Alison Kotch from Men's Fitness interviewed me for an article on Sculpting Her Five Favorite Body Parts. The article focuses on body weight exercises to develop the muscles women like. Check it out when you get a chance.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Men's Fitness: Sculpt Her 5 Favorite Body Parts
Alison Kotch from Men's Fitness interviewed me for an article on Sculpting Her Five Favorite Body Parts. The article focuses on body weight exercises to develop the muscles women like. Check it out when you get a chance.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
CKD's for the Police Academy?
"Hello James, I have some diet questions: I am 6'2" and 280 pounds. I have lost 40 lbs so far that has been from fasting. I started hitting the gym and jogging. I have been reading about Ketone diets. Is this something that you would recommend for me? I am trying to prepare for the Police Academy. Do you have any advice? I would love any feed back. Thanks, keep up all the good work."
-MV
My Answer: Although ketogenic diets are excellent diets for fat loss, they're not the greatest diets for athletic training, such as preparing for the police academy. The reason is two-fold:
1) Carbs are the primary fuel source for explosive bursts of energy. Ketones just aren't that great of a fuel source when it comes to athletics.
2) Carbs are stored in your muscles as glycogen, and glycogen retains a lot of water. This water retention helps with lubrication of your joints, which is helpful when you're doing PT/DT (physical training, defensive tactics) in the academy.
Nevertheless, a cyclical ketogenic diet can help you lose a lot of fat while retaining muscle. It depends on how far off the academy is. If you have more than a month before the academy starts, then try the CKD and lose as much fat as you can. If you're starting the academy in January 2010, then keep doing what you're doing that's working. The academy is not the time to change things up and start experimenting.
Fasting is OK. Old-time bodybuilders have been known to fast from time to time to detoxify their digestive systems from phases of heavy meat eating. But don't fast for too long, since you'll lose a lot of muscle mass. Muscle is the engine that burns fuel (fat), and you want to maintain that larger engine to burn more fuel. If you fast for too long, then your body breaks down muscle (a process known as catabolism) and you end up with a slower metabolism because your "engine" is now smaller.
A better way to detoxify your body is to do protein pulsing. This is similar to the Warrior Diet, where you fast throughout the day and eat one large meal for dinner. Instead of fasting throughout the day, however, just eat a lot of salads, fruits, nuts and seeds. Drink coffee in the morning, green tea and water throughout the day. For dinner, eat a regular meal.
In other words, follow a low carb, low calorie vegetarian diet throughout the day, then eat whatever you want (within reason of course) for dinner. This is a far better way to detoxify your body and lose weight in the long run than fasting, because it mitigates hunger to some degree and doesn't put your body in a catabolic state.
-MV
My Answer: Although ketogenic diets are excellent diets for fat loss, they're not the greatest diets for athletic training, such as preparing for the police academy. The reason is two-fold:
1) Carbs are the primary fuel source for explosive bursts of energy. Ketones just aren't that great of a fuel source when it comes to athletics.
2) Carbs are stored in your muscles as glycogen, and glycogen retains a lot of water. This water retention helps with lubrication of your joints, which is helpful when you're doing PT/DT (physical training, defensive tactics) in the academy.
Nevertheless, a cyclical ketogenic diet can help you lose a lot of fat while retaining muscle. It depends on how far off the academy is. If you have more than a month before the academy starts, then try the CKD and lose as much fat as you can. If you're starting the academy in January 2010, then keep doing what you're doing that's working. The academy is not the time to change things up and start experimenting.
Fasting is OK. Old-time bodybuilders have been known to fast from time to time to detoxify their digestive systems from phases of heavy meat eating. But don't fast for too long, since you'll lose a lot of muscle mass. Muscle is the engine that burns fuel (fat), and you want to maintain that larger engine to burn more fuel. If you fast for too long, then your body breaks down muscle (a process known as catabolism) and you end up with a slower metabolism because your "engine" is now smaller.
A better way to detoxify your body is to do protein pulsing. This is similar to the Warrior Diet, where you fast throughout the day and eat one large meal for dinner. Instead of fasting throughout the day, however, just eat a lot of salads, fruits, nuts and seeds. Drink coffee in the morning, green tea and water throughout the day. For dinner, eat a regular meal.
In other words, follow a low carb, low calorie vegetarian diet throughout the day, then eat whatever you want (within reason of course) for dinner. This is a far better way to detoxify your body and lose weight in the long run than fasting, because it mitigates hunger to some degree and doesn't put your body in a catabolic state.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Simple, Basic Powerlifting
"James, I also read your program called strength training for the police officer. I currently work for ICE/DRO. I don’t know if you had a chance to meet any officers from my agency, but in a nutshell we are the marshals of Immigration & Customs Enforcement. We do work in correctional environments as well as fugitive operations. Could you provide a simple and basic power lifting program to follow?"
Thank you very much and stay safe.
-CB
My Answer: Simple? Basic? You can't get simpler than the 3-5 Power Periodization program. If you want to adapt this program for powerlifting, then simply substitute the competition lifts (bench press, squat, deadlift) and assistance lifts, but stick to the basic parameters:
Weeks 1 and 2: 5x5, 3 minutes rest, 5 days a week
Week 3: 3x3, 5 minutes rest, 3 days a week
Also, don't do squats and deadlifts in the same workout. Alternate between the 2 from workout to workout for your legs. Test for your 1RM during Week 4.
Thank you very much and stay safe.
-CB
My Answer: Simple? Basic? You can't get simpler than the 3-5 Power Periodization program. If you want to adapt this program for powerlifting, then simply substitute the competition lifts (bench press, squat, deadlift) and assistance lifts, but stick to the basic parameters:
Weeks 1 and 2: 5x5, 3 minutes rest, 5 days a week
Week 3: 3x3, 5 minutes rest, 3 days a week
Also, don't do squats and deadlifts in the same workout. Alternate between the 2 from workout to workout for your legs. Test for your 1RM during Week 4.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
New Article at Bodybuilding.com
Just a quick update: I have a new article at Bodybuilding.com, an online reprint of my Planet Muscle article "Power Bodybuilding." The article addresses training for the entire strength spectrum: explosive power, maximal strength, hypertrophy and strength endurance. Also, Tactics and Strategies is currently unavailable. It'll be re-released soon with some additional chapters, including a chapter on ab training, which a lot of readers have been asking for.
Hey James,
I've just recently started following your blog and I have to say, it's a great source of information.
As a hard gainer, I was particularly interested in reading what you had to say in the 10-8-6-15 pyramid article.
I have a couple of queries. While I am a hard gainer, I have worked out on and off for about 3 or 4 years. My gains have been fairly minimal over the course of that time because I wasn't attending to my diet in the way I should have been and also, I generally did 4 day split type programs with short rest periods and really fried whatever muscle I was working on that particular day. I now realise I was probably overtraining.
You mention the 10-8-6-15 program is for those at a "young" training age (whether newbies or ectomorphs). Do you think the program is also applicable to someone like myself with a few years experience and a little bit of muscle? Are you suggesting that ectomorphs ALWAYS need to train with the big compound movements (avoiding the isolation exercises), using only one exercise per body part with longer rest periods? Should more experienced ectomorphs always adhere to this advice too or should we be looking to incorporate programs with isolation movements, splits, shorter rest periods (or are all those no-no's for us too)?
I have one more question, this time regarding the issue of diet whether on a bulk or a cut.
In my previous email to you I mentioned I was an ectomorph. This is only half the truth, as it seems I'm skinny fat.
I recently learned of the importance of diet when trying to achieve any aims regarding physique. I've heard that if you want to cut fat subtract 500 cals from your daily BMR and if you want to add muscle add 500 (with a good split between proteins, carbs and fat. I usually go 30%, 50%, 20%).
During the summer I followed a program paying attention to calorie intake for the first time, and I had great results. Lost 14 or 15 lbs over the course of about 6 or 7 weeks. Most of it was fat but I did lose 4 or 5lbs of muscle too. Got body fat down to about 15 or 16% from about 21%.
This was phase one of a long term project. My aim is to eventually get down to 10-12% body fat ,but I couldn't keep cutting as I was looking a little gaunt given my slight frame. So I decided I'd try a bulking program to add some muscle. So, I upped my calories (BMR +500 cals). I embarked on a strength routine (which I heard was a good choice for ectos given the compound movements and long rest times). I'm four weeks in and my strength has gone up and I've gained weight. Problem is, I've put on plenty of fat (ratio of fat to muscle gained is about 1.5:1). This has me a little worried and I'm thinking I just don't have the metabolism for these extra calories.
Maybe a more conservative bulking diet would help (BMR +200 cals)??? What would you recommend? As I said, it's very frustrating because I need to bulk up but if every time I do it it means putting on fat I lost during my cutting phase, then what's the point? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
Thomas
My Answer: I think everybody, not just ectomorphs, can gain more muscle if they adhere to the principles in the 10-8-6-15 article. This doesn't mean everybody should follow this particular program all the time. But if you follow the principles of brief but frequent training with one exercise per body part, then you will gain and maintain muscle much better than a split routine with multiple exercises for each body part.
Rest periods are flexible. You rest briefly during density phases where you're pushing your muscles to the limit. You rest for 3 minutes or longer for decompression phases where you pull back on your training and allow your body to overcompensate and grow.
But the principles of frequent training (hitting each body part directly or indirectly 3 times per week) and focused training (one or two exercises per body part) is at the core of all my programs. The Neo-Classical program has workouts which allow for multiple exercises for each body part, but this is because the Neo-Classical program is meant for advanced bodybuilders.
The Neo-Classical program also has a hybrid design with regards to frequency. In other words, it is a combination of a full body routine and a split routine. I devote a whole chapter to this hybrid design in Strength and Physique Volume One.
With regard to diet, I prefer to pay attention to macronutrient profiles as opposed to calorie intake. You should still follow bulking and cutting phases, but during your bulking phase follow a macronutrient profile of 33% protein, 33% carbs and 33% fat or something close to this ratio.
During your cutting phase, follow 60% fat, 30% protein and 10% carbs. Those carbs should be from primarily greens. So to sum up, follow a higher calorie Zone diet to bulk for a couple weeks, then follow an Atkins diet for a couple of weeks.
A great service to use that's free is Fit Day. It allows you to analyze your diet and observe both your calorie intake and your macronutrient profile.
Hey James,
I've just recently started following your blog and I have to say, it's a great source of information.
As a hard gainer, I was particularly interested in reading what you had to say in the 10-8-6-15 pyramid article.
I have a couple of queries. While I am a hard gainer, I have worked out on and off for about 3 or 4 years. My gains have been fairly minimal over the course of that time because I wasn't attending to my diet in the way I should have been and also, I generally did 4 day split type programs with short rest periods and really fried whatever muscle I was working on that particular day. I now realise I was probably overtraining.
You mention the 10-8-6-15 program is for those at a "young" training age (whether newbies or ectomorphs). Do you think the program is also applicable to someone like myself with a few years experience and a little bit of muscle? Are you suggesting that ectomorphs ALWAYS need to train with the big compound movements (avoiding the isolation exercises), using only one exercise per body part with longer rest periods? Should more experienced ectomorphs always adhere to this advice too or should we be looking to incorporate programs with isolation movements, splits, shorter rest periods (or are all those no-no's for us too)?
I have one more question, this time regarding the issue of diet whether on a bulk or a cut.
In my previous email to you I mentioned I was an ectomorph. This is only half the truth, as it seems I'm skinny fat.
I recently learned of the importance of diet when trying to achieve any aims regarding physique. I've heard that if you want to cut fat subtract 500 cals from your daily BMR and if you want to add muscle add 500 (with a good split between proteins, carbs and fat. I usually go 30%, 50%, 20%).
During the summer I followed a program paying attention to calorie intake for the first time, and I had great results. Lost 14 or 15 lbs over the course of about 6 or 7 weeks. Most of it was fat but I did lose 4 or 5lbs of muscle too. Got body fat down to about 15 or 16% from about 21%.
This was phase one of a long term project. My aim is to eventually get down to 10-12% body fat ,but I couldn't keep cutting as I was looking a little gaunt given my slight frame. So I decided I'd try a bulking program to add some muscle. So, I upped my calories (BMR +500 cals). I embarked on a strength routine (which I heard was a good choice for ectos given the compound movements and long rest times). I'm four weeks in and my strength has gone up and I've gained weight. Problem is, I've put on plenty of fat (ratio of fat to muscle gained is about 1.5:1). This has me a little worried and I'm thinking I just don't have the metabolism for these extra calories.
Maybe a more conservative bulking diet would help (BMR +200 cals)??? What would you recommend? As I said, it's very frustrating because I need to bulk up but if every time I do it it means putting on fat I lost during my cutting phase, then what's the point? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
Thomas
My Answer: I think everybody, not just ectomorphs, can gain more muscle if they adhere to the principles in the 10-8-6-15 article. This doesn't mean everybody should follow this particular program all the time. But if you follow the principles of brief but frequent training with one exercise per body part, then you will gain and maintain muscle much better than a split routine with multiple exercises for each body part.
Rest periods are flexible. You rest briefly during density phases where you're pushing your muscles to the limit. You rest for 3 minutes or longer for decompression phases where you pull back on your training and allow your body to overcompensate and grow.
But the principles of frequent training (hitting each body part directly or indirectly 3 times per week) and focused training (one or two exercises per body part) is at the core of all my programs. The Neo-Classical program has workouts which allow for multiple exercises for each body part, but this is because the Neo-Classical program is meant for advanced bodybuilders.
The Neo-Classical program also has a hybrid design with regards to frequency. In other words, it is a combination of a full body routine and a split routine. I devote a whole chapter to this hybrid design in Strength and Physique Volume One.
With regard to diet, I prefer to pay attention to macronutrient profiles as opposed to calorie intake. You should still follow bulking and cutting phases, but during your bulking phase follow a macronutrient profile of 33% protein, 33% carbs and 33% fat or something close to this ratio.
During your cutting phase, follow 60% fat, 30% protein and 10% carbs. Those carbs should be from primarily greens. So to sum up, follow a higher calorie Zone diet to bulk for a couple weeks, then follow an Atkins diet for a couple of weeks.
A great service to use that's free is Fit Day. It allows you to analyze your diet and observe both your calorie intake and your macronutrient profile.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Making Better Choices While Eating Out
"I am a police officer in a small town and I am starting your strength training for the law enforcement warrior program. My goal I would like to achieve out of this program is to better my appearance in uniform. I would like to gain muscle and lose fat. I am 28 yrs old approximately 5' 8" and 145lbs with a relatively high metabolism. Only until recently have I began to gain fat weight around my mid section.
"As a cop you realize that I don't have the opportunity to eat where and when I please and usually I just bite and swallow my food. My question I would like to ask is, what would you suggest as a nutritional program for this type of workout?
"I do work day shift which gives me the opportunity to eat breakfast around 9:00am and then I eat lunch anywhere between 11:30 and 1:30. I then come home and eat again around 5:00 to 7:00pm.
"We have a Dairy Queen, Pizza buffet, Subway, Chinese restaurant, and a soul food dinner in the town I work in. I normally eat one of the above and rarely if ever bring my food from home. On a cops salary I do not have the money to buy all those fancy meals and usually I don't know how to make or cook them if I did have the money.
"Do you know of a relatively cheap easy meal plan for dummies that would allow me to eat nutritiously for this workout that I am starting to do?"
Thank you for your time and patience,
Detective Wilkes Fraser
Wrightsville Police Department
My Answer: Oh it's tough being a lawman going from case to case, lead to lead and eating when you can. When aspects of your life are not under your control, such as diet and time, then you really don't have control over the outcome with regards to your physique. So I strongly suggest you learn how to cook or at least pack cold meals. That way you control what you eat.
With you at 5'8" 145 lbs. with some midsection fat, I'd say you're heading toward the skinny/fat look. Essentially you're an ectomorph with some belly fat, which is a result of physical and mental stress (duh! you're a cop) and poor diet. You can't control the stress you get, only how you react to it.
What you can control is your diet, so I suggest you eliminate as many white carbs from your diet as possible. That means no sugar, bread, pastas, fries, potatoes, rice, alcohol, etc. Your body is producing a lot of cortisol due to the stress, so you're not able metabolize carbs very well, which is why it's being dumped as fat around your midsection.
Of course, given your list of restaurants, easier said than done. For breakfast, have eggs in any form. Bacon and sausage are fine, but no cereal, hash browns or toast. Coffee (no sugar) is fine.
For lunch, eat a protein portion with a vegetable portion, but no starchy carbs, no soft drinks. So if you eat at the Chinese restaurant or soul food place, meat and veggies would be fine, but rice, noodles and corn bread would not. Dinner: same thing.
Be sure to drink lots of water throughout the day to alleviate the detrimental effects of cortisol on your health. Strength and Physique V1 has a chapter on diet, so be sure to look into that.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Decent Physique on Calisthenics Only
"You've got a nice [YouTube] channel here. As I love doing pull ups, I decided to write a message to you. I'm wondering if it's possible to build a decent upper body without working out at the gym? I've seen something called 'Calisthenics' training which is based only on the weight of your own body. Those guys who use mostly bars in parks are really built.
"So what do you think? Is it possible to build a decent muscled body and make the whole upper body strong with only pull ups and some push ups?
"I've been doing pull ups for about 18 months so far. In the begining I couldn't do a single pull up. Now it's about 17 reps, but I use additional burden (2 dumbbells, 5 kgs each) so that is 10 extra kgs total. I do 5 series (10, 7, 6, 6, 5) as the 'Recon pull up program' says 3 times a week. In another 2 days I train biceps, triceps and few other parts of my body with push ups, chest expander, etc.
"People say it's not possible to go too far without working out at the gym on all those different devices. Well unlike them I think differently. In my opinion all I need to look decent in the future is just keep doing my work. Because it is all about working on your body for a long time. Effects will come with time, won't they?
"One more thing: I heard the age of 35/36 is the moment when the body starts getting weaker. Of course if someone had never been working on his body before he will get stronger if he start training. But what if someone is in great shape already? I heard it's hella hard to make any progress, keep the same results or have low body fat after this age. As you are 39 years old did you notice any changes lately? I'm 19 years old so I'm just curious."
- Piotr
My Answer: HOW DARE YOU POINT OUT MY OLD AGE YOU YOUNG WHIPPER SNAPPER!!!
Yeah it's not like as soon as you hit 35/36 a timer goes off and your hair falls off your head, your gut expands to enormous proportions and your nuts shrink to the size of raisins. Aging tends to be gradual, and it depends on if you eat right and get lots of sleep and exercise. If you keep training, and training right, then you will get stronger as you age. This is partly why powerlifters tend to peak much later than other athletes. Strength is simply about practice and conditioning your nervous system through repeated effort. If you keep practicing over the years, then you will get stronger.
As far as your physique, that's also dependent on whether or not you consistently train and eat right. If you overeat the wrong foods, then yes you will age and age rapidly. I'm 39, but I maintain my physique through consistent strength training and eating a diet that is calorically low but nutrient dense.
Have I gotten weaker and less solid over the years? Yes, but not because I'm getting older. I switched from a high calorie/high protein diet to a near vegetarian diet (calorically low, nutrient dense) and that has caused me to lose muscle mass and strength.
Anyway, to answer your question "Can you build decent strength and physique on calisthenics only?"
Yes you can build a decent physique if you include enough variation in your exercises. So if you're doing pull-ups, then rotate through various grips and widths. Try harder pull-up variations such as the sternum pull-up, the mixed grip chin-up and the subscapularis pull-up.
For the chest and triceps, then do dips and DIFFICULT pushups variations, such as the side to side pushup.
Now having a decent physique is not the same as having the ultimate physique. If you want the ultimate physique, then you'll need to go to the gym and train with a variety of equipment. But if you're satisfied with a decent physique, then moderately difficult calisthenics will develop one. In Neo-Classical Bodybuilding, I devote a whole chapter to bodyweight training.
"So what do you think? Is it possible to build a decent muscled body and make the whole upper body strong with only pull ups and some push ups?
"I've been doing pull ups for about 18 months so far. In the begining I couldn't do a single pull up. Now it's about 17 reps, but I use additional burden (2 dumbbells, 5 kgs each) so that is 10 extra kgs total. I do 5 series (10, 7, 6, 6, 5) as the 'Recon pull up program' says 3 times a week. In another 2 days I train biceps, triceps and few other parts of my body with push ups, chest expander, etc.
"People say it's not possible to go too far without working out at the gym on all those different devices. Well unlike them I think differently. In my opinion all I need to look decent in the future is just keep doing my work. Because it is all about working on your body for a long time. Effects will come with time, won't they?
"One more thing: I heard the age of 35/36 is the moment when the body starts getting weaker. Of course if someone had never been working on his body before he will get stronger if he start training. But what if someone is in great shape already? I heard it's hella hard to make any progress, keep the same results or have low body fat after this age. As you are 39 years old did you notice any changes lately? I'm 19 years old so I'm just curious."
- Piotr
My Answer: HOW DARE YOU POINT OUT MY OLD AGE YOU YOUNG WHIPPER SNAPPER!!!
Yeah it's not like as soon as you hit 35/36 a timer goes off and your hair falls off your head, your gut expands to enormous proportions and your nuts shrink to the size of raisins. Aging tends to be gradual, and it depends on if you eat right and get lots of sleep and exercise. If you keep training, and training right, then you will get stronger as you age. This is partly why powerlifters tend to peak much later than other athletes. Strength is simply about practice and conditioning your nervous system through repeated effort. If you keep practicing over the years, then you will get stronger.
As far as your physique, that's also dependent on whether or not you consistently train and eat right. If you overeat the wrong foods, then yes you will age and age rapidly. I'm 39, but I maintain my physique through consistent strength training and eating a diet that is calorically low but nutrient dense.
Have I gotten weaker and less solid over the years? Yes, but not because I'm getting older. I switched from a high calorie/high protein diet to a near vegetarian diet (calorically low, nutrient dense) and that has caused me to lose muscle mass and strength.
Anyway, to answer your question "Can you build decent strength and physique on calisthenics only?"
Yes you can build a decent physique if you include enough variation in your exercises. So if you're doing pull-ups, then rotate through various grips and widths. Try harder pull-up variations such as the sternum pull-up, the mixed grip chin-up and the subscapularis pull-up.
For the chest and triceps, then do dips and DIFFICULT pushups variations, such as the side to side pushup.
Now having a decent physique is not the same as having the ultimate physique. If you want the ultimate physique, then you'll need to go to the gym and train with a variety of equipment. But if you're satisfied with a decent physique, then moderately difficult calisthenics will develop one. In Neo-Classical Bodybuilding, I devote a whole chapter to bodyweight training.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Heavy Dumbbell Bench Presses for the Chest
"I am following your Shotgun program, and after 6 weeks I'm in love with it. I do really like the template, and the possibility to choose exercises for the troubleshooting days.
"However I have a question about the shotgun movement of the third day, the bench press. I found that even if I lift a lot less with the dumbbell bench press (52 lbs) than the barbell bench press (132 lbs), my pecs are much more sore the next day with dumbbells.
"Is the dumbbell bench press intense enough to be a shotgun movement? Can it help increase strength (and eventually mass) as much as barbell? I'm working with the format 6x3. Thanks in advance for your input."
Regards,
Guillaume
My Answer- Yes the dumbbell press performed in a 6x3 format would qualify as a Shotgun movement. Even though you are using less weight on the dumbbell bench press as opposed to the barbell bench press, the dumbbell version is superior for hypertrophy for 2 reasons:
1) There is a greater range of motion with the dumbbell bench press. Whereas the movement stops at the bottom of the bench press when the barbell touches your chest, the weights will go past your chest in the dumbbell version. This will give you a greater stretch in the pecs, and stretching a muscle under high tension (i.e. heavy weight) will induce greater muscular size.
2) Dumbbell movements require greater stabilization from the muscles being worked. In other words, your chest, triceps and stabilizer muscles have to work much harder to move heavy dumbbells in a straight line as opposed to a barbell.
In general, heavy dumbbell movements are superior to barbell movements for hypertrophy for the upper body.
"However I have a question about the shotgun movement of the third day, the bench press. I found that even if I lift a lot less with the dumbbell bench press (52 lbs) than the barbell bench press (132 lbs), my pecs are much more sore the next day with dumbbells.
"Is the dumbbell bench press intense enough to be a shotgun movement? Can it help increase strength (and eventually mass) as much as barbell? I'm working with the format 6x3. Thanks in advance for your input."
Regards,
Guillaume
My Answer- Yes the dumbbell press performed in a 6x3 format would qualify as a Shotgun movement. Even though you are using less weight on the dumbbell bench press as opposed to the barbell bench press, the dumbbell version is superior for hypertrophy for 2 reasons:
1) There is a greater range of motion with the dumbbell bench press. Whereas the movement stops at the bottom of the bench press when the barbell touches your chest, the weights will go past your chest in the dumbbell version. This will give you a greater stretch in the pecs, and stretching a muscle under high tension (i.e. heavy weight) will induce greater muscular size.
2) Dumbbell movements require greater stabilization from the muscles being worked. In other words, your chest, triceps and stabilizer muscles have to work much harder to move heavy dumbbells in a straight line as opposed to a barbell.
In general, heavy dumbbell movements are superior to barbell movements for hypertrophy for the upper body.
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