How necessary is bench press?

Jkillah

Jkillah

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I'm wondering how good of an exercise bench is. I know squats and deadlifts are regarded as much more important for overall strength. I have some shoulder issues. Given that I have some shoulder pain at the bottom portion of the bench, would it be better for me just to replace bench press with extra squats and deadlifts? Or maybe I should replace bench press with overhead press or floor press? I know bench press isn't a useless exercise, but from a cost/benefit analysis what would be better?

I don't compete in sports, though I was considering jujitsu before the Coronavirus hit. I want to be strong enough to be able to do practical things like move furniture/large appliances with relative ease and not worry about easily getting overpowered by someone if I were to have a physical confrontation.

Currently I have been lifting three days of week doing five sets of five for my working sets with a bench day, a squat day, and a deadlift day. I don't do much accessory work other than pull ups.
 
Basically, it's not important. You can swap it out for a press or a floor press, but I'd try to figure out if there's an underlying issue that's causing that pain and rectify it.
 
Jkillah said:
I'm wondering how good of an exercise bench is. I know squats and deadlifts are regarded as much more important for overall strength. I have some shoulder issues. Given that I have some shoulder pain at the bottom portion of the bench, would it be better for me just to replace bench press with extra squats and deadlifts? Or maybe I should replace bench press with overhead press or floor press? I know bench press isn't a useless exercise, but from a cost/benefit analysis what would be better?

I don't compete in sports, though I was considering jujitsu before the Coronavirus hit. I want to be strong enough to be able to do practical things like move furniture/large appliances with relative ease and not worry about easily getting overpowered by someone if I were to have a physical confrontation.

Currently I have been lifting three days of week doing five sets of five for my working sets with a bench day, a squat day, and a deadlift day. I don't do much accessory work other than pull ups.
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It's only necessary if you plan to compete in powerlifting. Most weightlifters never bench- is their "functional strength" lacking?

Floor presses are a great substitute if you can safely do them. Add in dips and flies and you'll have decent chest development, if you care about pecs at all (and what dude doesnt?).
 
No exercises are necessary, that includes back squats or deadlifts.
Plenty of exercises out there that can replace benching and strengthen that motion.
When I bench, I take a soft foam roller and stuff it in my shirt kind of like a board press. Try that out and see if shoulder pain still exists. Weighted pushups may be even better depending on your strength levels.
 
Bench pressing is great, but it's not right for everyone and every situation. Your routine should be tailored to your needs and ability.

I've had a shoulder injury that makes flat benching feel shitty too. So instead I do dips, landmine press, floor press, and push up variations both with bodyweight and with a weight vest. You can really increase your pushing power/strength sufficiently without bench pressing. It's all relative to your goals or sport that you're also participating in.
 
I noticed I have little or no pain doing overhead press, but I didn't know how much of that was due to it being a different movement vs it being a lot less weight.
 
Do you have shoulder pain regardless of how you change up your set up/form?

Does it hurt when you narrow or widen you grip? Does it hurt same way on close grip bench press as it does or regular or wide grip bench press?

Do you have a good arch when you bench? Do you use an elbows tucked 45 degrees or more of a bodybuilding form?

Have you tried changing where you touch the bar on your chest?

Does it hurt same way when you do incline bench press?

I really like weighted dips and push ups.
 
Julius Maddox is going for a 800lb bench press.

Sherdog goat confirmed.
 
Jkillah said:
I'm wondering how good of an exercise bench is. I know squats and deadlifts are regarded as much more important for overall strength. I have some shoulder issues. Given that I have some shoulder pain at the bottom portion of the bench, would it be better for me just to replace bench press with extra squats and deadlifts? Or maybe I should replace bench press with overhead press or floor press? I know bench press isn't a useless exercise, but from a cost/benefit analysis what would be better?

I don't compete in sports, though I was considering jujitsu before the Coronavirus hit. I want to be strong enough to be able to do practical things like move furniture/large appliances with relative ease and not worry about easily getting overpowered by someone if I were to have a physical confrontation.

Currently I have been lifting three days of week doing five sets of five for my working sets with a bench day, a squat day, and a deadlift day. I don't do much accessory work other than pull ups.
Click to expand...

Bench Press is not necessary for anyone but a powerlifter and guys looking to show that they can be a good employee to the NFL. If you really like bench pressing and want to continue to do it, you should first make sure you can perform it pain free.
 
ASUThermo said:
Bench Press is not necessary for anyone but a powerlifter and guys looking to show that they can be a good employee to the NFL. If you really like bench pressing and want to continue to do it, you should first make sure you can perform it pain free.
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I don't think it's necessarily the only way to develop it, but I would say that the horizontal pressing plane is important to develop and the bench press is the best for that development of you can safely do the movement.
 
Heres a 42 year old 176 pound guy turning over a 2200 pound lada (lift starts 3 45)




He doesnt lift weights and only drinks on free time
 
jgarner said:
I don't think it's necessarily the only way to develop it, but I would say that the horizontal pressing plane is important to develop and the bench press is the best for that development of you can safely do the movement.
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Lol, thanks for the information about the bench press man? His goal is to get generally stronger, but he has pain while bench pressing. He is not a powerlifter or training for the NFL combines, why would he continue to do that lift until he can perform it pain free?
 
Pushups are better for overall strength because you are forced to stabilize your body in a planklike form. There are so many variations to challenge yourself with too. You can use a weighted vest for progression also.

Heavy bench adds too much unnecessary bulk for most people. Just more oxygen you are going to burn when exerting yourself physically.
 
Waimea said:
Pushups are better for overall strength because you are forced to stabilize your body in a planklike form. There are so many variations to challenge yourself with too. You can use a weighted vest for progression also.

Heavy bench adds too much unnecessary bulk for most people. Just more oxygen you are going to burn when exerting yourself physically.
Click to expand...

You're ridiculous.
 
DEVILsSON said:
Do you have shoulder pain regardless of how you change up your set up/form?

Does it hurt when you narrow or widen you grip? Does it hurt same way on close grip bench press as it does or regular or wide grip bench press?

Do you have a good arch when you bench? Do you use an elbows tucked 45 degrees or more of a bodybuilding form?

Have you tried changing where you touch the bar on your chest?

Does it hurt same way when you do incline bench press?

I really like weighted dips and push ups.
Click to expand...
I have a little bit of a narrow grip because that's where I feel strongest. My elbows are tucked close, everything is tight. I have almost no arch. I always end up losing position if I arch. It hurts regadless of how wide my grip is, but it hurts less if I do a wider grip, but then I have dramatically reduced strength. The bar comes close to my chest. I might get one of those bench block things that attaches to the bar.

I haven't done decline in a long time because my current gym doesn't have a declining bench.
 
Jkillah said:
I'm wondering how good of an exercise bench is. I know squats and deadlifts are regarded as much more important for overall strength. I have some shoulder issues. Given that I have some shoulder pain at the bottom portion of the bench, would it be better for me just to replace bench press with extra squats and deadlifts? Or maybe I should replace bench press with overhead press or floor press? I know bench press isn't a useless exercise, but from a cost/benefit analysis what would be better?

I don't compete in sports, though I was considering jujitsu before the Coronavirus hit. I want to be strong enough to be able to do practical things like move furniture/large appliances with relative ease and not worry about easily getting overpowered by someone if I were to have a physical confrontation.

Currently I have been lifting three days of week doing five sets of five for my working sets with a bench day, a squat day, and a deadlift day. I don't do much accessory work other than pull ups.
Click to expand...

Have you tried benching with a neutral grip, for example with a football bar or dumbbells? As others have already stated, only powerlifters and football players prepping for the combine absolutely need to bench. For everyone else, it's a very good exercise if you can do it without injuring yourself.

Another option is something like the EliteFTS shoulder saver pad. This fits over the barbell and limits the range of motion, effectively turning it into a version of the board press. If the bottom part of the bench press is causing you problems, this might be something you can try out.
 
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