What is your opinion of the BENCH PRESS exercise?

[AKIRA]

leg drive is important in the bench press

What in the world does "leg drive" have to do with a bench press? There's guys with no legs who still properly bench.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

What in the world does "leg drive" have to do with a bench press? There's guys with no legs who still properly bench.

Define 'properly bench.' We're talking about the most efficient way to do the exercise - the one that will allow one to move the most weight. That method is to bring the bar down near the rib cage with the elbows tucked in, touch the body (pause if you like) and bring the bar back up to the starting position. This involves leg drive which can be transferred through a tight core. The leg drive is indeed paramount for very heavy benching. Think about it: Would you rather have your upper body pushing the weight, or would you rather have your lower body helping you as well? Knowing the relative strength of the two, I'd choose to have both.

 

[AKIRA]

Define 'properly bench.' We're talking about the most efficient way to do the exercise - the one that will allow one to move the most weight. That method is to bring the bar down near the rib cage with the elbows tucked in, touch the body (pause if you like) and bring the bar back up to the starting position. This involves leg drive which can be transferred through a tight core. The leg drive is indeed paramount for very heavy benching. Think about it: Would you rather have your upper body pushing the weight, or would you rather have your lower body helping you as well? Knowing the relative strength of the two, I'd choose to have both.

Golly I feel like a newbie now. As I have never incorporated my legs in the press. Or maybe I have...

That form you described is basically a copy of my own. Only I keep my feet flat on the floor. If I can move them, or jump them, or shift them (etc) cna I move more weight? And if so, will this help my upper body grow?

I need answers, cuz this just seems like bad form to me. But I am curious.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

The feet are still flat on the floor. Your legs are basically isometrically contracting; your abs are isometrically transferring that contraction to your back and upper body to use for the lift. Your feet never move; your feet and back should be very stable surfaces from which to press. It helps some people to think of pulling the shoulder blades together. It helps to get a very tight base (tighten your back) before laying down (or at least it helps me a lot).

I don't know how someone with your bench can feel like a newbie...

 

[AKIRA]

It helps some people to think of pulling the shoulder blades together.

Bingo is his name.

I was training my friend whom has never worked out before. And his posture was very distorted. I finally told him that when he lays down to pull his shoulder blades together. "How," the dumbass said. Put yours yours straight out then widen them like your going to hug Ryan (our super fat friend). When your stretched, keep the shoulder blades like that as best as you can.

Wha-la, postural distortion gone.
Thanks for the bench comment. I am turning 26 in feb and I have worked out since I was 15-16. So, as I tell people who think I juice (locally), working out for that long, eating meat for that long, resting well for that long, something is going to happen.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

Bingo is his name.

I was training my friend whom has never worked out before. And his posture was very distorted. I finally told him that when he lays down to pull his shoulder blades together. "How," the dumbass said. Put yours yours straight out then widen them like your going to hug Ryan (our super fat friend). When your stretched, keep the shoulder blades like that as best as you can.

Wha-la, postural distortion gone.
Thanks for the bench comment. I am turning 26 in feb and I have worked out since I was 15-16. So, as I tell people who think I juice (locally), working out for that long, eating meat for that long, resting well for that long, something is going to happen.

Haha, I guess that's true. I wonder if my bench will ever actually get up to where I'm satisfied with it. I've always been a terrible bencher for some reason. Not that it really matters, but it's one of those nagging details.

 

[AKIRA]

Haha, I guess that's true. I wonder if my bench will ever actually get up to where I'm satisfied with it. I've always been a terrible bencher for some reason. Not that it really matters, but it's one of those nagging details.

Fuck. I rememebr in high school being afraid to try 185. I guess Id feel like a puss not being able to do it and needing a spotter. What a fucking fool I was. The kids doing 225 were actually, I wanna say bigger but no, they were in shape. I remember one was juicing thats for sure. (he got kicked off the wrestling team after testing positive)

Then me and my fat friend worked out at the best gym I ever worked out in and we were always competitive. 225 finally came and went, but it wasnt until we went to the ymca. I was struggling as shit too. (got spotted by a woman and an old man since I had no spotters one day...case in point, ask someone with some muscle to spot you when its heavy. anyone)

3rd gym I stopped working out with the fat guy. 225 breezed up to 275. Finally plateaued. Thats when I finally started dumbells. This smaller fatty introduced me to it. Shit, 45s were tough. But in what, 2-3 weeks, my strength shot up.

This was the ONLY time people started asking me if I juiced.

 

[leg_press]

There are guys where I used to workout who are all tall and lean, who put 10kgs on each end of the bar, literally bang out 10 reps, and then stretch, then bang out another 10 and stretch. They used to stand and look at me laughin when pushed the last rep out with 15kgs on the bar. Thats why I moved they really f**ked me off.

 

[Imwithstupid926]

DB and Bar are both quite fun!

 

[rangers97]

I'm surprised no one mentioned weighted dips as an alternative to the bench.

sure we all love the big bench, but I think dips are harder--you don't have the back support like you do on the bench, so you are lifting your weight through the air. And if you do them with the right angle, you can rip up your chest and tris much more than on a bench press, IMO.

Plus, it is a chest/tri exericise on the vertical plane. How many chest exercises are there on a horizontal plane? These are a staple in my routines and always will be.

 

[CowPimp]

I'm surprised no one mentioned weighted dips as an alternative to the bench.

sure we all love the big bench, but I think dips are harder--you don't have the back support like you do on the bench, so you are lifting your weight through the air. And if you do them with the right angle, you can rip up your chest and tris much more than on a bench press, IMO.

Plus, it is a chest/tri exericise on the vertical plane. How many chest exercises are there on a horizontal plane? These are a staple in my routines and always will be.

You have a good point here. I do enjoy dips, and I never do them enough. I love how people consider them a tricep exercise; what a load of crap.

 

[rangers97]

You have a good point here. I do enjoy dips, and I never do them enough. I love how people consider them a tricep exercise; what a load of crap.

I know you are good with all that exercise physiology stuff so I'll ask you, dont dips work the chest in the way the chest is actually supposed to work?

To illustrate, put your right hand on your left pec muscle and push your left hand down imitating a dip....feels like the muscle flexes the whole way.....now push out your arm as in a bench press movement....to me anyway, you don't feel nearly the same flex as you do with the dip movement, UNLESS you imitate a db press where you bring the arm inward at the end, but once again, that is due to the nature of the chest muscles....

Further evidence that the bench press is not a good pec developer

 

[33ecooks]

It's definetly over-rated and an ego thing with us guys. What's the 1st thing somebody ask you when they know you work out?

I used to bench and do triceps 3 days a week for about 5 years in my early 20s but now that caught up with since both my shoulders are jacked. I finally gave up on bench 3 months ago and the shoulders have been feeling great with no loss in size.

 

[Mudge]

You have a good point here. I do enjoy dips, and I never do them enough. I love how people consider them a tricep exercise; what a load of crap.

Even leaning forward I feel more tricep work than chest. I can't do them right now anyway because of my shoulder injury.

I dont like the idea of weighted dips, if I'm going to use big weight I prefer the stability of a bench to lie on.

 

[Mudge]

Further evidence that the bench press is not a good pec developer

Then you haven't seen my titts. I do like the declines though, but again, it hits my arms heavily. This is also why I reduce my post chest tricep work if I do declines.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

You have a good point here. I do enjoy dips, and I never do them enough. I love how people consider them a tricep exercise; what a load of crap.

I spent a while searching for when you said this about dips. My brother wants to start doing them because he's not happy with his arm size and 'hardness.' Can you remind me why they're not very beneficial for the triceps? Is it because the triceps are really only involved at the very top of the movement? My brother probably still won't believe me that they're really not worth doing with our current routine, but I'd still like to know.

 

[IRON MAN]

The bench press works best for those who are barrel chested, and have short arms. Inclines and declines work better for the masses and place less strain on the pec tendon and rotator cuffs.

 

[CowPimp]

I never said that dips weren't effective for tricep development. Quite the contrary. The point is that people throw in close grip bench presses and dips and call them tricep exercises, when they are still compound pressing movements that stimulate all our favorite prime movers stimulated during the bench press.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

I never said that dips weren't effective for tricep development. Quite the contrary. The point is that people throw in close grip bench presses and dips and call them tricep exercises, when they are still compound pressing movements that stimulate all our favorite prime movers stimulated during the bench press.

I see. So this basically goes back to the whole 'training body parts is stupid' thing.

 

[CowPimp]

I see. So this basically goes back to the whole 'training body parts is stupid' thing.

Exactly.

 

[chris2489]

Flat BB bench press is the worst exercise you could do for the chest. Better off doing incline and decline or flat DB.

 

[Doublebase]