Chest-Dumbells or press bar?

[dgarr21]

For muscle gaining purpose only not strength what do u think is the best for throwing on muscle to your chest? Some people at the gym swear by bench press but the same can be said for dumbell presses

I am still waiting for this knott to heal up (feels like it could be anyday now) completely and i was thinking of doing dumbells instead of the press bar cause i hurt it on incline bench press

so to conclude what is your thoughts for muscle purpose only not strength
dumbells or bar!?

Thank you

 

[617ricky]

No one can really say for sure how much of a difference there is between the 2 regarding gains in strength/size - but with DB's there's no doubt you're bringing more to the table with the stabilizers needed.. But with that there's possibly also more of a chance for injury and error.. I think it's really gonna vary from person to person, cuz with a straight bar there's definitely a possible strength advantage you can get with leverage alone, recruiting other muscles more.. I personally enjoy DB's, but it's a more challenging lift IMO, vs. a straight bar.. But again, I can't say for certain if there's any advantage to gain vs. a straight bar..

 

[kingpeon]

both

 

[tomlet1]

either or really, both do the job, but DB's are good to make sure each side is getting hit indepentently.

 

[Flex2019]

I use dumbbells exclusively for any pressing movements. I've had many shoulder issues in the past and I find I can the same if not better development from dumbbell work without the stress on my shoulders.

 

[Conan21]

Both could be great or both could suck. It's a matter of how your body is built. Some people have good genetics for chest. just train it and it grows. Its easy for them to activate those muscle fibers and they respond well to the stimulus. For others, it is not the case, in terms of chest developement.

Technique and exectuion of a movement is more important when discussing a movement in terms of its ability to develope a target muscle group. Just saying "bench" can mean so many things.

It's not always what you do that matters, but how you do it.

 

[SupremeSportsEnhance]

Take two guys, Mike and Matt...

Mike uses ONLY Barbell Bench Presses for chest development, in conjunction with flies and any other isolation movements. Matt, on the other hand, uses ONLY Dumbbell Bench Presses for chest development, in conjunction with flies and any other isolation movements. Who do you think will have a bigger chest??

The answer is MIKE.

I know tons of guys who have tiny chests that are Dumbbell Pressing large amounts of weight, and when I point out their lacking chest development and ask how much they can BENCH, they always say "Oh, I don't do bench".

There is no other movement that allows for such massive stimulation of the chest, with such enormous amounts of weight. Without Bench Press, your chest will never be the best(that rhymes)

 

[Michaelthomasj]

Take two guys, Mike and Matt...

Mike uses ONLY Barbell Bench Presses for chest development, in conjunction with flies and any other isolation movements. Matt, on the other hand, uses ONLY Dumbbell Bench Presses for chest development, in conjunction with flies and any other isolation movements. Who do you think will have a bigger chest??

The answer is MIKE.

I know tons of guys who have tiny chests that are Dumbbell Pressing large amounts of weight, and when I point out their lacking chest development and ask how much they can BENCH, they always say "Oh, I don't do bench".

There is no other movement that allows for such massive stimulation of the chest, with such enormous amounts of weight. Without Bench Press, your chest will never be the best(that rhymes)

Agreed...My chest is always its fullest when i am using heavy weight on the barbell. I do use dumbells every few weeks to get a deep stretch, and i feel the dumbells give the chest a complete look. But the barbell definetly puts mass on the chest like no other exercise

 

[PsyT]

dips

size is made at the kitchen table

 

[nickman1978]

i personally like to do dumbell press.

I try to switch it up every other weak though. 1 weak dumbells, 1 weak barbell.

I feel like i work the muscle better with the dumbells.

 

[btech]

Why not do both, even in the same workout?

BB - work up to one heavyass set, low reps

DB's - rep work.... 5x10, whatever.

 

[trainhard357]

DB's only for me now. I tore my pec doing the barbell flat press.

 

[dalvare1]

Take two guys, Mike and Matt...

Mike uses ONLY Barbell Bench Presses for chest development, in conjunction with flies and any other isolation movements. Matt, on the other hand, uses ONLY Dumbbell Bench Presses for chest development, in conjunction with flies and any other isolation movements. Who do you think will have a bigger chest??

The answer is MIKE.

I know tons of guys who have tiny chests that are Dumbbell Pressing large amounts of weight, and when I point out their lacking chest development and ask how much they can BENCH, they always say "Oh, I don't do bench".

There is no other movement that allows for such massive stimulation of the chest, with such enormous amounts of weight. Without Bench Press, your chest will never be the best(that rhymes)

Well I see a lot of guys who can rep bench with 300+ pounds who have poorly developed pecs too....

Fact is both work when done correctly (controlled explosive reps, slow negatives, contraction, etc)

 

[Jay.TD]

I skipped past most of the posts (i'm sure there was some good info i missed out on) but personally, I find dumbells are better for myself tenfold. As long as your doing them correctly, dumb bells make an excellent chest workout. And as for my own personal experience, are much better than bench press. To be honest, I don't even do bench presses anymore. Benching can be damaging to some people (obviously higher risk when not doing correct form).

 

[SupremeSportsEnhance]

Well I see a lot of guys who can rep bench with 300+ pounds who have poorly developed pecs too....

Fact is both work when done correctly (controlled explosive reps, slow negatives, contraction, etc)

While I agree that both are highly effective movements for chest development, if I had to choose between the two, it's gonna be Barbell Bench.

 

[juicy j]

I think you should use both but for sheer mass, I have to say use a barbell. Also, I feel it ties the chest into the front delt way better.

 

[btech]

Why not treat the barbell bench as a power movement (lift it powerlifter style, back arched and body tight, strong foot drive, elbows in etc) to get stronger, which'll in turn allow you to use heavier DB bench presses "for reps" to gain more size?

 

[Diesel1981]

Really?

Ross,

My flat bench has never been over 275lbs for reps with a barbell but I can rep out 130s and 140's on flat db press.

My chest overpowers my delts and lats. A big chest isn't built on the bench. Its built by increasingly breaking down and rebuilding muscle fibers overtime. The way one person stimulates fibers differs greatly from person to person. I personally think decline press and dips recruit more muscle fibers than flat or incline (for me).

Some of the thickest pecs I have seen are on guys that are scared to death to flat press for fear of injuries.

 

[SupremeSportsEnhance]

Ross,

My flat bench has never been over 275lbs for reps with a barbell but I can rep out 130s and 140's on flat db press.

My chest overpowers my delts and lats. A big chest isn't built on the bench. Its built by increasingly breaking down and rebuilding muscle fibers overtime. The way one person stimulates fibers differs greatly from person to person. I personally think decline press and dips recruit more muscle fibers than flat or incline (for me).

Some of the thickest pecs I have seen are on guys that are scared to death to flat press for fear of injuries.

Bench Pressing will increase your TOTAL upper body strength, and there is no other movement that allows for such massive poundages to stimulate the chest. This is partially why your DELTS are lagging. Do you perform heavy Barbell shoulder presses?

 

[betito]

Barbell allow for more progression, dumbells allow for more variation and a better stretch. Use both, but if you are going to choose one choose barbells