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I've achieved new personal bests for bench press recently as a 33-year-old guy, which I wasn't sure was going to happen after last summer I had a rotator cuff injury created from an overhead press machine. I have realized the hard way that overhead press is not great on my shoulders, personally, I don't think my shoulders have the same range of motion perhaps as some people. Either that or it's fair to say that machine-assisted overhead press is a very dangerous exercise because it forces your body on a "track" that may be unnatural to the lift itself. I always noticed it's too far back for me, like I have to hyperextend myself almost to put my arms that far back. The press should be closer to in front of me, like hands just to the front of my shoulders, not behind them. I suspect everyone's body just works a bit different mechanically.
Even with the bench press, despite the lunks having their unscientific claims that it's "ideal" for the bar to touch your chest, that only really works if you have short arms or at longest average length arms. Mine are on the long side as I'm 5'10" but my arm span is over 6' in length. If I have no bar, and I pretend to have an invisible barbel while laying on the bench, the position of that invisible barbel is not at my chest. I cannot move my arms that far back without hyperextending my shoulders. It's a very unnatural position and prone to damaging the shoulders. As bench press is a chest exercise primarily (though involves of course many upper body muscles), I find it much better to keep the range of motion to about 1-3" off the chest. That keeps the weight in the chest itself and not on my shoulders, which have already sustained some issues that were non-bench related but it's just something I personally have to watch, unfortunately. The main "range of motion" for chest is until your arms are at a 90 degree angle and I always fully lock out at the end of the rep. Much below a 90 degree angle and you're no longer using your chest primarily. If I put the bar to my chest, I'm FAR beyond a 90 degree angle, like it's not even close. I think you'd have to have stubby little arms for that to be the case.
I've been able to shatter my previous personal best of 235 more than a decade ago to doing 3-4 reps at 260 now. My 260 reps are not great quality, like they wouldn't hold up to real scrutiny in a competition by any means, but for me the goal is to feel the weight and continue to improve 2 things: 1) The maximal weight I lift at all, and 2) The quality of reps of the lower weight I lift. In other words, my 260s don't look very good form-wise, I'm too far off the chest, instead of the ideal 1-3" for my body, they're about just 90 degrees so maybe 4 inches off the chest. BUT my 225s, which used to look pretty lousy and I could only do 5-6 of them, I just did 11 last time and they were fantastic form. That's mainly what excites me, because it's cool to bench a ton of weight, but I feel really good about being in control of a very solid weight like 225. Sure, it's not breaking any records, but that's enough to be in the "serious weight" category and to feel a high level of control and range of motion is great.
My goal, then, would be to increase my maximal weight eventually to 300 (if possible, will my body allow that? I don't know) and be able to do really quality reps of, say, 255, 260, where if I was in a competition I COULD go to my chest completely and back up at least for a few perfect reps. As I'm not interested in bragging about my bench press to other huge lifters or something, I am comfortable saying I can bench 260 even though the reps are like 3/4 reps because I know if I had to do ONE perfect rep, I could do 260, but I wouldn't be able to do it more than once. That's why I never throw around a calculated one rep max, because I figure for me that's not highly relevant.
I do think it's super important with bench press to listen to your body. Do I wish I could always do a complete touch-the-chest rep? Sure, of course, because every article you read practically especially on a big muscle blog will talk about how that's "proper form," but it's also potentially dangerous for people like me with pre-existing shoulder issues. I would so much rather be able to keep doing bench press (which I love) and reduce my range of motion a bit to save my health than focus on what works for someone else. Safety first.
Reviving this thread after an impromptu assessment of what I'd be able to do on a 1 RM right now. The most I've ever done is 280 and I've recently undertaken a deliberate effort to reach and exceed that number. I'm well on my way. It was an exceptionally robust workout week for me so on this Friday I went in pretty sore pretty much everywhere. I did a warm up, then cruised up to 260, though definitely feeling it at that point. I got 260 cleanly enough but 265 felt like a ton and just about flattened me! What a difference 5 pounds makes. I'll give it another look in a couple weeks.
Reviving this thread after an impromptu assessment of what I'd be able to do on a 1 RM right now. The most I've ever done is 280 and I've recently undertaken a deliberate effort to reach and exceed that number. I'm well on my way. It was an exceptionally robust workout week for me so on this Friday I went in pretty sore pretty much everywhere. I did a warm up, then cruised up to 260, though definitely feeling it at that point. I got 260 cleanly enough but 265 felt like a ton and just about flattened me! What a difference 5 pounds makes. I'll give it another look in a couple weeks.
I would advise against heavy lifting if you are already sore or tired. On those days shoot for low weight and higher volume. 265 is about 95% of your 1 rep max. That's too much weight for an off day.
I would advise against heavy lifting if you are already sore or tired. On those days shoot for low weight and higher volume. 265 is about 95% of your 1 rep max. That's too much weight for an off day.
That's actually a lot closer to what I usually do when I work out feeling the way I felt today. Today time was a factor though, so rather than going for volume I added weight. When I try again in a couple weeks I'll go in fresh.
I've been alternating a 10x2 or 12x2 routine into my bench press workouts. I am a big fan of this approach because even when fatigued a set of 2 is doable. And the best part is it allows me to keep the weight levels higher than I'd otherwise be able to handle.
I should add that I started doing Judo a couple weeks ago and last night was a pretty stout series of randori rotations on the ground. Needless to say I went in a little sore today and that affected the front end of the curve. By the third set I had more or less worked a lot of the soreness out and was able to push for a slightly more robust finish to the set.
I'll have to start doing a more robust warmup when I'm ready to increase at the front end of the set.
A few weeks ago I was doing well to go 10x2 at 225 all the way through, so this is definitely progress.
I'll have to start doing a more robust warmup when I'm ready to increase at the front end of the set.
From my observations, the people who never warm up and just jump into 50-75% of their max are the ones who never make gains and end up hurt. Lifters who know what they're doing start with the bar only and gradually work their way up, you don't need much "rest" in between so it doesn't take long at all to get to the heavy stuff. I always work up with light weight and all time between sets is stretching not sitting on the end of the bench fiddling with my phone.
Always lift the light weight like its heavy weight. Get that "squeeze" and maintain correct form, every lift.
I wonder - is the dumbbell bench press as effective as the barbell bench press? I do dumbbell bench because it's easy to do on my own and I don't need a spotter. I have also done it on an incline.
From my observations, the people who never warm up and just jump into 50-75% of their max are the ones who never make gains and end up hurt. Lifters who know what they're doing start with the bar only and gradually work their way up, you don't need much "rest" in between so it doesn't take long at all to get to the heavy stuff. I always work up with light weight and all time between sets is stretching not sitting on the end of the bench fiddling with my phone.
Always lift the light weight like its heavy weight. Get that "squeeze" and maintain correct form, every lift.
I don't see the point in warming up with just the bar.
From my observations, the people who never warm up and just jump into 50-75% of their max are the ones who never make gains and end up hurt. Lifters who know what they're doing start with the bar only and gradually work their way up, you don't need much "rest" in between...
I think you may have misread me. I didn't say I don't warm up, but that I may need to do a more robust warmup. This is to accomodate a higher starting weight at the beginning of the routine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by riaelise
I wonder - is the dumbbell bench press as effective as the barbell bench press? I do dumbbell bench because it's easy to do on my own and I don't need a spotter. I have also done it on an incline.
Both are good. I usually do incline DB instead of with the bar. I do feel I get a more complete body workout with the bar, but DBs are good too because you have to stress balance and one side can't compensate for the other.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider
I don't see the point in warming up with just the bar.
I actually do use just the bar, but only for a set of 8 reps to get my mind and body where it needs to be. It's more a mental step than a physical one. Then I gradually work my way up to my starting weight.
I don't see the point in warming up with just the bar.
I understand the doubt but to me that's sort of like saying you don't see the point in the first step of a stair case. The way we train is to treat that 45lb bar like its 315lbs. Its a stretch more than anything but it engages all the muscles you would use in a max weight. I like it as a tool to get into the mode for whatever lift im performing.
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