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Benching and chest touching
- Thread starter Eric1987
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artificialaspirations
New member
Strongbow said:
I think because it skews the sport so much in conversation. Every other sport has standards like 90 ft bases, 100 yd goal line, 10 ft hoop etc. For us its a full range of motion squat or bench.
For instance, In conversation someone says they squat 315, I think dedication and years of hard work to get there. Later I see them doing 1/4 squats and realize thats just one summer of ill-informed training, so on and so forth. We all should measure with the same yard stick.
artificialaspirations
New member
Strongbow said:
I think because it skews the sport so much in conversation. Every other sport has standards like 90 ft bases, 100 yd goal line, 10 ft hoop etc. For us its a full range of motion squat or bench. Apples to apples, if you will. I'd love to be able to say I can bench 300 but I'd be cheating myself cause I can't do it full range.
For instance, In conversation someone says they squat 315, I think dedication and years of hard work to get there. Later I see them doing 1/4 squats and realize thats just one summer of ill-informed training, so on and so forth. We all should measure with the same yard stick.
imo, full range of motion is always your best option. if you hit a plateau, only then may you change and do partial reps. but when doing partial reps you must do them correctly, or you are only cheating yourself. i do partial inclines when i want to focus on my chest, and yes it does seem to work. but i always touch, i just may not lock out. when i do flat bench i always use full range of motion
JLowe02 said:
I'm still confused on the whole partial rep thing ever since I read Omega's theories. I always use a full range of motion.
However, I've tried the partial reps when I was stuck on squats. I added 10 lbs to each side and I could only do partials. Next day I was really sore. I think it shocked me, having more weight than I was used to. Next week, I was able to perform full reps.
automaticj5
New member
1999TL said:
Yeah but you used full reps til you couldnt do them anymore... partial reps arent bad when you CANT do full reps any longer cuz such a hard workout -- Like I said before, at the end of sets, ill try to push out a couple half reps if I can...
Although I may be comparing apples to oranges, consider the squat, where partial reps are heresy due to the knees taking the brunt of the load anywhere above parallel. It is in my opinion (consolidated by Mark Rippetoe's advice) that nothing but a below-parallel squat (the criteria for which is the inguinal fold - the fold between the inner thigh and the genitalia - being lower than the level of the patella, or kneecap) is a legitimate squat because the weight is safely transmitted from the knees to the comparatively stronger gluteal muscles (the butt).
I can't help but draw a parallel between the knees being put in a precarious position for trainees who do not know how to squat correctly, and the partial rep ideology that bench pressers advocate. In this case, I see the elbows in the same way that I see the knees during the squat - they, along with the shoulders, have to stop a weight dead in the middle of its natural range of motion and begin upward acceleration. The natural use of the myotatic (stretch) reflex is abandoned and the advantage of the rebound is lost. The joints cannot be benefiting from this, in my eyes. Plus, from a micro-physiological standpoint, the smaller the degree of muscle fiber stretch, the smaller the extent of stretch-induced calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum of the muscle, resulting in less force production (a weaker muscle contraction).
Please correct me if I'm wrong in my way of thinking.
I can't help but draw a parallel between the knees being put in a precarious position for trainees who do not know how to squat correctly, and the partial rep ideology that bench pressers advocate. In this case, I see the elbows in the same way that I see the knees during the squat - they, along with the shoulders, have to stop a weight dead in the middle of its natural range of motion and begin upward acceleration. The natural use of the myotatic (stretch) reflex is abandoned and the advantage of the rebound is lost. The joints cannot be benefiting from this, in my eyes. Plus, from a micro-physiological standpoint, the smaller the degree of muscle fiber stretch, the smaller the extent of stretch-induced calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum of the muscle, resulting in less force production (a weaker muscle contraction).
Please correct me if I'm wrong in my way of thinking.
IrishHandGrenade
New member
I'm not sure why everyone gets so upset about people doing a partial range of motion unless they're walking around like they're bad cuz of the weight they can do. Even then I dont really give a crap what everyone else is doing. I know what I'm in there to do and thats all I worry about.
For purely bodybuilding purposes a 3/4 range of motion on chest presses keeps more tension on the pecs. When you go past parallel your shoulders start to take a mojority of the load which is fine unless you want to target your pecs. You'll be able to fatigue your chest much better stopping at about parallel and not locking out. It does take a few workouts for your delts to stop taking over and allow your pecs to do most of the work.
I've been going all the way down for years and that style definitly has a place in bodybuilding and more so in strength training however I never lock out. Locking out is too hard on your joints and reduces you time under tension.
For purely bodybuilding purposes a 3/4 range of motion on chest presses keeps more tension on the pecs. When you go past parallel your shoulders start to take a mojority of the load which is fine unless you want to target your pecs. You'll be able to fatigue your chest much better stopping at about parallel and not locking out. It does take a few workouts for your delts to stop taking over and allow your pecs to do most of the work.
I've been going all the way down for years and that style definitly has a place in bodybuilding and more so in strength training however I never lock out. Locking out is too hard on your joints and reduces you time under tension.
enigma4dub
Active member
IrishHandGrenade said:
time under tension is completely overrated. the bench press is not a chest exercise it is an upper body press. the lats, shoulder and chest are all heavily involved. the idea is to have strength through the entire range of motion. this results in added hypertrophy. narrow grip on all presses is safer on your elbows and shoulder because it forces you to tuck your elbows in.
