Dumbbells and barbells, the two workhorses of free weight training, each have subtly different benefits. Dumbbells are small; you have one in each hand. A bar is the longest implement, typically two-handed. Many exercises can be done with either. So how do you choose?
The bars allow you to carry more total weight
First, let’s look at the biggest advantage of a bar: its size. Some exercises can be done just as well with any type of implement, but when you want to lift something really heavy, you practically have to use a barbell.
Let’s use the deadlift as an example. Beginners can use heavy dumbbells for their deadlifts, but even a well-equipped gym doesn’t usually have dumbbells that weigh much more than 100 pounds each. That’s a total of 200 pounds, which is just a beginner level deadlift. And to set up a 100-pound dumbbell lift per hand, you’d have to somehow get two 100-pound dumbbells off the rack. That’s going to be heavy lifting, both literally and metaphorically.
Meanwhile, a barbell weighs 45 pounds and it’s relatively easy to load 45-pound plates onto it. Preparing for a 225-pound deadlift (two plates on each side) is easy work once you know how to do it.
Same idea with squats: IIt’s not a problem to load a few hundred pounds onto a barbell in a squat rack, but you’d have a really hard time holding huge weights on your shoulders, even if you could figure out how to get them there. There are smaller dumbbell squats (goblet squats are a lot harder than they look), but for sheer weight on the bar, you need, well, a bar.
Dumbbells can be more comfortable
Bars require your hands to be in a certain position. You can choose the distance between the hands, but that’s it; they are in those places on the bar throughout the lift, and they have to be in line with each other.
Dumbbells are much more forgiving. You can do a bench press, for example, while leaning the dumbbells toward each other. You can also keep them further apart at the bottom of the movement and bring them closer together at the top. If you have an old shoulder injury that bothers you when you press a barbell, you may find it easier with dumbbells. Likewise, a straight bar can be awkward for curls, but dumbbells are an easy alternative if you don’t have an EZ-curl bar (the wavy type).
Dumbbells have a smaller minimum weight.
If you are a smaller or less experienced person, you may find that an empty Olympic bar is too heavy to work with. Many beginners can’t press overhead with a 45-pound bar. But a pair of 5-pound or even 10-pound dumbbells are no problem, as they add up to 10 or 20 pounds, respectively.
Even if your goal is to do barbell raises, starting with dumbbells can help you build the strength to get there.
Dumbbells allow more precise control over weight gains.
Although dumbbells have a smaller minimum weight, the jump from one weight to the next can seem huge. If you’re benching a pair of 50-pound dumbbells (100 total pounds), the next size up is probably 55 pounds (110 total pounds), a 10% increase.
Smaller jumps, between 2% and 5%, are usually more recommended. If you benched a 100 pound barbell last week, you could throw a couple of 2.5 pound plates and bench 105 this week, or even use a pair of microplates and go for 102.5. With dumbbells, you’ll need to hold the weight lower for longer before it’s time to go up. That’s not the end of the world, but it can be inconvenient.
Dumbbells require less space in a home gym
What if you want to buy your own set of weights for home? Dumbbells have a big advantage here, since an Olympic bar is seven fucking feet long. (There are smaller weights made for home gyms, but it’s often impossible to load them very heavy, which eliminates one of the main advantages of a barbell.)
A pair of dumbbells barely takes up any space, either for storage or while in use. The downside is that you’ll want different dumbbell weights for different exercises (and to progress as you get stronger with each exercise), so you need multiple sets or an adjustable set. Adjustable ones that allow you to change weight quickly (like Powerblocks) are expensive; the ones with rotating collars are cheaper, but you’ll spend more time between exercises changing plates.
So what is the end result? If you want to compete in a barbell sport like powerlifting, or if you have your heart set on lifting Really heavy, you’ll probably be using barbells for most of your training. But if you want to work with smaller weights and if space is at a premium, you’ll probably go for dumbbells. At the end of the day, there is no clear winner between barbells and dumbbells, which is why so many gyms have both.
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