus, if you knew someone, would you be so kind to send that person my deepest admiration? —Thank you!Sincerely,Marc
Dumbbell vs barbell bench press?
i don't own a barbell, so i use dumbbells 2 bench press. what's da diff? is da efficiency diff? do dumbbells make u progress slower? would i be able 2 lift more w/ a barbell?
Will doing a dumbbell bench press with 50 pounds give the same benefits in terms of gains as a barbell bench press with 100 pounds?
Thanks for the A2A! William Schaffer's answer is excellent and covers technical detail I could never hope to replicate. However, I’d like to expand on his answer a bit.In most gyms there will be a lot of people who can bench 225, and a few who can bench 315. There will be very few who can dumbbell press 100 in each hand and practically none who can do the same with 150 in each hand. That alone should give you an idea of the difference is strength needed to perform the various tasks. So, I would say that the benefits for a 50lbs dumbbell bench press would be greater than a barbell bench press with 100lbs.However, because of the strength and stability requirements, the dumbbell bench press becomes much more dangerous as the weights increase. Even with a barbell bench press, improper form often cause rotator cuff issues. With heavy (>100lbs) dumbbell bench presses, this danger is increased by at least an order of magnitude since spotting is much more difficult (unless you can get two spotters), and the two arms cannot work to support each other, and in fact, work against each other as any instability in one arm causes instability in the other which in turn feeds back to the originally unstable arm. This is the reason why only exceptionally strong people can dumbbell bench press with very heavy weights.Because of this difference, although the strength requirements of the dumbbell bench press are greater, because of the much higher potential for injury, it is more effective (in the heavy weight ranges) to increase your barbell bench press. If you are working with relatively light weights, however, the dumbbell bench press is probably more effective.
Decline dumbbell press alone!?
I really want to try decline dumbbell press but today I'll be going gym alone. In my gym they have the bench that is set at a decline but its really difficult to get into position with the weights. They also have other benches which are adjustable. I was wondering. Could I just use the adjustable benches, set it at a decline and do deline dumbbell press like that? Even though the bench won't be on as much of an angle as the actual decline bench.
I can't bench press very much.?
I'm 6'1(20 years old), 162 lbs, and I can only bench 110 lbs, ten times. I heard you're supposed to be able to bench your body weight. Is this true, and why are my arms so weak?
Why is bench press so important? I don't do it. I prefer dumbbells press and all sorts of exercise with the dumbbells, combined with pullups and chinups. Why do I have to change my mind?
I'm of the opinion that dumbbell press is superior to bench press in just about every way. At least from a conditioning standpoint.It improves your neuromuscular conditioning and coordination to have to "balance" the weights. With a long bar, you're able to "cheat" between two hands so the bar goes up easier. No doing this with dumbbells. That's why you'll always press less weight with dumbbells, btw.The main problem with dumbbells is that you can never really do super heavy, one-rep max type weights like you could with a bench press, unless you intend to drop the weights on the floor when you're done, which is pretty dangerous when you get into the several hundred pound range and above, and the weights are over your sensitive organs. Splaying your arms to the side to avoid organs is also dangerous--for your tendons. And a spotter is only of limited help. So there's a theoretical limit to the weight you can do with dumbbells.With a bench press, the rack helps you get into and out of the lift safely, even at weights above 400 pounds. Spotting is also more straightforward.Also, bench press is a competitive event for power lifters. Dumbbell press isn't..Basically every problem I've been able to think of for bench press (unable to lift huge weights, tough to get in and out of position for very large weights, and the lift not being used in competition) is only relevant for competitive power lifters. And these competitive power lifters are definitely practicing, at least some of the time, with dumbbells to get the neuromuscular advantages of that lift.
Are dumbbell presses a good substitute for bench presses?
The bench press is a multi joint movement. When you use dumbbells a lot of the energy used with a straight is not engaged. The big three that you likely were told to do were the deadlift, the squat and the bench press. I would also consider the overhead barbell press, and cleans to be big multi-joint strength builders. A little more info and explanation is below. If your time is limited to three exercises, become accomplished with using a bar for bench pressing. Dumbbell work is a polishing exercise for body builders unless you have had an injury.Dumbbell bench presses are excellent if you have had an injury and have pain with a bar. Your hands can follow a natural motion when freed from the grasp of a bar. The negatives of dumbbell presses when compared to a bar? The old adage that if you want to be wide, use a wide grip is true especially when one is young and still forming skeletal structure. One can use a wide grip when using a bar. Close grip bench presses with a bar target the triceps. You just can’t get the triceps locked into the same response with dumbbells. Another way to target the upper pecs is to lean forward while doing dips. Lighten the weight up normally used for benching and use a cambered bar at about a 30 degree incline. Lighten the weight when first using a cambered bar. It reacts differently and has the potential to cause injury if one isn’t use to a cambered bar. A cambered bar does give you extra stretch and will build muscle and strength when sticking points occur. Another way to eliminate a sticking point in chest development and benching strength is to use stirrup handles and a functional trainer. It is an entirely different feeling than lifting iron.
Is benching and curling with 40 lbs going to build bigger arms?
Theoretically it is possible, however almost all of it will depend on a few things. First it will depend on where you are physically, if you are new to training you will probably see more results than someone who is not. Second, when building mass you need your muscles to reach hypertrophy, the most common way of doing this is by lifting heavy weights, but this is not the only way of reaching hypertrophy—contrary to popular belief. You can also reach hypertrophy by increasing your time under tension, a good method of doing this is focusing on the eccentric part of the movement (usually the “down” part of the movement, think of a biceps curl; the “up” is the concentric and the “down” is eccentric) by holding the eccentric for 2–3 times longer than the concentric (“up” for a count of 1, “down” for a count of 3). This leads into the third thing you need to focus on and that is mind-muscle connection, and the strength of your contraction. After a while you will plateau (40 lbs will be too easy), and to avoid this you need to consciously contract as hard as possible throughout the movement, by doing this you are increasing the amount of muscle fibers involved which will lead to an overall increase in mass. To build bigger arms (I assume you mean the upper arms) you need to exercise you triceps as well, they are targeted some in the bench press movement and that is where your mind-muscle connection will come in. You have to consciously use the triceps throughout your workout instead of your pectoral muscles (if you use a narrower grip this is much much easier).Also I just remembered that a famous personal trainer named Vince delMonte actually did this exact workout you can look it up on YouTube under Vince del Monte 40 lb workout or something.Hope that helps!