flat bench is definitely the best chest exercise for me
Tommy, I really enjoy close grip, but mainly for tris. I only feel it a little in my chest.
I have been experimenting with flat benching last in my chest routine using a 2 second pause on the chest and only locking out 3/4 to emphasize the tension on the chest and I really enjoy this. You are so fatigued at this point that you can’t use a ton of weight and the fear of injury really isn’t there in the same way. Also, you really feel it in your chest a ton since you have fatigued it a ton already (if you do it last or close to it).
The truth is, anything will work for a while… However mechanically speaking, putting your back against something that holds it in place and then pushing isn’t done in any other form of lift except for the chest it seems. Before bench pressing we had the pushup which is almost the opposite of the bench press in the sense that the back isn’t being pushed and held in place against an immovable object.
However the efficiency of the bench press especially the flat bench press comes from being able to handle much heavier loads…
What I don’t like is how much it taxes the delts, this can be mostly avoided with proper form… But everyone is different to an extent albeit a small extent. As we all know human physiology is practically exactly the same, but we also know what works for us may not for others.
Once again mechanically speaking incline bench press is a much better selection for power/strength development. I’m not saying this based on opinion it is anatomical fact… It seems to be the consensus these days that using dumbbells seems to be better for hypertrophy. Personally I’ll be using the barbell for flat bench press until I’m satisfied that I have a good base of strength on it.
For a relative beginner, what is the point of switching from say a 200lb bench with a barbell to 50-60lbs per dumbbell?
I believe time under tension plays a big part in hypertrophy and the more weight the better when you’re looking towards quantifying TUT.
[quote]ebomb5522 wrote:
Tommy, I really enjoy close grip, but mainly for tris. I only feel it a little in my chest.
I have been experimenting with flat benching last in my chest routine using a 2 second pause on the chest and only locking out 3/4 to emphasize the tension on the chest and I really enjoy this. You are so fatigued at this point that you can’t use a ton of weight and the fear of injury really isn’t there in the same way. Also, you really feel it in your chest a ton since you have fatigued it a ton already (if you do it last or close to it). [/quote]
x2
While I am no bodybuilder now, the guy who took me under his wing and taught me about serious lifting is a competitive bodybuilder, and chest day ended with flat bb bench, never began with it. Worked for us then, still works for him now.
EDIT - personal favorite move of his FWIW was to do 3 x 8 negatives, stripping weight each set, then after the last set 3/4 repping to failure.
Worked the hell out of my chest.
[quote]BruceLeeFan wrote:
The truth is, anything will work for a while… However mechanically speaking, putting your back against something that holds it in place and then pushing isn’t done in any other form of lift except for the chest it seems. Before bench pressing we had the pushup which is almost the opposite of the bench press in the sense that the back isn’t being pushed and held in place against an immovable object.
However the efficiency of the bench press especially the flat bench press comes from being able to handle much heavier loads…
What I don’t like is how much it taxes the delts, this can be mostly avoided with proper form… But everyone is different to an extent albeit a small extent. As we all know human physiology is practically exactly the same, but we also know what works for us may not for others.
Once again mechanically speaking incline bench press is a much better selection for power/strength development. I’m not saying this based on opinion it is anatomical fact… It seems to be the consensus these days that using dumbbells seems to be better for hypertrophy. Personally I’ll be using the barbell for flat bench press until I’m satisfied that I have a good base of strength on it.
For a relative beginner, what is the point of switching from say a 200lb bench with a barbell to 50-60lbs per dumbbell?
I believe time under tension plays a big part in hypertrophy and the more weight the better when you’re looking towards quantifying TUT.[/quote]
Dude half this post doesn’t even make sense. You don’t know as much as you think.
^^Lol.
For a while I had stopped doing any kind of barbell benching and just did incline, flat, and decline dumbbells for my chest routine and my chest grew more in 4-5 months than it did the previous year and a half if not 2 years. Then a few months ago added back in some barbell work for a while and I feel like my chest didn’t really improve at all if anything I think it shrank. Now I’m back to all dumbbells and my chest is noticeably growing again. Barbell benching is definitely out of my routine for good.
[quote]Doyle wrote:
[quote]BruceLeeFan wrote:
The truth is, anything will work for a while… However mechanically speaking, putting your back against something that holds it in place and then pushing isn’t done in any other form of lift except for the chest it seems. Before bench pressing we had the pushup which is almost the opposite of the bench press in the sense that the back isn’t being pushed and held in place against an immovable object.
However the efficiency of the bench press especially the flat bench press comes from being able to handle much heavier loads…
What I don’t like is how much it taxes the delts, this can be mostly avoided with proper form… But everyone is different to an extent albeit a small extent. As we all know human physiology is practically exactly the same, but we also know what works for us may not for others.
Once again mechanically speaking incline bench press is a much better selection for power/strength development. I’m not saying this based on opinion it is anatomical fact… It seems to be the consensus these days that using dumbbells seems to be better for hypertrophy. Personally I’ll be using the barbell for flat bench press until I’m satisfied that I have a good base of strength on it.
For a relative beginner, what is the point of switching from say a 200lb bench with a barbell to 50-60lbs per dumbbell?
I believe time under tension plays a big part in hypertrophy and the more weight the better when you’re looking towards quantifying TUT.[/quote]
Dude half this post doesn’t even make sense. You don’t know as much as you think.[/quote]
Quoted for truth. This post is all over the place
Seriously though, do what’s best for you. For me, flat bench is an incredible chest builder. Nothing hits my chest harder. I am definitely chest dominant over shoulders and triceps though. If you are tricep and shoulder dominant, bench may not be the best exercise
Flat Bench has been more enjoyable for me since I started to Stop about 1-2 inches from my chest instead going all the way down, the exercise feels alot more natural now. People should try this.
[quote]TD54 wrote:
[quote]Doyle wrote:
[quote]BruceLeeFan wrote:
The truth is, anything will work for a while… However mechanically speaking, putting your back against something that holds it in place and then pushing isn’t done in any other form of lift except for the chest it seems. Before bench pressing we had the pushup which is almost the opposite of the bench press in the sense that the back isn’t being pushed and held in place against an immovable object.
However the efficiency of the bench press especially the flat bench press comes from being able to handle much heavier loads…
What I don’t like is how much it taxes the delts, this can be mostly avoided with proper form… But everyone is different to an extent albeit a small extent. As we all know human physiology is practically exactly the same, but we also know what works for us may not for others.
Once again mechanically speaking incline bench press is a much better selection for power/strength development. I’m not saying this based on opinion it is anatomical fact… It seems to be the consensus these days that using dumbbells seems to be better for hypertrophy. Personally I’ll be using the barbell for flat bench press until I’m satisfied that I have a good base of strength on it.
For a relative beginner, what is the point of switching from say a 200lb bench with a barbell to 50-60lbs per dumbbell?
I believe time under tension plays a big part in hypertrophy and the more weight the better when you’re looking towards quantifying TUT.[/quote]
Dude half this post doesn’t even make sense. You don’t know as much as you think.[/quote]
Quoted for truth. This post is all over the place
[/quote]
Interesting considering I pretty much paraphrased the whole post from starting strength… Lol.
[quote]DixiesFinest wrote:
[quote]ebomb5522 wrote:
Tommy, I really enjoy close grip, but mainly for tris. I only feel it a little in my chest.
I have been experimenting with flat benching last in my chest routine using a 2 second pause on the chest and only locking out 3/4 to emphasize the tension on the chest and I really enjoy this. You are so fatigued at this point that you can’t use a ton of weight and the fear of injury really isn’t there in the same way. Also, you really feel it in your chest a ton since you have fatigued it a ton already (if you do it last or close to it). [/quote]
x2
While I am no bodybuilder now, the guy who took me under his wing and taught me about serious lifting is a competitive bodybuilder, and chest day ended with flat bb bench, never began with it. Worked for us then, still works for him now.
EDIT - personal favorite move of his FWIW was to do 3 x 8 negatives, stripping weight each set, then after the last set 3/4 repping to failure.
Worked the hell out of my chest.[/quote]
Will give this a shot, thanks for the tips guys
If i use a flat bench these days, im doing Guillotine Presses on them, pausing at the bot just about touching my neck. That is one tremendous stretch.
Flat Bench was my best lift as a teen and into my 20’s (2x bodyweight). My pecs were my best part back then too.
However, I blame my obsession with and overdoing the flat bench on shoulder injuries and chronic flare-ups to this day.
Dumbbells are far superior.
I stopped using the flat bench a few years ago, it really doesn’t benefit me at all. When I was doing 5/3/1, as I’m not interested in competing I replaced it (the flat bench) with the incline press.
Bill Starr wrote a great article in MILO years back about the incline press, saying he prefers it over the flat bench and would have included it in the big 3 but it was easier for people to acquire flat benches.
[quote]TD54 wrote:
[quote]Doyle wrote:
[quote]BruceLeeFan wrote:
The truth is, anything will work for a while… However mechanically speaking, putting your back against something that holds it in place and then pushing isn’t done in any other form of lift except for the chest it seems. Before bench pressing we had the pushup which is almost the opposite of the bench press in the sense that the back isn’t being pushed and held in place against an immovable object.
However the efficiency of the bench press especially the flat bench press comes from being able to handle much heavier loads…
What I don’t like is how much it taxes the delts, this can be mostly avoided with proper form… But everyone is different to an extent albeit a small extent. As we all know human physiology is practically exactly the same, but we also know what works for us may not for others.
Once again mechanically speaking incline bench press is a much better selection for power/strength development. I’m not saying this based on opinion it is anatomical fact… It seems to be the consensus these days that using dumbbells seems to be better for hypertrophy. Personally I’ll be using the barbell for flat bench press until I’m satisfied that I have a good base of strength on it.
For a relative beginner, what is the point of switching from say a 200lb bench with a barbell to 50-60lbs per dumbbell?
I believe time under tension plays a big part in hypertrophy and the more weight the better when you’re looking towards quantifying TUT.[/quote]
Dude half this post doesn’t even make sense. You don’t know as much as you think.[/quote]
Quoted for truth. This post is all over the place
[/quote]
Lol seriously, this guy needs to shut up. If thats him in the pic… well nothing needs to be said.
Edit: But for me the flat press has always hit my pecs. I always get a good pump in my chest from it and it makes me really sore the next day. What i’ve been doing lately though on chest day is; Start with flat press and focus on strength on this one in the 5-7 range, basically just trying to get as strong as I can here and not worrying about contractions or anything like that (but I still get a good pump in my chest, so lucky me) then i’ll move onto DB incline and focus on stretch and squeezing at top and going a little higher in reps. Then dips same thing as db incline, trying to squeeze hard with my pecs trough out the movement.
I find it interesting how many people never on here never use a flat bench. When I think about it my chest has not grown much in the last while as well and I still flat bench my ass off. I still do inclines and declines as well. I’m going to have to concentrate less on it for a while I guess. Don’t think I can ever give it up compleatly though I like it too much.
I have always thought of it as a good mass builder because you can pile lots of weight on the bar. If my delts and tri’s grow a little as well as my chest hell I’m still happy.