Before bench press or squats with bar weights (muscles, gym, push-ups)

[sailordave]

Just got through watching horrible exercise videos of people doing exercises incorrectly, and some getting seriously hurt in the process. They had bad bench press spotters (possible broken ribs) and people trying to squat incorrectly and with too much weight. People, if you've never been trained on how to properly bench press or squat with a weight bar, DON'T! Try focusing on doing proper form push-ups and squats at home without weights. Even if you don't use proper form, you're not going to get horrible injuries from these exercises AND no one will see you making a fool of yourself. If you can't do a minimum of 10 to 20 proper form push-ups then you should not bother with a bench press. If you can't do 10 to 20 proper form squats at home without weights then you should not go anywhere near a set of weights.

[td333]

I can't get people to squat or press correctly face-to-face in the gym, after someone has asked for help; online advice without request probably doesn't fair any better.

[AJNEOA]

I see all sorts of half-completed bench presses and squats at the gym all the time. Big muscular guys that don't bring the bar all the way down with far too much weight for them (and one or two reps). I always smile, because they don't realize they're just cheating themselves. I personally like benching dumbbells so that I don't need a spotter. I also believe in sitting up with your weights when you're done rather than dropping them on the ground (which I think is dangerous).

I use a forward pyramid, and always start out with light weights to get the motion down and get warmed up (combined with stretching).

[Luckyd609]

I see men and women using poor form all the time. I am sure these people injure themselves and it probably puts them off exercise. I think egos and intimidation get in the way of common sense.

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

I see all sorts of half-completed bench presses and squats at the gym all the time. Big muscular guys that don't bring the bar all the way down with far too much weight for them (and one or two reps). I always smile, because they don't realize they're just cheating themselves. I personally like benching dumbbells so that I don't need a spotter. I also believe in sitting up with your weights when you're done rather than dropping them on the ground (which I think is dangerous).

I use a forward pyramid, and always start out with light weights to get the motion down and get warmed up (combined with stretching).

Benching dumbbells is the most dangerous exercise I see in a gym. I can't see how someone could use enough weight to get any benefit unless you have a spotter. Many people end up with should injuries and this exercise will guarantee problems. Sitting up with dumbells is a good way to injure your back.

While I'm at it, another exercise that will result in injury is the pec-deck machine if you set it to get a maximum stretch. Some people don't like this exercise at all but I have found it to be safe and effective if you concentrate on squeezing your elbows together and don't allow your elbows to go further back than your shoulders. Cable crossovers are probably safer but I found them to be not as effective.

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by villageidiot1

Benching dumbbells is the most dangerous exercise I see in a gym. I can't see how someone could use enough weight to get any benefit unless you have a spotter. Many people end up with should injuries and this exercise will guarantee problems. Sitting up with dumbells is a good way to injure your back.

If you start low and work your way up, you can safely bench with dumbbells. I'm not recommending anyone jump up to 100lb dumbbells without spending months starting at a lower weight. Also, sitting up with dumbbells while keeping your back straight is definitely do-able. It's something that takes full body muscle (e.g. biceps, abs, etc.) to do and is good if, again, you start at a lower weight.

[td333]

Originally Posted by villageidiot1

Benching dumbbells is the most dangerous exercise I see in a gym. I can't see how someone could use enough weight to get any benefit unless you have a spotter. Many people end up with should injuries and this exercise will guarantee problems. Sitting up with dumbells is a good way to injure your back.

While I'm at it, another exercise that will result in injury is the pec-deck machine if you set it to get a maximum stretch. Some people don't like this exercise at all but I have found it to be safe and effective if you concentrate on squeezing your elbows together and don't allow your elbows to go further back than your shoulders. Cable crossovers are probably safer but I found them to be not as effective.

At 140-145lbs I was DB pressing 90's-120's (reps of 2 - 8 and down to the chest and up) on the regular. My competition bench went up quite a bit because of that.

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by tommodonahue

At 140-145lbs I was DB pressing 90's-120's (reps of 2 - 8 and down to the chest and up) on the regular. My competition bench went up quite a bit because of that.

That's impressive. I've been benching DBs for 5 years now and find it to be very rewarding. The stretch in the pecs, the strengthening of the shoulders and extra work for the tris.

People can tear a shoulder or hurt their back if they don't know what they're doing, but that goes for any exercise.

[wcu25rs]

Originally Posted by tommodonahue

At 140-145lbs I was DB pressing 90's-120's (reps of 2 - 8 and down to the chest and up) on the regular. My competition bench went up quite a bit because of that.

dont doubt it. DB Pressing is one of the best ways to make your bench stronger. DB pressing utilizes many of the smaller muscles that have to be used for the extra stabilization necessary when DB pressing.

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by tommodonahue

At 140-145lbs I was DB pressing 90's-120's (reps of 2 - 8 and down to the chest and up) on the regular. My competition bench went up quite a bit because of that.

With or without a spotter?

The exercise is fine with a spotter. The shoulder is a complicated joint that is often injured. The injuries don't easily heal on their own and can last a lifetime.