[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
Joe D. wrote:
Who “lowers the weight under control” when doing dumbell benching? I’m pretty sure that dropping the dumbells from the bench height isn’t going to kill anyone, yet would no doubt set off the hypertrophy alarm.
I do!
it sucks as you’re fatigued, but I do it.
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One day, I want one of you to try lifting two 150lbs dumbbells, straining through 6-8 reps and then GENTLY (much like a newborn baby) placing them on the ground afterwards.
I would also like to see this done at the end of a workout after you have also done somewhere in the ballpark of benchpressing over 400lbs.
I just don’t know ANYONE who lifts that kind of weight who would risk injuring themselves just so they can place weights on the floor without a sound.
If it comes between me ripping out a shoulder and dropping some dumbbells from bench height, dumbbells will get dropped each and every damn time.
Clearly, your workouts are lot more tame than mine.
After a set of dumbbell bench, you either drop the weights, or you hurt yourself. What is there to argue?
Unless, of course, you aren’t lifting anywhere near what you should be lifting.
If that’s the case, you may place the weights carefully on the floor. Then, get your shit from the locker room and get out. Leave your membership card at the front desk. Thank you.
prof, you’re right i’m no where near 150 lb DB’s, but it’s all relative.
you have probably 100 lbs of bodyweight on me, so, i’m at 1/2 that, again relativity here
and i have seen people drop them from shoulder height.
and yes, dropping them from even bench level breaks them, I work at a gym where I see this all the time, and also see them getting repaired or replace quite frequently
You don’t have to drop dumbells. I have power blocks and would break the crap out of them very quickly if I dropped them from bench level. I just do the thigh stand and sit up thing.
People always treat other’s stuff a lot worse than their stuff.
[quote]tom63 wrote:
You don’t have to drop dumbells. I have power blocks and would break the crap out of them very quickly if I dropped them from bench level. I just do the thigh stand and sit up thing.
People always treat other’s stuff a lot worse than their stuff.[/quote]
The most expensive set of Powerblocks goes up to only 130lbs, and that’s if you expand them. Again, I wonder how many people who actually lift heavy weights and are actually making a lot of progress are placing weights on the floor that gently.
Again, no one is talking about drop kicking some weights or tossing them from a height of 3 stories up.
Let me be very specific here though, since I think it matters in this case.
As Prof X said, a tough workout with some heavy flat DB work near the mid/end of it makes it very near impossible, but more like just flat out dangerous to try to get them under complete control after a considerable amount of fatigue. This is when you bring them down to the bottom of the press and hammer curl drop them, so it’s not like you are throwing them to the sides out of control and being a danger to others. Also, usually when people see you working with 100+db’s, they stay a bit further away from you, I’ve noticed.
Now, I’ve seen some older guys(45-55) do something “similar” but there is a huge difference. They throw the metal/iron welded 70/80lb weights out to the sides like a discus competition. Now they are nearly unusable since they are bent pretty bad and very hard to handle.
The problem with these people is that… well they are not that heavy… they should be able to bring them down in some considerable control. They are tossing them to the sides and not just dropping them to the sides.
I don’t think I have EVER seen someone using 100+lb DB’s and treating them like a newborn baby and putting them down lightly. Or whatever heavy weight is near their max loads.
One last side note, what really irks me. When the punks with really light weights that throw the weights down like it’s a right of man-hood. Fucking punks.
I’m not quite up to his numbers, but I am pressing the 120’s for 8-10 reps. I don’t think there is any way I could set them down without tearing a pec, rotator cuff, or bicep. Saying if you can pick them up then you can set them down gently is ignorant. Picking up 2 120 lb dumbells from a standing position is not at all difficult. When you are laying flat on your back with them in your hands it is a whole nother ballgame.
And no, it is not all relative in this case. 150 lb dumbells are heavy just about no matter who you are. Gain some weight, lift some heavier weight, and then come back and say it’s all relative.
Luckily my gym is pretty good about this, and I do my best to make it a controlled fall, but not at the expense of my shoulder health. Part of our membership fees are used to pay for wear and tear anyways.
I think the big guys are right about dumbbell pressing on the flat bench. Put some pads underneath and then drop the fuckers. Don’t hurt yourself lowering a weight from a bad position.
Incline bench is much easier to let them down gently.
I agree with if you can pick it up, you can put it down idea. And yeah, it came from working in a gym. I think the idea of setting the weight down gently (newborn style) was hyperbole. If this is what you are getting defensive over, well, it is over blown. Setting the weights down with control is far more reasonable goal.
One flat bench, if you can press it up on your last rep, bring your hands close with the DBs inline with your body, and lower them with kinda bent arm so the DBs land on your thighs and you are sitting up. Then you can set them to the side.
On decline, if it is heavy you are going to drop them, but you are close to the ground.
tedro, you are bigger than me but I can handle the 120s so I imagine you could as well.
Question though: for those who do drop them, what do you do when you cannot complete the rep? Do you bring the DB down towards your chest and lay it off or do you just drop the weight?
Question though: for those who do drop them, what do you do when you cannot complete the rep? Do you bring the DB down towards your chest and lay it off or do you just drop the weight?[/quote]
Is it not a fact that bringing them down is easier than pushing them up? e.g. why you can do super long negatives…
I bring them to my sides and drop them every time, unless they are my warm-up DBs, usually up to 80’s I can bring them to my abdominal region and sit up.
Good grief, when I fail under intense effort to lift a dumbell for another rep, I sure as hell am not going to carry out some elaborate maneuver to lower it to the ground in order to wreck my shoulders.
2 foot off the ground onto a rubber matted sprung floor is not going to cause an earthquake.
I am amazed how much focus and energy people have at the end of their sets.
[quote]Joe D. wrote:
Good grief, when I fail under intense effort to lift a dumbell for another rep, I sure as hell am not going to carry out some elaborate maneuver to lower it to the ground in order to wreck my shoulders.
2 foot off the ground onto a rubber matted sprung floor is not going to cause an earthquake.
I am amazed how much focus and energy people have at the end of their sets.[/quote]
I swear the only people who wouldn’t understand that are those who aren’t lifting weights heavy enough to cause a major injury if you are off by one inch as far as precision while lifting.
Regardless of what some may want to believe, everything is not relative. Some weights are so heavy that any mistakes can cause the END of any lifter’s life in the gym. Most wouldn’t have to worry about ripping a muscle or tearing a joint out of socket when using a 40lbs dumbbell.
[quote]Tex Ag wrote:
I agree with if you can pick it up, you can put it down idea. And yeah, it came from working in a gym. I think the idea of setting the weight down gently (newborn style) was hyperbole. If this is what you are getting defensive over, well, it is over blown. Setting the weights down with control is far more reasonable goal.
One flat bench, if you can press it up on your last rep, bring your hands close with the DBs inline with your body, and lower them with kinda bent arm so the DBs land on your thighs and you are sitting up. Then you can set them to the side.
On decline, if it is heavy you are going to drop them, but you are close to the ground.
tedro, you are bigger than me but I can handle the 120s so I imagine you could as well.
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If you can manage to set the weights on your thighs while lying on your back, and then do a complete situp, then you are not lifting near heavy enough. At 172 lbs., I have a very difficult time believing that you can do this with 120 lbs. in each hand.
[quote]
Question though: for those who do drop them, what do you do when you cannot complete the rep? Do you bring the DB down towards your chest and lay it off or do you just drop the weight?[/quote]
Concentric failure has no effect. If I can’t complete the rep, I can still lower the weight down to my body under control. Then it is just a matter of turning them inline, and dropping them so that they land flat on their ends.
[quote]tedro wrote:
If I can’t complete the rep, I can still lower the weight down to my body under control. Then it is just a matter of turning them inline, and dropping them so that they land flat on their ends.
[/quote]
So your elbows are below the line of the bench? Does that not put some torque on your shoulders and pecs when you straighten your arms out a bit to let go of the DBs?
When I have tried this it felt very uncomfortable and so I use the system I use. I do not go to failure every single set so I usually have enough left to let the weight sit me up.
Let me clear up some semantics. If you are bringing the weights into the body and controlling them enough that you can set them on their ends, I would not call that dropping. Maybe some are, I am not.
When I think of people dropping the weights I think about when I have seen people from the top of their press start letting their arms fall towards their toes and drop the DBs before they get to their bodies. The DBs go bouncing/rolling away. I see this on light and heavy weights.
[quote]Joe D. wrote:
Good grief, when I fail under intense effort to lift a dumbell for another rep, I sure as hell am not going to carry out some elaborate maneuver to lower it to the ground in order to wreck my shoulders.
2 foot off the ground onto a rubber matted sprung floor is not going to cause an earthquake.
I am amazed how much focus and energy people have at the end of their sets.[/quote]
It is not elaborate and makes sitting up quite easy since you are using the fall of the weight to spring you up.
[quote]Tex Ag wrote:
So your elbows are below the line of the bench? Does that not put some torque on your shoulders and pecs when you straighten your arms out a bit to let go of the DBs?
[/quote]
Yes, it does. That is why I basically drop the weights once I get to this point. If I tried to control the descent anymore past this point, it would undoubtedly lead to injury. If I stop here, I can minimize the strain, but still make sure the db’s at least land flat on their ends.
I don’t think that is the issue with any of the guys here that drop the weights. I do my best to minimize the wear on the weights and the floor, and that means they are only dropping 12-18" from the floor when on a flat bench, and typically landing flat. Off of an incline it is easier to control it even more. Dropping them from a height with you arms extended would be uncalled for.
if anybody has links showing good/right versus bad/wrong methods of handling heavy db’s , would be much appreciated .
db’s I use are much lighter (55-60’s,5 to 8 rep range) than what the rest of the examples , but the same principal applies (in my mind anyway). I’ve used 65’s with partners handing off , but I dont have partners anymore .
especially struggle on the incline ; dont do decline db’s yet .
[quote]Professor X wrote:
tom63 wrote:
You don’t have to drop dumbells. I have power blocks and would break the crap out of them very quickly if I dropped them from bench level. I just do the thigh stand and sit up thing.
People always treat other’s stuff a lot worse than their stuff.
The most expensive set of Powerblocks goes up to only 130lbs, and that’s if you expand them. Again, I wonder how many people who actually lift heavy weights and are actually making a lot of progress are placing weights on the floor that gently.
Again, no one is talking about drop kicking some weights or tossing them from a height of 3 stories up.
[/quote]
My power blocks go up to 125 with the add on kit, but I would be pissed if someone lifting with me just dropped them. And I wouldn’t call 125 pound dumbell benches nothing weight.
I deadlift just around 600 now, and while i don’t put the weight down silently, it doesn’t rattle the whole floor when I lower the weight. I just pulled 405 against doubled mini bands and again, I didn’t just drop the weight because I don’t want to destroy my 400$ bar.
I own my own shit and lift in my own gym. I spent over 20K on equipment over 15 years and treat my stuff well. I do the same at any commercial gym I lift at.