Why don't you bench?

dinosnopro

They don't want to get all bulky.

crisanderson27

I'd love to bench....but don't have the means. I use dumbbells in place of a bar. But b/c I don't have means to a bar or plates....hard to guesss what'd i would actually bench.

Usually slightly more than you dumbbell bench. Dumbbells take far more overall strength to lift and maintain than a barbell does, due to the independant nature and lack of built in stability.

elprincipito

I bench 75# without a trainer and 95# with - goal is to get me to higher weight without him -- my upper body is my weakest area BUT I do BP...and about 90% of the females on my list also lift heavy like that

Dangit, you're so killing me!

I'm up to 70# without a spot, can maybe push it to 80# with one. And I have no problem asking guys like YOU OP to spot me if needed.

I never see a girl asking for a spot anywhere in my near future...this is how badly i see it ;p

AlayshaJ

Your question doesn't make sense, I do bench press. Weekly, and as heavy as I can. No trainer, just a random spotter. I rep 105.

Crankstr

I do!

RedHeadDevotchka

I bench, I do regular and close grip bench.
I can do 8 reps of 115 without one, but after that I will ask for a spotter. Can't get stronger unless you push yourself.

Any other questions?

zyxst

1. I don't have the equipment
2. I can't even lift the empty bar

Sarauk2sf

Not sure of the gym you use, but I see women benching. I bench without a trainer and just ask someone to spot me on my heaviest set.

Although I will admit that I do see more women doing squats and deadlifts as well as clean and press - probably because crossfit has opened it up more to women but bench is not really a component or their routines.

belladonna786

I bench on my own

jcstanton

I was actually thinking more above the lines of "chest/shoulders and triceps muscle aren't a glamour muscle" . This is why women would rather work out their legs and *kitten*, which i see happening very often.

Again a misconception. I work every body part. I do love working my legs however as for chest/shoulders bi's and tri's not being a "glamor" muscle is kind of ridiculous. I work my arms because I love the way they look in short sleeves and sleeveless tops. I also love working my back and absolutely adore how muscular it is.

I lift heavy and I have muscles that I absolutely love.

Also, you may see women working the legs and butt because, for most women, that tends to be a problem area more so than the arms and chest. Historically, it's a more desirable for guys to have big pecs, biceps, and triceps than it is for women. Although, that does seem to be changing more and more in recent years. I see far more women these days lifting for ALL parts of the body than I did, say, eight or ten years ago.

parys1

I bench. 80# without a spotter, 90# with. I love my shoulders/chest. I love muscles.

Going4Lean

I never see any ladies at my gym doing free weights period.

cmacphee3

I was actually thinking more above the lines of "chest/shoulders and triceps muscle aren't a glamour muscle" . This is why women would rather work out their legs and *kitten*, which i see happening very often.

I see what you did there.

R0asted

To be honest, if a woman exercises for looks only and chooses to neglect chest, I can't really blame her. Pecs are hard for women to develop and even if they develop them, they don't look that great IMHO on a girl. Better off concentrating on shoulders, arms and back IMHO. I think the only reason for women to bench is if they want overall strength and don't want to neglect any areas.

Chinadorian

Because of fitness marketing, women are less likely to lift properly

I call bullsh*t on this.

I lift properly without a trainer. Women are capable of lifting properly without trainers by themselves.

I suppose that they should use little pink weights and wear super cute outfits while they work out too?

You don't agree that more fitness marketing directed at women has more to do with cardio, yoga, and pilates rather than lifting?

mainstream, sure (somewhat) . but i think that is changing. women can kick *kitten* in the gym and can train heavy. "lift often but light to not bulk" is slowly being refuted .

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I do bench. 3x6x100lbs this morning.

This was 3x5x105 a few months ago:

contingencyplan

I do standing chest presses with the cable machine or dumbbell bench press on an incline bench. Flat bench, barbell, I stay the hell away from. It's too complex a movement for me, the way you have to get your lower body into it, which is something people don't think about. They think it's just upper body. But planting your feet on the ground the way you do to maintain all contact points takes a lot of motor control, and that's an area I struggle too much with. Also, I do resisted pushups.

LoraF83

Because of fitness marketing, women are less likely to lift properly

I call bullsh*t on this.

I lift properly without a trainer. Women are capable of lifting properly without trainers by themselves.

I suppose that they should use little pink weights and wear super cute outfits while they work out too?

Uhh, slow down. I don't think he's saying women can't or shouldn't lift. He's saying that they don't.

And he's right. Most women think they do have to use the pink dumbbells and a lot of trainers even promote that attitude.

Luckily, us ladies are smart and we're starting to figure out that it's all BS. And we're lifting. Slowly but surely we will get there.

Sarauk2sf

To be honest, if a woman exercises for looks only and chooses to neglect chest, I can't really blame her. Pecs are hard for women to develop and even if they develop them, they don't look that great IMHO on a girl. Better off concentrating on shoulders, arms and back IMHO. I think the only reason for women to bench is if they want overall strength and don't want to neglect any areas.

You do realize that benching uses more than just chest muscles don't you?

CallMeCupcakeDammit

I don't own a bench, and don't belong to a gym. That's why.