I can military press 100lb dumbbells (one in each hand) with ease. I've worked really hard to get up to this point, but......100lbs dumbbells are the heaviest that my gym has, so I have to move on to the barbell. Since the dumbbells isolate both shoulders, I should technically be able to military press more with the barbell than I should with dumbbells, right? Does starting off at 205 or 215 sound like a good idea? I've only been lifting (seriously) for about 2 years, so I'm still somewhat of a noob.Thanks!
Yeah, you can probably do as much as 245 lbs even In my experience (and this is none scientific at all) but in my experience, when I use barbells instead of dumbells for exercises like that (bench press, overhead press, bent over rows) - the amount of weight I can add to each side is almost identical to the weight of the dumbbells. So by that logic, you could add 100lbs to each side of a barbell, making the weight 245lbs HOWEVER, the form is slightly different, so I would advice to start at an even 200 and focus on perfecting the form. be careful with the changes. Watch your chin (you have to move your neck out of the way) and watch your back - you have to squeeze your glutes so your lower back doesn't arch. Also watch the positioning of your hands on the barbell as its slightly different. A narrower grip will work your shoulders primarily, but hit your triceps quite hard. A wider grip will work your shoulders and your upper chest the most.
