KBs vs DBs vs Barbells vs Machines vs Cables 

The final topic of my Master the Basics series is all about the types of weights. I see many social media posts claiming that one method is superior, nonsense. They all have their place, and if you are lucky enough to have access to them, you should use them all in your training. 

Resistance training is all about placing additional force onto your body so your body becomes more resilient at managing force. 

The truth is, that how the force is applied often doesn’t matter. Load is a force, and all forces are equal at the muscular level. So it’s more down to the practicality of the implementation. 

Kettlebells are great for single-limb explosive exercises such as swings, cleans and snatches. And, any exercise where your hand hold the load, such as rows or carries. But they become very awkward to use for things like goblet squats or upper body pushing exercises. 

Dumbbells are great for all your traditional strength exercises but are less versatile when used fast in things like a clean or swing. As much as you can use them, if you have access to both KBs and DBs, pick the tool that feels more comfortable to hold 

Barbells – these become an obvious choice when you want to go heavier at certain lifts such as squats and deadlifts. The landmine set-up makes the barbell a very versatile tool and a great addition to your training for things like shoulder pressing.

Machines – as much as some coaches like to say machines are not “functional” (which is not correct). Machines have an essential role in training. They are an obvious place to start if you are new to strength training. If you struggle to connect to a muscle, machine-based exercise can help you focus more because the coordination is removed. Additionally, towards the end of a session, when you are tired, it’s good to do exercises that are lower skill so you can get quality work out when you are fatigued.

Cables – these are great. In all of the above exercises, the load always acts on the body in a straight vertical line of force with gravity ie, you drop the weight, and it falls straight down. A cable allows you to manipulate the lines of force by adjusting the height, making the cable a very unique tool. 

As you can see, they each have their place. One bit of kit will often be superior at a particular job or a specific stage of someone’s training. No better, no worse, it all depends 

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram where I share exercise techniques, and show you how to maximise your training. I hope you enjoyed this blog post, if you have any questions I host a weekly Sunday Q&A session on my Instagram channel. Otherwise, please feel free to email me at andy@andyvincentpt.com. 

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