Bench Press

gvibes · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by ken

Um... if you bounce 1000 pounds on your chest, you will no longer have a chest. That is why he does not bounce the weight.
Actually, the rules probably require him to pause with the bar on the chest - if he bounces it, it wouldn't be a valid lift.

MilanoStyle · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by Young Scrappy

Simple question. How low are you supposed to go on bench press? Are you supposed to go down to the chest or a few inches off? Does this cause shoulder problems in the future? Or are you supposed to stop once your elbow and upper arm form a right angle? Everyone keeps telling me different things.

I bring the bar down to 3" away from my chest.

why · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by Soph

I'm not a fan of the traditional bench press. I believe dumbbells provide a more natural range of motion and reduce your chance of injury.

I bought that crap too for a while.

Unfortunately, they tend to work the triceps excessively.

HomerJ · Feb 8, 2008

Herschel Walker never bench pressed. He did 10,000 pushups a day. That's the best workout there is.

smw356 · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by why

I bought that crap too for a while.

Unfortunately, they tend to work the triceps excessively.

Weird I have the opposite problem, BB benching tends to turn into being a primarily tricep lift for me, where as with dumbells I can use a wider arc and hit my chest better.

Eustace Tilley · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by why

I bought that crap too for a while.

Unfortunately, they tend to work the triceps excessively.

+1. The bench press is also much safer - it locks your arms into a set motion, while bad form on the dumbell press can really kill the rotator cuff.

drizzt3117 · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by smw356

Weird I have the opposite problem, BB benching tends to turn into being a primarily tricep lift for me, where as with dumbells I can use a wider arc and hit my chest better.

Isn't this something you can adjust with grip width on the BB bench?

smw356 · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

Isn't this something you can adjust with grip width on the BB bench?

Not really because the hand position is static, where as with dumbells I can essentially just widen as I go down. That said I still mix in BB benching. I just don't feel that I get as much out of it, specifially in my chest as I do with dumbells. Also I'm pretty sure this is a function of having long arms.

drizzt3117 · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by smw356

Not really because the hand position is static, where as with dumbells I can essentially just widen as I go down. That said I still mix in BB benching. I just don't feel that I get as much out of it, specifially in my chest as I do with dumbells. Also I'm pretty sure this is a function of having long arms.
I can sort of see where you're coming from. I have the same issue with long arms, but I find that BB bench is still my best bet in terms of working the chest just because I find it impractical to lift enough weight with DBs to get the same chest workout. Anything much over 100 lb per db is really hard on your wrists, even with hooks, at least for me. I do both. I'm not entirely sure about the whole stabilizer hypothesis but whatever, it's a good workout nonetheless.

Soph · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

+1. The bench press is also much safer - it locks your arms into a set motion, while bad form on the dumbell press can really kill the rotator cuff.

Data please? Safer? Dumbbells use stabilizer muscles versus a set motion bench press, so dumbells may actually be a better workout in some ways. Dumbbells are safer to use usually because you can drop them to the side. I'll consult with a certified personal trainer on this tonight to get a more definitive answer. Also, bad form on the standard bench press or any type of exercise can hurt you so I don't think that's a solid argument over dumbbells persay.

And we can all agree on seeing bad form on standard bench presses everytime we enter the gym?
I mean guys still arch there back like some type of wierd looking insect on National Geographic. Will this never end?

drizzt3117 · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by Soph

Data please? Safer? Dumbbells use stabilizer muscles versus a set motion bench press, so dumbells may actually be a better workout in some ways. Dumbbells are safer to use usually because you can drop them to the side. I'll consult with a certified personal trainer on this tonight to get a more definitive answer. Also, bad form on the standard bench press or any type of exercise can hurt you so I don't think that's a solid argument over dumbbells persay.

I'd agree with this to some extent regarding the safety of BB bench press. I think it's a lot easier to hurt yourself with high weight with it, especially because of the fact that you are locked into an arc, and it's also easier to use your back. Generally this doesn't happen so much with dumbbells, I think they are safer in that regard.

Regarding the spot/no spot argument, yes, it's certainly safer in some ways to use dumbbells because you can drop them to the sides, but if you go too heavy with dumbbells I can see how you could drop one catastrophically.

Soph · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

I'd agree with this to some extent regarding the safety of BB bench press. I think it's a lot easier to hurt yourself with high weight with it, especially because of the fact that you are locked into an arc, and it's also easier to use your back. Generally this doesn't happen so much with dumbbells, I think they are safer in that regard.

Regarding the spot/no spot argument, yes, it's certainly safer in some ways to use dumbbells because you can drop them to the sides, but if you go too heavy with dumbbells I can see how you could drop one catastrophically.

I don't think I've ever disagreed with you on any weightlifting issue. I'd agree with you on these points also. I don't think there is a perfect exercise and alot of it is on what your obejctives are: strenght, size, etc. If you go to heavy with dumbells you can definitly lose control easily and end up probably wacking the guy next to.

smw356 · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

Regarding the spot/no spot argument, yes, it's certainly safer in some ways to use dumbbells because you can drop them to the sides, but if you go too heavy with dumbbells I can see how you could drop one catastrophically.

I think I've seen more bystanders hurt by dropped dumbells than I've seen dumbasses pin themselves with a barbell, and I lift in a college gym so the dumbass ratio is pretty significant.

drizzt3117 · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by Soph

I don't think I've ever disagreed with you on any weightlifting issue. I'd agree with you on these points also. I don't think there is a perfect exercise and alot of it is on what your obejctives are: strenght, size, etc. If you go to heavy with dumbells you can definitly lose control easily and end up probably wacking the guy next to.

Yeah, that or dropping them so they bounce... I always wince when i see people do that, let them down so hard they bounce off the ground. I saw an ugly situation the other day when some guy dropped 100 lb dumbbells down after the flat bench and one bounced and landed some some girl's foot

Luckily she was wearing those squat shoes and it didn't hurt her, but it could have potentially been bad. I try to lower them to the ground slowly so they stay standing up when I do DB bench if I don't keep them high enough to bring them to my knees and bring them down that way. 90% of guys I see doing that exercise at my gym just drop them, mostly hard, so I guess just don't stand next to anyone doing heavy db flat bench... lol

drizzt3117 · Feb 8, 2008

Originally Posted by smw356

I think I've seen more bystanders hurt by dropped dumbells than I've seen dumbasses pin themselves with a barbell, and I lift in a college gym so the dumbass ratio is pretty significant.
When I used to lift in Irvine I'd see scrawny Asian kids pin themselves below 95-115 lb on barbell bp every couple days, it was amusing to one arm row or curl the bar off their chest and see them be like omfg... at my current gym most of the people are pretty hardcore so I don't see it so much but I do see people drop the stupid dumbbells all the time as I said in my post above.

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