Barbells vs. Dumbbells: How to Choose Your Fighter

Jamey Powell, NASM-CPT, 200-Hour RYT, is a Brooklyn-based writer with nearly a decade of experience covering a broad range of fitness and lifestyle topics. When she’s not exercising or writing, you can catch her producing indie films, crocheting, and playing video games. 

This article was reviewed by Ashley Boyer, ACE-CPT, for accuracy.

When you walk onto the gym floor, you're met with a whole lotta iron—kettlebells, dumbbells, and barbells, the works. Whether you're trying to maximize your lift days or building your own home gym, you might be curious about the difference between barbells and dumbbells in particular. After all, they're shaped somewhat similarly and both can be used for a broad range of strength training moves.  

I spoke to strength and conditioning coach, Noah Tennenbaum, CSCS, FMS-L1, FMS-YBT, FMS-FCS, to pit barbells versus dumbbells once and for all (spoiler alert: one isn't better than the other!). Read on to learn the difference between these two go-to pieces of equipment, the pros and cons of each, and a few moves with each that you should absolutely incorporate into your workouts.

Barbells vs. dumbbells

It probably goes without saying, but a great gym setup should include both barbells and dumbbells. But when do you choose a barbell over a dumbbell, or vice-versa? 

"It really depends on the exercise and the loading someone would like," explains Tennenbaum. "Heavier movements will need a barbell, while upper-body unilateral movements will need dumbbells." In other words, there are pros and cons to each tool, depending on the movement you're doing. Let's break it down:

Benefits of barbells

"The main benefit of a barbell is the ability to load heavier than you can with dumbbells," says Tennenbaum. That's because the design of a barbell leaves plenty of real estate to stack heavy plates. If you're looking to max out your deadlift or squat, a barbell is your answer. 

Of course, Tennenbaum points out that barbells offer a bigger opportunity to overload with bad technique. "One can do this with dumbbells as well, but squats and deadlifts with barbells are on the FBI's most-wanted list for bad form seen in gyms," he warns. Consider this your friendly reminder to check in on your form as you start to increase your loads, especially for barbell moves like RDLS. 

Benefits of dumbbells

While barbells are a go-to for heavy lifting, dumbbells are unmatched in versatility. "The big benefit of dumbbells is the ability to do unilateral movements and take away points of contact with the ground or bench," says Tennenbaum. That means you'll want to pick up a set of DBs for movements like single-arm overhead presses, pistol squats, single-arm triceps extensions... are you noticing a trend here? Of course, you can do plenty of bilateral exercises with dumbbells too, which is why so many people with smaller home gym setups often purchase dumbbells before barbells. 

Is there any downside to a set of dumbbells? According to Tennenbaum, the only real con is that you simply can't load them as heavy as barbells. Again, that comes down to real estate—dumbbells were designed to be held with one weight in each hand so, unlike the wide design of a barbell, there's no room for massive plates, which some weightlifting goals might require. 

Dumbbell and barbell exercises to try

As Tennenbaum mentioned, the main difference between barbell and dumbbell exercises is that barbell movements are almost exclusively bilateral (meaning both sides of the body move at once—an exception could be lunges with a barbell), while dumbbell movements can be done both bilaterally or unilaterally. 

Below are a few go-to barbell and dumbbell exercises you should have in your arsenal. Click the name of each move to watch a video tutorial! 

Barbell exercises

1. Hang Snatch: Tennenbaum's favorite barbell exercise is the hang snatch. With a wide, hook-grip on your barbell and your feet in a hip-width stance, hold the barbell just above your knees (this is the "hang"). Then, with straight arms, press through your heels, extend your hips, and shrug your shoulders to snatch the bar overhead, landing in an overhead squat.  
2. Barbell Deadlift: Deadlifts are crucial for building strength along your entire posterior chain (the backside of your body). Start with your feet hip-width apart and your toes underneath the bar, bringing your shins as close to the bar as you can. Keeping a flat back, grab hold of the barbell with a shoulder-wide grip, and bend your knees slightly. Brace through your core, squeeze your shoulder blades toward one another, and press through your feet to extend your hips and stand upright. Hinge at your hips and bend your knees to return the bar to the ground.
3. Bent-Over Barbell Rows: For heavy back lifting, a barbell row is key. For a bent-over row, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart—your mid-foot should be underneath the bar. Grabbing hold of the bar, hinge at your hips until your torso lands at 45 degrees. Then, squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull your elbows upward to bring the barbell toward your chest. Be sure to maintain an arch in your lower back (don't let it round), and stop if you feel any discomfort in your lumbar spine. 

Dumbbell exercises

1. Bird Dog Row: Tennenbaum's favorite dumbbell exercise is the bird dog row, which targets your core, lats, and shoulders. From a quadruped position on the ground or a bench, extend one leg out behind you, and use your opposite hand to grab hold of a DB. Press into the floor with your grounded hand and knee (also opposites), engage your core, and pull your elbow up toward the ceiling to row the dumbbell. 
2. Dumbbell Pullovers: Leaning against a bench, hold a dumbbell on your chest and place your feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. Press up into a hip bridge—your shoulders should be on the bench, but your head might hang off the other side, so engage your glutes and core! Hold the head of the DB with both hands and, with straight arms, extend the DB overhead as far as you can (you'll feel your lats stretch here). Squeeze your chest to bring the DB back over your chest.
3. Dumbbell Split Squat: With a dumbbell in each hand, take a big step backward with one foot. Keeping your core engaged and your torso upright, bend both legs to form two 90-degree angles, then press through your front heel to extend both legs to the starting position. Your glutes and quads will thank you for this one!

So, are dumbbells better than barbells? 

The fair and honest answer is that we love them both for different reasons. If you're going to load heavy and PR your deadlift, a barbell is your BFF. If you're hoping to add weight to functional movements or lift unilaterally, grab a set of dumbbells. Best of all, if you're on the market for either, REP's got you covered—from bars to adjustable dumbbells to rubber-coated plates.