Like most fitness-oriented equipment, both dumbbells and barbells have specific advantages over the other. Not all free weights, it turns out, are created equal. So the question becomes: Which is best to use? Let’s examine both dumbbells and barbells and offer our opinion on which is better for specific goals.

Maximum Strength 

Since you can use more weight with a barbell, you can put greater stress on the muscles and body. More stress means more muscle growth. You can only grip so much weight when using dumbbells since they are difficult to hold and require more balance. Each arm must work independently and relies on more smaller muscles to keep the weight balanced, which often reduces the weight that can be used. Squatting, one of the most important exercises, is best used with a barbell because of the even load across the spine. Moreover, barbells are best used for developing dynamic power lifts like the clean or press since they require the entire body to move as one coordinated unit, which generates more overall power.

Advantage: Barbells

Balance

Dumbbells help even out strength and muscular imbalances, especially for beginners. You can cheat easier using a barbell and favor your more dominant side. However, dumbbells make sure that you’re working your body evenly. They require more coordination since you’re forced to stabilize the weight in each hand. In addition, working out with dumbbells, particularly when working out one arm or one leg at a time, overloads your proprioceptive muscles. These little neurological helpers instinctively react to your movements at all times, continuously adjusting your posture to keep your body in perfect alignment and balance. This helps improve your natural balance and coordination.

Advantage: Dumbbells

Convenience

You can perform so many more exercises using dumbbells. You can probably craft over a hundred workouts using just dumbbells depending on your creativity. When it comes to using a barbell, you are greatly limited. When using dumbbells, you can do many single-hand exercises, seated exercises, Swiss-ball exercises, and other exercises that you normally can’t perform with a barbell.

Advantage: Dumbbells

Safety

It is more dangerous to perform a barbell exercise, such as bench press or squat, especially if you aren’t strong enough or don’t display the proper form. When holding a barbell, the weight can fall on you, rather than dropping them to your side when using dumbbells. It’s harder to judge the weight when using a barbell as opposed to heavier dumbbells, which can be too difficult to even grip in the first place. You can lift more weight using a barbell so you are more likely to have issues stabilizing the weight and it can put more wear and tear on your body, especially your joints and your spine. However, just because dumbbells are safer in this respect, doesn’t mean they are safe in general. Anytime you lift weight, you put yourself at risk. Regardless of using dumbbells or barbells, you should never sacrifice form for weight. Make sure you are using a spotter as much as you can to prevent any possible issues from arising.

Advantage: Dumbbells

Even though both offer specific benefits, you should incorporate a combination of dumbbells and barbells into your daily workout routine to maximize the benefits.