Barbells Vs. Dumbells

You can find barbells and dumbbells in almost every gym, for strength and power training. Regardless of which tool you use, you will gain muscle mass, improve total body strength and power, and increase your metabolism to help burn calories. No single tool or method of training will train every aspect of human movement and performance. Combining both barbell and dumbbell training will also help you improve body stability and balance.

History

The ancient Greek Olympians used halteres, which were the precursors to the modern dumbbells, for the long jump, according to Juan Carlos Santana, director of the Institute of Human Performance in Boca Raton, Florida. By carrying the halteres by their sides and swinging them forward right before the jump, athletes added about ten extra feet to their long jump. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance Europe, dumbbell training became more popular among the military and the elites who were interested in strengthening their bodies.

According to Rodney Corn, co-founder of PTA Global and an associate professor at California State Chico, weight-lifting athletes used barbells and dumbbells as part of their gymnastic routines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries during the Olympic Games. In the 1950s and onwards, barbells and dumbbells became the standard tools of weight lifting, as bodybuilding became more popular, especially in the 1970s.

Types

A barbell has a single, wide bar, with weights at the ends. There are two main types of barbells: plate-loading and fixed. You can load and remove weight-plates on a barbell for a desired weight to lift. After you placed the plates, you secure them in place with a safety lock on each side of the barbell that prevents the plates from falling off. The fixed barbell already has a set of weight plates welded onto the barbell. You cannot change of the weight yet the plates do not fall off.

Dumbbells are smaller, are usually used in pairs and intended to be held in each hand. They also come in two types, which are adjustable and fixed. Fixed dumbbells are the most common type in gyms, and you cannot change their weight. They weight is generally marked on the dumbbell, and gyms provide sets in increasing increments: 2 lb., 5 lb., 8 lb., 10 lb., 15 lb., for example. Adjustable dumbbells have mechanisms that allow you to slide and lock weight plates onto the handle.

Advantages

You can load a large amount of weight onto a barbell for high-power training that you cannot do with dumbbells. Professional Olympians use as much as 400 lbs. to perform squats. The barbell's combined and balanced weight allows you to lift more weight, with better control than dumbbells.

Dumbbells are more portable than barbells, and you can do more types of exercises either with one arm or two arms. Dumbbell training also allows you to rotate your forearms for different grips, which changes the exercise intensity. You can hold a dumbbell with your knuckles facing toward you, to your side, or away from you.

Disadvantages

Barbells are generally not as portable as dumbbells, and they take up more room. According to Santana, you can compensate a weaker side of your body with the stronger side in barbell training---something you cannot not do with dumbbell training.

Both barbells and dumbbells provide only vertical resistance, meaning that the path of resistance is linear only: up and down. It is very difficult to train circular movement patterns, such as swings and chops. You will need to use a kettlebell or clubbell for this type of weight training.

Warning

If you are new to weight lifting, always work with a qualified and experience fitness professional to learn correct form and different techniques and strategies to achieve your goals. Otherwise, you can easily injure your joints and muscles.