Swapping dumbbells for a barbell on the bench
By Pete / November 7, 2026 / No Comments / Training Log
Until today, every bench press I’ve done at home has been with dumbbells. Today I swapped them for a barbell.
Why switch
My dumbbell pressing had got to the point where every working set finished close to failure: 26kg in each hand for 8 on the flat bench, and 22kg for 8 on the incline. When you train alone, failure is where the injury risk sits. With a heavy dumbbell over your chest there’s no spotter and no clean way to bail out.
So I bought a 6ft standard bar with extra-wide spacing between the collars, so it fits inside my rack. The rack’s safety bars can now catch the weight if a rep doesn’t go up.
The numbers
Doubling the dumbbells gives 52kg on the flat and 44kg on the incline. I knocked a few kilos off that to start.
| Exercise | Sets x reps | Weights |
|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 4 x 8 | 47kg, 51kg, 57kg, 57kg |
| Incline press (superset with overhead tricep extensions) | 3 x 10 | 37kg, 43.5kg, 43.5kg |
The last set of each was at my limit. The final 57kg set was a struggle to finish.
What I took from it
The safety bars changed how hard I was willing to push. With them set, I could take a set right to the edge without worrying about how I’d get out from under the weight. That was the whole point of the switch, and it showed straight away.
The numbers aren’t a like-for-like comparison. 57kg on the bar against 52kg of dumbbells doesn’t mean I got 5kg stronger overnight. A barbell needs less stabilising, so most people can move more weight on it. The incline came out about level (43.5kg against 44kg), though for 10 reps rather than 8. I’m treating today as a new starting point, not a PB.
I give something up. Dumbbells make each arm work on its own and allow a little more range at the bottom of the press. I’ll probably keep some lighter dumbbell work in the programme to cover that.
Cardio: not what the plan said
The session called for 4 x 250m on the SkiErg. I did 1km and then 2km instead, keeping both easy: a higher stroke rate with a shorter range of motion. It went fairly well, and steady work felt right after a hard pressing session. To be honest, though, it was a different session from the one written down, and the intervals were there for a reason.
Next time
I’ll stay at 57kg until all four sets of 8 feel solid, then add 2.5kg. The same goes for the incline at 43.5kg.