I switched from barbell to dumbbell bench, barbell bench was around 225/8… but my stabilizer muscles suck so I can only do dumbbell 85 for reps(~7/8)… Anything above that weight is pretty wobbly
would doing dumbbell bench and just holding the weight there train the stabilizer muscles since you’re just trying to balance it, or is there a better way to train them?
Give it some time.
Try doing them on a bosu ball while doing a banded leg curl and hip bridge all at the same time
If you have access to bands and kettlebells. Take the band loop it through the kettlebell handle and then attach over the end of a barbell allowing it to hang loosly and do presses or curls insane stability training in the upper body.
[quote]fr0gger666 wrote:
I switched from barbell to dumbbell bench, barbell bench was around 225/8… but my stabilizer muscles suck so I can only do dumbbell 85 for reps(~7/8)… Anything above that weight is pretty wobbly
would doing dumbbell bench and just holding the weight there train the stabilizer muscles since you’re just trying to balance it, or is there a better way to train them?
[/quote]
Actually sounds about right. DB work is usually about 80% of BB.
[quote]chobbs wrote:
Try doing them on a bosu ball while doing a banded leg curl and hip bridge all at the same time[/quote]
cant tell if serious
[quote]fr0gger666 wrote:
[quote]chobbs wrote:
Try doing them on a bosu ball while doing a banded leg curl and hip bridge all at the same time[/quote]
cant tell if serious
[/quote]
Tap on sarcasm meter and read that post again. If it doesn’t jump up to ‘ridiculous’, you need to take it to the shop. I suspect either a faulty transducer or a shot needle synchro.
[quote]JayPierce wrote:
[quote]fr0gger666 wrote:
[quote]chobbs wrote:
Try doing them on a bosu ball while doing a banded leg curl and hip bridge all at the same time[/quote]
cant tell if serious
[/quote]
Tap on sarcasm meter and read that post again. If it doesn’t jump up to ‘ridiculous’, you need to take it to the shop. I suspect either a faulty transducer or a shot needle synchro.[/quote]
Thanks lol sorry for being a smartass man, just do you. Personally, I don’t know if it works my stabilizers or not, but if you have olympic rings try doing some L sits. These are where you just basically hold yourself in an upright dip position. To make the exercise harder, you can move the rings down or move your feet out. 10 seconds doesnt sound like much but try for yourself.
[quote]chobbs wrote:
[quote]JayPierce wrote:
[quote]fr0gger666 wrote:
[quote]chobbs wrote:
Try doing them on a bosu ball while doing a banded leg curl and hip bridge all at the same time[/quote]
cant tell if serious
[/quote]
Tap on sarcasm meter and read that post again. If it doesn’t jump up to ‘ridiculous’, you need to take it to the shop. I suspect either a faulty transducer or a shot needle synchro.[/quote]
Thanks lol sorry for being a smartass man, just do you. Personally, I don’t know if it works my stabilizers or not, but if you have olympic rings try doing some L sits. These are where you just basically hold yourself in an upright dip position. To make the exercise harder, you can move the rings down or move your feet out. 10 seconds doesnt sound like much but try for yourself.[/quote]
Also, if you’ve got rings with long, adjustable straps (or TRX or long ratchet straps and 2 short lengths of abs pipe or whatever) you can turn pushups into a much more challenging “stability” type exercise. Let the straps out until the rings/handles are just above the ground, grip them in a regular pushup position and proceed to struggle for 5 sad, wobbly reps (if you’re like me when I started these). Somewhat similar plane of motion to bench so it may be helpful.
[quote]fr0gger666 wrote:
would doing dumbbell bench and just holding the weight there train the stabilizer muscles since you’re just trying to balance it, or is there a better way to train them?
[/quote]
If you want to increase your stability add instability to the workout but don’t expect a 100% transition of strength. Adding instability can be as easy as cable flys standing on a wobble board, kneeing on a swiss-ball, etc.
Personally, if your going to do stability work do it with your legs and core. Stability starts from the ground up.
Not sure why OP wants to train stabilizers or do balance exercises.
Bad use of one’s time.
[quote]Field wrote:
Not sure why OP wants to train stabilizers or do balance exercises.
Bad use of one’s time.[/quote]
don’t see how its a waste of time since I’m only doing it on off days
as for why, I’ve been lifting w/ barbell for 2 years and want to incorporate dumbbells now, and want my #'s around normal without smashing myself in the face
[quote]fr0gger666 wrote:
[quote]Field wrote:
Not sure why OP wants to train stabilizers or do balance exercises.
Bad use of one’s time.[/quote]
don’t see how its a waste of time since I’m only doing it on off days
as for why, I’ve been lifting w/ barbell for 2 years and want to incorporate dumbbells now, and want my #'s around normal without smashing myself in the face
[/quote]
If you want to incorporate dumbbells now, just do more dumbbell work. Your numbers are fairly normal, and should improve quickly if you haven’t done much dumbbell work before.
[quote]fr0gger666 wrote:
[quote]Field wrote:
Not sure why OP wants to train stabilizers or do balance exercises.
Bad use of one’s time.[/quote]
don’t see how its a waste of time since I’m only doing it on off days
as for why, I’ve been lifting w/ barbell for 2 years and want to incorporate dumbbells now, and want my #'s around normal without smashing myself in the face
[/quote]
If this is all you’re looking for in the way of “stability” then yea, just incorporate more DB work and progress as you go. However, I believe things like slosh pipes, keg training, unilateral movements, Turkish get ups, rings, odd object lifts (love me some odd object lifts) etc add an element of instability that may have significant benefits, depending on what your goals are outside the gym.
In life, sport etc. force must often be applied in asymmetrical and unstable environments and positions and through varying and often unpredictable planes of motion in order to be of practical value. The more “stable” you are the better you will be able to effectively apply that force to accomplish an actual task.
Deliberately preparing for this, to me at least, is not a bad use of one’s time. Like anything though, it depends on why you’re training.
Is the difference between barbell bench and dumbbell bench really ‘stabilizer muscles?’ Obviously there is another plane of motion that you have to deal with, but it’s mainly the chest that is keeping your arms from falling out.
That’s more a job of the primary muscle than a ‘stabilizer muscle’ and explains why your dumbbell bench is always less than your barbell bench, even (I would suspect) if you only train dumbbell bench.
[quote]Silyak wrote:
Is the difference between barbell bench and dumbbell bench really ‘stabilizer muscles?’ Obviously there is another plane of motion that you have to deal with, but it’s mainly the chest that is keeping your arms from falling out.
That’s more a job of the primary muscle than a ‘stabilizer muscle’ and explains why your dumbbell bench is always less than your barbell bench, even (I would suspect) if you only train dumbbell bench. [/quote]
It probably has more to do with not being able to put as much triceps into it.
The stability issue is just a product of learning a new movement pattern. Once you get used to it, the shakes will go away.
In time you will adapt.
Though, db benching is pretty much always going to be wobblier than BB pressing.
Hammering the hell out of your mid to upper back could help things though.
When in doubt do more rows.
This is weird
I did 40x15, 65x6, then 85x5/6/4 (45s between the 85 set)
How’d I get more reps on my second set? Is my warm up for dumbbell bench bad?
Dude, chill out. You are thinking way too much about stuff that matters very little.
You are doing an exercise you haven’t done in 2 years. Even if you were a pro at it 2 years ago, there is going to be a break in period. It has little to do with “stabilizer muscles” and everything to do with just getting used to the exercise. If you stopped squatting for 2 years and only did front squats, it would take you a few weeks to get back into the swing of things even though you were training almost all of the same muscles during that time.
Often time you can be better on the 2nd and 3rd sets of an exercise. This could be because of a poor warm up in which case the first set actually prepares you for the second set. Or you just “know” the weight a little better the 2nd time around. You could get more focused. Your nervous system could wake up a little after the first set, etc… The list goes on and on…