bench...........swap or not?

[noomi_nooma]

im just about to change my program and was thinking to myself that for the past 2 years ive always done flat bench. Ive changed the two other chest exercises (e.g incline, flys, decline) but i have always done flat bench press.

do u guys always stick with flat bench and work around it or do u mix it up and give it a miss for a program?

cheers

 

[jcp2]

i just started doing it again after five or six years. I used to go back and fourth between barbell incline, and dumbell incline.

 

[ssmla123]

I switch between regular and incline. I probably do flat bench 2/3 of the time, but I also vary reps and do reverse pyramids and stuff like that to keep fresh.

 

[Insane_Man]

Flat bhench is the best for chest developement. Anything else just de-emphasizes parts of the chest.

BUT, an actual FLAT bench, according to your body occurs at like 15 degrees incline.

 

[In-Human]

I have not Flat Benched in over 15 years, I do Inclines and Declines only and my chest is my best bodypart.

Flat Bench is the most injury causing exercise out there, it is a ego exercise, you can not isolate any part of your chest so Inclines and Declines work your chest just fine...

 

[jcp2]

I have not Flat Benched in over 15 years, I do Inclines and Declines only and my chest is my best bodypart.

Flat Bench is the most injury causing exercise out there, it is a ego exercise, you can not isolate any part of your chest so Inclines and Declines work your chest just fine...

i do agree with this, i hadn't done bench presses for years until a few weeks ago, and never had a problem building my chest. Since my focus has changed a little, back to benching though.

 

[ssmla123]

I think it is less that its an ego exercise and more that you can put a lot more pressure on the upper chest then with incline. I don't think someone just starting out with no real base to speak of would benefit from incline/decline only. Flat bench builds the whole chest well, after you have a decent sized chest then it might be good to get away from it, but I plan to keep doing it for a long time.

 

[r3ver3nd]

I just switched from barbell flat bench to d-bell flat bench, and I love it. My chest routine looks like so.....

Flat dbell bench
Incline Barbell bench
Dips...

And thats it

 

[bob marley]

I do flat about 1/3 of my chest workouts. I mostly focus all of my chest on incline.

 

[Insane_Man]

Incline bench is a good way to work the shoulders.

 

[DADAWG]

I have not Flat Benched in over 15 years, I do Inclines and Declines only and my chest is my best bodypart.

Flat Bench is the most injury causing exercise out there, it is a ego exercise, you can not isolate any part of your chest so Inclines and Declines work your chest just fine...

i boogered my shoulders up flat benching and i switched to reverse grip benching which didnt bother my shoulders and i have never switched back

 

[0nyx]

pardon my ignorance.. but what is reverse grip benching

 

[In-Human]

0nyx, reverse Grip Benching is just switching your hands backwards on the bar, it can get very dangerous if you are not familiar with this movement, so if you would like to try it start off on the Smythe Machine to you feel comfortable to move to free bench.

I like to do these with my lower and upper back on the bench only on the Smythe, with my butt hanging out there, I lift my Pelvic up so I can pinch my shoulders against the bench and I grab the bar crossed my palms using only my thumb and first two fingers to hold the bar, I keep my hands 4" wider than my shoulders, now I use this for Tricep work...

 

[DADAWG]

0nyx, reverse Grip Benching is just switching your hands backwards on the bar, it can get very dangerous if you are not familiar with this movement, so if you would like to try it start off on the Smythe Machine to you feel comfortable to move to free bench.

I like to do these with my lower and upper back on the bench only on the Smythe, with my butt hanging out there, I lift my Pelvic up so I can pinch my shoulders against the bench and I grab the bar crossed my palms using only my thumb and first two fingers to hold the bar, I keep my hands 4" wider than my shoulders, now I use this for Tricep work...

if you bench heavy on reverse grip and your triceps dont get sick big and strong its time to look for a new hobby

 

[daan69]

i was always under the impression that most professional bb's focused on incline bp

 

[DADAWG]

i was always under the impression that most professional bb's focused on incline bp

for chest its quite possible , i dont bodybuild , reverse will help tris and front delts

 

[SCG2]

no need to get rid of flat benching all together. just add some variety: board presses, rack lock outs, speed bench, use of bands and chains, benching off a swiss ball, etc... plenty of things you can do to keep the stimulus new.

i think training your pushing without flat bench is like training your pulling without old-fashioned rows.... it just wouldn't be the same.

 

[In-Human]

SCG2, If you have been lifting for many years it can be a problem, as I have had many rotator injuries and Flat Bench is not worth the pain or added injury...

 

[SCG2]

SCG2, If you have been lifting for many years it can be a problem, as I have had many rotator injuries and Flat Bench is not worth the pain or added injury...

true. he didn't mention anything about injuries, so i just assumed he was talking about tailoring his program to create optimal growth/strength. nothing hurts more than benching with problem shoulders, and i would definitely agree its not worth it in those cases.

 

[Insane_Man]

For me, Dips have always provide the primary stimulus for my chest.

If I could do just 3 exercises, it would be Dips, Squat and Deads.