I would really like to see a pro benching ...

[Luciano_]

Does anyone have a link to a video or a schematic about how to bench?
I asked one of the trainers in my gym to show me and he stated quite the opposite of what I have reed here.

 

[NYBodyguard]

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/ExList/ChestWt.html#anchor165455

 

[bignate73]

what type of pro?

bodybuilder or powerlifter?

depending on what you told your trainer, he may or may not have heard of some of the things on here. PL'ing style of benching is somewhat unknown in personal training cirlces. (you should see the looks/comments i get)

 

[wnt2bBeast]

The powerlifting style of bench...

http://www.geocities.com/bench700plus/bench.html

 

[Luciano_]

Just the proper benching way to build chest, don't care about strength ...
I don't want to hit the shoulders or whatever instead ..

The trainer knows what I want and when I bench with a semi close grip, elbows ~45° and the bar bellow my nipples he said, no. He took a very wide grip, elbows 90° as a consequence and bench almost in his neck ... I don't believe that's ok ..

Thanks !!

 

[Luciano_]

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/ExList/ChestWt.html#anchor165455

good link NYB, thanks !

 

[bignate73]

if you want to build your chest.....do flyes. dont be one sided. tell a PL'er that he has a small chest. tell a bodybuilder that he has healthy rotators. get the picture?

 

[Luciano_]

Not really, can't read in-between lines. My English is not that good.
Do you mean that a PLer uses many muscles when benching but a BB has healthy shoulders?

I do flyes, I feel like I am hitting more my chest with them than when benching, I do crossover cable too. But I want to learn how to bench ok. Sometimes I feel like my shoulders and triceps are working more than mi chest and I get piss.

Thanks for your time bignate.

 

[wnt2bBeast]

Incline presses and D-bell presses work very well..Dont overlook the benefit of a Pl style..it will increase your strength and allow you to lift heavier weights build bigger chest!!

 

[bignate73]

Not really, can't read in-between lines. My English is not that good.
Do you mean that a PLer uses many muscles when benching but a BB has healthy shoulders?

I do flyes, I feel like I am hitting more my chest with them than when benching, I do crossover cable too. But I want to learn how to bench ok. Sometimes I feel like my shoulders and triceps are working more than mi chest and I get piss.

Thanks for your time bignate.

PL'ers tend to have healthy shoulders and move tremendous weight, with very good chest development. i definitely respect their methodologies and training.

BB'ers, in general, bench in a more precarious manner, which risks their shoulders. healthy rotators and a BB style bench dont seem to go together.

 

[lavi]

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/ExList/ChestWt.html#anchor165455

for the powerlift it says "slightly wider than shoulder width grip." Please tell me that's wrong...

 

[bignate73]

for the powerlift it says "slightly wider than shoulder width grip." Please tell me that's wrong...

why?

there is no set minimum, but there is a set maximum. no further apart than index fingers on the power rings. anything goes under that.

 

[InTraining]

Good thread....I would like to flat bench again...but I was doing BB style last time and got almost zero chest development...also I don't like the idea of pec tears and shoulder injuries....

A few questions for you bignate...I am assuming you are doing the PL style bench....do you use an arch? And do you feel this style of bench has developed your chest? Also what do you think about the risk of previous injuries mentioned doing the flat bench PL style...

 

[bignate73]

i incorporate an arch. ive run the gamut with different styles of benching. ive done from "to the neck" to a typical BB style bench press (elbows wide, flat back) to various styles of PL bench. i prefer my current PL style bench, not only because i plan to powerlift, but also because when going heavy on other styles, i would get shoulder pain. (the bad kind)

having changed my form, ive eliminated shoulder pain. as for chest development, its hard for me to tell. when i was bodybuilding i never weighed more than 185 before dieting down to 152 for a comp. back up to around 175 post comp. started incorporating OLY lifts and PL'ing. im sitting around 198.

my belief is that, since a PL'ers job is to lift more weight and continue to do so, alot of science with leverages and mechanical advantage is put to use. injury prevention is the key to longevity. i dont hear much about that in BB circles. IMO, minimizing wasted movement while recruiting the strongest muscles for the job is what PL'ing training is all about. what that means for the bench press is you will safely and progressively get stronger, overloading the core muscles involved in benching (chest, back, tri, shoulder). for those looking for strict isolation, they will reach a point where something else breaks down because one muscle gets too strong or the strain becomes too great without support from other muscle groups (case in point: shoulders on a elbows wide bench press).

 

[InTraining]

i incorporate an arch. ive run the gamut with different styles of benching. ive done from "to the neck" to a typical BB style bench press (elbows wide, flat back) to various styles of PL bench. i prefer my current PL style bench, not only because i plan to powerlift, but also because when going heavy on other styles, i would get shoulder pain. (the bad kind)

having changed my form, ive eliminated shoulder pain. as for chest development, its hard for me to tell. when i was bodybuilding i never weighed more than 185 before dieting down to 152 for a comp. back up to around 175 post comp. started incorporating OLY lifts and PL'ing. im sitting around 198.

my belief is that, since a PL'ers job is to lift more weight and continue to do so, alot of science with leverages and mechanical advantage is put to use. injury prevention is the key to longevity. i dont hear much about that in BB circles. IMO, minimizing wasted movement while recruiting the strongest muscles for the job is what PL'ing training is all about. what that means for the bench press is you will safely and progressively get stronger, overloading the core muscles involved in benching (chest, back, tri, shoulder). for those looking for strict isolation, they will reach a point where something else breaks down because one muscle gets too strong or the strain becomes too great without support from other muscle groups (case in point: shoulders on a elbows wide bench press).

Thank you for your informative post...

I've always regarded flat bench as the best tricep\front delt builder out there...plus I think the PL style is by far the safer of the two styles..and looks
more natural

Maybe I will try to get the form down tomorrow when I work chest....

 

[youlikeadajuice?]

bignate...
what else do you do to protect that shoulder of yours?

bicep routine?

 

[bignate73]

rotator cleans, askem windmills, alot of scapular retraction.

hammer curls, bb curls. (i keep it simple here)

 

[b fold the truth]

I really can't agree with bignate much more than I already do.

198 though??? Good Lord man!!! You looked amazing in the 150's...can't imagine you at 198. You must be a pretty thick man right now!!!!

B True

 

[wnt2bBeast]

i incorporate an arch. ive run the gamut with different styles of benching. ive done from "to the neck" to a typical BB style bench press (elbows wide, flat back) to various styles of PL bench. i prefer my current PL style bench, not only because i plan to powerlift, but also because when going heavy on other styles, i would get shoulder pain. (the bad kind)

having changed my form, ive eliminated shoulder pain. as for chest development, its hard for me to tell. when i was bodybuilding i never weighed more than 185 before dieting down to 152 for a comp. back up to around 175 post comp. started incorporating OLY lifts and PL'ing. im sitting around 198.

my belief is that, since a PL'ers job is to lift more weight and continue to do so, alot of science with leverages and mechanical advantage is put to use. injury prevention is the key to longevity. i dont hear much about that in BB circles. IMO, minimizing wasted movement while recruiting the strongest muscles for the job is what PL'ing training is all about. what that means for the bench press is you will safely and progressively get stronger, overloading the core muscles involved in benching (chest, back, tri, shoulder). for those looking for strict isolation, they will reach a point where something else breaks down because one muscle gets too strong or the strain becomes too great without support from other muscle groups (case in point: shoulders on a elbows wide bench press).

good stuff bignate!!!

 

[Luciano_]

ok ... good stuff here.
Now, could someone make a brief explanation about the movement, shoulders, elbows position, back, etc? in both, BB and PL's benching ?

It would be very helpful for guys like me !

Thanks ..

 

[punch]

I have the utmost respect for PL'ers. Having said that, I do incorporate some PL techniques in my bench. I have had a nasty rotator injury in the past, so bench pressing enormous weight is not a priority to me at this point.

Currently, for flat bench, my index finger rests on the rings of the bar. I have fairly wide foot placement. I place my feet flat on the floor. I have seen some tuck there feet all the way back almost to the point where there toes are on the floor only. I dont do this for the simple reason that if for some reason my foot slipped, it would screw my whole lift up. So, firmly flat!!!

I dont flare my elbows out, I dont tuck my elbows all the way in. My elbow position is somewhere in the middle, where it is comfortable to me. I DO have a slight arch in my lower back. For me, I like the feel of squeezing my lats almost around the bench.

Probably the most crucial part of my lift is staying VERY tight. I squeeze the shit out of the bar when I bench. It makes me focus and makes me feel stronger, especially during the decent. At the bottom the bar is positioned at or slightly above my nipple area.

I will say that the majority of my growth has come from dumbell presses, both incline and flat. It is simply not possible to get the same ROM w/ Barbell as it is w/ dumbell. Also, I do heavy flyes. They have done a great deal for my overall pec developement. Keep in mind one thing. BB'ers and PL'ers are to a certain degree looking to achieve the same things initially. Mass and strength. The two are often topics of debate but really overlap a great deal.

Its when PL'ers and BB'ers are in the later stages of developement that goals change. At least this is my thought.

Lastly, train your shoulders and tris like a madman. Most guys that complain about a shitty bench fail to realize that there are many other bodyparts involved in a great bench than PECS. Peace.

 

[Luciano_]

Thanks Punch,
powdered gold for me man !

 

[Bonkme2]

Sometimes I feel like my shoulders and triceps are working more than mi chest and I get piss.

Then get your shoulders and tris up to par. I'm having that problem now. I've managed to get my chest up to par, and my shoulders have come around nicely doing some 5x5 work. But my triceps have suddenly fallen behind. I got 285 off my chest the other day, but couldn't lock it out to save my life.

 

[Luciano_]

I remember that dips helped me a lot to achieve strength. There’s not dip machine in my gym but I have pushed two heavy cardio machines and use them as parallel bars, old chubby ladies looked at me weird though.

 

[Brett44444444]

You probably dont want to mimick the powerlifting bench if you care more about strength than size. They are mostly focused on getting the most out of their shirt and activating as much power out of their body as possible. Most of competative power bench training focuses on strengthening your triceps because the shirt can do a lot of the chest and back work for you.. not that those dont have to be tremendously strong too.

I'd use a little wider than shoulder width grip, not arch my back very much, and really focus on feeling the chest in the workout more than putting a ton of weight on if I wanted to build size.

 

[Luciano_]

I'd use a little wider than shoulder width grip, not arch my back very much, and really focus on feeling the chest in the workout more than putting a ton of weight on if I wanted to build size.

Thanks Bret ... I am doing more like the same, grip, back .. trying to focus on my chest. But definitely I need stronger tris !
I care more about size than strength and I am doing lots of flyes now.

Cheers

 

[callthedoctor]

I'm not a bench expert, but I would say keep the elbows in as much as possible. This should force you to use more tris and much less rotator...also, I drop to my sternum and push straight up rather than back to the eyes...less ROM and shorter reps usually means reps with heavier weight.

if you insist on 90 degrees wide on the elbows don't let them fall below your lats...tons of strain on the rotators.

I notice the heavier I go, the wider my my elbows flare and the more I need to stay focused and disiplined on keeping them in...I screwed up my left shoulder once and it(like injuring your back) will KEEP you from lifting effectively. Don't go there. PERIOD....(took me about a year to get back up to 90% ok...I still need to watch it...)

Sounds like your trainer might need to do some homework...as far as the video, it looks like the way your trainer showed you and it even looks like he's pressing from the neck up...this would cause the elbows to flare to 90 also...I don't like it...just my two cents....

Good Luck....