Fighters bench press

[Deleted member 501827]

Why are people so obsessed with bench press? So stupid. Ive heard this all my life. How much you bench bro, how much you bench bro?? Like who gives a shit? Why is there not as much hype around how much you can curl or deadlift or any other exercise? Its not even a good measure of total functional strength. Its only a measurement of the strength of your pecs, triceps and delts in that specific and extremely limited range of motion. Absolutely no reason for the hype.

 

[Eater of Souls]

Because most people fail to understand the importance of other lifts, like the squat and deadlift, or the snatch and clean, if they even do them.

All the gym bros bench, but how many do you see doing a proper squat?

 

[Threetrees]

Because most people fail to understand the importance of other lifts, like the squat and deadlift, or the snatch and clean, if they even do them.

All the gym bros bench, but how many do you see doing a proper squat?

I think that's actually an overused narrative
When I was in university like... 6 months ago, our gym was full of dudes doing proper ROM squats, deadlifting with proper form and cleaning and snatching as part of a balanced program

 

[Eater of Souls]

I think that's actually an overused narrative
When I was in university like... 6 months ago, our gym was full of dudes doing proper ROM squats, deadlifting with proper form and cleaning and snatching as part of a balanced program

At a college, there is often spill over from the athletes and the strength and conditioning dept. that many other places lack. On the few occasions when I am forced to use a commercial gym while traveling, well, let's just say the narrative is the rule rather than the exception.

I believe that some chain gyms no longer have a squat rack at all. It is pretty disgraceful.

 

[YEHBABY]

Good benchers tend to arch their backs to shorten the distance the bar travels to their chest.

 

[STEVEN SEAGOLD]

I think that's actually an overused narrative
When I was in university like... 6 months ago, our gym was full of dudes doing proper ROM squats, deadlifting with proper form and cleaning and snatching as part of a balanced program

I think there's definitely been a pendulum swing on these things over the last 10 or so years.. Particularly the last 5. You still get the swarms of Chest n arms bros/beach body bros.. But i feel with the growing popularity of platforms like Youtube, people have become better informed on proper form and function of the basics.

 

[Threetrees]

At a college, there is often spill over from the athletes and the strength and conditioning dept. that many other places lack. On the few occasions when I am forced to use a commercial gym while traveling, well, let's just say the narrative is the rule rather than the exception.

I believe that some chain gyms no longer have a squat rack at all. It is pretty disgraceful.

That's actually probably fair - I've been lifting at my college's gym almost exclusively and now I have my own home gym. Plus I was a graduate student, so I lifted during the day when it was mainly other grad students and adults.
The one time I went when all the undergrads were there, there were definently some gym bros. We were lucky though, we have like 6 squat racks so if two are taken by people doing curls there's still some available

And planet fitness no longer has any barbells at all lmao

 

[STEVEN SEAGOLD]

Good benchers tend to arch their backs to shorten the distance the bar travels to their chest.

It's also because the bench is naturally an unhealthy movement for the shoulder complex, due to the lack of room for the scapular to move... But the necessary arch takes that problem out of the equation, Shortens the ROM to a safe distance, and balance the load out better, less on the shoulder and more on the chest and triceps.

 

[Eater of Souls]

That's actually probably fair - I've been lifting at my college's gym almost exclusively and now I have my own home gym. Plus I was a graduate student, so I lifted during the day when it was mainly other grad students and adults.
The one time I went when all the undergrads were there, there were definently some gym bros.

Go to a chain gym on a Monday night. I am pretty sure Dante wrote about them being doomed to the sixth circle of hell.

 

[shortlefthook]

Why are people so obsessed with bench press? So stupid. Ive heard this all my life. How much you bench bro, how much you bench bro?? Like who gives a shit? Why is there not as much hype around how much you can curl or deadlift or any other exercise? Its not even a good measure of total functional strength. Its only a measurement of the strength of your pecs, triceps and delts in that specific and extremely limited range of motion. Absolutely no reason for the hype.

Wrong, the bench includes the biceps for stabilization, the lats during the negative of a bench press.
So we have delts, biceps, chest, back.. That's every upperbody muscle group smashed into one compound excercise.
Powerlifting bench press bullshit aside,.when you keep your ass flat on the bench its a great measure of upperbody strength.

 

[shortlefthook]

It's also because the bench is naturally an unhealthy movement for the shoulder complex, due to the lack of room for the scapular to move... But the necessary arch takes that problem out of the equation, Shortens the ROM to a safe distance, and balance the load out better, less on the shoulder and more on the chest and triceps.

Tuck the elbows in, and you incorporate the lats and hardly use the shoulders.

 

[STEVEN SEAGOLD]

Wrong, the bench includes the biceps for stabilization, the lats during the negative of a bench press.
So we have delts, biceps, chest, back.. That's every upperbody muscle group smashed into one compound excercise.
Powerlifting bench press bullshit aside,.when you keep your ass flat on the bench its a great measure of upperbody strength.

IMO it's always better to be on the too much arch/lift/powerlifting style of bench versus a flat back. That's a one way trip to destroy your shoulders and tear a pec.

The ideal is somewhere inbetween, but I know what side of the extremes i'd rather be.

 

[STEVEN SEAGOLD]

Tuck the elbows in, and you incorporate the lats and hardly use the shoulders.

That's what the arch is

Pro tip: Bring the bar down to your nipple line... Can go a little higher, but too hgih and you get shoulder impingement.

 

[hitman911]

275

 

[STEVEN SEAGOLD]

You don't hear about MMA guys lifitng that much because they've most likely been maintaining a base of strength levels for awhile now... Takes a long time to build up great numbers and they are easy to maintain...

 

[Threetrees]

I bet the homie Sean Sherk benches a shit load

 

[shortlefthook]

IMO it's always better to be on the too much arch/lift/powerlifting style of bench versus a flat back. That's a one way trip to destroy your shoulders and tear a pec.

The ideal is somewhere inbetween, but I know what side of the extremes i'd rather be.

Flat back is the real bench imo, a slight arch is okay, however you look like the chick in that video you're not working any functional strength.
If anything you're going to tear a pec by grabbing the bar super wide and arching your back to a extreme so you have less room to press but your stressing your joints far more.
If you keep a flat back or with a minimal arch and bench at shoulder width apart, you build functional strength that can actually translate to mma or wrestling.
You wont find any fighters benching like powerlifters, because the goal is functional strength not putting up the most weight.
I also bring the bar to my sternum because i have long arms, the nipple line is too high for me and would stress the shoulders

 

[SalvadorAllende]

Tank Abbot 600lbs..

Zero reps were done in that video. Bouncing 600lbs in your chest cant be good.

It's also because the bench is naturally an unhealthy movement for the shoulder complex, due to the lack of room for the scapular to move... But the necessary arch takes that problem out of the equation, Shortens the ROM to a safe distance, and balance the load out better, less on the shoulder and more on the chest and triceps.

It is not if it is done correctly. I used to hurt my shoulders (front delts) while benching until I started doing it the proper way. I think I can count the people Ive seen benching in a gym with proper form and bar path with one hand.

Why are people so obsessed with bench press? So stupid. Ive heard this all my life. How much you bench bro, how much you bench bro?? Like who gives a shit? Why is there not as much hype around how much you can curl or deadlift or any other exercise? Its not even a good measure of total functional strength. Its only a measurement of the strength of your pecs, triceps and delts in that specific and extremely limited range of motion. Absolutely no reason for the hype.

Do you even lift bro?
Any compound excercise is good for putting stress on the nervous system and basically make you stronger.
Squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, pullups, etc. All of them are great.

 

[Twelve75]

Bench Press is an incredibly useless exercise for MMA so I doubt a lot of fighters do it

for MMA Fighters ? its probably the most overrated exercise you can do....its a fuckin nonsense that its so revered

 

[Eater of Souls]

Flat back is the real bench imo, a slight arch is okay, however you look like the chick in that video you're not working any functional strength.
If anything you're going to tear a pec by grabbing the bar super wide and arching your back to a extreme so you have less room to press but your stressing your joints far more.

This must be why the injury rate in powerlifting is lower than the injury rate in bodybuilding (study by Hamill, BP -rates of injury on sports). And I love the use of "functional strength" as if powerlifters who arch do not get stronger at other movements. That is the most over-used and incorrectly applied term in training. While I am not a fan of powerlifting, the proper arch used in weightlifting decreases the opening of the AC joint and, assuming you bring the bar lower on your chest, encourages proper rotation of the joint. And there is a limit to how wide you can grab the bar in powerlifting (81cm/32") which is not all that wide. Of course it looks wide when a tiny middle-school child does it, but an actual adult, not so much.