Bragging About Bench Press?

Does bringing the bar down until your arms are 90 degrees, without touching the chest, deserve bragging rights as your 1 rep bench max?

IMO, no it doesn’t. I don’t know what to call it. Maybe a partial rep or whatever but it’s misleading to say you can bench X amount of weight if you’re not doing a full ROM. 90 degrees is not even close.

Well how far is the bar above your chest?

Absolutely not. The bar must touch your chest.

Ummmm…No

If you have to ask you are probably a douchebag.

My friend said going down to your chest is bad for your shoulders. I am thinking benching like this would increase my 1 rep max by like 60lbs.

Well it wouldnt count as a rep max because you aren’t even doing a rep!!!
No DUH would you add 60lbs because you arent even using pecs!
Your mates probably thinking of wide grip benching and let me guess with legs up on the bench to! Now that with heavy weight could hurt your shoulders in a sense.

[quote]guel0013 wrote:
My friend said going down to your chest is bad for your shoulders. I am thinking benching like this would increase my 1 rep max by like 60lbs.[/quote]

^^not necessarily. It can be bad for your shoulders if you’re flaring them out really wide with no tuck at all but it all depends on the person. Some people have shoulder issues with that style and some don’t.

Also if you’re current technique uses a little bounce off the chest at the bottom then going to a dead stop an inch or two above your chest and pressing back up would be more difficult.

But to answer your question: No i would not brag about benching without the bar touching my chest (touching NOT bouncing off) but I’m not the type of person to brag about benching either way.

.greg.

[quote]guel0013 wrote:
My friend said going down to your chest is bad for your shoulders.
[/quote]

For some people, maybe it is. I know a couple guys who strain there shoulders if they touch their chest. I have no problem with people who don’t do full ROM. But don’t tell me you can bench 400 lbs if you’re not doing a full rep.

[quote]
I am thinking benching like this would increase my 1 rep max by like 60lbs.[/quote]

Maybe, maybe not.

The so called trainers at my gym also do the 90 degree bench. They all have puny chests as well. It’s a shame that someone can become a “certified personal trainer” and still know very little as far as fitness and strength go. I’ve never caught one of them in the squat rack either. Just chest, bi’s, tri’s, and shoulders baby!

[quote]dnlcdstn wrote:
The so called trainers at my gym also do the 90 degree bench. They all have puny chests as well. It’s a shame that someone can become a “certified personal trainer” and still know very little as far as fitness and strength go. I’ve never caught one of them in the squat rack either. Just chest, bi’s, tri’s, and shoulders baby![/quote]

thats what sells man… you’re every day gym goer wants a beach body so you gotta bring up those show muscles lol

.greg.

[quote]sam_sneed wrote:

[quote]guel0013 wrote:
My friend said going down to your chest is bad for your shoulders.
[/quote]

For some people, maybe it is. I know a couple guys who strain there shoulders if they touch their chest. I have no problem with people who don’t do full ROM. But don’t tell me you can bench 400 lbs if you’re not doing a full rep.

[quote]
I am thinking benching like this would increase my 1 rep max by like 60lbs.[/quote]

Maybe, maybe not.[/quote]

Yea, whether or not it would increase your bench depends entirely on your strengths/weaknesses. My floor press (a shorter range of motion than my bench) is currently about 30-40 pounds less than my flat bench because my shoulders are the weakest point of that lift. Obviously that’s why I’m doing the floor press in the first place, but that sort of thing varies from person to person.

Ummm, I think benching with your arms flared that much is going to put you in a position more prone to injury than touching your chest…

[quote]gregron wrote:

[quote]dnlcdstn wrote:
The so called trainers at my gym also do the 90 degree bench. They all have puny chests as well. It’s a shame that someone can become a “certified personal trainer” and still know very little as far as fitness and strength go. I’ve never caught one of them in the squat rack either. Just chest, bi’s, tri’s, and shoulders baby![/quote]

thats what sells man… you’re every day gym goer wants a beach body so you gotta bring up those show muscles lol

.greg.[/quote]

Haha true. It’s just frustrating cuz they know bigger legs will eventually lead to bigger arms. At least I think they know. Regardless, when I stroll in tonight I know they’ll have some fat ass lady doing curls with 5 lb dumbbells.

[quote]guel0013 wrote:
Does bringing the bar down until your arms are 90 degrees, without touching the chest, deserve bragging rights as your 1 rep bench max?[/quote]

It deserves the same amount of bragging rights as the ones who have “spotters” lift half the weight :wink:

But don’t worry, when you finally manage a legitimate 400lbs+ bench, you’ll be old enough to not brag LOL

[quote]its_just_me wrote:

[quote]guel0013 wrote:
Does bringing the bar down until your arms are 90 degrees, without touching the chest, deserve bragging rights as your 1 rep bench max?[/quote]

It deserves the same amount of bragging rights as the ones who have “spotters” lift half the weight :wink:

But don’t worry, when you finally manage a legitimate 400lbs+ bench, you’ll be old enough to not brag LOL[/quote]

^^This.

Side Note: you benching 4bills these days its_just_me?

.greg.

[quote]Rational Gaze wrote:
If you have to ask you are probably a douchebag.[/quote]

No one in my gym has the slightest interest in full ROM. I’ve dubbed it half rep heaven.

I just got back from the gym today (mondays is international bench day as we all know) and I watched two different benchers do the 90 degree 6 inches off your chest bench. Two guys in a row! It was so weird. I instantly thought of this thread. I guess its not really that cool of a story… just thought I’d share

.greg.