[kittu]

For maximalstrength, barbells are undoubtedly the best. Nothing really compares in intensity to deadlifting 700lb from the floor or squatting with 600lb on your back. You'll never be able to achieve similar strength levels with just dumbbells or bodyweight exercises (certain gymnastic moves — iron crosses, levers/planches, one arm handstands, one arm muscle-ups, etc. — require tremendous levels of high body tension but it's still not the same). If you want to be strong — really strong — you'll need a heavy external object of some sort.

[Eithe]

Barbells are unmatched for maximal strength due to progressive overload potential. Bodyweight and dumbbells build impressive strength too, but reaching extreme levels typically requires heavy external loading like squats and deadlifts.

[Theithese]

I spent years doing just heavy dumbbells and bodyweight exercises in my garage, but I eventually hit a stubborn plateau. You really just cannot replicate the raw central nervous system output of a heavy barbell deadlift or squat. I recently decided to upgrade my setup with a proper Olympic bar and bumper plates. Getting them delivered was a whole saga, though! One of the heavy boxes got stuck in transit from Europe, and I ended up browsing https://postnl.pissedconsumer.com/customer-service.html while trying to figure out international freight tracking. Once the gear finally arrived and I got under the bar, my strength numbers shot up almost immediately.