Barbell vs Dumbbell: Which Is Better For Your Workout?
Have you stepped into the gym and observed what pieces of equipment are most commonly used? The gym is filled with individuals from every age and every walk of life. All of whom at one time or another are using barbells and dumbbells. So which one should you use? When should you choose one over another? Allow me to clear up some of the confusion and help you strategize your next session to get the most out of it.
Types Of Barbells
A standard barbell can be found at almost any gym. These are usually 7.2 feet long and weigh approximately 20kg or 45lbs. When you step into your gym, you’ll most likely see this being used during one of four major exercises: squat, bench, deadlift or overhead press. Barbells can be used for various other exercises, however, we will focus solely on what we consider: the big four.
We should also consider, although the standard barbell is most common, there are also various specialty bars that can be found at smaller, locally-owned, gyms. We have two purposes for these specialty bars: 1. Creating a new stimulus, or challenge, to an individual who is already well-acquainted with the standard barbell, and 2. Allowing individuals to still perform the big four lifts successfully, while dealing with an injury or mobility limitation. We’ll get into the new stimulus approach in another post.
So what are these bars?
The three most common specialty bars we use, and see and other smaller gyms, are the safety squat bar, football (or swiss) bar, and the trapbar (hex bar).
Safety Squat Bar (SSB)
The safety squat bar (SSB) is a great squat bar that can be used for individuals with a shoulder issue. These bars are well padded around the shoulders and neck and have handles positioned in front of the individual to hold onto; eliminating the need to hold a standard barbell behind one’s back.
Football Bar/Swiss Bar
The football bar is a great bench press option. Some individuals may have shoulder or elbow issues using a standard barbell and being stuck in a pronated (palms facing away from the body) hand placement. The swiss bar provides neutral grip, or parallel, handles, which can be a better option for some individuals.
Trap Bar/Hex Bar
Lastly, the trapbar is a great deadlift tool. The trapbar has side handles and these handles are often elevated. The side handles allow for the individual to feel better balanced; whereas during a standard deadlift with a barbell, the bar is positioned in front of the lifter. Also, the standard barbell deadlift height is 9 inches off the floor, which may be too low for someone. The elevated handles of a trapbar can allow some lifters to find a more optimal position. Keep in mind that in most cases, these bars weigh more than your standard bar and may require building some strength to use these safely.
Types Of Dumbbells
Everyone is probably familiar with your standard dumbbell, but there are a few options when it comes to using “bells.” We want to point out a couple additional dumbbell-type pieces you may come across in the gym setting.
Standard Dumbbell
Dumbbells are free weights with handles and a weight attached at either end. These are the most common free weights found in any gym. Most gyms will have dumbbells ranging from 5-100lbs increasing in 5lb increments.
Kettlebell
Kettlebells are growing with popularity, and so we’ve decided to include them. Kettlebells are iron spheres with a handle attached to them. One advantage of a kettlebell is the fact that its center of mass lies below its handle. This means that the weight won’t roll out of your hand, like a dumbbell or barbell could, which reduces the dependence on grip strength.
Fatbell
The last dumbbell-like implement that we wanted to add was the fatbell. Take the kettlebell, remove the handle, hollow out the inside of the sphere and place a handle inside it. These are far less common, but you might end up in a gym with these and want to try them out.
Benefits Of Using A Barbell for Training
Let’s keep it simple. If you were to ask someone can you bench press more weight with a barbell or dumbbells, what would they choose? The barbell. But why? For starters, the barbell bench press has its own lifting set up. The bar is easy to add weight to and all you have to do is pick it up from the j-hooks that it lies in. Before you even have the bar in your hands, you’ve already established proper footing and can pull your shoulder blades together. Moreover, you use both hands when using the barbell, creating more stability; there’s just one object being moved. Due to these advantages, an individual can lift more with a bar, leading to a greater strength stimulus.
Free weights are great, but have their disadvantages, when compared to the barbell. It’s a far less stable set up. Set the weights on your thighs, roll back, while trying to get the dumbbells positioned right. It’s far more challenging to set yourself correctly and get the shoulder blades pulled together. Moreover, now you have two implements. That means that both arms have to work individually, not together. There is more demand on stabilizing the weights.
Benefits Of Using Dumbbells for Training
Don’t shy away from dumbbells, there are so many reasons why they exist. They can be used for improving imbalances, increasing range of motion, and strengthening stabilizers. Let me explain this using the dumbbell bench press as an example. How many people have one arm that’s stronger than the other? Almost 100% maybe. So when you’re faced with a weight in each arm, the goal is to accomplish the same number of repetitions. Over time, the discrepancy between the two shrinks. Also, with free weights, you’re able to position your hands in whichever position is most comfortable. A barbell can only come down to one’s chest, no further. But dumbbells can allow for a lifter to move more freely and come down below the same point a barbell would. In addition, because these are free weights, each arm has to control the weight much more. This allows for all of the stabilizers, such as the rotator cuff muscles, to be more involved and build strength, which the barbell may not do as efficiently.
Barbell vs Dumbbell: Which Is Better For Your Workout?
The barbell and dumbbell have very important roles in many programs. But what are your goals? Are you looking to build lots of strength? A great approach is to start with the barbell movements.
The Bottom Line On Barbells vs Dumbbells
At the end of the day, you’re in charge of incorporating exercises you enjoy doing; however, it’s important to also be aware of the things that you may not enjoy as much but need to progress further. A great rule of thumb is to start your sessions with the heaviest lifts, which is the barbell movement. Then, follow it up with free weights to work on those imbalances or compliment the barbell exercise. Both are amazing and can help anyone reach their fitness goals.
If you’d like to learn more about equipment and building your training program, contact us about personal training, small group training, and more.
