Dumbell press vs Bench Press

[Azzazzin]

Both work your chest, but dumbell press works all those stableizer muscles...

So, will one or the other effect my MT?

[Guest]

I take it you mean the dumbell press and the barbell press?

Both will, as they will increase you power potential.

But don't forget to include a rowing movement in your training, or you will develop a strength inbalance that will set you up for poor posture and possible injuries.

Most weight training purists would prefer the barbell, and that also still involves stablisers, though not as much as the dumbells. But why are they important to you?

You can go heavier, in the long term, with the barbell version. The dumbells become too unwieldy.

[Biker]

On the other hand, if you were to concentrate on dumbbell presses for a while, you go back to doing barbell bench presses and your benching weight will increase significantly. Maybe not at first, as you will have to get used to the movement again, but soon after your working weight and maximum will go up.

As Bri Thai said, don't neglect the back. A strong back will also have an effect on punching power and recovery from throwing a punch.

[sk12879]

The dumbbell press will provide a better chest exercise because you can go much deeper than you can with a barbell and can bring the dumbbells together at the top of the motion (and SQUEEZE!). The barbell bench is more of a full upper body exercise incorporating a great deal of triceps and shoulders.