Smith benchpresses = crap?

[Santa_Claus]

I've always done smith benchpresses and yet my chest is alright. A couple of months ago I started doing dips. My chest has gotten bigger after I started dips. I tried to do a real benchpress but I sucked at it and couldn't balance the barbell correctly because my "stabilizers" were not developped enough.

As a result, I decided to work on my stabilizer muscles by adding a few sets of dumbell presses each week. Now I believe that those muscles are well developped enough to allow me to do a decent benchpress.

Right now my routine is...

Day 1: Smith machine press
rest
Day 2: No chest
rest
Day 3: Dips and barbell press


My question is... if I switch the smith machine press with a real benchpress. Will that increase the mass of my chest? (Please keep in mind that since I train alone, I wont be able to go to failure anymore because the bench has no safety shit.) Even if I cannot go to failure, will the benefits of the bench outweigh those of the smith?


Thank you.

PS: I absolutely LOVE dips because I have freakishly long arms and dips allow me to hit the chest hard without getting my arms tired before my chest.

 

[big4life]

I wouldn't say that it is crap, but as you are finding out, you don't get the same benefit that you get from bb or db presses.

What else are you doing for chest?

I would do something like this.

Incline bb or db presses
flat bb or db presses
dips
incline flyes

 

[Santa_Claus]

I wouldn't say that it is crap, but as you are finding out, you don't get the same benefit that you get from bb or db presses.

What else are you doing for chest?

I would do something like this.

Incline bb or db presses
flat bb or db presses
dips
incline flyes

My chest routine is...

Day1: Benchpress
Day2: break time for chest
Day3: Dips and dumbell presses

You think I should add flyes on day 1?

About incline bb, can the chest really be isolated by exercises? or should I just stick with what I got already?

Thanks.

 

[big4life]

My chest routine is...

Day1: Benchpress
Day2: break time for chest
Day3: Dips and dumbell presses

You think I should add flyes on day 1?

About incline bb, can the chest really be isolated by exercises? or should I just stick with what I got already?

Thanks.

I don't know how much the chest can or can't be isolated, but it can be debated forever. I do incline bb presses, about a 30 degree incline, because they are what really work my chest the best. I then follow it up with flat db presses and decline bb presses. I don't do flyes due to two previous shoulder operations, but I do think that they help round out your chest routine if you can do them.

In the end it's all about what works for you. I can do a rotine that works for me, but it might not do anything for you, or vice versa. That's why I tell people to experiment with different routines / programs, and find what works best for them, and don't be afraid to take something from one routine and mix it with something from another routine. It's all about what works for you.

 

[Illuminati]

smith machine bench=waste of f@#king time. get your A$$ on a real bench. if you want to go to failure, set your self up in the power rack, and set the safety bars up. there are no excuses why you can't go to failure

 

[H_T_]

you're missing out.

 

[blut wump]

smith machine bench=waste of f@#king time. snip...

Not true. Benching on the Smith feels very unnatural for someone unused to it since it does force the body into a rigid line of motion. It also does very little for the stabilizing muscles which any free-weight bencher needs. I won't begin to suggest that it's as good as a free-weight bench but you can work up your strength on a Smith machine just as with anything else and you have to pay extra attention to body positioning since you can't adjust the bar after unracking it.

When you move from a Smith to a real bench the bar will be all over the place and it'll take three or four weeks to get it under control. After that time you might find you've lost 10 or 15 pounds from what you could do on the Smith but you're up and running with most of the strength you'd already grown on the Smith.

Not everyone has access to decent kit and the Smith is better than a seated press machine and at least lets you use real poundages until such time as you can switch to a better gym. I wouldn't want to go back to a Smith machine but it wouldn't be a disaster to have to.

 

[Illuminati]

im not going to even get into this arguement.

 

[d3track]

Day1: Benchpress
Day2: break time for chest
Day3: Dips and dumbell presses

QUOTE]

i'm sorry
but does this mean you dont do anything but chest?

 

[Santa_Claus]

Day1: Benchpress
Day2: break time for chest
Day3: Dips and dumbell presses

QUOTE]

i'm sorry
but does this mean you dont do anything but chest?

Day 1:

Dips
Inclined bench press
Dumbell Press
Pull ups
Abs

Day 2:

Deadlift
Bent over row
Shoulder press
Benchpress
Abs

Day 3:

Squats
Leg Press
Pull ups
Calf raise
Abs


My complete (and revised) workout. I just added pull ups and leg press 2 weeks ago, removed smith bench press from day 3 to allow more rest and now I just added inclined press.


I think im gonna put the incline bench on day 3. I wasn't able to perform well on my dumbell press because of it.

 

[ruggermu]

Your right you can't go to what you consider failure, cause you won't be able to get it off. But it has always been my understanding and practice is going to failure is last set you can do with proper form. I was able to do that even alone(Especially if you bench has the oh shit pegs half way up.). Good luck with the switch and don't get discouraged at the loss of weight, still better

 

[Santa_Claus]

Your right you can't go to what you consider failure, cause you won't be able to get it off. But it has always been my understanding and practice is going to failure is last set you can do with proper form. I was able to do that even alone(Especially if you bench has the oh shit pegs half way up.). Good luck with the switch and don't get discouraged at the loss of weight, still better

Thanks alot man, I wont.

 

[camshaft]

this is my chest routine:
flat barbell
incline smith
incle dumbbell
flys

i definately think the smith has its place, if you wants to go balls heavy with no spotter, for instance. i dont agree with the whole "using safety blocks in the power rack is just as good thing". still makes you nervous when you lift the heavy ass weight off the rest, which cock blocks my focus like a mofo. of course i might just be a pussy.

 

[toxicsambo]

Like everything else, everyone is different. I use the Smith bench because I work out alone. I've done straight bar and it's the same. The biggest difference I've had was using DB presses because of the stretch below the chest line which put more stress on the pecs. I see guys using the straight bar and not even performing the exercise correctly. Locking out, bouncing it off thier chest, all sorts of funny shit. Your execution of the exercise is what matters. So if you know how the "use" the Smith, you'll get the same benefits.

As far as dips. They are possibly the best chest development exercise there is. Just look at the types of exercises that are guaranteed to make you into a monster. Chest dips,tri dips, wide chins, close grip chins, underhand chins. They use your body weight and require you to have balance and control. Dips will give you pecs that will make girls horny.

 

[Santa_Claus]

Dips will give you pecs that will make girls horny.

and that's EXACTLY what im looking for...

 

[blut wump]

There seems to be an acceptance that the Smith machine is safer when you're working out alone which I can't necessarily agree with. If you fail on a normal bench you can at least tip one side of the bar down and wriggle out from underneath it. If you fail on a Smith and don't manage to rack it off before it's pressing down on you then there's nowhere to go except try to work your torso out from beneath the weight.

The alternative is to flip the supports into position but that often means that the bar hits them before it hits your chest and you end up doing partial reps to avoid hitting them. Obviously, it helps to know how much weight you can rest on your chest without crushing yourself.

I've had times when I've been lying in the gym on the Smith with 80 or 90Kg resting on my chest while I waited either for someone to notice on the internal cameras or for me to get my strength back. I've even had one time when I was doing close grip and my triceps just gave out and the weight came crashing down and I didn't get the chance to rack it off. I once walked into the weight room to see someone in the process of trying to work himself out from beneath 130Kg on the Smith. Maybe there's just something in the local water which affects our judgement.

The Smith has its risks like anything else in the gym. I wouldn't recommend anyone to use it if they have access to a free bench, especially if they have one with the cop-out hooks near the bottom. If there's no free bench available then the Smith is a decent alternative. There are even some variants which can't really be done on a free bench like explosively thrusting the bar upwards and releasing it at the top.

 

[Jim Ouini]

There seems to be an acceptance that the Smith machine is safer when you're working out alone which I can't necessarily agree with. If you fail on a normal bench you can at least tip one side of the bar down and wriggle out from underneath it. If you fail on a Smith and don't manage to rack it off before it's pressing down on you then there's nowhere to go except try to work your torso out from beneath the weight.

The alternative is to flip the supports into position but that often means that the bar hits them before it hits your chest and you end up doing partial reps to avoid hitting them. Obviously, it helps to know how much weight you can rest on your chest without crushing yourself.

I've had times when I've been lying in the gym on the Smith with 80 or 90Kg resting on my chest while I waited either for someone to notice on the internal cameras or for me to get my strength back. I've even had one time when I was doing close grip and my triceps just gave out and the weight came crashing down and I didn't get the chance to rack it off. I once walked into the weight room to see someone in the process of trying to work himself out from beneath 130Kg on the Smith. Maybe there's just something in the local water which affects our judgement.

The Smith has its risks like anything else in the gym. I wouldn't recommend anyone to use it if they have access to a free bench, especially if they have one with the cop-out hooks near the bottom. If there's no free bench available then the Smith is a decent alternative. There are even some variants which can't really be done on a free bench like explosively thrusting the bar upwards and releasing it at the top.

As someone with bad wrists, I can say that smith machine benching is one of the few exercises that's actually scared me. I remember trying to push out a rep towards the end of my set and barely had enough strength, leverage, whatever to rotate the bar to set the hooks back.

 

[bignate73]

smith machine=expensive towel rack

 

[flyin j]

PS: I absolutely LOVE dips because I have freakishly long arms and dips allow me to hit the chest hard without getting my arms tired before my chest.

Yeah iam the same way im 6'3 with very long arms and I recently started doing dips about 2 months ago and I love the pump and the different look im starting to get.




"Life is ours we live it our way"

METALLICA
'Nothing else matters'

 

[cwick0]

smith machine=expensive towel rack

AMEN!

and waste of money and space

 

[Sub-Zero]

I don't know how much the chest can or can't be isolated, but it can be debated forever. I do incline bb presses, about a 30 degree incline, because they are what really work my chest the best. I then follow it up with flat db presses and decline bb presses. I don't do flyes due to two previous shoulder operations, but I do think that they help round out your chest routine if you can do them.

In the end it's all about what works for you. I can do a rotine that works for me, but it might not do anything for you, or vice versa. That's why I tell people to experiment with different routines / programs, and find what works best for them, and don't be afraid to take something from one routine and mix it with something from another routine. It's all about what works for you.

flys "round out the chest"?

i thought u cant make ur chest change shape...

if doing flys really helps with shape, then oooh shit ill be adding those iN!

 

[Santa_Claus]

I was able to do the switch from the smith machine to the benchpress with a 5 pound loss.

I don't know if this is normal but after I finished benchpressing, my pecs didn't feel as pumped as before when I used the smith machine. I also felt that my front deltoids did alot more work than when I used the smith machine.

Maybe it's just my body adjusting to the bench and maybe I still don't have the mental confidence to feel at ease with the bar. I didn't dare arch my back much and that probably hampered part of the experience.

Where should I align the bar? On the smith it was above my neck but on the benchpress the bar is held above my pecs.

What do you think?

 

[bignate73]

Where should I align the bar? On the smith it was above my neck....

this is why you should always learn FREEWEIGHT movements first, to avoid unnatural movements and ranges of motion...

 

[Ulcasterdropout]

use the smith for burnout sets only...
you get used to a smith, the barbell press will own you.

 

[blut wump]

I was able to do the switch from the smith machine to the benchpress with a 5 pound loss.

I don't know if this is normal but after I finished benchpressing, my pecs didn't feel as pumped as before when I used the smith machine. I also felt that my front deltoids did alot more work than when I used the smith machine.

Maybe it's just my body adjusting to the bench and maybe I still don't have the mental confidence to feel at ease with the bar. I didn't dare arch my back much and that probably hampered part of the experience.

Where should I align the bar? On the smith it was above my neck but on the benchpress the bar is held above my pecs.

What do you think?

I used to bench down to just below my nipples on the Smith and that allowed a decent arch. Nothing much changed on switching to a free bench except that it took a while to get the bar under control and I was a few pounds down in weight. Try doing some free-weight inclines or Military Press if you want to upset your delts.

 

[big4life]

flys "round out the chest"?

i thought u cant make ur chest change shape...

if doing flys really helps with shape, then oooh shit ill be adding those iN!

Oops, I meant help finish / complete your chest routine. Sorry.

 

[Shark01]

There seems to be an acceptance that the Smith machine is safer when you're working out alone which I can't necessarily agree with. If you fail on a normal bench you can at least tip one side of the bar down and wriggle out from underneath it. If you fail on a Smith and don't manage to rack it off before it's pressing down on you then there's nowhere to go except try to work your torso out from beneath the weight.

This is such a damn ignorant statement that I have to weigh in on this. Normal bench pressing is NOT safer than Smith pressing. Tell that to the former Steeler player that recently died under a free weight bar or the other dozen that die every year in these mishaps. I have a Smith machine at home that has a gunrack with safety spotters on the front, so I do both. Free benching is more technique than anything else, akin to learning some of the odd lifts in strongman comps. Once past the beginning stage, Smith benching is as effective as free benching. The guy who said it bothers his wrists though is correct, there is some discomfort.

Just telling someone to free bench alone without safety stops and just not go to failure is foolish. There are several things that could cause you to drop the bar on yourself other than fatigue such as cramps, loss of balance, or a heart attack or stroke....which makes that tipping the bar to dump plates moot.....not to mention doing that turns the bar into a freakin missle when it recoils back to the other side.

Dumbbell presses are the best fallback for learning benching technique training alone.

 

[blut wump]

This is such a damn ignorant statement that I have to weigh in on this. Normal bench pressing is NOT safer than Smith pressing. Tell that to the former Steeler player that recently died under a free weight bar or the other dozen that die every year in these mishaps. I have a Smith machine at home that has a gunrack with safety spotters on the front, so I do both. Free benching is more technique than anything else, akin to learning some of the odd lifts in strongman comps. Once past the beginning stage, Smith benching is as effective as free benching. The guy who said it bothers his wrists though is correct, there is some discomfort.

Just telling someone to free bench alone without safety stops and just not go to failure is foolish. There are several things that could cause you to drop the bar on yourself other than fatigue such as cramps, loss of balance, or a heart attack or stroke....which makes that tipping the bar to dump plates moot.....not to mention doing that turns the bar into a freakin missle when it recoils back to the other side.

Dumbbell presses are the best fallback for learning benching technique training alone.

Do you think everyone puts the supports in place when they Smith bench? I've never seen anyone but myself use them and I only used them when I realised I could arch enough to get my chest above the support. If you use the support then chances are that you end up doing partials and not touching down. If you don't use the supports then the risk is as great as on a free bench especially if a muscle gives out or you have a stroke etc. I've had triceps suddenly fail and had the weight come crashing down. Nothing I could do but wait for help or recovery. I've also seen people decide not to rack it off because they felt they could struggle a bit longer and rack it off lower. Shame that they didn't have any control left by the time they passed the last hook point.

I've spent two years on just a Smith machine. I know it works and I said as much. When I got onto a free bench I couldn't press as much but the difference was less than I expected and the bar took a few weeks to get under control again. Free benching is not just technique: it's a matter of using all those stabilizing muscles which a Smith machine does zilch for. There is technique required to Smith bench, though, mostly getting the body in the correct position else you unrack and lower the bar and find that the mechanics are all wrong to push with. On a free bench the bar is all yours from the moment you unrack.

I've failed many times on a free bench and never had any missile recoil. Just use the collars to avoid dumping plates and wriggle out. If you feel like being safer then get into a squat/power rack. That's another device which is more useful than a Smith machine unless you're going to advocate Smith squats as being preferable to free squats.

Obviously, if someone is using so much weight that they feel that failure is either likely or likely to be dangerous then they need to take precautions.

DB press will not do much for your barbell technique but may help to work some of those muscles required for stability and can be a good assist exercise.

 

[Shark01]

Do you think everyone puts the supports in place when they Smith bench? I've never seen anyone but myself use them and I only used them when I realised I could arch enough to get my chest above the support. If you use the support then chances are that you end up doing partials and not touching down. If you don't use the supports then the risk is as great as on a free bench especially if a muscle gives out or you have a stroke etc.

I wasn't talking about using the stops on the Smith, I don't use those either. The hooks on my machine are 3" apart, so the most I ever have to move the bar is 1.5" either up or down. No matter how fatigued, I have been able to move the bar an inch and a half. If that doesn't work, I would just slide my body slightly so the bar gets closer to my neck which is some 5-6 inches lower than my chest and rack the bar lower.

Most people advocate leaving collars off the bar so they can dump weight. I guess you are saying to roll the bar towards your feet, but damn that sounds painfull.......no thanks.

 

[Santa_Claus]

Benchpress/incline benchpress don't work my chest as much as the smith machine. My front deltoids are burning when I just benched but my pecs feel soft.

With the smith machine my pecs feel hard.

Maybe it's because of the length of my arms but the smith definitely works my chest more than the benchpress. As for the stabilizers, I do dips and dumbell presses to work those.

 

[blut wump]

I guess Smiths are all made different and neither of us seems to know the other's frame of reference. The Smiths I've used have had not had their hooks placed to allow what you describe and a bar on the neck would have been fatal if not unpleasant or downright stupid. If you're not using the stops then, surely, you're just as prone to the problems of stroke, heart attack or sudden muscle failure without even the possibility that the weight will tip of its own accord and only half crush you?

When I've failed on a free bench I've just tipped the bar to one side. The floor has taken half of the load and I've wriggled out sideways. It's not fun but it's not going to kill me either. Whether I'll still get away with it when I'm benching four or five hundred pounds remains to be seen.

The important thing in either case is that the bencher is aware of the possibility of failure and has some measure or plan in place should it happen. Training alone is inherently dangerous. Anyone can pass out in the middle of a set, for whatever reason, and consequently suffer an untimely demise or debilitation if not prepared.

 

[Stacemranger]

About incline bb, can the chest really be isolated by exercises? or should I just stick with what I got already?

I used to only do DB incline press on bench day and when I started doing inclide BB press my chest really started to shape up. Now my chest day is...

Bench press
Incline bench press
Fly
Dips
Lying chest pullovers

Works awesome for me. My chest went up 3" in 2 months after being at a plataeu.

 

[Santa_Claus]

I used to only do DB incline press on bench day and when I started doing inclide BB press my chest really started to shape up. Now my chest day is...

Bench press
Incline bench press
Fly
Dips
Lying chest pullovers

Works awesome for me. My chest went up 3" in 2 months after being at a plataeu.

Sounds good. I'll keep the incline in my workout, however I think ill perform it on the smith machine.

Btw do you think it's okay to spread out my chest exercises because when I do them all in one day my efficiency drops after the first 2 chest exercises.

 

[Stacemranger]

I do all mine in one day. If you need to take some stimulants before your workout. I also do chest twice a week.

 

[Island Son]

When I've failed on a free bench I've just tipped the bar to one side. The floor has taken half of the load and I've wriggled out sideways. It's not fun but it's not going to kill me either. Whether I'll still get away with it when I'm benching four or five hundred pounds remains to be seen.

Amen. I've been able to focus on one arm, rack one end of the bar up to the lower pins on the bench and then wriggle out. Another time I was able to get it down to my chest, roll it down to the abs and then sit up (not recommended, cause it's a bitch to get it over hipbones). I remember thinking getting one end to the floor felt too tough. Now I pre-fatigue with weighted dips, so I know I can get anything I bench off me pretty easily.
Lose the smith. Start with DB presses on a flat bench, move up to the bar and learn how to get that extra 10% when you need it.

 

[musketeer]

This thread is getting crazy!

No way should you bench press to failure with any weight that you cant fail with and then lower to your chest, push toward your belly and then sit up with. (unless you have a spotter)

I would never go to FAILURE without the weight discs being secured in place.

The lower support struts on the bench uprights are not supposed to be the "Oh shit" supports for a lone lifter (although it made me laugh, I've experienced that too). They are for a spotter to move the bar sideways onto as opposed to him lifting it all of the way back to the top. If you are using real weights, like 1.25 times your bodyweight or more, then trying to change the alignment of your shoulders to rack the bell midpress will one day royally fuck your shoulder, it's just a matter of time.

In his latest vid, Markus Rhul has 5 plates on the incline Smith for 7 reps as his first and main exercise and his chest is one of the best.

The reason why most people cannot feel the effect of the flat barbell press is beacuse A) injury, OR B) they are not doing it right. For them, bench in the smith to the neck will seem like a better chest fatiguer, however unless ther are injured, then they should just keep pounding away at the bench press until the surrounding muscles (delts, tris) get up to speed and allow the torso to do the work.

Bench pressing should feel like you are using your entire body to make the lift. If not then you are not getting the most out of it. If you think that it should be focused on your chest, or if you just want to do that , then do DB press or flyes.

If you are weak at the BP, I would reccomend doing just the BP and Dips for sets of about 10.

In my routine, I dont use the smith except for calves or when the place is really busy, and then I might use it for incline, bottom-half chest presses.

 

[Santa_Claus]

This thread is getting crazy!

No way should you bench press to failure with any weight that you cant fail with and then lower to your chest, push toward your belly and then sit up with. (unless you have a spotter)

I would never go to FAILURE without the weight discs being secured in place.

The lower support struts on the bench uprights are not supposed to be the "Oh shit" supports for a lone lifter (although it made me laugh, I've experienced that too). They are for a spotter to move the bar sideways onto as opposed to him lifting it all of the way back to the top. If you are using real weights, like 1.25 times your bodyweight or more, then trying to change the alignment of your shoulders to rack the bell midpress will one day royally fuck your shoulder, it's just a matter of time.

In his latest vid, Markus Rhul has 5 plates on the incline Smith for 7 reps as his first and main exercise and his chest is one of the best.

The reason why most people cannot feel the effect of the flat barbell press is beacuse A) injury, OR B) they are not doing it right. For them, bench in the smith to the neck will seem like a better chest fatiguer, however unless ther are injured, then they should just keep pounding away at the bench press until the surrounding muscles (delts, tris) get up to speed and allow the torso to do the work.

Bench pressing should feel like you are using your entire body to make the lift. If not then you are not getting the most out of it. If you think that it should be focused on your chest, or if you just want to do that , then do DB press or flyes.

If you are weak at the BP, I would reccomend doing just the BP and Dips for sets of about 10.

In my routine, I dont use the smith except for calves or when the place is really busy, and then I might use it for incline, bottom-half chest presses.

After I BP, my front deltoids are burning but the chest is pretty much intact.

So you're saying that the problem is that my triceps and other muscles get tired before my chest ? That's probably right because my triceps are small and I think that I have proper form when executing the BP.

I also have very long arms so that puts additional stress on my arm rather than on my chest. Stress that I don't have when doing dips or smith machine.

It's very hard to bp is you have long arms, my whole arm and shoulders get 70% of the stress on them and my pecs only do 30%.

 

[bignate73]

It's very hard to bp is you have long arms, my whole arm and shoulders get 70% of the stress on them and my pecs only do 30%.

that seems pretty normal for a bench press. it is a multijoint movement, not an isolation movement.

 

[riverrock]

Cannot compare smith machine with real thing. No transfer of strength

 

[musketeer]

After I BP, my front deltoids are burning but the chest is pretty much intact.

So you're saying that the problem is that my triceps and other muscles get tired before my chest ? That's probably right because my triceps are small and I think that I have proper form when executing the BP.

I also have very long arms so that puts additional stress on my arm rather than on my chest. Stress that I don't have when doing dips or smith machine.

It's very hard to bp is you have long arms, my whole arm and shoulders get 70% of the stress on them and my pecs only do 30%.

I was 15 when I started to bench press. I had been doning pushups for a few years, and was supprised that the bench press was hitting my shoulders and triceps much harder than my chest. It took years for me to get my bench presses to hit my chest, but when I did, it was great. Read a good post about benching, as it;s been said too much for me to repeat here. ts all about a healthy arch ion your spine and pumpig you ribcage and using the scapula muscles to allow the pecs to open properly...

I've gotten up to 325 (with my predisposed long arms and small ribcage giving me a tough time) but an injury doing flyes has put me back and now I have to use the heavy Incline Press as my main exercise, and I can only flat bench for high reps.

 

[Santa_Claus]

I was 15 when I started to bench press. I had been doning pushups for a few years, and was supprised that the bench press was hitting my shoulders and triceps much harder than my chest. It took years for me to get my bench presses to hit my chest, but when I did, it was great. Read a good post about benching, as it;s been said too much for me to repeat here. ts all about a healthy arch ion your spine and pumpig you ribcage and using the scapula muscles to allow the pecs to open properly...

I've gotten up to 325 (with my predisposed long arms and small ribcage giving me a tough time) but an injury doing flyes has put me back and now I have to use the heavy Incline Press as my main exercise, and I can only flat bench for high reps.

Great info. Thx alot
Ill definitely drop the smith and stick with benching

 

[Santa_Claus]

I was 15 when I started to bench press. I had been doning pushups for a few years, and was supprised that the bench press was hitting my shoulders and triceps much harder than my chest. It took years for me to get my bench presses to hit my chest, but when I did, it was great. Read a good post about benching, as it;s been said too much for me to repeat here. ts all about a healthy arch ion your spine and pumpig you ribcage and using the scapula muscles to allow the pecs to open properly...

I've gotten up to 325 (with my predisposed long arms and small ribcage giving me a tough time) but an injury doing flyes has put me back and now I have to use the heavy Incline Press as my main exercise, and I can only flat bench for high reps.

Great info. Thx alot
Ill definitely drop the smith and stick with benching