Bench Press Form Faux Pas

[Anthrax Invasion]

i'm a strong believer that a BB MUST use PL type form on the bench. from my knowledge a PL will move the bar up and down in a piston like manner because that is the shortest path. i'm not sure what kind of benefit one could get from doing anything other than this.

If the goal is strictly hypertrophy, a bodybuilder shouldn't be benching anyway. Dips are far superior to the bench press in terms of pectoral hypertrophy. Couple them with incline flies for metabolic work and you'll be set.

This is because both the exercises I suggested place the muscle under load while in a stretched position. The bench press is usually a poor exercise for the chest. Yes, it will still hypertrophy your chest. Will it be optimal? No.

You get your sarcomere hypertrophy from lower reps and higher weight through dips. You get your metabolic work/gene expression/sarcoplasmic hypertrophy from higher reps and lower weight through incline flies.

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

At the gym i go to , the bench has an attachment to rest your feet on - I find it much more comfortable with my feet up than on the ground - It definately stops my back from arching up too.

What is wrong with not having your feet planted on the floor?

Nothing is wrong with it. Chances are, though, you'll be a lot less stable. If you're a powerlifter, you'd best get used to driving your feet into the floor. Other than that, it doesn't really matter. Leg drive may help you put up more weight, but in a way it's an illusion. The purpose of the exercise is to work the upper body. I see no difference in driving with the legs or not driving, since the extra weight you'd get from it would likely be a technique thing, and not an actual strength increase.

Still, in terms of stability, get your feet planted on something. On the bench is usually a problem because you can tumble sideways if you lost your grip on one side of the bar. It wouldn't be pretty.

 

[silver_shadow]

i don't know about BBs getting better results from incline flyes + dips, so i cannot really comment on that. just curious but have u seen this to be successful? anyway, my point was that if a BB has to bench he must do so with PL type form.
about feet on the bench as opposed to on the bench: well, actually i believe the drive is real and not an illusion, provided the correct technique is used. there is actually a variation that PLs use - the floor press; here the guy HAS to use his chest/shoulders/tri's and CANNOT use his feet for drive... so this helps build strength. off course, the guy is not on a bench and so he is stable and cannot fall. i think the PL forums have some good info on various benching exercises (far as i remember it's a sticky). i'd request everyone to check it out.

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

i don't know about BBs getting better results from incline flyes + dips, so i cannot really comment on that. just curious but have u seen this to be successful? anyway, my point was that if a BB has to bench he must do so with PL type form.
about feet on the bench as opposed to on the bench: well, actually i believe the drive is real and not an illusion, provided the correct technique is used. there is actually a variation that PLs use - the floor press; here the guy HAS to use his chest/shoulders/tri's and CANNOT use his feet for drive... so this helps build strength. off course, the guy is not on a bench and so he is stable and cannot fall. i think the PL forums have some good info on various benching exercises (far as i remember it's a sticky). i'd request everyone to check it out.

I've noticed dips to be superior to benching in terms of chest growth, as have many others. Science also suggests them to be superior. As I said, the muscle is loaded while stretched. To get the kind've stretch present with dips on a bench press, you'd have to use a wide grip and put your rotator cuffs at risk.

The flies can compliment the bench press, as well. The whole point would simply be to increase sarcoplasmic hypertrophy a bit. You can do this after you reach your desired size, since it's not something that requires load progression.

 

[kethnaab]

anthrax, be real careful when you make statements like the one you made earlier. I love dips, and I think they are great, but stating that they are "far superior for hypertrophy" is an opinion, certainly not a fact.

 

[musketeer]

Following my shoulder injury a few years ack I have ont been able to flat BP, but I started doing it again when I started 8 weeks ago on a personalised 5x5 type plan.

Today I maxed and bagged 255 for an easy double, 265 with a little strain and then 245 for 2 triples. I was bit sore from weighed dips with 90lbs the other day so I'm confident of a 250 x 5 x 5 in a few weeks.

My goal is 315 x 5 x 5 but I'm not giving myself a time limit for that one!

 

[fortunatesun]

I had to think about this one I long time before I voted - especially because my form always feels as if it's in need of renovation. I finally went with spotter who does all the work because at least the other guys are trying, even if they're only using 45% of their grey matter.

 

[musketeer]

Something that I noticed a long while ago with guys who don't know how to spot is spotters who spot unnecisarily. People who just can't help but touch the bar for the sake of it. I'm obviously not talking about the personal trainer or experienced lifter who needs to be right in there when near max weights are being lifted and just a 1/2lb of upward pull from a fing tip is the difference between making one last rep and the bar stalling at the sticking point. I'm talking about guys who pull on the bar from rep one even though the lifter is going for an 8RM!

I once asked some unknown sguy to spot me - he was kinda big 5'8" and 210 or so and looked like he knew how to bench from the very respectable pecs he had. So I explain that I only would like him there in case I miss a rep and then he can 'save' me. If he has to help me, then the set is over - I'll, unrack it and everything.
So we get going and I unrack and lower to my chest (I'm using about 225 which at the time was hard for me to get about 7-8 reps) I notice as I unlock the weight from the racks that he's looking over his shoulder in the mirror but I'm sure that if the bar is crushing me then he will remember why he's there. I press the weight and as it reaches about 70% to the top, his hand is on the bar or rather his open palm is underneath, and he appllys about 15lbs of pressure in as if he's receiving an underhand 'hi-five'. My arms go straight to lockout and I my elbows alomst hyperextend.
"I got it" I say but he just grunts as I start my next rep. I should have terminated the set right there but I was not thinking and the guy did it on every rep, pulling the bar to the top with a casual upward slap, causing me to nearly lose control on every rep until I actually did lose balance, and felt something give in my right pec.

I've seen this guy since - he benches in a pack of about 5 pricks who only press and curl and do stupid shit like bench/curl supersets and take up the bench for an hour whilst they talk on their cell phones and pose their laughable physiques hooting and hollering and screwing up everyone elses concentration. They ALL overspot each other like its the thing to do - going to failure with forced and then negative reps with 185 and then putting on 225 and not doing one rep before adding up to 275 for really dangerous looking doubles - and then getting a guy spotting each end and one in the middle, all three helping to unrack and the lower the bar before raising it again whilst the dumbshit on the bench wriggles like a fish as the bar stalls on his chest for 3-4 seconds before they all raise it again.

I hate overspotters and the fools who unknowingly endure them.

 

[blut wump]

The team benchers always make me laugh. I remember one of them saying that the weight doesn't matter, you just have to keep the bar moving. All the while the guy on the incline was doing little more that hanging onto the bar while his partners did upright rows and shouted encouragement.

On the other hand, I was almost failing on a rep a few weeks ago and in the few seconds I took to press the weight a guy came over and stood behind me. He didn't touch the bar and I squeezed the rep out and he then reached and helped me to rack it. I thanked him for being there and also thanked him for not touching the bar. He just shrugged his shoulders and said "That's experience for you".

I wish everyone competent spotters for 2006.

 

[silver_shadow]

today i was on the flat bench... so i'm just warming up with something like 130 lbs and this idiot comes up to me and starts spotting me... puts his palms under the bar and gives a good deal of help. now i'm not exactly a very little guy at 5'10" 211. i just cannot understand this over helfulness.... aaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh..... it makes my blood boil.