Smith benchpresses = crap?

[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.