Dumbbell or barbell bench press

[butrybench555]

Which is better for your chest? Why?

 

[thehulk2203]

Are you talkin for strength, size or injury prevention wise more info please

 

[ginge205]

I do both I do one week bb and the next week I would do db just so Im always mixing it up. But thats just how I train

 

[butrybench555]

I want size

 

[beastybean]

niether one is better than the other. pick which one you like to do. and go as heavy as you can whilst keeping good form. always rep till failure, even if that requires you to lower the weight and then rep till failure. this has been working well for me. Also my advice would be to stick with a slight incline to help build the upper chest

 

[lemke28]

I do both I do one week bb and the next week I would do db just so Im always mixing it up. But thats just how I train

That's pretty much what I do. Usually keep switching it up weekly. Just be sure you squeeze at the top and have a solid range of motion.

 

[fueledpassion]

Depends. If you have short arms like me, then DB bench is better for range of motion. If you have longer arms, BB bench will be a better option since BB generally is easier on the joints. I do both tho.

However, I also am positively sure that incline bench is superior to both flat and decline. So in either case, incline is the way to go and personally since my upper chest is a lagging muscle group I always go wide-grip on BB incline presses. I train every muscle group twice a week so I am able to have variety in my routines.

 

[CopyCat]

BB for strength for me, DB to illicit size.

 

[butrybench555]

Ha yeah I have short arms too. Can I do DB AND BB in the same workout?

 

[lemke28]

Ha yeah I have short arms too. Can I do DB AND BB in the same workout?

At times, I do them both in my chest workout.

 

[808Pump]

I would think both are beneficial in their own way (i.e. BB for strength and DB to strengthen the stabalizing muscles around the shoulder area) I try to get both in either weekly or every other week. However, I may be totally off here as I'm only going by what I feel when doing the exercise and I'm no expert in this sport at all.
I notice I can lift more with the BB than I can with the DB, so it leads me to think that BB will help to build strenght. And since you need to keep the balance of the DB from falling in all four directions, it leads me to think your shoulder stabalizing muscles will need to come into play, and they will be strengthen.

 

[Type O Hero]

I prefer dumbbells to barbells but I think both are beneficial. You don't have to work with both in one workout but it's good to switch between each every once in a while. I mix it up all the time.

 

[Steelwolf]

I gotta say dumbbells are way better (for me), but I honestly think it comes down to the person

 

[fadi]

I do DB workouts on Monday and Tuesday (Chest, Back), and BB workouts on Thursday and Friday (again Chest, Back). I used to switch between them but strength increase never carried over from one to the other so now I do both on seperate days.

 

[mattsams89]

Physics dictates you can lift more with a barbell (load distribution, changes in muscle contributions, stability, etc. all play a role), so from a strength standpoint, you can't beat barbell bench. And I say it a lot, but once the neurological gains of a movement are pretty much tapped out, the only way to increase strength is to increase muscle cross sectional area (size more or less). Both can accomplish hypertrophy, but I prefer barbell at lower rep ranges (3s and 5s) and dumbbell at higher rep ranges (10s). Also, variation in what implement I'm using is important for staving off "monotonous overtraining"--i.e., your brain becoming tired of performing the same thing over and over and over and...

For future reference, dumbbells are also useful for when someone has shoulder issues. You're more able to adjust your elbows (more tucked, hammer grip, etc.) to take the pressure off the shoulder. If it gets to the point that dumbbells are hurting, though, it would be wise to see someone about the shoulder.

 

[butrybench555]

Thank you! Great info!

 

[bigintensions]

I do BB flat and decline and db incline in the same workout ATM. I'm seeing good size and strength gains.

 

[Type O Hero]

People still do decline bench presses?

 

[Steelwolf]

People still do decline bench presses?

LOL

Back when I was powerlifting we used them all the time

 

[bigintensions]

People still do decline bench presses?

Heck yea where you been

 

[Type O Hero]

Haha

 

[Roniboney]

dumbbell for size I'd say.But if your on a cycle that will come anyways.

Barbell does work for some but IMO dumbbells will help you to concentrate more on your chest.Tucking your elbows in will ellicit less shoulder involvement