Compare the differences between barbells and dumbbells

As for home fitness, we all know the importance of barbells and dumbbells. But you may not know the difference between barbell and dumbbell. Let's take a look at it!

Dumbbells consist of a short bar with weights on both ends, and are mainly designed for one-handed grip,while a barbell is composed of a long bar with weights on both ends, and is mainly designed for hands training. IFAST provide different adjustable dumbbell sets for you. Now, IFAST fitness will introduce barbells and dumbbells to you.

Advantages of dumbbell training

Allows independent training of both arms

Dumbbells allow the arms on both sides to be independently trained. For example, the muscles of our common dominant side will be stronger, and the muscle strength will be relatively good. When you use dumbbells for training exercises, this unbalanced state on both sides will become very obvious. At this time, you will find that the weaker arm may have begun to be unstable, or even exhausted unilaterally. At this time, using dumbbells can help correct the strength imbalance, and you can independently train weaker unilateral muscles. For example: if your chest is larger on the left side than the right side, you can use one-arm bench press to correct this muscular imbalance.

Provide a larger range of motion

Although dumbbells can provide a more comprehensive range of motion, it should be noted that when the dumbbells are lowered (for example, bench press), the greater the torque (pressure) applied to the shoulder joints, this is for the muscles. A weak shoulder joint is dangerous.

Strengthen the stability of the body core

Training with dumbbells can help stabilize muscles and improve muscle coordination, because you have to control independent arm movements on both sides instead of using both arms at the same time. This will make dumbbell training more complicated. stability. In other words, your muscles will have to do more work to keep the body and the training muscles stable.

You can choose one-arm or alternate training

Because two independent tools are used for training, it is possible to perform alternate training exercises, for example: alternate bench press, one arm presses the dumbbell, and the other arm lowers the dumbbell or one-arm exercise. For example: perform all repetitive training operations on one arm.

For many athletes, alternating exercises and one-arm exercises provide a more specific way of training sports characteristics, because many sports involve one-arm exercises. For example: baseball pitcher, volleyball, badminton, etc. It is not an exercise that uses both arms to move at the same time, and dumbbells can be used to strengthen unilateral muscle strength.

Disadvantages of dumbbell training

Unable to provide large weight

Although the lowering angle with dumbbells is larger than that of barbells, dumbbells cannot provide heavy weights like barbells for training. Any experienced weightlifter can tell you that nothing can be heavier than a barbell bench press. For example: if you can bench press 20 kg with one hand with dumbbells, then your barbell is likely to be able to bench press 50 kg.

Many exercises are not related to dumbbells

Many sports, such as Olympic weightlifting, squats and weightlifting are not related to dumbbells. Although you can certainly use dumbbells for these movements, they are generally not that effective. Some exercises only require a certain amount of explosive power, which is beyond the reach of dumbbells

Not the best equipment for progress

According to some statistics, when you use a barbell for the same exercise, most people’s strength will increase by 20%. Therefore, most people will also find that it is easier to train with a barbell instead of dumbbells. The result is predictable, because a barbell allows you to lift heavier weights, because you don’t have to worry about your body needing more stability, plus you actually use two hands to lift a weight instead of Raise it with one hand.

Advantages of barbell training

You can increase the weight

Because of this, you should do barbell training before you use dumbbells, because barbells allow you to use heavier weight more quickly, and it won’t make you noticeably feel the difference in bilateral muscle strength. After time, you can increase the weight strength. This is also a bilateral training mode that dumbbells cannot do. Therefore, barbells can increase your progress in a short time.

The load on the spine is the same

When you use a barbell to train, because you use both hands to hold a bar to exert force, the balance force of your body will be much less than using dumbbells, so the pressure on the spine will be more even.

Disadvantages of barbell training

Unnatural movement patterns

After using the barbell, you can feel that your hands are tied together. This will also cause some restrictions on the angle of movement and trajectory, which is similar to mechanical equipment, which can easily force your shoulders and elbows to pass through. Training is done in an unnatural mode. In other words, your hands cannot be rotated in any direction, which will force your elbows and shoulders to compensate. After a long period of training, it is likely that your joints will get pain. Or hurt.

Let the stable muscles participate less

Because the barbell is a training equipment for two arms to exercise together, the difference in bilateral symmetrical muscle strength is less obvious, so the body does not need too many core stabilizing muscle groups to participate in the coordination.

Cannot provide a large range of motion

Barbells cannot provide a larger range of motion and range of movement. For example, after a bench press, dumbbells can expand the angle and range of descent, allowing the muscles to stretch to a greater and better range, while the barbell can only be lowered to Stop on the chest.

Not suitable for wrist sports

Many bodybuilders have discovered that the training dumbbells on the wrist can be adjusted at more angles than the barbell. They can do exercises by bending the wrist slightly inward or externally.

IFAST fitness provide various of strength training equipment products, including 110LB box dumbbells, iron adjustable dumbbells and so on. Come on, build your home gym!