Bench Press & Chest

[cuts280]

There is no question in my mind that when it comes to physiques the old timers they where in the class of their own. One stricking feature was the ribcage and the pectoral development which these guys possessed. From Reg Park, Arnold, Franco, Danny Padilla, Lou, Katz, Bertil Fox etc etc........the list is endless..all these guys had some freaky chest development and most of them had enormous ribcage too...even by today's standards. Secondly in the recent times Bench press has got such a bad reputation amongst bodybuilders and guys from levrone, Martinez, Freeman, Ruhl etc all have suffered a pec tear. For the old timers the Bench Press was a staple pec builder, the foundation exercise ( accept for guys like maybe Waller or Scott) and none of these guys ever suffered a pec tear ever and hey they were not lacking in the chest department by any means either.....

Guys share your thoughts on this one....

[beckie]

I wonder if some of the current guys are taking their bodies beyond their natural capacity and not listening to what their bodies are telling them. I know when I did that 18 months ago with lots of heavy chest weights I suffered a shoulder injury so now I don't go nearly as heavy as before. It seems todays bb'ers have the more weight is better mentality instead of focusing on form first..I still see alot of guys jerking the bar and bringing their lower backs off the bench. That style is for powerlifting not bb'ing!

[cuts280]

Beckie, If you see some video clips of Bertil Fox his form in most exercises including bench press is atrocious, Franco Columbo is literally bouncing the bar off his chest in pumping iron, also these guys were no slouch in the strength department either.. Bertil was known to handle 200 pounder dumbells with ease, guys like Reg Park, Eder, Viator etc were known to do 500 + pound reps in bench presses and stuff. Another exercise which I rarely seen performed is the pullovers for chest/rib cage expansion....

[masterschamp]

Here's my take on this.........I think alot of it has to do with the AMOUNT of anabolics that are now used in conjunction with the large use of GH as well. I think alot of guys today have relied on massive dosages to produce muscle size, where as the guys from yesteryear relied more on their own inate abilities to move BIG weight. Now notice I reffered to AMOUNT....drugs were around back in Arnold's day but they were in NO WAY used in the combinations and AMOUNTS that are used today. I think what's happened is that alot of muscle is being produced without the corresponding increased strength capabilities in tendons and ligaments that would have come about through progressively heavier "less-assisted" lifting. I even think this has transcended into other sports as well...particularly in football, where today there are an inordinate amount of tendon type injuries, particularly with no impact, in comparison to the past. The supporting structures just cannot handle the stresses produced by the larger body mass. I think alot of the guys from before trained more in a "powerbuilding" style of training than is often seen today, and that produced genuinely rugged, thick physiques with true power AND durability. I also think that the higher volume training of the past also contributed greatly to the durability aspect. I have mentioned several times before that my initial 3 years of gym training, 16-19, were spent training with a group of powerlifters and I think that was invaluable for the reasons I mentioned above...I then moved into a powerbuilding mode....heavy movements, just with alot of volume as well. I have always valued the Bench Press as an excellent chest and power movement, and it has been a staple of my training since day one!


Keith

[RUBICON19]

masterschamp said:

Here's my take on this.........I think alot of it has to do with the AMOUNT of anabolics that are now used in conjunction with the large use of GH as well. I think alot of guys today have relied on massive dosages to produce muscle size, where as the guys from yesteryear relied more on their own inate abilities to move BIG weight. Now notice I reffered to AMOUNT....drugs were around back in Arnold's day but they were in NO WAY used in the combinations and AMOUNTS that are used today. I think what's happened is that alot of muscle is being produced without the corresponding increased strength capabilities in tendons and ligaments that would have come about through progressively heavier "less-assisted" lifting. I even think this has transcended into other sports as well...particularly in football, where today there are an inordinate amount of tendon type injuries, particularly with no impact, in comparison to the past. The supporting structures just cannot handle the stresses produced by the larger body mass. I think alot of the guys from before trained more in a "powerbuilding" style of training than is often seen today, and that produced genuinely rugged, thick physiques with true power AND durability. I also think that the higher volume training of the past also contributed greatly to the durability aspect. I have mentioned several times before that my initial 3 years of gym training, 16-19, were spent training with a group of powerlifters and I think that was invaluable for the reasons I mentioned above...I then moved into a powerbuilding mode....heavy movements, just with alot of volume as well. I have always valued the Bench Press as an excellent chest and power movement, and it has been a staple of my training since day one!


Keith

YUP

[Tim Wescott]

I agree with Keith,strong muscles due to roid abuse,coupled with weaker ligaments and tendons = lots of ripped pecs today.

I stopped benching about a year or so ago,if I recall correctly,and my pecs are better than ever.

[gti steve]

So Tim what are your main chest movements?

[mrky03]

I couldn't agree more with Keith's statement! I was thinking the same thing!

I've always valued bench presses as the top chest builder of them all!

[Tim Wescott]

gointhruit said:

So Tim what are your main chest movements?

I alternate Barbell Inclines,Smith Inclines,and Dumbell Inclines from week to week.........changed it a bit for the contest though.

I`ll go heavy barbell,followed by lighter higher reps on the Smith the next week,followed by heavy dumbell inclies on the next week.

I also go lighter and faster if I`m not feeling particularly strong on any given day................keeps it intense even though poundages are lowered, and due to the shorter rest periods,the weights still feel heavy.

I also do heavy flyes alternated with moderate flyes each week, holding the stretch for 2-3 seconds,then the usual array of finishing exercises.......dips,crossovers,pec-deck,low crossovers,seated bench machine,or some super-sets of some kind.

Nothing is set in stone except the alternating of the 3 incline variations.

Pecs got bigger,thicker,and denser with no benching.

[gti steve]

Sounds great!

[cuts280]

Wow!! Bench Press tradition is still kept alive with certain top guy's of swear by it like.....Dexter Jackson, Johnnie Jackson, Branch Warren, Milos Sarcev etc.. Do any of you guys use/ or have used pullovers as a chest exercise??

[cuts280]

masterschamp said:

Here's my take on this.........I think alot of it has to do with the AMOUNT of anabolics that are now used in conjunction with the large use of GH as well. I think alot of guys today have relied on massive dosages to produce muscle size, where as the guys from yesteryear relied more on their own inate abilities to move BIG weight. Now notice I reffered to AMOUNT....drugs were around back in Arnold's day but they were in NO WAY used in the combinations and AMOUNTS that are used today. I think what's happened is that alot of muscle is being produced without the corresponding increased strength capabilities in tendons and ligaments that would have come about through progressively heavier "less-assisted" lifting. I even think this has transcended into other sports as well...particularly in football, where today there are an inordinate amount of tendon type injuries, particularly with no impact, in comparison to the past. The supporting structures just cannot handle the stresses produced by the larger body mass. I think alot of the guys from before trained more in a "powerbuilding" style of training than is often seen today, and that produced genuinely rugged, thick physiques with true power AND durability. I also think that the higher volume training of the past also contributed greatly to the durability aspect. I have mentioned several times before that my initial 3 years of gym training, 16-19, were spent training with a group of powerlifters and I think that was invaluable for the reasons I mentioned above...I then moved into a powerbuilding mode....heavy movements, just with alot of volume as well. I have always valued the Bench Press as an excellent chest and power movement, and it has been a staple of my training since day one!


Keith

Gotta agree with that one Keith.

[beckie]

I used to use pullovers and could 'pull' some good weight until it started affecting my shoulders-I honestly don't see that many of the bb'ers in my gym doing them anymore,they tend to stick to bench press and DB press. I always felt it gave my entire torso a great stretch and often did them lying on a bench with my knees pulled up to my chest!

[gti steve]

masterschamp said:

Here's my take on this.........I think alot of it has to do with the AMOUNT of anabolics that are now used in conjunction with the large use of GH as well. I think alot of guys today have relied on massive dosages to produce muscle size, where as the guys from yesteryear relied more on their own inate abilities to move BIG weight. Now notice I reffered to AMOUNT....drugs were around back in Arnold's day but they were in NO WAY used in the combinations and AMOUNTS that are used today. I think what's happened is that alot of muscle is being produced without the corresponding increased strength capabilities in tendons and ligaments that would have come about through progressively heavier "less-assisted" lifting. I even think this has transcended into other sports as well...particularly in football, where today there are an inordinate amount of tendon type injuries, particularly with no impact, in comparison to the past. The supporting structures just cannot handle the stresses produced by the larger body mass. I think alot of the guys from before trained more in a "powerbuilding" style of training than is often seen today, and that produced genuinely rugged, thick physiques with true power AND durability. I also think that the higher volume training of the past also contributed greatly to the durability aspect. I have mentioned several times before that my initial 3 years of gym training, 16-19, were spent training with a group of powerlifters and I think that was invaluable for the reasons I mentioned above...I then moved into a powerbuilding mode....heavy movements, just with alot of volume as well. I have always valued the Bench Press as an excellent chest and power movement, and it has been a staple of my training since day one!


Keith

Agree 100%

[Rich]

I don't know why people keep hurting themselves (the anabolics explanation might be it), but I do know that you can build an awesome chest with flat bench press, and also without it. Some guys are built to be good pressers, some are not. If you're biomechanics don't match up well with bench press, you may well injure yourself once you get strong enough that the weight can be threatening.