Dumbbell weight..Single or combined?

lemur_lady

I was just wondering what you consider to be your 'lifting weight' if you are using dumbbells? For example the ones I am currently using are 4.5kg per dumbbell. When im lifting do I consider myself to be lifting the combined weight of 9kg or the weight of each one on its own? Or does it change depending on what type of lift you are doing?

Just curious

QuentinHardage

Single weight is what most trainers use.

MoreBean13

Depends on the exercise, and if it's questionable I'll specify.

Like, for lunges I would always report the total weight since that's what you're actually lifting. 2 45lb dumbell lunges I would report as 90 lb lunges.

Bicep curls I would report individually.

OHP and bench press are questionable, since you're lifting each one individually, but the movement is one that you could do with a barbell (but also different enough that you won't be able to do the same weight with DB as barbell) so if I were recording OHP I would lift it as 2x30DB. If I ws entering it in to a program like Jefit, I would make sure the exercise itself specified "DB military press" and record it as 30.

sjp_511

Depends on the exercise, and if it's questionable I'll specify.

Like, for lunges I would always report the total weight since that's what you're actually lifting. 2 45lb dumbell lunges I would report as 90 lb lunges.

Bicep curls I would report individually.

OHP and bench press are questionable, since you're lifting each one individually, but the movement is one that you could do with a barbell (but also different enough that you won't be able to do the same weight with DB as barbell) so if I were recording OHP I would lift it as 2x30DB. If I ws entering it in to a program like Jefit, I would make sure the exercise itself specified "DB military press" and record it as 30.

I log similarly. Right now I am using dumbbells for a lot of exercises I will eventually use a barbell for so I am using combined weight. I only use single weight if it is an exercise being done one arm at a time, like dumbbell rows and curls.

In the end it doesn't really matter as long as you are being consistent.

Cherimoose

When logging weight, i write dumbbells individually, to avoid accidentally grabbing the wrong one next time.

For lunges, i sometimes use 2 dumbbells of unequal weight, to challenge my stability. So i would write 30+20 lbs.. meaning i used 30 in one hand and 20 in the other.

When bragging to friends, always combine the weight. :bigsmile:

RECowgill

I log combined. I know that in my workout log if it says that I use dumbbells I know what that means.