Bench Press

[retired_M&N]

Just a quick question guys.

Whats the advantages disadvantages between doing bench presses with a bar and doing it with dumb-bells?

Does one work more muscles than the other, or generate better results?

Cheers.

 

[xtonymarsx]

Bench is more of a power exercise where as dumbbells give you a better range of motion and require you to use more stablizer muscles. Both should be used to get the best results in my opinion. I almost always use DB's for incline bench, and I will use DB's for flat bench for a month straight or so before going back to BB flat bench for a couple of weeks. Doing DB's will help raise your max bench too. Remember though, if you do DB's for a while (and cut out BB bench all together), your BB sets and max will drop, but very quickly surpass your old numbers once you get used to the motion again.

 

[malkore]

Tony pretty much summed it up. use both methods for best overall muscle and strength development. right now I'm doing a barbell press and a dumbbell press on my chest days...usually incline BB and flat bench DB. next month, it'll change a little