Snap city is a reference to going to heavy and snapping something off. It's a joke, but basically don't go too heavy.
Any beginner linear progression program worth a damn will have you using a barbell. You cannot make progressive gains without gradually loading more and more weight, thereby introducing more stress to your system causing adaptation, if you do not use a barbell. Dumbbells don't come in small enough increments and, even then, don't allow you to do program properly. Even if you're wanting to do curls, barbell curls (pronated and supinated grip) are great for increasing bicep strength and hypertrophy.
