Bench Press.... are they idiots, or am I???

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  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Dunno if I should admit it here but I don't let the bar touch my chest when I bench - am I bad?
  • gr8pillock
    gr8pillock Posts: 374 Member
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    They're idiots.


    I like your spunk, kid.
  • BrainsOnGains
    BrainsOnGains Posts: 282 Member
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    CT Fletcher was a natural powerlifter

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkX3K_o6YhA
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    Dunno if I should admit it here but I don't let the bar touch my chest when I bench - am I bad?

    Yep. total bird chest you got there. :flowerforyou:
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Dunno if I should admit it here but I don't let the bar touch my chest when I bench - am I bad?

    I'm sure there's a study out there somewhere that says so ;)
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
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    They are trying to boost their own ego by lifting heavier weights than they can safely do with strict form.

    Yup. Have them try a slow, steady, full range of motion movement with proper mechanics and watch them remove a plate.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Dunno if I should admit it here but I don't let the bar touch my chest when I bench - am I bad?

    Yep. total bird chest you got there. :flowerforyou:

    Thank you :bigsmile:
    Dunno if I should admit it here but I don't let the bar touch my chest when I bench - am I bad?

    I'm sure there's a study out there somewhere that says so ;)

    :laugh:
  • MM_1982
    MM_1982 Posts: 374
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    If they bounce the barbell off their chest, they'll likely hurt themselves one day. Not recommended.

    If you want to be a purest on the bench press, don't even touch the bar to your chest. There's a point in the range of motion where your chest will disengage and your shoulders will take over. This can be dangerous when you get to high up there in weight.

    Most powerlifters will use a wooden block, so the bar won't touch their chest, hence not relying on their shoulders when the bar is very low on their chest. See pic.

    0.jpg

    Crossfit is OK. They do some awesome compound exercises (i.e. overhead squats, deadlifts, etc), but the program relies on lighter weight and very high reps. Not my cup of tea.
  • agggie550
    agggie550 Posts: 281 Member
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    Just like everyone said, they are idiots, they are just trying to put up bigger numbers to feel good. Its like the guy that presses on his legs on the leg press machine, good for you got 500 doing half ROM and pressing back up with your legs, or the person doing squats on the smith machine... I mean you cant hate on it completely because they are just doing what makes them feel good, but at the end of the day what you do is what matters, so do you, let them do them and all will work out in the end.
  • Loftearmen
    Loftearmen Posts: 380
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    Lately I've been paying attention to some of the "regulars" at the gym while they are lifting. I see a lot of them doing the whole routine where they bounce the bench press off their chest and don't fully extend their arms.....

    Now, I've always been under the impression that doing this is basically worthless and a waste of time. I was taught to slowly bring the bar to your chest, then extend until your arms are locked out, then repeat. Basically the same routine for every other lift I do as well. I see more and more people doing it the way I mentioned earlier (without full extension). I've also noticed that with this whole new "crossfit craze", this is basically the "new way" to lift.

    So I guess my question is......are they the idiots, or am I? I am so confused

    Crossfitters generally display horrible form on the competition lifts with a few exceptions. They recruited Mark Rippetoe for a while to teach them how to perform the lifts properly which was a wonderful idea however, Mark, in his classic, no bullsiht Texas attitude, decided that it was a lost cause and left. That pretty much sums it up. In powerlifting competition the bar has to come to a complete stop on the chest and the "Press" command has to be given by the head judge before you can press the bar upwards. This usually leads to about a 1 second pause on the chest and the bar must be completely locked out and the "Rack" command given before you put the bar back.
  • Loftearmen
    Loftearmen Posts: 380
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    If they bounce the barbell off their chest, they'll likely hurt themselves one day. Not recommended.

    If you want to be a purest on the bench press, don't even touch the bar to your chest. There's a point in the range of motion where your chest will disengage and your shoulders will take over. This can be dangerous when you get to high up there in weight.

    Most powerlifters will use a wooden block, so the bar won't touch their chest, hence not relying on their shoulders when the bar is very low on their chest. See pic.

    0.jpg

    Crossfit is OK. They do some awesome compound exercises (i.e. overhead squats, deadlifts, etc), but the program relies on lighter weight and very high reps. Not my cup of tea.

    This is just wrong dude, sorry. We use a wooden block to help us target our weak points throughout the bench or to overload the bar by shortening our range of motion and thus increasing the amount of weight we can handle. Board presses are usually performed by shirted benchers moreso than raw lifters. Raw lifters need strength off of the chest so we don't do this very often.
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
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    If I am understanding this correctly it sounds like they are doing some TUT (Time Under Tension) style of training but the bouncing off of the chest is no bueno. Some of my boys call it prison presses, because a lot of the times that you see prison movies it looks like this same kind of motion. It is ok to do half reps to keep with the TUT regimine but yet, they are asking for a hurt chest if they are bouncing it off of their chest. Sounds like they are trying to boost some ego is you ask me.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    However powerlifting and bodybuilding (well aiming for muscular hypertrophy) are two different aims. Strength and muscle growth, not the same thing entirely.
  • Jerrypeoples
    Jerrypeoples Posts: 1,541 Member
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    If they bounce the barbell off their chest, they'll likely hurt themselves one day. Not recommended.

    If you want to be a purest on the bench press, don't even touch the bar to your chest. There's a point in the range of motion where your chest will disengage and your shoulders will take over. This can be dangerous when you get to high up there in weight.

    Most powerlifters will use a wooden block, so the bar won't touch their chest, hence not relying on their shoulders when the bar is very low on their chest. See pic.

    0.jpg

    Crossfit is OK. They do some awesome compound exercises (i.e. overhead squats, deadlifts, etc), but the program relies on lighter weight and very high reps. Not my cup of tea.

    im not convinced that is a block of wood but some other wood and its not a still from the movie, Come Again or How I learned to Perform Around a Group of Men
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Huh? Wut?

    Nvm
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Dunno if I should admit it here but I don't let the bar touch my chest when I bench - am I bad?

    Wait, so you're claiming that you actually lift? Provide links or never happened

    OK :wink:

    Barbell
    http://youtu.be/JVbPyAStS4I

    Dumbells
    http://youtu.be/kBs5dtuJwI4
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
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    However powerlifting and bodybuilding (well aiming for muscular hypertrophy) are two different aims. Strength and muscle growth, not the same thing entirely.

    ^ This FTW!!!
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
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    Dunno if I should admit it here but I don't let the bar touch my chest when I bench - am I bad?

    Wait, so you're claiming that you actually lift? Provide links or never happened

    OK :wink:

    Barbell
    http://youtu.be/JVbPyAStS4I

    Dumbells
    http://youtu.be/kBs5dtuJwI4

    HOLY ****! you mean you can do heavy DB bench without dropping the weights? blasphemy...

    Nice btw.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    If they bounce the barbell off their chest, they'll likely hurt themselves one day. Not recommended.
    If you want to be a purest on the bench press, don't even touch the bar to your chest. There's a point in the range of motion where your chest will disengage and your shoulders will take over. This can be dangerous when you get to high up there in weight.
    Most powerlifters will use a wooden block, so the bar won't touch their chest, hence not relying on their shoulders when the bar is very low on their chest. See pic.

    WHAT????
    NO!

    A true bench press in competition has to touch your chest, and remain there until you receive the "press" command.
    Powerlifters use board presses for 2 main reasons,
    1. To get used to touching weights in bench shirts. (Shirts are extremely tight and you can't touch submaximal weights to your chest, so they'll use say a 3 board and touch 405, then a 2 board for 495, take 550 to a 1 board, and try to touch 600 to their chest)
    2. To work different weak points in the lift or to focus more on the triceps. A 3 board is a triceps movement. Or a raw lifter who is weak about 2 inches off the chest might work on pausing reps on a 1 board.

    It has nothing to do with keeping the chest from disengaging...
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Options
    Dunno if I should admit it here but I don't let the bar touch my chest when I bench - am I bad?

    Wait, so you're claiming that you actually lift? Provide links or never happened

    OK :wink:

    Barbell
    http://youtu.be/JVbPyAStS4I

    Dumbells
    http://youtu.be/kBs5dtuJwI4

    HOLY ****! you mean you can do heavy DB bench without dropping the weights? blasphemy...

    Nice btw.

    Thank you.

    Heaviest situps I'll ever do - my bodyweight plus 60kg an arm :laugh:

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