Hi Barbell Medicine team,
In terms of hypertrophy have you found there to be a difference between using barbells and dumbbells?
I got into a discussion with a guy on Instagram, who was claiming that the standing barbell press is one of the worst exercises you could do for shoulder hypertrophy and that you should do DB press instead. It’s obviously nonsense but I was curious about if you have found there to be any differences?
Duncan
I don’t think there’s a huge difference provided both are done with similar volumes, intents, maximizing ROM, etc. I do think the barbell one, particularly when standing, costs a bit more with respect to fatigue, but neither is going to be the sole basis for shoulder training anyway.
People respond differently to different exercises. If it loads the muscle through a long ROM and can be done for a lot of volume, I predict it will work relatively well. Individuals will vary though.
For reference, I’ve done about 10x as much barbell pressing as I’ve done with dumbbells. If I had to step on stage and create shoulders for that, I don’t think I’d perseverate on this detail either.
Thanks, Jordan!