Comments on: Dumbbell press or bench press?

By: Tommy

Tommy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:08:59 +0000

I personally prefer dumbbells because I can push myself to failure with the knowledge that should I fail I can drop them either side of myself and not have an accident. I can also get full range of motion with dumb bells. I don’t like the fact that I have to always balance them. When your bench pressing with a bar, your hands stay the same distance apart throughout the range of motion if you start a rep with a wide grip, you end it with a wide grip. While you may get close to the pecs’ stretch position with a wide-grip bench press, you completely miss their contracted position because your hands stay wide at the top of the movement.
You can come up with a hundred different negatives and positives about both. You really can’t say one is better than another, it may just be a difference in personal opinion.
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By: Gaijin

Gaijin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:56:59 +0000

Do both,will work all aspects of chest etc.Never have used a spotter,always worked out at home,hate gym’s.I’ve try’d to lift too much once in awhile but I just slip the bar to one side of the bench,when one end of the bar hits the ground,it’s easy to get out from under it.
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lifting for close to 50 years.

By: Sarge50

Sarge50 — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:23:59 +0000

i always bench press at the gym without a spotter but of course im taking a risk because anything can happen. it is dangerous ive known people who have dropped the weights on there chests and suffered some damage. if you are going to lift heavy weights for sure get a spotter
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By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:46:59 +0000

Alright. Doing a normal bench press is great and I would recommend adding it to your routine. However, I wouldn't recommend doing so without a spotter. People die, are paralyzed, or break bones all the time because of this. I would recommend finding a power rack at your gym. It's basically an area where you can use barbells freely but if you drop them, bars will catch them. The gym won't say anything if you do lift without a spotter, but as I said, it is dangerous. It's good to do both dumbbell and bench presses. Depending on your level of fitness and goals it may be beneficial to do both in the same day or do different lifts on different days. If you have any questions feel free to email me.
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