DB Press vs. BB Press

[CCKazi007]

I got two quetions regarding DumbBench Press and BarbellBench Press.

1. Which one is better? I heard DB Press works out all the staberlizer muscles but does it actually give you the strength and mass you would get from doing BBs?

2. If you can BB Press 200 pounds does that mean you can DB Press 100 pounds on each arm? Or is DB Press harder?

 

[djtdot]

Well I tried DB presses for a while, but they didn't affect my chest that much. The last workout I switched to BB press, and holy smokes....my chest feels good. Although I must add that in DBpresses I was in the 3 x 8-10 rep andnow I am doing 4 x 6 + dips....maybe that's why my chest feels good.

As far as the second question goes....personally when I could bench 100lbs, I couldn't use 50lbs, I was using only 40lbs in each hand. You can't progressively add weight in DB, so the gains might be a bit slower.

 

[Skilla_Staz]

DBs are harder than BB's due to the fact that you have to stablize the weight. The barbell prohibits your hands from moving laterally. Dumbells, however, do not. This makes it a little tougher. BB press is also know as "Bench Press".

**Edit: I personally do Bench Press and then do Incline Dumbell presses. After a month or two, I'll switch the two, doing Incline Bench and flat DB presses.

 

[BudLight85]

Neither is necessarily better than the other, but IMO in order to do well with them, you have to perform them. In other words if you want to get good at benching, then you bench. If you wanna do well DB pressing, then DB press. My max is in the 240-250 area or so, and right i'm DB pressing the 90's for 3 (fairly new to DB's as well). I think its how well your stabilizers are strengthened that determine how well you do in DB benchin compared to barbell bench. Variety is the spice of life, so mix it up, rotate the exercises in your workout, see how it goes. Right now i'm lovin the DB's so i'm runnin with them.

Jay

 

[Relentless355]

1. Neither is necessarily "better." Both have their pros and cons. Personally, I think that a bodybuilder should switch between the two every few weeks, as to keep the body guessing.

2. I don't really know. When I switched over from Barbell to Dumbbell the first time, I just got two dumbbells that I would consider my warmup, do five reps, and progressively continue up in weight until I reached my "sticking" point on the fifth rep. That was around my 3x8.

 

[matygee]

Barbell - you can add more weight.

 

[TheNewGuy]

Barbell - you can add more weight.

What? Do you guys only have one size of dumbbells up there in Canadia?

I would think Dumbbells would be better for you, as they would work the stabilizers more, thus working out more muscles? Maybe?

 

[matygee]

nope, but more weight = more overall tension being put on muscles. screw stableizers if ur going for mass i noticed that Barbell works the best

 

[Soapz]

Yeah, I have ramped up significantly on my DB presses, but recently, I tried doing BB again, and I couldn't do it with any more weight than before. Kinda strange.

Anyways, I think we should rotate every 1-2 months anyways to prevent our muscles from being accustomed to the exercises.

And yeah, DB works your stabilisers like mad. Most of the time, my forearms are taking more of a beating than my chest.

 

[mrRuckus]

1. Neither is necessarily "better." Both have their pros and cons. Personally, I think that a bodybuilder should switch between the two every few weeks, as to keep the body guessing.

Your body guessing? What the hell? Put away the bodybuilding magazines.

--




I used dumbbells and never barbell for a long time and I seem to have the genetics for a good chest. I was using 75s or 80s before I stopped and went to barbell. The thing is I was no stronger on the BB bench press than I ever had been before even with a much larger, stronger overall chest than I had years ago when i last did a bb bench press. I don't think there's much carryover from DB to BB...at least for me.

I think the only advantage of BB really is it's easier to add weight. I don't think i'll even be doing BB after i'm done with my current routine. It's just too much of a pain to deal with having to get a spotter. DB and dips for me.

Thought I do like BB since it's so funny to watch people do it completely wrong and it keeps the rack free. Especially the guys who somehow manage to lift the bar all the way on one side before lifting up the other side.