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Dumbbell to barbell converter
What the dumbbells you use mean on a barbell, and the other way round.
Short answer: Two dumbbells is simply twice the weight of one. For the flat bench press, one small study found the dumbbell one-rep max was about 80% of the barbell one-rep max, so a barbell target is roughly your dumbbell total divided by 0.8. No published conversion exists for other lifts.
Roughly 52.5–67.5 kg on the barbell, around 60 kg.
- Start here
- 52.5 kg
- Estimated range
- 52.5–67.5 kg
That is an estimate from one small unpublished study in young men, not a rule. Load the lower end of the range for your first barbell session and have a spotter or safety pins in place.
Two 24 kg dumbbells is 48 kg in your hands. An unpublished master's thesis (Jackson, 2012) found the dumbbell bench press one-rep max was about 80% of the barbell bench press one-rep max in 56 men aged 18 to 28, with an average prediction error of about 6.5 kg — the width of the range shown. It compared one-rep maxes, not working sets, so treat it as a starting point only. Educational estimate for adults aged 18+. Not medical advice.
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Educational information for adults aged 18 and over. It does not diagnose, treat or manage any medical condition. If you have a health condition, or symptoms that worry you, speak to your doctor or a health professional.