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barbell press vs. dumbell press

vramakin Posts: 2 Joined: 2001/06/22	2004/11/05, 09:21 AM i have no problems doing dumbell presses but i have great difficulty doing barbell bench presses. it may sound ridiculous but my poundage for barbell presses can only reach half as much as my poundage for dumbell presses. anyone has a solution for this?? pls help me... its annoying me!
foz1988 Posts: 85 Joined: 2003/12/16	2004/11/05, 10:03 AM it could be that one arms is stronger then your other arm and that when you are using the barbell you are diping. Alot of people at my gym i go to i see this. BUt i could be worng
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2004/11/05, 10:58 AM It may be shoulder strength. Shoulders(mainly delts) are heavily involved in barbell(to a lesser extent in dumbbell). You are able to control your range of movement more with dumbbells. I do them exclusively now for the very reason of a bad left shoulder, and doing dumbbells takes most of the work off of the shoulders. Barbell forces you in range of motion, that you can circumvent with dumbbells. -------------- If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.... bb1fit@freetrainers.com
vramakin Posts: 2 Joined: 2001/06/22	2004/11/07, 09:03 AM thanx for your advice buddies! i think the problem is with my shoulder strength. if shoulders are heavily used in barbell presses, does that mean that dumbell presses are more effective when it comes to building huge pecs?? i would also like to know which excercise is recommended by the pros. dumbell presses or barbell presses?
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2004/11/07, 10:55 AM The mixture of the 2. Both are very effective. Use barbell for say 6 weeks, then switch to dumbbells for the same amount of time for example. This will continue to stress the chest in a different manner, and help keep it from adapting. Throw in declines and dips, and don't forget inclines, and you will have a well rounded chest. -------------- If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.... bb1fit@freetrainers.com
traderhines Posts: 43 Joined: 2004/01/17	2004/12/26, 02:42 PM bb1fit, I have a question for you? I use dumbbells as well for my chest. I also tend to do a fifth set using barbells at my max. Is that ok or is it overkill. My chest work out goes as follows: Incline=75*10,85*8,95*6,105*6, barbells 260 Flat= 95*10,105*8,115*6,125*4, barbells 270 Decline=85*10,95*8,105*6,110*6, barbells 270 This is 5 sets for each part of the chest. is this overkill?
traderhines Posts: 43 Joined: 2004/01/17	2004/12/27, 01:32 PM Anybody?
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2004/12/27, 08:01 PM looks ok I guess, very odd......but I wouldn't do anything else at all that day. also depends on your goals? strength, bodybuilding? but personally that bb one set ain't doing nothing for you. -------------- The following, has not be approved by the FDA or FT, it was not meant to diagnose,treat,or prevent any diease(s) Please consult a moderator or doctor before using any of the suggestions or comments.
traderhines Posts: 43 Joined: 2004/01/17	2004/12/27, 08:41 PM I do the 5th set to fully exhaust the muscle.Also with maximum contraction on each rep. Why is it odd?
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2004/12/28, 09:44 PM If your doing the reps right.....with those big db weights....you shouldn't have to do a 5th set with the barbells. Lighten the dbs and do those right, with a 3sec contraction of the chest muscles. That will fully exhaust them. You hit more muscle fibers with dbs anyways, doing that one set of bbs I don't think is doing you any good. -------------- The following, has not be approved by the FDA or FT, it was not meant to diagnose,treat,or prevent any diease(s) Please consult a moderator or doctor before using any of the suggestions or comments.
traderhines Posts: 43 Joined: 2004/01/17	2004/12/29, 11:15 AM Why wouldnt it be any good? Isnt it hitting the same muscle?If you load up on wieght and do it safely, can it hurt. It's not like I am throwing little and no weight on the bars. I feel that I can squeeze a little bit more out of all my exercises.