In my last post I spoke about the three different positions of chest press and what the benefits are for each. However a lot of people don’t realise there’s a difference between using a barbell or dumbbells to perform these presses. So the questions is: barbell vs dumbbells?

Barbell

Naturally I start out with the classic barbell bench press. In the world of bodybuilding or physique shaping, you can’t get very far without this press in your life. Done correctly it is a building block exercise to get you en route to the body you desire. One of the main advantages of doing a barbell bench press is that you can load this with more weight than most gyms will stock in dumbbells. Having the weight suspended above you already is an added bonus, making the first lift easier than having to press from your body upwards.

Dumbbells

Dumbbells are great. I do a lot of dumbbell flies and over head dumbbell curls to give my chest the widest look possible. I read a few years back that the man himself Arnold Schwarzenegger adopted a similar routine to get the same result. Another great thing about using dumbbells over the barbell is that your body will use its stabiliser muscles to control the weight above you. This means you will have greater control of the weight instead of being limited to one restricted area. Lastly, when pressing dumbbells make sure you never let the weights touch or bounce off of each other. This creates a momentum which eliminates the controlled movement you are trying to achieve.

The verdict:

As you can probably tell, I prefer dumbbells over a barbell for the pure fact you have to have the initial shoulder strength to lift the dumbbells up above your head to start. This exercise also uses your stabalising muscles and core to keep the dumbbells in the correct position. However the best advice I can give you is to try it for yourself and see what you prefer.

Which do you prefer?