"Dumbbell exercises are more advanced as they require more stabilisation and activation muscles that might not get used or missed in bilateral or barbell exercises,"
explains MH fitness editor Andrew Tracey. "Dumbbell exercises allow for movement – think how rigid barbell exercises are – and therefore, build muscles that are
more transferable to everyday life.
"Also, because you are able to manipulate and move dumbbells around more than a fixed machine, you can get a greater range of motion. For example, the barbell
bench press. When the bar hits your chest, your arms are in a locked position. With dumbbells, you are able to go that little deeper and get a bigger stretch through
the chest which will result in more muscle growth. This applies to many dumbbell exercises."