How much harder is DB than BB?

[SeizeTheWeight]

Thought it might be interesting to get some comparisons to find out how much harder DB bench is than BB bench.

So everybody who's interested post what you BB bench and for how many reps, then how much you DB bench for the same number of reps.

eg. BB= 90kg x 8
DB= 60kg x 8

Incline DB and BB comparisons could be interesting too.
I'm hoping to get enough legitimate replies to find a reasonably accurate % of how much harder DB bench is.

Real stats only plz guys, if you don't want to post them don't post at all.
I'm also asking anybody with a reasonable rep power to neg the first people who post e-stats, I don't want to have to sort through which numbers are fake or not. Cheers

[765]

i dont know kgs but people usually do less with dumbbells because they work with barbells more

[Polamaluisraw43]

ive done 225 for 7 reps before.
i can only do about a 65 pound dbs for 8 reps (flat bench)

its weird how much less you can do, but you have to stabilize it alot more as well.

[N01SYtZ]

All I know is DB is way harder then BB because you have to try harder when you are focusing on better balance and form.

[buddy72192]

165x8 in my last barbell
60x8 last time I did dumbbell

45lb difference for me

[BandApart]

as far as weight, there isnt really a correlation between how much u can bb bench and how much u can db bench, they are different exercises

[SeizeTheWeight]

OK guys, I know DB is harder than BB, that's the point of the thread, I want to find how much harder, so if you could post some stats please..? Would be very helpful

as far as weight, there isnt really a correlation between how much u can bb bench and how much u can db bench, they are different exercises

I know what you're saying, but there will be a correlation because all the main muscles and the main movement is virtually the same, there is just more stabilization needed with DBs.
For example, if you worked out and found you could DB bench 50kg x 8 and BB bench 70kg x 8, and then worked on only BB bench for 6 months, increasing it to 110kg x 8, your DB bench will be guarenteed to have increased from 50kg x 8...
So there is a correlation, I just want to see some stats plz

[SeizeTheWeight]

i dont know kgs but people usually do less with dumbbells because they work with barbells more

Feel free to post your stats in pounds, it's easy enough to convert.
1kg=2.2lb

[765]

how many reps?

8 rep best with barbell is 185 lbs

8 reps with dumbbells is lil above 80, maybe more gotta try today

bodyweight around 138

[singyay4ed]

40kg x 6 with dumbbells, never tried with a barbell but if it helps then I was rated as having a 100kg max in the "HoW Much CaN the abOVe PostEr BEncH" thread.
Does that help?

[MacDaddy68]

i can do 90lbs db for 4 but for bb i have no idea, havent done it in a while, around 225 for 4 or something

[SeizeTheWeight]

how many reps?

8 rep best with barbell is 185 lbs

8 reps with dumbbells is lil above 80, maybe more gotta try today

bodyweight around 138

As many reps as you want, but if you could post stats at 8 reps it would be best for comparison.
As long as your BB reps and DB reps are the same it'll be fine, I'll be converting all results into % form and finding the average if we get enough stats to get a reasonably accurate figure

Oh and is that 80lb per arm = 160lb ish total?
V impressive for your weight if it is

[Choco92]

DB Flat Bench: 75lbs x 6
BB Flat Bench: 185 x 6


Thats not bad.
:]

Weigh:125

[SpartanSim]

Benchpress ( KGS )

BB: 45KG x 10

DB: 40KG x 10

[A-Russ]

i usually do sets on BB with 225-245. DB i use 110-115, so theres isn't a huge difference for mereally just depend on stabilizer muscles.

[SnoCone]

i can barbell 190x5

i can dumbbel 85sx5

[sickonstorm]

Thought it might be interesting to get some comparisons to find out how much harder DB bench is than BB bench.

So everybody who's interested post what you BB bench and for how many reps, then how much you DB bench for the same number of reps.

eg. BB= 90kg x 8
DB= 60kg x 8

Incline DB and BB comparisons could be interesting too.
I'm hoping to get enough legitimate replies to find a reasonably accurate % of how much harder DB bench is.

Real stats only plz guys, if you don't want to post them don't post at all.
I'm also asking anybody with a reasonable rep power to neg the first people who post e-stats, I don't want to have to sort through which numbers are fake or not. Cheers

my db press is around 25 pounds less

[extremex]

I like dumbells more, but thats me. idc though..lol

[sickonstorm]

Benchpress ( KGS )

BB: 45KG x 10

DB: 40KG x 10

wtf? and ur upposed to say ur db weights by each hands not the totals, like 40sx1 not 80x1.

[tsrobfl]

my dumbell sucks compared to my barbell i rep 240 10 times on barbell and only do like 85's on the dumbell.. i just hate picking up the dumbells and then stabilizing them it annoys me. and no e-stats here i have a vid of me benching 300 3 times on barbell

[BandApart]

OK guys, I know DB is harder than BB, that's the point of the thread, I want to find how much harder, so if you could post some stats please..? Would be very helpful



I know what you're saying, but there will be a correlation because all the main muscles and the main movement is virtually the same, there is just more stabilization needed with DBs.
For example, if you worked out and found you could DB bench 50kg x 8 and BB bench 70kg x 8, and then worked on only BB bench for 6 months, increasing it to 110kg x 8, your DB bench will be guarenteed to have increased from 50kg x 8...
So there is a correlation, I just want to see some stats plz

i quit doing bb bench press and focused on db for a while, i went from pressing 70's to pressing 100's and when i went back to bb bench press i was doing the same weight as i was when i was db benching 70's, ive seen a lot of people like that.................jus sayin

[Delgadido]

i focus more on DB cause i dont need a spot. but i can do 110 x 5 and 120 x 3. another thing is that i can only do 225 x 5.(i havent done bb for a couple of months. but yea

[SeizeTheWeight]

i quit doing bb bench press and focused on db for a while, i went from pressing 70's to pressing 100's and when i went back to bb bench press i was doing the same weight as i was when i was db benching 70's, ive seen a lot of people like that.................jus sayin

I actually said it the other way round for a reason.
With BB you can push more weight and get your muscles accustomed to more weight, so that when you go onto DB you have more pushing power and can lift more.
If you DB bench less than you BB bench you're never lifting more than you would on a BB bench, so your target muscles don't have to adapt to a heavier weight and obviously you won't increase your BB bench, only get much better at stablizing DB bench. BUT that extra strength in the secondary muscles to stabilize will help you increase your BB bench faster when you do go back to it, as you'll be able to focus more on pushing power.
I doubt you'll find a single person who made decent gains on their BB bench who found their DB bench stayed the same.
If you BB bench 100kg and DB bench 70kg and brought your DB bench up to 120+kg you'd see an increase in your BB bench. You need to overload your muscles to create a stimulus for response. Obv increasing your DB bench from 80 to 90 won't increase your BB bench from 100 to 110.
There is a correlation... jus sayin

[BandApart]

I actually said it the other way round for a reason.
With BB you can push more weight and get your muscles accustomed to more weight, so that when you go onto DB you have more pushing power and can lift more.
If you DB bench less than you BB bench you're never lifting more than you would on a BB bench, so your target muscles don't have to adapt to a heavier weight and obviously you won't increase your BB bench, only get much better at stablizing DB bench. BUT that extra strength in the secondary muscles to stabilize will help you increase your BB bench faster when you do go back to it, as you'll be able to focus more on pushing power.
I doubt you'll find a single person who made decent gains on their BB bench who found their DB bench stayed the same.
If you BB bench 100kg and DB bench 70kg and brought your DB bench up to 120+kg you'd see an increase in your BB bench. You need to overload your muscles to create a stimulus for response. Obv increasing your DB bench from 80 to 90 won't increase your BB bench from 100 to 110.
There is a correlation... jus sayin

increasing ur bb bench wouldnt necessarily increase db bench since it requires more stabilization

imo they are as different as flyes and presses, yes they both work chest, but they are very different

and as far as the stimulus response goes, size does not equal strength either


why so serious?

[iliketodoit]

increasing ur bb bench wouldnt necessarily increase db bench since it requires more stabilization

imo they are as different as flyes and presses, yes they both work chest, but they are very different

and as far as the stimulus response goes, size does not equal strength either


why so serious?

yes, the stabilization is key in the difference between the two, but comparing flyes with presses when talking about db and bb bench is a bad comparison.

[gkizzle3622]

i can do about the same on db and bb cuz i dont lift bb much, i just stick to db's

[SeizeTheWeight]

increasing ur bb bench wouldnt necessarily increase db bench since it requires more stabilization

imo they are as different as flyes and presses, yes they both work chest, but they are very different

and as far as the stimulus response goes, size does not equal strength either


why so serious?

OK.. here we go again..
DB bench does need more stabilization, but so does BB, so in order for an increase in BB bench strength to NOT correlate to an increase in DB bench strength, you would have to be ridiculously, disproportianally weak in other areas.
eg if you can stabilize a 100kg BB and a 70kg DB, you've got serious issues if you can't stablize an 80kg DB when you increase your BB bench to 110/120.

The flyes and presses comment is idiotic, the mechanics of a DB BP and a BB bench press are almost identical, the DB BP just uses the same secondary muscles to a greater degree.

"and as far as the stimulus response goes, size does not equal strength either"... I have no idea what you're trying to say here..
Obv size doesn't equal strength. Strength tends to lead to size though. And the SIZE OF THE WEIGHT you can push does equal strength. So my points are still completely valid, I don't what you were trying to say but it didn't disprove anything I said..

And I'm so serious because you've killed the thread with this BS. Questioning the whole point of the thread while proposing idiotic arguments to suggest that DB BP and BB BP are too different for comparison.
It's like saying freeweight squats and smith squats are too different for comparison, when they're not, they're slightly different exercises, using mostly the same muscles to slightly varying degrees, but they still obviously correlate to one another.
I normally don't get annoyed, but you've tried to prove me wrong (and failed miserably every time) and killed my thread and any chance of getting a decent sample size while doing it.
I'm serious because you've just decided to argue about it and not back down no matter how wrong you turn out to be and with no additional thought to anything I say.

[Who?]

On flat bench I can barely get 225 BB for 2 reps, but with DB's I can get 90's for 6 or 7. I rarely use BB for bench though, I could probably adjust if I wanted.

[LessThanLuke]

On flat bench I can barely get 225 BB for 2 reps, but with DB's I can get 90's for 6 or 7. I rarely use BB for bench though, I could probably adjust if I wanted.

Im the opposite. I have never DB benched. Not once.

[DieselFella]

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