To touch the chest or to not touch the chest?

[mikecc]

Hey guys, I work out with my friends. I have made great gains in everything, but my friends and I constantly disagree on one key thing: touching the chest when benching. When I bench, I bring it down slow, touch the chest, careful not to bounce, and bring it back up. My friends however, are much skinnier than I am, and are a little bit taller than I am, and insist that they have "to do more work" when they touch their chests, and their "chests deflate" as soon as they touch their chest because they do not have as much mass. Because of these factors, they go down to about 2-4 inches above their chest.

Who has it right?

 

[min0 lee]

Touch but not bounce.

 

[P-funk]

they are right, they have to do more work to perform a correct repetition (longer levers). But, the proper form is to touch the chest so tell them to quit being a bunch of fucking pussies and start lifting weights. Then make fun of their bird chests by saying that they do half reps and have only half a chest. They call them a bunch of bitches and find new friends.

 

[silencer]

Maybe your friends should lift lighter weights if they can't bring it down to their chests....

 

[PreMier]

they are right, they have to do more work to perform a correct repetition (longer levers). But, the proper form is to touch the chest so tell them to quit being a bunch of fucking pussies and start lifting weights. Then make fun of their bird chests by saying that they do half reps and have only half a chest. They call them a bunch of bitches and find new friends.

Fucking classic!!!!!!!!!

 

[kicka19]

they are right, they have to do more work to perform a correct repetition (longer levers). But, the proper form is to touch the chest so tell them to quit being a bunch of fucking pussies and start lifting weights. Then make fun of their bird chests by saying that they do half reps and have only half a chest. They call them a bunch of bitches and find new friends.

 

[PreMier]

Bird chests!!!!!!!!!

 

[BritChick]

Touch but not bounce.

 

[LAM]

agree with P-funk. what a bunch of pussies.

 

[CowPimp]

Definitely use a full range of motion. The only reason not to use a full range of motion is because of an existing injury or perhaps a lack of flexibility that needs to be addressed in order to allow a full range of motion.

 

[Gym_Maniac]

touching the chest means full ROM, full ROM means better growth and less injury, tell your friend that.

make sure you don't bounce, a lot of people bounce at the bottom without even realizing. it's actually hard to eliminate all momentum and not bounce, this is something you have to learn in order to gain better control.

 

[The13ig13adWolf]

they are right, they have to do more work to perform a correct repetition (longer levers). But, the proper form is to touch the chest so tell them to quit being a bunch of fucking pussies and start lifting weights. Then make fun of their bird chests by saying that they do half reps and have only half a chest. They call them a bunch of bitches and find new friends.

 

[The Monkey Man]

A bench press in competition, is a touch and a pause waiting for a REF
give the command to perform the lift...

So, if you don't count your max with a pause on the chest, then thats not your max -

 

[Dale Mabry]

They should touch the bar to the underwire in their training bras, and then go out for white wine spritzers.

 

[Tough Old Man]

I fall into the pussy catergory. Because of using heavy weights and once tearing a pec from the full Roms, I now place a folded towel on my chest. I slowly lower, touch the towel and then finish the lift.

So I'll be a pussy here. Let one of you tear a pec one day and we'll see if my way of thinking doesn't change your way of thinking sometime in the future.

I could give a shit less who believes me, but heavy flat bench presses taken to a full stretch at the bottom of the lift can result in a torn pec muscle.

 

[Dale Mabry]

I fall into the pussy catergory. Because of using heavy weights and once tearing a pec from the full Roms, I now place a folded towel on my chest. I slowly lower, touch the towel and then finish the lift.

So I'll be a pussy here. Let one of you tear a pec one day and we'll see if my way of thinking doesn't change your way of thinking sometime in the future.

I could give a shit less who believes me, but heavy flat bench presses taken to a full stretch at the bottom of the lift can result in a torn pec muscle.

I agree only to the extent that the person in question either has not used that range of motion for a very long time, or is progressing too quickly either thru sheer determination or endocrine enhancement.

 

[The Monkey Man]

So if you are a BB, or an apparently not-so-tough old man,
Don't worry about touching the chest...

And if you want strength, or are into competition,
then go all the way down to the chest with the bar.

 

[Stu]

If you are a bodybuilder you should be predominantely using a full ROM, the only time i can think why you might not want to touch your chest with the bar is if you feel you cant keep the weight under constant tention or you are doing partial reps.

 

[strongpointe85]

they are right, they have to do more work to perform a correct repetition (longer levers). But, the proper form is to touch the chest so tell them to quit being a bunch of fucking pussies and start lifting weights. Then make fun of their bird chests by saying that they do half reps and have only half a chest. They call them a bunch of bitches and find new friends.

They should touch the bar to the underwire in their training bras, and then go out for white wine spritzers.

ROFL... u guys make me laugh so hard hahahahahah

 

[dougnukem]

I never touch my chest! Ha, that's because I use DBs.
No, seriously, I've felt that the extra inch or 2 above the chest is good for me, as if I go any lower, I feel some nasty pains in my shoulder joint. Hence, why i switched to DBs in the first place.

 

[P-funk]

I fall into the pussy catergory. Because of using heavy weights and once tearing a pec from the full Roms, I now place a folded towel on my chest. I slowly lower, touch the towel and then finish the lift.

So I'll be a pussy here. Let one of you tear a pec one day and we'll see if my way of thinking doesn't change your way of thinking sometime in the future.

I could give a shit less who believes me, but heavy flat bench presses taken to a full stretch at the bottom of the lift can result in a torn pec muscle.

If you have an injury going all the way down isn't the best idea. I put a towel on my chest as a target for an client that i have that is re-habing after rotator cuff surgery.

 

[CowPimp]

I fall into the pussy catergory. Because of using heavy weights and once tearing a pec from the full Roms, I now place a folded towel on my chest. I slowly lower, touch the towel and then finish the lift.

So I'll be a pussy here. Let one of you tear a pec one day and we'll see if my way of thinking doesn't change your way of thinking sometime in the future.

I could give a shit less who believes me, but heavy flat bench presses taken to a full stretch at the bottom of the lift can result in a torn pec muscle.

Yeah, like I said, don't use a full range of motion unless you have an existing injury, which is the case with you. In such a case, I would suggest using your functional range of motion (As far as you can go without pain).

Your pec tear could be the result of a lack of flexibility or an amazingly fast progression in weight. Even if you are taking special supplements, I still say you should play it safe in terms of progression.

 

[Hlanderr]

i bet half you guys who touch your chest bounce it off

i dont touch my chest, but come within an inch of doing so, and slow the rep to make sure of this..... any touch changes momentum... in my opinion id rather keep it just above the chest

i dont see whats so fucking funny either.... they are a bunch of kids...... skinny kids, which implys new to lifting.... they arent fucking pussies
their full ROM is like 2 feet, and your calling them pussies for stopping 11/12th's of the way?

stop trying to act like tough guys...

 

[Stu]

i bet half you guys who touch your chest bounce it off

i dont touch my chest, but come within an inch of doing so, and slow the rep to make sure of this..... any touch changes momentum... in my opinion id rather keep it just above the chest

i dont see whats so fucking funny either.... they are a bunch of kids...... skinny kids, which implys new to lifting.... they arent fucking pussies
their full ROM is like 2 feet, and your calling them pussies for stopping 11/12th's of the way?

stop trying to act like tough guys...

pussy!

 

[CowPimp]

i bet half you guys who touch your chest bounce it off

i dont touch my chest, but come within an inch of doing so, and slow the rep to make sure of this..... any touch changes momentum... in my opinion id rather keep it just above the chest

i dont see whats so fucking funny either.... they are a bunch of kids...... skinny kids, which implys new to lifting.... they arent fucking pussies
their full ROM is like 2 feet, and your calling them pussies for stopping 11/12th's of the way?

stop trying to act like tough guys...

Yes, that's right. Not to mention they are cheating their own muscular development. You achieve the most powerful contractions by stretching the muscle beyond resting length.

 

[P-funk]

i bet half you guys who touch your chest bounce it off

i dont touch my chest, but come within an inch of doing so, and slow the rep to make sure of this..... any touch changes momentum... in my opinion id rather keep it just above the chest

i dont see whats so fucking funny either.... they are a bunch of kids...... skinny kids, which implys new to lifting.... they arent fucking pussies
their full ROM is like 2 feet, and your calling them pussies for stopping 11/12th's of the way?

stop trying to act like tough guys...

up, new to lifting....maybe they should learn to train properly.

stop an inch above your chest? *cough* pussy *cough*

why not do what a powerlifter does and lower the bar to touch the chest and then pause for a second and then press.

 

[The Monkey Man]

i bet half you guys who touch your chest bounce it off

i dont touch my chest, but come within an inch of doing so, and slow the rep to make sure of this..... any touch changes momentum... in my opinion id rather keep it just above the chest

i dont see whats so fucking funny either.... they are a bunch of kids...... skinny kids, which implys new to lifting.... they arent fucking pussies
their full ROM is like 2 feet, and your calling them pussies for stopping 11/12th's of the way?

stop trying to act like tough guys...

Ok, we now know this story was about YOU & and your friends!

why not do what a powerlifter does and lower the bar to touch the chest and then pause for a second and then press.

 

[Hlanderr]

no, im 19.... and ive been lifting for almost 4 years now... but it does look like it was me aha

p-funk, yes, lifting like stength athletes works, but people DONT do that

they bounce, and this bounce is apparant in 95 percent of people who touch... everyone knows that

whoever said it is best to go past the regular stretch.... you cant! it touches your chest! unless you suck in your chest and then touch, then that makes no sense

 

[min0 lee]

i bet half you guys who touch your chest bounce it off

i dont touch my chest, but come within an inch of doing so, and slow the rep to make sure of this..... any touch changes momentum... in my opinion id rather keep it just above the chest

i dont see whats so fucking funny either.... they are a bunch of kids...... skinny kids, which implys new to lifting.... they arent fucking pussies
their full ROM is like 2 feet, and your calling them pussies for stopping 11/12th's of the way?

stop trying to act like tough guys...

I must admit that when I first started I used bounce the weights on a bench press, I also used to cheat big time on the barbell curl in fact I was doing 135 for reps.
Then I realized what an idiot I must have looked like and I am also glad I didn't hurt myself in the process.

Anyway I found out that a full ROM with proper form I had better gains and no injury's

Listen kid, if women prefer a full ROM on them what makes you think you won't benefit from a full ROM on workouts.

 

[Hlanderr]

i love when people downtalk to me