dumbbell bench press's effectiveness

[BJJ monster]

i'm at school now and i have bench pressing equipment but i won't have a barbell for bench in the summer. are dumbbell bench presses effective? what's the difference in terms of muscle development/toning?

 

[DimebagDarrell]

i love db excersises, they are very effective for the stabilizing muscles. i only recently started doing them. while my db bench has increased like 10-15 lbs in the past two months, my barbell bench has not, but hey, i feel it a whole lot more when i use dbs, and am noticing much more growth in my pecs as opposed to when i used barbell bench.

by the way, there is no such thing as "muscle toning", youre just gettin rid of the fat around the muscle when you "tone," which is much more effectively accomplished through cardio and maintenance routines as opposed to development/ bulking routines.

to sum up, i feel the db bench has been much more effective in my development.

 

[Arnold]

Originally posted by BJJ monster
are dumbbell bench presses effective? what's the difference in terms of muscle development/toning?

Of course they are. Although you will need heavy enough DB's to make progress.

 

[tjwes]

Dumbell benches are a good movement ,as they allow you a greater streth in the bottom position ,and you can get a better contraction at the top.Do sets of 6-12 for good strength and development.Go heavier if you have been training a while.

 

[BJJ monster]

thanks. dimebagdarbell, by development/toning i guess i meant, i don't want man boobs. one of my friends started getting these and asked me why i'm getting a broader chest than he is despite the fact i lift less. how does increasing the weight you do (ie. 2 x 12 reps, then 1 x 10, 1 x 8 and then 1 x 6 while increasing weight) effect you differently than staying with one weight for 3x8 or going from heavier to lighter with more reps?

 

[DimebagDarrell]

you always want to start with the lighter weight first so you dont hurt yourself, you should be well-stretched and warmed up before you get to the heavy weights, or you could hurt yourself. its like waking up, takin a piss, then walking over to a bench and trying to put up 5 pounds more than your max bench, youll just get hurt.

 

[racoon02]

I love DB bench. 2 weeks ago I was only getting 440 on bench. I did nothing but DB bench for 2 weeks, now Im getting 450 pretty easy. So it helped my regular bench press alot.

 

[tjwes]

racoon02,ONLY 440? MY GOD!

 

[Burner02]

Originally posted by BJJ monster
thanks. dimebagdarbell, by development/toning i guess i meant, i don't want man boobs. one of my friends started getting these and asked me why i'm getting a broader chest than he is despite the fact i lift less. how does increasing the weight you do (ie. 2 x 12 reps, then 1 x 10, 1 x 8 and then 1 x 6 while increasing weight) effect you differently than staying with one weight for 3x8 or going from heavier to lighter with more reps?

you are not your friend. What works for you, may not work for him. I cannot do the exact same workout my friend does, we have different body types.

 

[racoon02]

YES! Only 440 The guy I work out with is doing 500+ and it pisses me off when he bench presses, well, makes me jelous anyways. On that note, Its really better when your workout partner is bigger/stronger than you because it inatvertantly makes you work out harder!

 

[tjwes]

Those are some awesome numbers .Yes if your partner is stronger it will make you work that much harder.