Benching with DBs = pvssy? (want advice)

[Don-Wan Kenobi]

Originally posted by DIESEL
Stop being pvssies and use free weights.

While we're on the topic of free weights, I've got a confession to make and am need of a little advice myself.

I squat and deadlift with a bar - no substitutions. With one or two exceptions, I rely exclusively on free weights. When chest day roles around, I stick with free weights but instead of lifting the bar I use dumbbells.

Been doing this for the passed couple of months. I work with an adjustable bench, putting most of my effort into the incline db press. I shy away from barbell presses (ic and flat) for three reasons:

1. Usually no spotter (DIESEL did a good job of clearing this up for me in a previous post).

so I'm left with:

2. Affraid I'm not going all out without a spotter. The mentality is that I can go as heavy as I like with a dumbbell in each hand, pump out between five and eight reps per set, and never have to worry about calling someone over to help lift a bar off my chest (had this happen with a barbell when I was younger).

3. Watched some dude dislocate his shoulder while struggling with a barbell and a non-adjustable incline bench. I hate these type of benches because you're starting with the bar about an inch away from your head and just lifting it to the starting position is difficult.

I'm a little ashamed to admit this. I don't avoid exercises because someone told me they're dangerous or they take a lot of effort. I'm a squat-row-deadlift kind of guy but I feel like a wimp when I center my chest day around dumbbell presses. Assuming I want to get bigger and stronger, can I afford to be doing this? I can transition back to doing flatbench barbell presses easily enough if it will increase my gains, but I like to focus more on incline work and I'm a bit intimidated by the non-adjustable, incline bench o horror. Is my fear justified? Should I just suck it up and get used to the damned piece of equipment or can I expect the same results going heavy with dumbbells?

I have a very low opinion of smith machines and haven't even thought of using one with an adjustable bench.

DWK

 

[El MonoLoco]

Ah the question of whether a straight bar is better than dumbbells. The answer-as told to me by a PT about 8 years ago- dumbbells will always be better than a straight bar. The reasons-

Dumbbells allow you to isolate muscle groups.
Using a straight bar will use multiple muscle groups to accomphish the same task.

(As you already mentioned) When using dumbbells you don't have to have a spotter. Although I recommend always working out with someone if not for a spot then for encouragement. But when all else fails you can drop dumbbells to the floor instead of on your chest.

And finally when using dumbbells you get a greater range of motion over using a straight bar. This helps build stronger muscle as opposed to bigger muscle.

Hope this helps.

 

[Soshyopathe]

You're pissed cause you can't do as much weight with dumbells? Tough, just keep at it. Soon you will be DB pressing more than you BB press.

 

[Don-Wan Kenobi]

Originally posted by Soshyopathe
You're pissed cause you can't do as much weight with dumbells? Tough, just keep at it. Soon you will be DB pressing more than you BB press.

Actually, I don't mind using dumbbells and I'm happy with the weight I'm hoisting. I understand that I wasn't very clear about my goals. Monoloco's response got me thinking I should address this:

I am trying to put on mass. My routine consist of mass building compound movement exercises. For instance, I curl with barbells instead of dumbbells and avoid fine tuning exercises like preacher curls. It is conventional to work the back with deadlifts and pullups, the "lower body" with squats and stiff-leg deads, the arms with barbell curls, close-grip presses, and crushers, and the chest with a barbell bench press.

You wouldn't squat with dumbbells at your sides or replace squatting with leg extensions or some other gadget bullsh-t. That's why I'm wondering: Is my chest development (and by that I mean size) going to suffer because I do the exercises with dumbbells instead of barbells?

 

[DIESEL]

hey DWK,

You shouldn't be ashamed of doing DB presses.

As long as you are going heavy enough, you will put on mass. 4-8 good reps sounds like a good range for mass assuming your nutrition is on point.

If you must know, I rarely do flat barbell bench because my shoulder can't handle it comfortably. So on flat presses, I rely on DB's exclusively - on inclines I do barbell and DB

If you feel more comfortable doing DB's then keep at it - the key is the weight you are using, not whether it's a barbell or a DB - both or either/or will get your chest huge.

D

 

[Big N]

Dumbells are better than barbells for chest.

Another thing I would like to add to the llist of advantages for dumbells is that you get even growth on both of your pecs. With a barbell, one of your pecs will always grow faster than the other one (unless your form is impeccable). Dumbells avoid this problem, which is one of the reasons I use them.

 

[DJintheworks]

I used to always use a bar, then I broke both my wrists in a motorcycle accident. I had to learn to use dumbells, and I ended up liking them more. You actually become stronger, and you no longer have to listen to guys with little d*cks ask "how much you bench".

 

[strong like bull]

dont worry about it. its still a chest-pressing movement; youre still using heavy weight. on top of that, by using dumbells you recruit more stabilizer muscles in comparison to barbell; or god forbid, a bench press machine.

i prefer flat-bench bb press over all; but if anyone gives you flak, drop one of them 150lb dumbells on their foot and they'll S-T-F-U.

 

[adonis_bb]

I actually prefer dumbbell presses over barbell presses, I find that I can use a better ROM and it it isnt so fixed...

you also dont need a spotter.

 

[Soshyopathe]

All the stress on your pecs and stabilizers. It's nice to introduce a bar-bencher to the dumbell rack. They shake and tremble on the way up because their stabilizers are shyt and they have no functional strength.

 

[chim_chim]

Two noob questions:

1. How do you get the dumbells in place? If I use more than about 55lb dumbells my shoulder hurts when I lay down on the bench.

2. When you press the dumbells, do you want to be doing them straight up and down? Or do you want to have them be outside when you're at the bottom of your rep, and the middle of your body at the top of your rep?

 

[livin large]

D, correct me if I'm wrong, this is just what I was told -

If you take the DB straight up, at the very end you're just working your tricep. By bringing them in to the middle of your body at the top of your rep, you work the pec the whole way up.

 

[adonis_bb]

i usually use db's only for incline

in fact i rarely do flat bench press, useless in my opinion

use your knees to boost the db's up

 

[Soshyopathe]

Originally posted by Don-Wan Kenobi
I feel like a wimp when I center my chest day around dumbbell presses.

Originally posted by Don-Wan Kenobi
I don't mind using dumbbells and I'm happy with the weight I'm hoisting.

So which one is it, sweety? Do you even have a question?

 

[Tareef]

Also if you find that you are not fatigued at a certain amount of reps, keep going. Try until you are fatigued. If you find you are doing to many reps, up the weight., unless your goal is strictly endurance.

My goal is strictly endurance right now. Many people will disagree with my work out plan, but I don't want to get huge, I want to gain strength and endurance.

Basically I up the weight any time I hit 50 reps. I know thats alot but let me tell ya, it works wonders when your in compitition against guys who have poor endurance in thier stregnth. As a martial artist my goals will no dobt differ from that of mass building exercises. My ultimate goal is to be like the monks of Shaolin Ledgend. I model myself after the Ledgendary Bruce Lee, who was a fitness fanatic.

 

[Soshyopathe]

Tareef, if a bunch of people disagree with your program and call you a jackass for it, maybe it's worth another look?

Getting size is about eating. If you don't up your calories, you won't get big. Getting strength is about lifting heavy for lower reps. Light weight will get you nowhere.

Oh, and to all you *****es who think 3 months in the gym are going to turn you into Arnold, look at this. That is what years upon years of natural training does. You don't get huge if you are not on roids, and you can't tell me you don't want to look like that guy. If you do, you're just a puss who is afraid of a comitment to iron.

 

[Tareef]

I have nothing against people working out for size, I however do not want to work out for size.

To me size is unimportant. That guy in the pictures is alright but you have to admit that not every one will have the same goals. It is because we have differing values. This is the reason so many martial arts have formed, because not everyone is the same or can do the same things, or even because of things like locality. If you look in China alone the variety of Martial arts is amazing in its own way. The differenec between north and south, hard styles verses soft, linear verses circular, external verses internal. It further breaks into various animal forms, Forms of the commoner, and even forms of myth.

This is my background, I know that not every one can do certain martial arts, because of certain reasons.

1)They may not have the physical capability to do it, even if they could live for a hundred plus years

2)They may not have the facilities to do it

3)They may not live in an area where it would be Ideal to learn such an art

4)It may not be practical for them.

In the same regaurd weightlifting and fitness must not be subjected to one way for all people of all walks of life. That is impractical.

This is not to say that your way of working out is impractical, I m saying that it is not for everyone.

My way of working out is not for everyone either. There are many who don't care for anything but being "built" or "ripped" This is entirely exceptable, for these people it is practicle, it reaches their goals to lift wieghts and take in nutrition in such a way that will cause them to grow.

I am a person who looks into all suggestions, at the same time I must do what is right for myself.

With my current work out plan I have not yet come to a platue. I have found I only gain in strength, I subscribe to the ideas that a person is never static, but always dynamic, and must therefor work out according not to how much rest this person says I need or this is how arnold trains, but a person must be in tune with there own body. Some people will require more rest, some may require less. Some require big muscle gains, others will not.

Most masters start with a hypothesis a theory, it is later that their followers make it into the gospel truth.

While no doubtly there are many advantages to lifting for bulk I can find many disadvantages as well. (please note that this is from my own personal experiences and may not aply to every one)

where I come from is the martial artists perspective. To me life is the martial arts, working out for strength and endurance helps me give my all. Think of it this way, if a man can bench 200 lbs once but I could not then he has more strength then I do for that one rep. However if the same man can bech 150lbs only ten times while I could do that 20 times I have more endurance in that type of strength.

Its fairly simple to see this in compitition. I know guys who have great strength, but easily drop in strength after the first minute, I also know guys who have great endurance but lack in strength and thus are easy to over power. It obvious who works out and who does not in tournaments. Its less obvious to the untrained eye who works out but has endurance as well.

two inches to the left, chaos ensues.

 

[Tareef]

Whoops I spaced out and didn't give an example.

The example is

I have freinds that are huge, so huge that some of them can't touch the back of their heads. To me thats too huge, but hey, to ech their own.

Then I have other friends on the flip side who think that wrking out with wieghts is like a cime to the martial arts. Those guys get knocked on their asses real fast. While it is true that not all martial arts require strength all of them can benifit from strength training

 

[T-4ze]

dumbells/barbells

ok so dumbells work better for chest cuz its more evened out and such....how about for biceps?is a bar better or dbs?and which positions would you recommend for gaining size/mass?

 

[Soshyopathe]

Originally posted by Tareef
Whoops I spaced out and didn't give an example.

The example is

I have freinds that are huge, so huge that some of them can't touch the back of their heads. To me thats too huge, but hey, to ech their own.

Then I have other friends on the flip side who think that wrking out with wieghts is like a cime to the martial arts. Those guys get knocked on their asses real fast. While it is true that not all martial arts require strength all of them can benifit from strength training

Alright, if martial arts is your main concern, I respect that. For me, the arts and bodybuilding go hand in hand for a few reasons.

Your friend is inflexible because he doesn't stretch, not because he is so big. Flex wheeler routinely performs the full splits on stage in bodybuyilding contests. Increased mass puts little inhibition on flexibility, while it's benefits in the hard arts are apreciable.

With increased mass, you are less suceptible to ki-point strikes and holds. The bigger you get, the harder it would be for a smaller opponent to control you.

With increased mass and strength, your joints will be less suceptible to damage in those areas; damage that would surely end the fight in your enemy's favor. A common strike to the knee may not immobilize you after months of heavy squatting. Your shoulder may not dislocate after a joint throw if you've been t-bar rowing.