A dumbbell can not replace a barbell for powerlifting and weightlifting. If you don’t have space at home start off with dumbbells and think about how you can get a bigger home to fit a barbell. This is a healthy challenge for your mind and body.

 

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The most important thing for exercise selection for your routines is that you are focused on the goals you want to achieve. Most of the times this is easier said than done. Many beginners want everything and nothing: 

 

 

These are just some examples of goal sets of beginners. It is completely normal to be timid or unsure about what you want to achieve and can achieve. It always helps to prioritize first what is important to you. The fields usually are: 

 

 

You can categorize it in a million different ways, but to keep it simple prioritize these five for yourself. 

 

Looks are all about what you see in movies, on Instagram and the magazine covers. While these are highly artificial, fabricated images of people, their impact on social life is very real. If you look for fame or financial success based on your looks you can achieve this, just be aware that the choices you will make to get there are not necessarily healthy, make you enduring, strong or well-performing in sports. Eating disorders and steroids might provide an outstanding look, but don’t help you to be strong or have healthy sperm. 

 

If your main focus is health you will mainly choose moderate diets and exercise regimen. You won’t go crazy on diets or schedules as this means too much stress. This will keep you healthy but probably never get you to the pinnacles is endurance, strength, looks or endurance. But that is ok as long as you are fertile and happy. 

 

Performance is usually sports-related. This means that endurance and strength training is still important, but play a secondary role to skill practice in the relevant sport you pursue. It is of not of a lot of use to be strong like a bull but not being able to skate if you play ice hockey. The good news about sports is that looks don’t matter that much. If you are a blob that can lift a fire truck in a very truck lifting competition, nobody cares that you are not ripped or have shining white teeth. Even though that might help to attract sponsors. 

 

If you are mainly into strength you can park all efforts and time on endurance and skill practice. You can fully focus on lifting barbells, stones, and other heavy objects. You might even toss them in the general direction of people in the gym who get on your nerves. 

 

If you are mainly about endurance you can spent your time on your long runs, swims and cycles around the country and maybe never look at a rack. Yes, you might not be the strongest or most buff, but who cares when you cycle the Ardennes with a smile. 

 

Prioritizing these five areas for yourself will help to make it a lot clearer to you, your GP and your personal trainer which exercises to pick and at which intensity to perform. This will determine which rack is the best for you or whether you need one at all. 

 

 

 

A barbell is a long piece of metal that holds weights to lift with both hands to get stronger. This is as broad a definition I can possibly give. They are usually used in the sports of powerlifting, weightlifting, and CrossFit. Barbells also have become standard equipment in any gym that you walk in. If you travel a lot you will have a hard time to find them in hotel gyms. Probably because they are too expensive and people are more likely to hurt themselves with them. Here are some different types of barbells: 

 

 

The main differences between the models are how the shaft is attached to the sleeves, the finish, knurling and how hard the used material is. Barbells usually range from $200 to $1000 apiece. In the lower range, you find less spin and lower PSI strengths. On the higher ends, you find higher PSI strengths and better spin. 

 

 

Barbells are very modular and can be adjusted in weight easily. Holding onto the weight with both means also means that the movement you do will activate more muscle groups at the same time compared to dumbbells. If you want to compete in powerlifting or weightlifting there is no way around practice with a barbell. 

 

 

The average barbell comes in at 20kg. For some people that is already too heavy to lift. Based on the length and size it is also hard to isolate smaller muscle groups with a barbell due to the limited range of motion. They also take up a bit of space and can be too big for very tight places in a home gym. Storing them at home can also be a pain. 

 

 

 

Bicep curls with dumbbells are the embodiment of the self-absorbed gym bro. A dumbbell is a short piece of metal with weights attached which you use with one hand to get stronger. As they are widely distributed and don’t cost a lot they are often the start of a home gym. One dumbbell can cost anything from $5 to $500 depending on how much weight you get. Dumbbells are popular is n circuit training and for bodybuilders, as they don’t take up a lot of space and can is lite very specific muscle groups.

 

 

Dumbbells are very space-efficient. Compared to barbells you can stack them more easily in a corner for home use. They also have a lower entry point than barbells in terms of cost. With the dumbbell, you can also do a wider variety of exercises than with barbells due to their versatility. 

 

 

Dumbbell training is not directly transferable to the sports of powerlifting and weightlifting. There is no Olympic sport yet which Involves lifting dumbbells. Most dumbbells are of rubber the weight can not be adjusted. This means having a full set takes up more space than a barbell with plates. 

 

 

If you really want to get strong you are asking the wrong question. You will use both to become an elite athlete. For your home gym and as a start dumbbells can replace a barbell for a time, especially if your only goal is to lose weight. If you want to get very strong and compete as a bodybuilder, powerlifter, weightlifter or CrossFit athlete you need both.