dumbbells and stronglifts

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morlanchaos
morlanchaos Posts: 25 Member
edited October 2015 in Fitness and Exercise
I hope this is not a really dumb question :) Second week of Stronglifts 5x5 and starting out with dumbbells. I have them in weights up to 35lbs which seems to be enough right now. For bench press and overhead press I am using 20lbs dumbbells. Am I benching/pressing 20lbs or 40lbs? I've recorded it in the app as 20lbs, but when I get to thinking about it I wonder if it's really 40lbs. Thanx!

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  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    40lb, it is how much you lifted for the move. If you lift just an Olympic bar it is 45lb, not 0lb.

    Ultimately it doesn't matter how you are recording it though as long as you are consistent and you are conscious of conversions if you switch equipment.
  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
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    If you're trying to work out what the equivalent barbell weight is, it's usually slightly more than double the dumbbell weight. However, there is no magic formula I know of to work it out, so I would just log the dumbbell weight. I can bench about 10-15% more on a barbell than I can on dumbbells. I'm sure others will come along with their own findings.
  • lkpducky
    lkpducky Posts: 16,805 Member
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    I've noticed the difference as well. I bench 70 lb with the barbell but only two 25-lb dumbbells.
  • morlanchaos
    morlanchaos Posts: 25 Member
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    Thank you for the input. Definitely good to know before I switch over
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,711 Member
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    lkaspin wrote: »
    I've noticed the difference as well. I bench 70 lb with the barbell but only two 25-lb dumbbells.

    And this is why I personally prefer to use dumbbells. They seem to work both sides of the body more evenly. I think with a bar your dominate side over compensates. Just my opinion.

    Yes, OP, if you are benching with 2 20lbs. weights then you benched 40 lbs.

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