Dumbells vs. Barbells - FreeTrainers.com Forums

Group: General Fitness & Exercise

General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 383, Messages: 54581

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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Dumbells vs. Barbells

julianb99 Posts: 6 Joined: 2004/06/29	2004/07/01, 01:32 AM Greetings all... I begin my fitness program on Monday. Some of the exercises prescribe the use of barbells. Can I replace barbells with dumbells as that is my preference. I actually enjoy using barbells for my lower body and prefer dumbells for my upper body as I don't have a spotter. Will I be breaking any cardinal rules?? Thanks Julian PS: Is it true that I cannot personalize my exercises unless I become an FT professional member? -------------- Minds are like parachutes, they work best when open.

the_cupcake Posts: 348 Joined: 2004/06/16	2004/07/01, 03:52 AM like what exercises? you can always go lighter until you reach correct form and go heavier once you got it tacked down and pretty confident about yourself. One thing I like about barbells is that it's already aligned, it's difficult to do that with dumbbells especially if I'm starting out with a relatively new routine. -------------- The best victories are won not by adversity and brute force. Learn the enemy and overcome it. -cupcake-
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2004/07/01, 10:40 AM Dumbbells will be fine, in fact if done correctly can give more range of movement than barbells. You should use both however if possible to keep mixing things up. One note, do not expect to match barbell weights with your dumbbells. -------------- If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.... bb1fit@freetrainers.com
zaniix Posts: 3 Joined: 2004/06/30	2004/07/01, 01:04 PM I also prefer a mix. Especially for upperbody I like to switchout barbells and dumbells. I usully use a barbell for flat bench and dumbells for incline
Damselfly Posts: 128 Joined: 2004/06/27	2004/07/01, 01:40 PM I personally prefer dumbbells because you can't "cheat," each side gets equally strong. I find this to be particularly true with my over head presses. My left arm is taking forever to catch up with my right but had I used a barbell it may never have caught up. -------------- Damselfly Whoever said that sunshine brings happiness never danced in the rain. \\"unknown\\"