Hello Everyone,
I have recently moved and have had to leave my weights and bench behind until I am able to get settled. In the meantime, I have begun to lift at a local gym near my new home.
The other day when I went to this gym to perform my bench workout, I was shocked at how awkward everything felt when I attempted to use this unfamiliar bench. I felt roughly 10% or so weaker, but it felt like more of an issue with being out of my groove and almost not having the same coordination with the movement.
I have also squatted and performed bent barbell rows at this new gym, and with these, I actually felt slightly stronger. This would lead me to believe that the new benches that I am using, which are probably narrower, harder, lower to the ground, and more sturdy than the one that I have used over the last several years, are the culprit.
I have read Ian King?s bench press article, and in it, he indicates that a different bench from what you are accustomed can have a noticeable effect. I would imagine that this will simply be an issue of me benching in this new gym a few times and neurologically adapting to the new set-up much the same way that someone would to a new lift, correct?
Has anyone else ever experienced this before? I would appreciate everyone?s thoughts or suggestions.
Thanks
i actually had the same thing happen to me. when i went on vacation i got a week membership to golds. and the benches were different than what i was use to and i was noticably weak on them
Dude, nothing to stress over. You are accustomed to working in your own benches height and width parameters. You are now on slightly different measurements your muscles aren’t accustomed to. Your numbers go down.
This is actually good as it is providing a different albeit slight stimulus that in the end may give you a spurt in strength or muscle gain.
I remember being really happy about my incline DB numbers and then I went to a different gym where the bench was fixed at a slightly different degree and a weight I usually manhandled felt just like in your case a lot heavier.
Take care,
D
[quote]Dedicated wrote:
Dude, nothing to stress over. You are accustomed to working in your own benches height and width parameters. You are now on slightly different measurements your muscles aren’t accustomed to. Your numbers go down.
This is actually good as it is providing a different albeit slight stimulus that in the end may give you a spurt in strength or muscle gain.
I remember being really happy about my incline DB numbers and then I went to a different gym where the bench was fixed at a slightly different degree and a weight I usually manhandled felt just like in your case a lot heavier.
Take care,
D[/quote]
amen.