Seated dumbbell or barbell press: which is better?

Technique for performing dumbbell and barbell bench presses while sitting

Let's look at how the seated press exercise is performed using each apparatus.

Let's start with dumbbells. This exercise is performed as follows: the athlete sits on a training bench, leaning his back completely against it. Takes two dumbbells of the appropriate weight in his hands, then brings them to his shoulders (palms facing forward), and, slowly inhaling air, smoothly lifts both dumbbells at the same time until his arms are completely straightened at the elbows. Then he lowers the projectiles just as smoothly, exhaling air.

When performing this exercise, a common mistake is to move your back away from the training bench. In this case, the load is redistributed on the upper body and the shoulders are worked to a lesser extent.

Expanding the question of which is better - a barbell or dumbbell bench press while sitting, let's now consider the use of a barbell. As in the first case, the athlete sits on a bench with a backrest and leans completely against it. Takes the barbell by the bar so that your hands look up, while the grip should be slightly wider than shoulder width. Having removed the barbell from the supports, the athlete fixes it on his chest and, drawing air into his chest, lifts it above his head until his arms are fully straightened. Having fixed the position for 2 seconds, then he smoothly lowers the projectile, exhaling air.

A common mistake when performing this exercise is exactly the same as when using dumbbells, so you must constantly ensure that your entire back is in full contact with the bench. In addition, athletes sometimes throw their heads back, this is also wrong. The gaze should look straight.

Correct technique

This exercise, which is difficult in terms of coordination, requires strict adherence to the technique, which is presented step by step below.

Preparatory step: you need a bench, sitting on it across or along (located between your legs), you need to grab the barbell with a grip wider than your shoulders. Place it on your upper chest. Keep your back straight. This is the starting position from which the training is performed.

First step: inhale, then exhale, simultaneously squeezing the projectile upward. It should be directly above your head. Inhale again and return to the starting position to repeat the exercise.

To make it clearer, a picture is given below.

What muscle groups work?

As is clear from the exercise technique described above, the entire load falls on the muscles of the upper body. In the case of the seated dumbbell press and the seated barbell press, the work involves essentially the same muscle fibers. In particular, the main load falls on the shoulders, upper body (trapezius and pectoral muscles), as well as the triceps. At the same time, the lower back and abdominal press are practically not loaded.

Neck selection

They use a small bar in extreme, exceptional cases, for example, if you need to perform one of the basic, isolated exercises, for example, triceps, which is the best for training the 3rd head of the shoulder muscle - this is the French bench press with a v-shaped bar, lying on bench, due to its shape, it is convenient to perform flexion and extension of the arms, in the elbow joint, the hands are in a comfortable position, it can also be performed with a straight line, but the trajectory of movement here is different, and a large load occurs on the elbow joint, and from the point of view safety and injury.

This is not very good, so everyone uses a curved bar to train triceps, also with a curved bar you can perform one of the basic biceps exercises, biceps curls while standing, on the inner head of the biceps, you can also perform a French press sitting with a barbell behind your head, but It is not recommended due to the high load on the elbow joint, so it is better to perform it while lying on a bench.

Difference #1: Proportional load

From the above, we can conclude that there is no difference whether you perform a dumbbell bench press while sitting or use a barbell. However, this opinion is erroneous. There is a difference and it lies in the fact that using dumbbells works the muscles on both sides of the body better than using a barbell.

This fact is connected with the fact that the right and left sides of a person are not symmetrical, and one of them is stronger and more developed than the other. When an athlete practices barbell bench press, our body redistributes the overall load in such a way that the stronger side receives more weight, which, in turn, further increases the difference between the sides. Therefore, you can often see that athletes who only train with barbells have their right (right-handed) arm more pumped up than their left.

When using dumbbells, this does not happen, and the weak side receives exactly the same load as the strong side, thereby developing the whole body symmetrically and proportionally.

Difference No. 2: range of motion and safety of the exercise

Load proportionality is not the only difference between bench pressing a barbell or dumbbells on an incline or even a flat bench.

When using dumbbells, the range of movements of the limbs turns out to be greater than when working with a barbell, since the left hand is not constrained by the movements of the right. In turn, a larger amplitude allows you to work a larger number of muscles that are practically not involved in the barbell press. In addition, when working with dumbbells, the so-called stabilizing muscles are activated. When using a barbell, they are in a “sleeping” state, since the bar acts as a stabilizer.

Speaking about the dumbbell shoulder press, we note that from a safety point of view, this exercise also wins the duel over the barbell press. So, if an athlete makes a mistake during his execution, the dumbbell simply falls to the floor. Sliding your hands off the barbell can have very unpleasant consequences.

Difference No. 3: development of strength and muscle volume

Based on the description of the previous points, we can conclude that when it comes to pressing dumbbells or barbells while sitting, preference should be given to the former. But it's not that simple. The fact is that only training with a barbell guarantees the development of strength and muscle volume. Dumbbells cannot do this. The reasons for this fact are the following:

• Using a barbell you can gain much more weight than using dumbbells, which means that the muscles in the first case will be pumped and developed more strongly.
• Since the dumbbell press involves more muscle groups than a similar exercise with a barbell, this leads to a “dispersion” of the total load.

Thus, heavier weights and fewer muscle fibers mean that the barbell press is more effective in terms of gaining lean mass than a similar exercise with dumbbells.

What is more effective: dumbbells or barbells?

Do you want to know which equipment is better for home workouts: dumbbells or a barbell? Then read the article “Which is more effective than a dumbbell or a barbell?”...

Many people constantly ask the same question, namely, what is better and more effective for home workouts: a barbell or dumbbells?
In my opinion, this is not at all the main thing, because it doesn’t matter at all what you train with, the main thing is how you train. Because you can give a person all the best equipment and he still won’t be able to do anything, but you can only give him one thing. For example, one barbell or dumbbells and he will train much more effectively and progress much faster than someone who has all the best equipment for this.

Of course, each piece of equipment has its own pros and cons, so to speak, which we will look at today and see in which situations it is better to have a barbell, and in which it is better to have dumbbells.

Pros and cons of working with barbells and dumbbells:

MOVEMENT TRAJECTORY The barbell is always a strict movement along a strictly defined trajectory.

Dumbbells are a more natural movement. Because with dumbbells you can always rotate your wrists in a position in which it will be more convenient for you to perform any exercise.

AMPLITUDE OF MOTION The barbell is always a small amplitude of movement. Whether it's rows or presses, the barbell will not allow you to perform exercises with a maximum range of motion.

Dumbbells allow you to use a wider range of motion in all of your exercises without exception.

WORK OF SMALL MUSCLES AND BALANCE The barbell eliminates the work of small muscles because the apparatus itself is rigidly fixed.

Dumbbells make it necessary to control the weight along the entire trajectory of movement.

With dumbbells you should always monitor your balance, which already involves more muscles in the work and develops the nervous system. At the same time, exercises with dumbbells still affect a larger number of small muscles than the same exercises with a barbell.

EXERCISE INTENSITY The intensity of your workouts can be increased in a variety of ways.

• Increase the volume of your training.
• Reduce the total time of the training itself.
• Using high-intensity training techniques.
• By introducing any strength techniques into your training.

But one of the main methods is still increasing working weights.

It is still worth recognizing that the barbell allows us to work with more significant weights than with dumbbells. And a large working weight, as you know, still gives faster results, both in strength and muscle mass...

In addition, when working with a barbell, one half of the body can compensate for the weakness of the other half. This may not be very good in terms of equivalent muscle and musculature development, but it does allow for more intense training.

But dumbbells, on the other hand, unfortunately do not have such advantages, but nevertheless, you can also work with heavy weights and at the same time train very intensely.

But the working weights on the bar will always be greater...

EXERCISES AND FUNCTIONALITY If we compare these two main sports equipment, namely dumbbells and a barbell, in terms of the variety of exercises they perform, then dumbbells become the undisputed leader.

You can perform significantly more different exercises with them than with the same barbell, with which you can only count a dozen basic exercises.

Even in terms of functionality and ease of use, dumbbells also remain a leader, since they do not take up much space and can easily be placed in a closet or under a bed, which cannot be said about the same barbell, which will be very difficult to put away somewhere.

SAFETY As you probably already know, training with a barbell at home is quite unsafe when performing, so to speak, various exercises. Especially things like barbell squats or bench presses.

After all, when working out in the gym, you can always ask a friend to help you with the same bench press or the same squats with a barbell. But at home, some problems arise with this, but if you have a power frame at home, and not just racks, then you definitely won’t have such a problem.

But when training with dumbbells, you will definitely never have such problems. Because you know that if something happens, you can always throw them on the floor without the risk of them crushing you. And in this case you won’t need a power frame at all...

LONG-TERM TRAINING Here I can only say one thing: if you decide to take it seriously and for a long time, then you will achieve the maximum effect with a barbell only if you train only in a power rack.

By purchasing a barbell separately and exercising without a power rack, you thereby deprive yourself of not only the most basic exercises, such as squats with a barbell or bench press, but also the most important psychological attitude to exercise without a partner.

This is why you will always underestimate your working weights so as not to be crushed by the barbell...

If you are aiming for serious training, then a power rack should always be included with a barbell and a large number of plates, otherwise your return on such training and indeed your results will simply be minimal...

As for training with dumbbells in the long term, of course they will not completely replace training with a barbell if you have a power rack, but as an alternative to a secondary plan and replacing the barbell, this is the best thing you can choose.

Therefore, if for some reason you cannot purchase a barbell for yourself, and with it a power rack, then in this case, heavy collapsible dumbbells will be the best alternative to a barbell and home training.

LET'S SUM UP Let's sum up the comparison of the two main equipment, namely the barbell and dumbbells. I can only say one thing with confidence. Your choice should be based on your individual needs and what you want to achieve from training at home.

Pros and cons of training with barbells and dumbbells:

As I said earlier, training with dumbbells and a barbell will give you both strength and muscle mass, it all depends on what final goal you want to achieve, as well as what weights you will work with.

Today you can buy or order dumbbells with a different range of working weights, there are even dumbbells that you can hang almost 100 kg on like a barbell, and that’s just for one dumbbell...

Can you imagine such dumbbells?!

So as I said earlier, you can work out equally effectively with both a barbell and dumbbells. It all depends on your preferences.

But if we are objective, then you will need both! Because one complements the other...

As I have said more than once, a properly planned training cycle is the key to your future results.

And it doesn’t matter what kind of projectile you’re working with...

Exercises standing and sitting

As part of this topic, it is also useful to consider the standing or seated dumbbell press and a similar barbell press, which is known as the “military” press.

When performing an exercise while standing with any apparatus, the lower part of the body is automatically involved in the work. At the same time, the use of dumbbells involves a large variation and variety of exercises, for example, when lifting them, you can rotate the body, thereby loading the abdominal press in different ways. Exercises with a barbell in a standing position put more strain on the leg muscles due to a different technique and greater weights than in the case of dumbbells.

Thus, by performing both seated and standing dumbbell exercises, you will generally develop more upper body muscle fibers in a proportionate manner. But exercises with a barbell contribute to a more intense workout of large muscles and are indispensable when training the lower body.

Which neck is better to use?

In other exercises, a small bar is not often used. One thing we can say is that a small bar is more suitable for beginner fitness athletes who do not have great physical strength and for them a large barbell weighing 20 kg is very heavy, in this case you can use a short bar, mostly a short straight bar, girls use it in their intensive training and perform exercises with him at the initial stage of their training, until the muscles become stronger and more resilient, and do lunges, rows to the belt on the back, rows on straight legs, basically the girls perform all the load with a barbell on the legs, buttocks, back, on large muscle groups.

They perform exercises with dumbbells because, not having great physical strength, many girls are not strong enough to lift a barbell weighing 6 - 8 kg, and 20 kg, respectively. In this case, dumbbells are a lifesaver, since they are collapsible, the weight of the dumbbell can be adjusted by weight , from the point of view of convenience this is a big plus, but for the bar it is a minus.

A big plus of dumbbells is that you can easily train with them at home and train all muscle groups without exception, and select your load based on muscle strength. You can also easily train with a barbell at home, but a large list of exercises will not be available to you due to the fact that in many exercises you will need insurance and the help of a partner, and it is also not very convenient in many movements, you need to throw it on your shoulders if you perform, for example, squats.

Correct solution

As can be seen from the above analysis, it is wrong to ask the question of which is better - the barbell or dumbbell bench press, since each exercise is good in its own way and serves specific purposes.

The right decision would be to include both type 1 and type 2 exercises in the athlete’s training program. So, having gained strength with the help of a barbell, it is necessary to emphasize the use of dumbbells in order to “pull up” the secondary muscles to the developed main muscle fibers. After this, return to training with a barbell again. This scheme holds the key to progress in the development of overall strength and muscle volume, which has been demonstrated more than once in the practice of weightlifting.