Dumbbells vs. Barbells

Posted by Shannon Clark Dec 17, 2006

Generally when speaking about free weight exercises you have a choice between using dumbbells and barbells. Both are great options however have slightly different benefits.

Using dumbbells is a good idea because it will help to ensure that you are fully working the muscle you are targeting during isolation lifts. If you are using a barbell you may be overcompensating with one side in order to hoist the weight up. A barbell also tends to lock you more into a fixed plane of movement, thus giving the advantage to dumbbells.

The nice thing about barbells however is that they offer slightly more control for your major lifts such as squats, bench presses and deadlifts. Since you will not be calling into play your core quite as much to stabilize yourself you will also really be able to focus in on lifting the heaviest weight possible during your strength training session.

Whatever choice you make, remember variety is the key with any program so take advantage of both methods to see optimal results!