- Weight training can help you build strength and muscle, regardless of the equipment you use.
- But dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells all have unique advantages and disadvantages.
- Choosing the right type of weight for your fitness goals can help you progress more efficiently.
Choosing the right tool in the gym can help you build strength and muscle more effectively. According to experts, dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells all have unique advantages and disadvantages to exercise.
Any type of weight can make you stronger, so you don’t have to think too hard, but understanding all three can help you decide what works best for your goals and preferences, according to Ben Foster, head trainer and founder of the People’s Athletic Club.
“You can get in shape with any team. It depends on what resonates the most and what you enjoy,” he told Insider. “The best exercise is the one you do constantly.”
Dumbbells are great for beginners, but they have limited weight and stability.
The humble dumbbell is the easiest to use and most accessible weight in the gym.
“Dumbbells are better for beginners because you can do so much with them,” Foster said. They are common, in a variety of sizes, and do not require a special technique.
For experienced athletes, dumbbells can help isolate specific muscle groups to maximize hypertrophy (muscle growth) and are great for unilateral (one-sided) strength work.
The main drawback to dumbbells is that you can’t lift as much overall, which is fine for small-muscle exercises like curls, but not optimal for squats.
“They get very heavy and you’re limited by your grip strength,” Foster said.
Dumbbells are great for optimizing strength, but less accessible
To maximize total-body strength, weights are king, trainers say.
“They’re better for building strength and heavy lifting, they’re easier to progressively overload, and they can add a lot of weight.” miriam friedNew York-based personal trainer and founder of mf strong, he told Insider.
You can lift more with a barbell than with other types of weight because it’s evenly distributed on both sides, so you’re less limited by stability or grip strength.
The downside is that the bars and accessories (plates and squat rack) are more expensive and take up more space than other weights.
You may have to go to a gym, you may have to wait to use the equipment you want, and you could deal with “gymtimidation” or anxiety about exercisingin the center of the gym where most of the weights are located, Fried said.
While standard dumbbells weigh 45 pounds, which requires some basic strength and mobility to use, a a good trainer can provide a lighter training bar for newbies. Beginners can not only safely learn the barbell exercise, they can be better than they expect.
“People are usually surprised at how capable they are once they get their hands on a barbell,” Foster said.
Practice key movements like deadlifts slowly and lightly at first.
“Start by taking a lot of time to control the eccentric, the way down. It gives you a lot of information about the position and the ability to feel the muscles that are working,” he said.
Kettlebells require more technique, but they train the power and endurance of the whole body.
Kettlebells have one of the highest learning curves of all weight types, due to the distribution of weight under the handle. But the odd shape also makes kettlebells exceptional for training explosive exercises and combinations. Kettlebell-specific exercises like swings can help you build power and endurance more effectively than other weights.
“If someone only has access to a kettlebell, they can do a full-body workout very easily, but their only value is athletic development,” Foster said.
To get comfortable with handling kettlebells, find a good trainer and start with basic movements like the hip joint, squat, press, and row.
work up dynamic exercises such as kettlebell swings, cleans, and snatches to harness more power and intensity.
