Alright, so I’ve been hitting the gym pretty regularly, and I’ve mostly been using dumbbells for my bench presses. I like the range of motion, and it feels like I’m working each side evenly. But, I’ve also been curious about how my dumbbell weight translates to a barbell. Like, if I can rep out with 50-pound dumbbells in each hand, what could I probably handle on a barbell?
I tried to find a simple way to get an estimated, I did some digging and found some basic formulas, but nothing was super clear. Then I decided to just create my own practice and record all my processes. So, I am gonna make my own dumbbell bench to barbell calculator, let us do it!
Collecting Data (The Hard Part)
First things first, I needed some real-world data. This wasn’t some theoretical exercise; I needed to get under the bar. I started tracking my dumbbell bench press sets, being really careful about form. I mean, really careful. No bouncing, full range of motion, controlled negatives… the whole nine yards. I also note down the weight of dumbbells I used and how many reps I did. I did this for a few weeks, trying different weights and rep ranges. I jotted down everything in a notebook.
Then, on days I felt strong and had a good spotter, I’d test my barbell bench press. Again, focusing on good form was the priority. I started really light, just to get a feel for it, and slowly added weight until I found my working weight for a similar rep range to what I was doing with dumbbells.
Finding the Pattern (Or Trying To)
After a couple of weeks, I had a decent amount of data points. I was using:
- dumbbell weight per hand
- total dumbbell weight (both hands)
- number of reps
- barbell weight
- barbell reps
I started plugging everything into a spreadsheet. I tried a few different approaches. My first thought was maybe a simple ratio. Like, if I can do 50-pound dumbbells for 8 reps, that’s 100 pounds total. Could I bench 100 pounds on a barbell for 8 reps? Nope. Not even close. It’s felt way harder.
Then I realize that I need to consider, the barbell itself has weight! The standard barbell is 45 pounds, this must be considered into the estimation!
I played around with some simple formulas, adding the total dumbbell weight and then adding some extra percentage. Tried adding the weight of the barbell. Nothing was giving me a super consistent prediction.
The “Good Enough” Calculation
After a lot of trial and error, I came up with a calculation that, while not perfect, was “good enough” for my needs. It’s a very simple formula, but it seems to be working. Here’s what I find:
Total Dumbbell Weight + (Total Dumbbell Weight 0.2) + 45 = Estimated Barbell Weight.
For example: I am doing 60 pounds dumbbell for each hand, for a total dumbbell weight of 120 pounds.
- 120 + (120 0.2) + 45 = 189
So, if I can dumbbell bench 60s for reps, I should probably be able to handle around 189 pounds on the barbell, for the similar reps, keep this mind, the calculation only gives you an estimated weight!
My Results: Good Enough!
I have tested the calculation out of my records, and found that it is not accurate, but it is good enough to get me an estimated weight. Now, when I grab the dumbbells, I can do a quick calculation in my head and have a decent idea of what to expect on the barbell, it is pretty convenient!
