Can I Connect Dumbbells to a Bar to Make a Barbell?

Do more with the dumbbells you already own

It’s common for anyone working out at home to ask the question: if you already own dumbbells, can you turn them into a barbell? The short answer is yes—but not without the right tool.

Some people try DIY hacks like strapping dumbbells to a bar with clamps or rope. The problem? That’s unsafe, unstable, and usually doesn’t hold much weight. It might work for a quick experiment, but it’s not something you’d want to trust when squatting or pressing heavy.

This is where dumbbell-to-barbell adapters, also called dumbbell converters, come into play. These devices let you safely attach dumbbells to a bar so you can perform barbell lifts such as bench press, squats, deadlifts, curls using the weights you already have.

The Smart Solution: Dualbell

Not all converters are equal. Most are single-piece bars with dumbbell holders permanently fixed to the ends. That means no rotation, low weight limits, and no flexibility to swap in different bars like 5′, 6',  7′, or EZ curl.

Dualbell changes the game. It’s a modular system that wraps onto your dumbbells and then slides onto any 1″ diameter standard bar. It rotates smoothly, keeps the dumbbells balanced under the bar, and can handle heavy loads (up to 125 lbs per dumbbell). You can even double up two dumbbells per side if you want to push more weight.

So yes—you can connect dumbbells to a bar to make a barbell. But if you want to do it safely, effectively, and with room to grow, Dualbell is the best way to make it happen.