Are dumbbells ultimately superior to barbells? I've only been lifting for a few months, but I followed the tard advice on here for barbell compounds and I've always felt like my range of motion has been limited, and my joints pop a lot too; ofc I'm much stronger with a barbell, but I've started doing dumbbell and kettlebell variations of all my exercises and it feels so much better, I have a full rom, I feel no weird things in my joints, I can adjust the positions of my limbs into positions that feels so more natural (like a partial supinated grip for ohp) and everything feels better.
so why don't more people do dumbbell routines? are there any major drawbacks down the line that I don't know about? (maybe over-use injuries idk)
dumbbells are superior but for certain exercises you need a barbell or else you can't get enough weight on certain muscle groups
Asher Bennett
>Are dumbbells ultimately superior to barbells? No.
>I've only been lifting for a few months It shows.
Logan Allen
Dumbbells are superior for upper body lifts, but unfortunately they are too hard to get into position at higher weights, and practically it's a lot of money to have 2.5lbs increments like you'd need to have.
Nicholas Perry
What exercises? Bench, squats (Bulgarian splits can get pretty heavy probs, though grip can be a bit limiting)
Elijah Foster
Where do kettlebells fit in?
Henry Scott
in the trash
Jack Wood
Bullshit
Get 2.5lb and 5lb ankle weights. Strap it to wrist.
I strap 2x 5lb ankle weights directly to dumbbell if I want a +10lb increment for a db i dont have yet (testing strength out before deciding if i need to purchase next db up).
Can even do shit like 1x40lb, 1x30lb+10lb of ankle weights strapped to it....so you only need 1x per db until you decide to lock in and get 2x of a weight.
Jaxon Brooks
imagine being this stupid
Adam Reyes
Squat and deadlift when it comes to how much weight you can handle versus how much weight you can slap on a dumbbell. Bench becomes hard to get into position without spotters at some weight. Rows become too clunky if you get to the point where the weight takes up too much volume to properly pull next to your body.
Parker Cox
I’m a few weeks into lifting and my arms feel unbalanced and a little shaky on bench and ohp.
Should I switch to dumbbell for a bit?
Joshua Reyes
yes, you can do heavy dumbells for months and come back to bb bench or ohp and you will be a fuckton stronger
Kevin Lee
just so you can further the imbalance by working more on the arm you're stronger with?
Anthony Walker
People who try to stick to only DB, BB, or bodyweight exercises are doomed to be DYEL I think.
Blake Jones
t. cross shitter
Eli Green
I am under the impression that dumbbells make your arms move more independently than barbells and therefore correct imbalances.
Asher Gutierrez
bumping for interest
Alexander Jenkins
barbells allow you to rack up weight easier, they both have their uses, a healthy mixture of both gives the best results
David Adams
>Are dumbbells ultimately superior to barbells?
Yes because they don't let the stronger arm do 70% of the work like barbells do. Dumbbells are how you avoid muscular imbalances.
Leo Baker
DB for Bench, OHP, and rows Barbells for Squats and Deadlifts This is how it should be
Kevin Brown
Whatever works for you is superior. This idea that you should only train with barbells doing only competition lifts is cancer spread by shills. Use whatever implement works best for you it doesn't matter what it is as long as you understand some basics like hit all body parts 2-3x per week, eating at a slight caloric surplus is optimal for muscle growth, 120-160 grams protein day ideally spread over 4 meals and train in 1-12rm range for optimal muscle growth. Everything else is a meme or niche.
Jace Ross
just modded my program according to this by coincidence
Basically this. If you're using barbell for upper body you should be at a point where you can't realistically get dumbbells in position without a spotter, albeit I'm not convinced on DB rows
Christopher Jenkins
DB rows because it's easier on my lower back. Usually do them if I'm doing deads or a pendlay row on another day.
Holy shit that's genius My gym has 110lb dumbbells so if I could strap 40lb to each it would give me so much room to grow. Fucking genius
Colton Nelson
I'm thinking so - they are harder to use - so you get a workout with lower weight on your joints.
They also allow you to easily adjust the angle of your wrists for comfort/ to avoid injury.
that said - i'm not the biggest guy in the world so maybe i'm wrong, but i really don't think benching/ squatting/ DL over 300 lbs is a sustainable thing long term, like you're eventually going to injure yourself doing shit like 500 DL or squats, your muscles grow but you have the same hips/ ankles/ knees you always had, ya know?
joints do respond to stress similarly to muscles, but they take much longer. As long as you lift with in your means and don't push it you'll be fine.
As a side note, thats why it's easier for roiders to get injured. Their muscles grow too fast.
Hudson Bennett
How many kilograms are the dumbbells you lift?
William White
You’d be correct
Brandon Evans
my sides are basically the same strength but my right side gets a better pump and is more jacked, shit sucks
Anthony Jones
joints do not adapt to stress. the job of the muscle, tendon and ligament is to protect the joint from stress and they do adapt. if you feel it in your joints you're doing it wrong.
James Reyes
tendons and ligaments adapting is what he’s talking about you brainlet
Michael Parker
that is indeed what I meant
Dylan Cooper
So i mostly do jazz and tap but i sometimes get a pilates or yoga session in if the gang are out ( although we usually split a bottle of wine afterwards lmao XD) Im not really into weights the "face pulling" section of the gym is just full of tiny little guys who are not even six foot who are so angry lol
Nathan Reed
B&R. Thanks user for this brilliant solution to my problem.
Ayden Cooper
you cannot get full contraction with a BB row
Nathaniel Kelly
Here’s a (you) for that fucking brilliant idea, I can’t believe I’ve never thought of this before. Thanks user
Nathan Perry
this, my gym DBs only go upto 40kg.
Julian Bennett
yeah but if you arent doing any single leg DB work at all, you're doing it wrong.
Jaxon Gonzalez
what the fuck did I just read
Nathan Flores
In a dumpster
Wyatt Baker
I have a home gym and no space so I just use dumbbells for everything and have done that for years. I'm probably behind where I would be if I used barbells but I'm happy with my progress and I don't have the room for a real setup and no interest in joining a gym.
Eli Young
>another "dumbbells are superior because I can't even lift the barbell" shitpost
Levi Nelson
post body
Nicholas Gray
Is your setup in a closet or something? Dumbells are good because they allow you to get a full range of motion like with Arnold presses for shoulders and dumbell flys for chest but exercises like bent-over rows and OHP work better with a barbell.
Julian Wilson
The basic redpill is to periodize and ALTERNATE. Max out db press, max out bb press (repeat)
David Butler
Barbell is better overall, you can simply lift more weight.
I only use db for incline press, because you get greater ROM
Oliver Hall
I always considered barbells better for overall strength gains and dumbbells better for hypertrophy.
Isaac White
when you spew incorrect information it doesn't matter what you thought inside your head big brain man