Thread: What is your Opinion on this Article? Written by Dr.Clay Hyght

I think its kinda overrated, there are other similar movements that will do a lot for you. Its still a great movement though.

I think the problem is that people do it with their arms at a 90 degree angle from their torso which does have a higher probability of causing shoulder problems.

The solution is not to cut it out altogether, its to do the movement properly.

In fact, if you perform the bench press in the manner that most people do, it's not even very good at stimulating the pecs.


Right...all I do for chest is flat bench and DB Incline and my chest blows up from it.

The article is completely right.

(Except 'as most people do it' should be 'when using proper form'. Those are not the same, because most people have a shitty form so that the pecs do get stimulated maximally. Of course, as is the case with all compound exercises, chest hyperthrophy will occur.)

Originally Posted by Gazhole

I think the problem is that people do it with their arms at a 90 degree angle from their torso which does have a higher probability of causing shoulder problems.

The solution is not to cut it out altogether, its to do the movement properly.

Bingo! You've hit the nail right on the head.

and as for benching not building big pecs, haha well I'd disagree.

Tuck those elbows when benching. Pull the shoulder blades in together and take the stress of those shoulders. Also, people neglect their rotator cuffs too much . Predisposed weaknesses

Originally Posted by akiss49ers

4) The bench press does not build big pecs!

The bench press is the most overrated exercise of all time. In fact, if you perform the bench press in the manner that most people do, it's not even very good at stimulating the pecs.

To make matters worse, other docs I've talked to concur with my observation that the flat barbell bench press is positively correlated with a number of shoulder injuries like AC joint problems, biciptal tendonitis, and torn pecs. (I'm referring to tendonitis of the long head of the biceps tendon where it slides through the biciptal groove on the head of the humerus — essentially a shoulder problem.)

I'm not saying to never do the bench press; I'm just saying that I wouldn't do it any more than any other chest exercise. Actually, I'd probably do it less than most others.

I think it's partially correct, not completely.

its hard for me to put too much into this article considering my chest has pretty much blown up from benching. There are other excellent lifts for your chest, but I dont know how anyone could expect to gain size on their chest without having the bench press as one of their lifts. just my two cents.

The bench is a great exercise because it allows you to efficiently training all of the major pressing muscles of the upper body. There are other exercises which are equally effective, but that doesn't preclude the bench from being a good exercise.

I'm not saying to never do the bench press; I'm just saying that I wouldn't do it any more than any other chest exercise. Actually, I'd probably do it less than most others.

The phrase everyone seems to have missed.

Originally Posted by Witchblade

I'm not saying to never do the bench press; I'm just saying that I wouldn't do it any more than any other chest exercise. Actually, I'd probably do it less than most others.

The phrase everyone seems to have missed.

I'd still disagree. I don't do any other chest movement except bench. I might do a set of flyes every once in a great while. 99% of it though it flat bench

You're a powerlifter though, right Travis? Powerlifters have all the reason in the world to bench.