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Post by Maximum6 on Apr 2, 2008 1:38:50 GMT -5
I was watching Bob chic's "world class phyique" dvd.
he mentioned that during Inc. barbell press you should stop when the bar is about Chin level or short of touching chest by about one inch.
What are your thoughts on this?
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Post by mrbeefy on Apr 2, 2008 5:37:21 GMT -5
In competition, if the bar doesn't touch, it doesn't count. There are many different reasons during training. In PL, we use "board" presses, using different thickness or number of boards to assist you in getting past "sticking" points, by placing the board on your chest and bringing the bar down to the board before pressing. I guess any type of diversity in your training is good to stimulate muscle growth. Just as long as you don't continue to do the same thing all the time. Just my early morning thoughts  |
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Post by fit on Apr 2, 2008 5:40:35 GMT -5
Personally I find ROM has MUCH to do with how long your arms are and how developed your chest is.
My arms near 37" and are long from the elbow down. That plus very modest chest development mean I don't go all the way to chest, especially on flat BB benches. If I did, my elbows would be well below parallel... and it then feels like the lift goes too much out of the chest and into the shoulders and tris.
I've seen a million arguments for "touch the chest" for "just below parallel" and for "parallel".
I'm curious on replies as well.
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Post by mrky03 on Apr 2, 2008 17:50:26 GMT -5
Hey, I'm "old school" if it doesn't touch it doesn't count! I've always been a believer in full range of motion. But lilke like in Fit's circumstance maybe its not the best. For the majority of people though I think you should touch or use full rom.
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Post by beckie on Apr 7, 2008 3:34:02 GMT -5
I guess I'm more of a 'functional' person when it comes to pressing movements, I have long arms and have overdeveloped triceps from going beyond my natural ROM on chest exercises so I would suggest anyone trying these exercises for the first time try out different ROM's to see what gives them the best results.
As a PT I see far too many people bouncing the bar off their chest,which of course is an injury waiting to happen.
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Post by mrky03 on Apr 12, 2008 10:13:32 GMT -5
I guess I'm more of a 'functional' person when it comes to pressing movements, I have long arms and have overdeveloped triceps from going beyond my natural ROM on chest exercises so I would suggest anyone trying these exercises for the first time try out different ROM's to see what gives them the best results. As a PT I see far too many people bouncing the bar off their chest,which of course is an injury waiting to happen. Very true, bouncing is dangerous as well as silly because you're bypassing the muscles that you're trying to develop. I've been experimenting with pausing at the bottom of each rep recently. It really cuts down on the weight you can use initially. |
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Post by gti steve on Apr 15, 2008 16:18:55 GMT -5
but eventually you will bypass your old "weight" with new found strength and power...atleast thats the hope lol
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Post by dhartnet on Jul 1, 2008 6:18:38 GMT -5
For people with shoulder problems, that limited range of motion works out well.
For folks with no issues, touching the chest, with control also works out well.
Do what works for you...
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Post by oldtimer1 on Jul 3, 2008 10:11:44 GMT -5
It seems to be new lack of work ethic in the gyms today. 25 years ago I would have never seen the short range of motion I see in the gyms now. Let's call a spade a spade. The shorter the range of motion the more weight you can use.
I saw a guy stopping 6 inches from his chest benching. I asked him why he was doing that and he said I don't want to injure my pecs or shoulders. I suspect the real reason is that he can handle 30 to 40lbs more with a short stroke. Doing partial movements exclusively will result in a loss of flexibility that can lead to injury when that tight limited range is exceeded.
I see short stroking is every where now. It's not just benching. Inclines, benches, leg press, shoulder presses and even pull downs are made easier by not going through a full range of motion.
Partial range of motion is a tool in lifting and it does have it's place. For many it's become an ego stroking method to handle more weight than a trainer could really use.
Mike McDonald who many consider the best bench pressor of all time made it a point to lift with a full range of motion. He was a champion in the late 70's early 80's. He said doing a regular full range bench is limited by the bar hitting your chest. Mike always included 3 sets of 3 reps with a cambered bar that had a bend in the middle so he could do full stretching bench presses in addition to using a regular bar.
I believe many of the injuries and bad shoulders in benching is the result of tightness and the resulting loss of flexibility that's inherent in the exercise. When this limited range of flexibility is breached a tear is the result.
On a side note the surport gear used in powerlifting has ruined the sport for me. I'm an Olympic lifting fan now. Here's a bar. Get it overhead.
IMHO
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Post by mrky03 on Jul 3, 2008 21:19:26 GMT -5
It seems to be new lack of work ethic in the gyms today. 25 years ago I would have never seen the short range of motion I see in the gyms now. Let's call a spade a spade. The shorter the range of motion the more weight you can use. I saw a guy stopping 6 inches from his chest benching. I asked him why he was doing that and he said I don't want to injure my pecs or shoulders. I suspect the real reason is that he can handle 30 to 40lbs more with a short stroke. Doing partial movements exclusively will result in a loss of flexibility that can lead to injury when that tight limited range is exceeded. I see short stroking is every where now. It's not just benching. Inclines, benches, leg press, shoulder presses and even pull downs are made easier by not going through a full range of motion. Partial range of motion is a tool in lifting and it does have it's place. For many it's become an ego stroking method to handle more weight than a trainer could really use. Mike McDonald who many consider the best bench pressor of all time made it a point to lift with a full range of motion. He was a champion in the late 70's early 80's. He said doing a regular full range bench is limited by the bar hitting your chest. Mike always included 3 sets of 3 reps with a cambered bar that had a bend in the middle so he could do full stretching bench presses in addition to using a regular bar. I believe many of the injuries and bad shoulders in benching is the result of tightness and the resulting loss of flexibility that's inherent in the exercise. When this limited range of flexibility is breached a tear is the result. On a side note the surport gear used in powerlifting has ruined the sport for me. I'm an Olympic lifting fan now. Here's a bar. Get it overhead. IMHO Agreed! Drives me crazy to see so many people at my gym doing partial reps on every set of every exercise! |
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Post by gti steve on Jul 8, 2008 15:04:32 GMT -5
It seems to be new lack of work ethic in the gyms today. 25 years ago I would have never seen the short range of motion I see in the gyms now. Let's call a spade a spade. The shorter the range of motion the more weight you can use. I saw a guy stopping 6 inches from his chest benching. I asked him why he was doing that and he said I don't want to injure my pecs or shoulders. I suspect the real reason is that he can handle 30 to 40lbs more with a short stroke. Doing partial movements exclusively will result in a loss of flexibility that can lead to injury when that tight limited range is exceeded. I see short stroking is every where now. It's not just benching. Inclines, benches, leg press, shoulder presses and even pull downs are made easier by not going through a full range of motion. Partial range of motion is a tool in lifting and it does have it's place. For many it's become an ego stroking method to handle more weight than a trainer could really use. Mike McDonald who many consider the best bench pressor of all time made it a point to lift with a full range of motion. He was a champion in the late 70's early 80's. He said doing a regular full range bench is limited by the bar hitting your chest. Mike always included 3 sets of 3 reps with a cambered bar that had a bend in the middle so he could do full stretching bench presses in addition to using a regular bar. I believe many of the injuries and bad shoulders in benching is the result of tightness and the resulting loss of flexibility that's inherent in the exercise. When this limited range of flexibility is breached a tear is the result. On a side note the surport gear used in powerlifting has ruined the sport for me. I'm an Olympic lifting fan now. Here's a bar. Get it overhead. IMHO Clean & Jerk! |
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Post by fit on Jul 11, 2008 15:07:29 GMT -5
As Weider himself said- if you are a typical ectomorph, long arms, no barrell chest, the natural range of the press motion may leave the bar a couple of inches off your chest.
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