As someone who has no one to train with, is there any disadvantages to doing dumbbell bench press instead of barbell bench press.
T.L.D.R I don't have a spotter
Downsides of dumbbell bench press?
Christian Bennett
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Cooper Reyes
Risk to dislocate your shoulder if you don't drop the weight on time.
Harder to setup
Better move overall
Michael Peterson
You don't need a spotter.
Put the dumbbells on the floor in front of the bench. Sumo deadlift them and put them on your knees while sitting back on the bench. Rock back with the DBs close to your chest (not in the pressing position, you will create a moment arm and make the landng on the bench harder), arch and press. When you are done you either drop them to your sides or do a situp with some momentum built from a leg raise.
Enjoy your chest, tricep and stability gains.
Samuel Ramirez
It's pretty much impossible to do them heavy enough for me. The dumbells get so big that i can't get them in position and i have to drop them way too hard.
Robert Reyes
Do them in a neutral grip or press wider. I've pressed up to 50kg per hand with no help from a spotter to set them up (and with about the same deep ROM I used every time I did a DB press), so chances are you are either bullshiting or you're a brainlet.
Hunter Reyes
Why not just so them on the ground?
Josiah Ward
Speaking of injuries, is there any validity to what this guy says?
Jordan Ward
Dangerous because you can rip your shoulders apart if you don’t drop the weight properly but just as good as a bench I would think
Cooper Myers
because a barbell just feels cooler
Joshua Walker
He's right in the sense that the bottom is the weakest point, which is why you pin your scapulae to put the shoulders in a more stable position.
The rest is just bullshit though, the pecs act on the humerus which he seemingly just ignored and moves his forearm outwards. The humerus definitely moves inwards in a bench press, unless you've gone so close that your elbows are pinned to your side
Xavier Sullivan
Floor DB press is a different exercise
But since I've also experimented with that as well, I'll give my 2 cents.
From experience, setting up a floor DB press is much harder than a regular DB bench press. First way is to use some kind of box or a pile of books like Scooby does to put the DBs on, near your chest. I don't like that method since it takes too much time to set up and also you have a higher injury risk, since you're basically doing a DB fly/curl with the weights you are to press (no bueno).
The best way that I've found is to sit on the ground, have one DB between your legs and one to the side. First, you lift the side DB with both hands to your lap. You secure it with your elbow and then you also lift the other DB with both hands (not sure if it makes much sense when I write it like that). Rock back, arch and press.
The bench is actually a kinda dangerous exercise, but so is any other exercise. However, you NEED compound lifts to grow in any area. Want to replace the bench? Do incline, decline OR floor barbell press. Personally I love benching and I never had shoulder injuries or even pain, because I know how to arch and use leg drive.
Gabriel Hall
>shoulder problems if you don't drop your weight properly
>not doing controlled reps at a high volume until you can safely take on more weight
Be safe and smart. 5x5 will get you fucked up if you try to advance too quickly
Lincoln Robinson
he's right you know
Leo Harris
I have a hard time getting the weight into position. So, for me, it seems better suited to higher volume sets, 8-12 reps.
William King
Ye. It's much harder to advance in db bench. Focus on controlling the weights until you can hit 10-12 with ease. (15 to be completely safe) and you should be able to go up 5 more, then rinse repeat.
Lucas Robinson
I switched exclusively to DB bench over the last year because my apartment gym doesn't have a barbell and I'm usually too lazy to drive to the real gym. When I finally got back on barbell bench I blew my old record out of the water for multiple reps.
Benjamin Morgan
All of the tiny twink boys at my gym recently dropped barbell bench altogether and now exclusively do dumbbell bench. Are they in on a secret I'm not?
My current suspicion is that it's just to copy the biggest guy at the gym who does it.
>he does 105lb in each hand for reps
Evan Evans
Is that for one set?
Josiah Smith
Can't really be loaded heavily without multiple strong spotters. Of course that doens't matter because you're obviously weak and small.
Christopher Nguyen
Weighted pushups is the real master race exercise for your chest.
Joseph Lee
so should a novice forgo barbell bench for DB if hypertrophy is the goal?
Brandon King
>hypertrophy is the goal?
Bigger 1RM = More volume = More muscles
Easy as fucking that. Drive your bench 1RM up, get bigger tiddies.
Tyler Butler
>switched exclusively to DB bench over the last year because my apartment gym doesn't have a barbell and I'm usually too lazy to drive to the real gym.
I'm in that exact position. I've done powerlifting for years (competed at local meets, placed once), now trying
a e s t h e t i c s for the first time ever, just comfy shit at my apartment with dumbbells and a couple machines.
Your post makes me feel better that I won't lose too much strength, since I'll probably go back to powerlifting next year.
>tfw had 340 lbs bench max, 335 paused at 205 bw (6'0")
Seems so far away
Kevin Carter
>6' 205lb
>powerlifter