Bench Press is Suffering

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
toby_w wrote:
‘‘go for it, dont listen to me. i increased my DB bench from 85x8 to 100x5 in a month.’’

So one session you did an 8rm an the next you did a 5rm, you’re my hero…

im sure i am. because im the dude benching with 100’s youre the dude watching after your “warm up” set with 30s. school is now in session, bitch.[/quote]

Holy shit, 2000+ post and you are giving this crap of advice.

Like everybody toll you already, STFU!

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
ill believe it when someone offers up something to counter argue. until then dont look at me like im an idiot when i noticed it helps me do better because i dont use any energy from my warmup lifts.

a 225 bench doesnt need a warmup, if want to play with form or something first thats different. you can do that with the bar, but warming up just to warm up makes no sense to me.[/quote]

You are missing the big picture, a warm-up isn’t about building up to a weight although it does help with that, properly done a warm up will increase your performance by:

1.) Increasing Joint Mobility and range of motion
2.) Priming the nervous system

These 2 things alone make it worthwile but, if you still are not convinced consider this, do you think Derek Jetter walks up to bat without taking a warm up swing, no even as good as he is (the best in my book) he would not perform well. The bat doesn’t weigh close to 400lbs but he warms up none the less for the exact reasons listed above. A weightlifting example:

Wether you are talking about Westside Barbell (where I personally train)

The PPC -Poliquin Performance Center- where I got my certification

or Parisi Speed School (my friend owns the one in Indiana)

Every one of those places has EVERYONE warm up irregardless of weight and goals and I don’t think you can argue with any of those results.

Bottom line, if you are not warming up you could be better than you are and certainly safer!!!

85’s for 8 to 100’s by 5 really isn’t much of an improvement.

[quote]cerote wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:
toby_w wrote:
‘‘go for it, dont listen to me. i increased my DB bench from 85x8 to 100x5 in a month.’’

So one session you did an 8rm an the next you did a 5rm, you’re my hero…

im sure i am. because im the dude benching with 100’s youre the dude watching after your “warm up” set with 30s. school is now in session, bitch.

Holy shit, 2000+ post and you are giving this crap of advice.

Like everybody toll you already, STFU!
[/quote]

[quote]cerote wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:
toby_w wrote:
‘‘go for it, dont listen to me. i increased my DB bench from 85x8 to 100x5 in a month.’’

So one session you did an 8rm an the next you did a 5rm, you’re my hero…

im sure i am. because im the dude benching with 100’s youre the dude watching after your “warm up” set with 30s. school is now in session, bitch.

Holy shit, 2000+ post and you are giving this crap of advice.

Like everybody told you already, STFU!
[/quote]

It’s crazy. If he managed to give such bad advice in one post, what have the others been like?

He’s probably caused people injuries or lack of progress due to his awesome advice.

[quote]flanker6 wrote:
85’s for 8 to 100’s by 5 really isn’t much of an improvement.

cerote wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:
toby_w wrote:
‘‘go for it, dont listen to me. i increased my DB bench from 85x8 to 100x5 in a month.’’

So one session you did an 8rm an the next you did a 5rm, you’re my hero…

im sure i am. because im the dude benching with 100’s youre the dude watching after your “warm up” set with 30s. school is now in session, bitch.

Holy shit, 2000+ post and you are giving this crap of advice.

Like everybody toll you already, STFU!

[/quote]

considering ill most likely hit 7 or 8 next monday i think it is an improvement a damn good one at that. its an increase of 15lbs per DB and 30 lbs total. how often do you add 30lbs to your lift in a month?

[quote]laroyal wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:
ill believe it when someone offers up something to counter argue. until then dont look at me like im an idiot when i noticed it helps me do better because i dont use any energy from my warmup lifts.

a 225 bench doesnt need a warmup, if want to play with form or something first thats different. you can do that with the bar, but warming up just to warm up makes no sense to me.

You are missing the big picture, a warm-up isn’t about building up to a weight although it does help with that, properly done a warm up will increase your performance by:

1.) Increasing Joint Mobility and range of motion
2.) Priming the nervous system

These 2 things alone make it worthwile but, if you still are not convinced consider this, do you think Derek Jetter walks up to bat without taking a warm up swing, no even as good as he is (the best in my book) he would not perform well. The bat doesn’t weigh close to 400lbs but he warms up none the less for the exact reasons listed above. A weightlifting example:

Wether you are talking about Westside Barbell (where I personally train)

The PPC -Poliquin Performance Center- where I got my certification

or Parisi Speed School (my friend owns the one in Indiana)

Every one of those places has EVERYONE warm up irregardless of weight and goals and I don’t think you can argue with any of those results.

Bottom line, if you are not warming up you could be better than you are and certainly safer!!![/quote]

ok so derek jeter takes a few swings before he swings a bat. what does that have to do with lifting weights?

if you were going to move a couch into your freinds apartment would you do a warmup first?

no, you wouldnt. so there, counterpoint. what im saying is that youre comparing hitting a baseball to lifting a weight for size. not the same thing.

i expend less energy by just jumping into a work set and therefore lift a greater load for greater reps keep in mind a load which im using because its going to build muslce versus using a lighter load which wont give muscular benfits BUT WILL drain energy. so why do that? my elbow isnt going to snap under the weight of a 225lb bench press and its not going to any easier to lift after i just did a waste set, not a warmup set.

the counter arguments are frigging stupid and any logic.

youre telling me a weight your tendons cant handle a weight you normally rep at 8 for unless you do a set of 5 with 50% weight beforehand? where is the logic in that? if your body can handle 8 reps AFTER you just applied stress it damn certainly can handle that SAME WEIGHT AS LAST TIME before additional stress.

do you guys ever just try stuff out or do you always just do what say or do because its “the way”? cause it seems to me theres no valid counterpoints and everyone is just pushing for warmups because thats what they think the norm is. im not trying to be a dickhead but i offer up a different way of doing something and while no one has ever tried it who argues against it i automatically get labeled as wrong. you ever get tired of those strings?

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
laroyal wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:
ill believe it when someone offers up something to counter argue. until then dont look at me like im an idiot when i noticed it helps me do better because i dont use any energy from my warmup lifts.

a 225 bench doesnt need a warmup, if want to play with form or something first thats different. you can do that with the bar, but warming up just to warm up makes no sense to me.

You are missing the big picture, a warm-up isn’t about building up to a weight although it does help with that, properly done a warm up will increase your performance by:

1.) Increasing Joint Mobility and range of motion
2.) Priming the nervous system

These 2 things alone make it worthwile but, if you still are not convinced consider this, do you think Derek Jetter walks up to bat without taking a warm up swing, no even as good as he is (the best in my book) he would not perform well. The bat doesn’t weigh close to 400lbs but he warms up none the less for the exact reasons listed above. A weightlifting example:

Wether you are talking about Westside Barbell (where I personally train)

The PPC -Poliquin Performance Center- where I got my certification

or Parisi Speed School (my friend owns the one in Indiana)

Every one of those places has EVERYONE warm up irregardless of weight and goals and I don’t think you can argue with any of those results.

Bottom line, if you are not warming up you could be better than you are and certainly safer!!!

ok so derek jeter takes a few swings before he swings a bat. what does that have to do with lifting weights?

if you were going to move a couch into your freinds apartment would you do a warmup first?

no, you wouldnt. so there, counterpoint. what im saying is that youre comparing hitting a baseball to lifting a weight for size. not the same thing.

i expend less energy by just jumping into a work set and therefore lift a greater load for greater reps keep in mind a load which im using because its going to build muslce versus using a lighter load which wont give muscular benfits BUT WILL drain energy. so why do that? my elbow isnt going to snap under the weight of a 225lb bench press and its not going to any easier to lift after i just did a waste set, not a warmup set.

the counter arguments are frigging stupid and any logic.

youre telling me a weight your tendons cant handle a weight you normally rep at 8 for unless you do a set of 5 with 50% weight beforehand? where is the logic in that? if your body can handle 8 reps AFTER you just applied stress it damn certainly can handle that SAME WEIGHT AS LAST TIME before additional stress.

do you guys ever just try stuff out or do you always just do what say or do because its “the way”? cause it seems to me theres no valid counterpoints and everyone is just pushing for warmups because thats what they think the norm is. im not trying to be a dickhead but i offer up a different way of doing something and while no one has ever tried it who argues against it i automatically get labeled as wrong. you ever get tired of those strings?[/quote]

The baseball analogy is an example of priming the nervous system for peak performance, there isn’t a league for couch moving or I would warm up.

What about the other 3 examples, Westside, PPC and Parisi Speed school, are they all missing the boat?

I used to jump right in as you say (before I knew any better) and that is how I partially tore a hamstring to show for it.

Since adding warm ups my performance has improved as have the clients I work with.

You may not have the 6-9 minutes to warm up properly now, but chances are when you are sidelined for 3 months with an injury you will and then we can talk more.

Finally, if you are “wasting energy” warming up then you are not doing it properly and that simply means you need to educate yourself about how to warm up properly and I am sure you will find your energy, rom, and performance are all BETTER after your warm up.

Do as you choose but, be responsible enough not to give advice to a newbie that could be detrimental.

I’m not a beginner, but I came to this forum to see what is up. I’m curious about the logic of not warming up. And please excuse me If I’ve overlooked some previously stated information. Should I be jumping straight into max effort lifts? I’ve been warming up for low rack pulls maybe I should have jumped straight to 650 or so (a working set) and done a set of 5 reps or 700lbs and pulled 2 or 3 reps. Is this right?

I feel like my back would have exploded if I tried this. I have moved some furniture in my day but never a 700+ pound sofa. If I do encounter such a sofa I will be sure to just go for it which is what would have to happen as I have never seen a line up of progressively heavier sofas. I like to warm up to get in the groove physically and mentally. However, if I decide to do some oly’s at light weights and short rest periods I’ll jump right in after a general warm up not involving weight but that depend on how light it is. I’ve heard of other going straight for a working set but I have not seen it. One last thing, the more I thoroughly I warm up the heavier the weight I can move. I have lifted enough with inadequate warm ups to experience the more reps on the second set of the same weight phenomena. Do what you want but don’t hurt yourself.

Edit: OOPS… I missed the part about how I should warm up if I lift over 400lbs, my bad. Too the younger folks on here I have always warmed up when my intention is to lift moderate to heavy weight for me. I would have no cause to use 135 or 225 as working sets on the bench press, military yes, so I would not warm up if I only intend to lift 30% to 50% of my limit unless it was speed work, but not for reps. As previously stated strength is relative, 135# to you might be as challenging as 315# for me. I would always warmup if I was lifting above 50% of my limit.

I’m just gonna say again that I’m a beginner and lifting light ass weight - my big accomplishment last week was 135 for 12 - but a warm up is absolutely imperative for me. Not because I feel like i’m going to injure myself but because i feel a lot more focused (probably like what laroyal is saying, it primes my CNS) and gets me used to the movement. As a newbie, form and holding the bar steady on my heavy (for me) sets would be a problem if I skipped my warmup. I’m sure as I progress it will be less about form and holding the bar steady and more about injury prevention.

Warming up DOES help me lift more weight too - simply because I don’t have to concentrate on form as much while i’m lifting.

If you want a big bench you have to dip. My opinion your either a deadlifter or a bencher… you cant be equally strong in both. There is always exceptions though.

Wow this whole “pissing contest” between 781 and a few others is just stupid.

Let him not warm up, its the internet you can’t make someone do shit they don’t wanna do.

781, continue not warming up if it works for you. I guarantee sometime or another (if you continue lifting) you’ll need to warm up and/or injur yourself.

To the rest of the people who are saying the OP should warm up; your correct IN MY OPINION.

Some people on here are just stupid; and that amuses me.

[quote]B rocK wrote:
Wow this whole “pissing contest” between 781 and a few others is just stupid.

Let him not warm up, its the internet you can’t make someone do shit they don’t wanna do.[/quote]

You’re right. No one cares if that is what he does.

He’ll learn the error of his ways one day. Then he can come here and cry about it.

That’s what everyone has been saying.

The pissing match is not what is stupid. Giving bad advice is what is stupid. And that is what LiveFromMyMommasBasementInTheCoolAss781AreaCode has done.

still waiting for an irefutable argument from you guys. its like 9 vs 1…come on.

and yes im suuuuure im gonna get a huge injury and my arm will fall off because i didnt bench the 40’s before i benched the 100’s.

i hope none of our brittle beginners have to lift any furniture or fishtanks before theyve properly warmed up or else it could spell trouble.

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
still waiting for an irefutable argument from you guys. its like 9 vs 1…come on.

and yes im suuuuure im gonna get a huge injury and my arm will fall off because i didnt bench the 40’s before i benched the 100’s.

i hope none of our brittle beginners have to lift any furniture or fishtanks before theyve properly warmed up or else it could spell trouble.[/quote]

Stretch in the morning, and then stretch again in the afternoon. See how much more flexible you are in the afternoon? That’s the result of warming up. Imagine that restricted range of motion being extended by a few hundred pounds. That’s called a “tear”.

A person that lifts 135 lbs will probably have weaker tendons than a person who lifts 400. Tendons and ligaments respond to progressive overload, just like muscle (and bone, for that matter).

You [can] lift more with a proper warm up. like someone said, it’s, among other things, nervous system priming. Your claim that you’ll just get tired is absurd. Either you are doing too much to warm up, or you have the endurance of a little girl.

But again, do whatever you want. Telling beginners not to warm up, though? That’s retarded.

I totally over looked the fact that 781 was telling beginners not to warm up.

It’s just common sense (IMO) to warm up a little bit before you train some heavier weights.

Jeez; when I was at CP i stretched, did mobility drills and a few sets of warm up stuff for my first main movement. And I still am making pretty good gains in my lifts.

Newbies: Warm up. Save yourself the trouble of getting injurred.

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
i hope none of our brittle beginners have to lift any furniture or fishtanks before theyve properly warmed up or else it could spell trouble.[/quote]

I live in a military-based community, where people move in and out quite a bit. I know plenty of people who have injured themselves moving furniture.

The point of training is to get strong enough that moving a couch IS just a warm up.