After doing a barbell chest workout, guys felt way more tired and less recovered than after using dumbbells or a machine—even two days later—suggesting barbells leave you feeling more drained.

Scientific Claim

Resistance-trained men report lower subjective recovery (perceived physical fitness) 24 and 72 hours after barbell chest press compared to dumbbell or Smith machine chest press, with full recovery only occurring at 96 hours.

Original Statement

“Subjective physical fitness recovery was higher in the dumbbell group at 24 and 72 hours than in the barbell group (p ≤ 0.05). The effect size was small (ƒ = 0.18). The barbell group did not recover till 96 hours (χ2 = 31.33, p < 0.001).”

From study:Chest Press Exercises With Different Stability Requirements Result in Similar Muscle Damage Recovery in Resistance-Trained Men

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

definitive

Can make definitive causal claims

Assessment Explanation

The RCT design and statistical significance (p ≤ 0.05) with effect size support definitive language. The claim accurately reflects the subjective data without overgeneralization.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (0)

No supporting evidence found

Contradicting (1)

Chest Press Exercises With Different Stability Requirements Result in Similar Muscle Damage Recovery in Resistance-Trained Men

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2017 Jan

The study found that all three types of chest presses — barbell, dumbbell, and Smith machine — caused similar levels of soreness and recovery time; so the claim that barbell makes you feel worse for longer is not true.

Source Study

Chest Press Exercises With Different Stability Requirements Result in Similar Muscle Damage Recovery in Resistance-Trained Men

Score: 47

DOI: 10.1519/jsc.0000000000001453

Similar Assertions

After doing barbell chest presses, guys felt less ready to train again—even two days later—than after using dumbbells or a machine, meaning they needed an extra day to feel recovered.

87%

When trained men do different types of chest presses—using a machine, barbell, or dumbbells—their chest muscles and shoulder strength bounce back at about the same rate after a tough workout, no matter how stable the equipment is.

79%

After a really tough leg workout, trained men feel weak and tired for about 3 days, but by day 6, they start feeling better than they did before the workout.

71%

How much total weight you lift matters more for muscle damage than whether you use a barbell or dumbbells—even if one feels harder or heavier per rep.

71%

No matter which chest press they used, the guys completed almost exactly the same number of reps in every set—showing they pushed just as hard regardless of equipment.

71%