Myth?

[Kiaran]

What is your opinion on the following statement:

"You will not gain much mass using only dumbbells. If you want mass, you should use barbells for your exercises."

I once heard this, and was curious what everyone here thinks about this? My opinion is that it is BS, and mass comes from good genetics, lots of food and work...

[Beast]

It is BS. DBs are great!

[Scooter]

The only truth I can see in this statement is that when you are using barbells you are isolating the primary muscle more, but there are so many more variables involved (good genetics, lots of food and work...) that it's not 100% true.

[Kiaran]

The only truth I can see in this statement is that when you are using barbells you are isolating the primary muscle more, but there are so many more variables involved (good genetics, lots of food and work...) that it's not 100% true.

Please explain how you are "isolating the primary muscle more" with barbells?

[Slim Schaedle]

Please explain how you are "isolating the primary muscle more" with barbells?

<----- Also requests explanation

[Scooter]

Using BB the stabilizing muscles are used less, and more energy can be focused on the primary muscle

[Kiaran]

Using BB the stabilizing muscles are used less, and more energy can be focused on the primary muscle

Just out of curiosity, perhaps you could elaborate a little more on this and educate me, but don't stabalizers build up really quickly? If so, then how does your statement work; I mean it's not exactly a 150 amp circuit breaker, of which the arms are sucking down 50 amps to stabalize, where as the chest could have taken all 150 amps, is it? The chest is a muscle, and energy doesn't really have anything to do with it, rather muscle fiber is the real juic, correct? Once the stabalizers are built, the chest should be worked just as much on DB (if not more) as it would on a BB bench press, correct? Confused...

[body]

Using BB the stabilizing muscles are used less, and more energy can be focused on the primary muscle

name me a muscle that is used in dumbell bench press that is not used in barbell benched press?

[Scooter]

name me a muscle that is used in dumbell bench press that is not used in barbell benched press?

All the same muscles are used. But I said the secondary muscles are used less. Maybe I'm confusing this, but how come your BB press is higher then your DB press?

[Kiaran]

All the same muscles are used. But I said the secondary muscles are used less. Maybe I'm confusing this, but how come your BB press is higher then your DB press?

I used to only do DB bench press and then I switched to BB bench. When I switched, I went from pushing 90s on DB to 165 on BB. I think the reason people "can press more on BB" is because they never do DB presses.

[Wierz]

Do what you like and what gets you results. The golden rule to bodybuilding is that there is no golden rule.

Personally, I like certain movements with BB, and certain with DB. To claim one is more benficial than the other is making lots of assumptions.

[Rik-s]

Do both.

[drew]

I like to glue DBs to the bar and do both at the same time.

[Anthony]

Food makes you big.

[Big Bas]

Food makes you big.

especially when you eat it =P

i do both DBs and BBs

[MM]

I used to only do DB bench press and then I switched to BB bench. When I switched, I went from pushing 90s on DB to 165 on BB. I think the reason people "can press more on BB" is because they never do DB presses.

Huh, you can do 90lb DBs but only 165lbs on the BB? That doesn't make much sense; I would expect your BB to be much higher.

It's pure myth. If you want mass, increase resistance and increase caloric intake. You can increase resistance with either DBs or BBs.

[MM]

I like to glue DBs to the bar and do both at the same time.

lmao

[HILL]

you can do more on barbell than dumbells because you are pushing all your force into one bar instead of two seperate arms which is requiring more effort plus i think most people have a weaker side do. using a barbell contemplates for this

[Augury]

Barbell is a closed kinetic chain and allows more of the muscular effort to go towards lifting the bar and not stabilising. Also aloows more focused recruitment of muscle function groups and fibers within.

Dumbels are an open kinetic chain and requre more stabilization to move the bell vertically.

Any closed kinetic chain movement is stronger.

My take. It or leave it.
Augs

[d'Anconia]

I'm going to have to go with the theory that AT FIRST you will do a lot less on dumbells because your stabilizers are not built up. According to this theory I have witnessed that the stabilizers do in fact build up rather quickly.

When I started getting serious about lifting, I noticed that I was probably doing 70lbsx10 on dumbell and at least 165x10 on barbell. Since then I probably do 1 workout using dumbell for every 4 using dumbell.
Now, the other day I was doing 90lbsx7 on the dumbells and can do 185x7 or 8 on the barbell. To me that means that the amount of weight that I do on both are starting to merge together or coincide or whatever. I really haven't been doing dumbells that long either, probably 4-6 weeks at the most.

I suppose this would support the idea that while dumbells cause you to do less because of the stabilizers, the stabilizers catch up very quickly. I find dumbells to be far superior because, yes it builds up these "stabilizers", and it also is much easier when you don't have a spotter.

[Jabberwocky]

Dumbbells are good, but the db's at my gym only go up to 100. If you can still progress at your gym with the db's they have, by all means stick with the dbs. But after a certain point if you want big muscles you are gonna have to start pushing big weight, which might not be doable with DB's. With that being said, 2 of the 4 movements I do for chest are done with db's. DB exercises for traps, back, and triceps kick ass.

[MixmasterNash]

Barbell is a closed kinetic chain and allows more of the muscular effort to go towards lifting the bar and not stabilising. Also aloows more focused recruitment of muscle function groups and fibers within.

Dumbels are an open kinetic chain and requre more stabilization to move the bell vertically.

Any closed kinetic chain movement is stronger.

My take. It or leave it.
Augs

Your take is completely wrong. Please look up what closed and open kinetic chain exercises are and correct your post. Regardless of confusion over the use of the terms, there is no doubt that the kind of weight lifted is not the determining factor.


Any discussion of BB versus DB bench pressing (which is what I think most people are thinking about) must consider that fact that BB bench typically begins with an eccentric action that allows for a stretch reflex. Even with an assist to start a DB press, there are more difficulties starting the motion, supposing you're not lifting off of DB hooks.

[WBBIRL]

Id agree that their is more of a load on the secondary muscles with DB's. I can bench press over 300lbs on a BB and workout with 225 for a set of 8 or 10 and then go up. With DB I can barely use the 100's for anything over 5-8 reps.

[mrelwooddowd]

I used to only do DB bench press and then I switched to BB bench. When I switched, I went from pushing 90s on DB to 165 on BB. I think the reason people "can press more on BB" is because they never do DB presses.

I went from 70's on dumbell, to over 200 barbell (a couple other members are about the same point as well), and I don't even have barbell form correct yet...I think you may be doing one of those movements incorrectly.

[Zygote]

Somebody linked to this a while ago, its a comparative study on exercises and which ones promote the most growth.

Link

The flat barbell bench press, an exercise that is done by many beginners, is one of the least effective exercises. With chest, we can see that dumbbells are far superior to barbells.

Going by those results, dumbells are superior.


Zygote