Dumbbells versus Barbell
- Thread starter jodymlee
- Start date
Not Cathe here, but for what it is worth
Yes you can substitute dumbbells in place of a barbell in any excerise that uses a barbell. Just use a weight that you are comfortale with and that challenges you.
Cathe makes this point in some of her workouts like in Pyramid Lower Body she mentions that you can subsitute dumbbells and I know in another dvd she mentions that again.
So if you are tight on space dumbbells are a great subsitute and space saver.
Yes you can substitute dumbbells in place of a barbell in any excerise that uses a barbell. Just use a weight that you are comfortale with and that challenges you.
Cathe makes this point in some of her workouts like in Pyramid Lower Body she mentions that you can subsitute dumbbells and I know in another dvd she mentions that again.
So if you are tight on space dumbbells are a great subsitute and space saver.
I'm not Cathe either but I would like to bring up the fact that barbells really don't take up that much room, provided that you take them apart after your workout. If you take it apart, you're only left with a bar(which takes up almost no room), and some weights which you can easily stack. I find that my barbell takes up MUCH less room than my dumbbells.
Carolyn
Carolyn
I read somewhere that dumbbells might be more effective than using a barbell, which may be helpful to someone who doesn't have a barbell and may have very limited space for one. When you use a barbell, sometimes your stronger side might tend to lift more weight than your weaker side even though you may have equal weight plates on both sides of the bar and you think you're holding the barbell in the middle. When you lift the barbell, your stronger side might be doing more work in getting the bar up, and therefore carrying more of the weight of the barbell, and you may not even realize it. When you use dumbbells, there is no compensation. You know you're lifting equal weight on both sides (assuming you have the same weight dumbbells in each hand 
) and you can tell which side is stronger.
If you have something in your apartment that's kind of weighty, it doesn't have to be a barbell, but anything (like a small tv, a box filled with stuff, whatever) try lifting it and see if either your right or left side lifts "more" weight than the other.
) and you can tell which side is stronger.If you have something in your apartment that's kind of weighty, it doesn't have to be a barbell, but anything (like a small tv, a box filled with stuff, whatever) try lifting it and see if either your right or left side lifts "more" weight than the other.
The great virtue of dumbbells is that you do not have to spend time changing the weights. You just grab the dumbbell you need. It makes for a quicker workout and less interruptions. I use the Musclemax DVD and use dumbbells for everything - no barbells, no belts - and fast forward when Cathe is changing weights.