How are dumbells for building mass?
December 31st, 2006 | by Jared |
yair_marx asked:
I know machine’s arent as good as free barbell weights but I dont always have a spotter so I am not going to mess with free barbell weights. So is using progressive resistance with dumbells a good way to build mass? Basically is doing pressing excercises (bench press, military) with dumbells a good way to build mass.
I know machine’s arent as good as free barbell weights but I dont always have a spotter so I am not going to mess with free barbell weights. So is using progressive resistance with dumbells a good way to build mass? Basically is doing pressing excercises (bench press, military) with dumbells a good way to build mass.
4 Responses to “How are dumbells for building mass?”
By Carter on Jan 3, 2007 | Reply
Yes - if you keep your form
By the worr e ore on Jan 3, 2007 | Reply
Yes if you push yourself. That means the dumbbells would have to be heavy to the point where you can do like 5 sets of 8 reps. They also help you hit the chest at a different angle than just benching. Yeah and keep your form great, you don’t want to have one side of the chest awkwardly bigger than the other side.
By princecharming_n_disguise on Jan 4, 2007 | Reply
You’re right about machines, sort of. Machines aren’t for building mass so much as ripping you out. free weights, bars or dumbells are great for adding bulk. Then hit the machines for definition of muscle. Just don’t overdo it, the body tends to respond best with a “less is more” approach, or alternating resistance. Keep it guessing, it’ll keep responding. Remember to eat plenty of protein before and after workouts to keep muscles developing.
By David A on Jan 5, 2007 | Reply
Dumbells are not suggested for building mass. They are excellent training tools though because they exercise a lot more muscles than barbells. Very good for getting tone and general fitness.
For building mass you want to go as heavy as possible, and barbells make it easier to focus on maximizing weight while largely ignoring balance. Try it … it’s easier to press a 100 lb barbell than two 50 lb dumbells.
You can get a self-spotter if you’re interested in building mass at home. There are many kinds. You can also also put huge eyebolts into your ceiling joists and use heavy nylon ropes for this purpose - but be sure to over engineer it (don’t sue me if you kill yourself because your system has a weak link). You do the most mass building in the middle of your motion, not on the ends of the motion so self-spotters won’t diminish your ability to build mass.