bench press question??

[NewMan]

ps.watch your attitude

thats laughable.

 

[Warboss Alex]

I wasn't completely joking about not doing the flat bench press, I'm not a great fan of it, and not just because I think it's an ego exercise more than anything else ("ooh, ooh, how much can you bench?").

For a powerlifter it's essential but for a bodybuilder there are better options, the reason being that (for me and a great many other people I know) the shoulders and triceps will give out before the chest will. Such is not the case with inclines and declines (bar or dumbbells), flat dumbbell press (no exercise built my chest like this one), chest dips or even chest press machines (hammer strength etc). I can do a balls-out db press set and feel it in my pecs for days afterwards, but I don't get the same feeling from the flat barbell bench.

If you want to do flat bench, do it the DC way and keep the reps higher than you would for a normal chest exercise to make sure your chest gets enough work and for safety reasons. You CAN make progress with the flat bench press but when your weights start getting up there the chances of injury are great (hence the higher reps), but have you ever heard of someone tearing a pec from an incline press?

That's my opinion and I don't think my chest development has been negatively affected in any way by sticking to db and incline/decline presses, and I've never had a chest injury either (touch wood!).

 

[BLUEox117]

dumbbells.

 

[suikeisuru]

There have been WAY too many people injured doing the flat bench press from pec tears to rotator cuff injuries. There are many other better ways to work the pecs. Flat or incline DB pressing is a good option.

 

[A-Unit]

Re:

This is a no brainer.

DB put the weight almost directly in control of the chest. Because of the framing in the BB press, the rotator cuff takes great stress. The front shoulder and triceps receive the greatest force. The range of motion is also limited. All of these factors take away the fact that any pressing move regarding the chest should be almost exclusively centered on the chest THEN the supporting muscles.

If it works out differently, what's the purpose of doing it? If it stresses your shoulders and triceps why bother? Normally they fail out before you get to max out the BB press. And it doesn't put your chest in the greatest position to exert it's force. That, and you can't go heavy @ a gym if you don't have a partner for fear of crushing your face.



A-Unit